From J. C. Philpot's Daily Portions
November 30 "Therefore he is able to save completely those who come
to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them." Hebrews
7:25 If the gracious Lord did not live to make intercession
for us, he could hardly be said to save us to the uttermost. But as he ever
lives at God's right hand and is ever interceding, ever presenting the
perfume of his acceptable mediation, this gives us a certain pledge of his
love, his pity, and his power. Is not this very encouraging to all who come
unto God by him? and may we not say, "Such are we, O Lord; we do come, we
daily come to you by Jesus Christ?" And do we not need all the encouragement
that God may give us out of it? for we often sink very low through
temptation and trial and the manifold afflictions of the way. How blessed, then, it is if you can only trace this mark
of grace in your soul when others seem almost lost out of sight. If you know
anything of internal work, you know this--whether you have come--whether you
are coming to God by Jesus Christ. It is very simple, yet very expressive.
Have you come as an outcast? Have you come as ready to perish? for these are
expressly spoken of as coming in that day when the great trumpet is blown,
the great and glorious trumpet of the gospel, for its jubilee notes are
sounded specially for them. Have you come in faith? have you come in hope?
have you come in love? and have you found any measure of acceptance and
approbation in your own bosom? "Yes," say some, "with all my doubts, fears,
and questioning, I can answer your question with an honest heart and a firm
front, that I have come to God by Jesus Christ, and have felt the
blessedness of so doing." Then you have known something or will know something
about the uttermost; and the more you know about the uttermost, the more you
will prize salvation by grace, the more you will cleave to the Son of God,
the more you will hang upon his finished work, and the more you will look
unto him who has so kindly said, "Look unto me and be saved, all the ends of
the earth; for I am God, and there is none else."