The First Day of September.
ABIDING IN OBEDIENCE, IN LOVE.
"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love." - KJV
"If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love." - ESV - John 15:10.
These things cannot be parted - abiding in obedience, and abiding in the love of Jesus. A life under the rule of Christ can alone
prove that we are the objects of our Lord's delight. We must keep our Lord's command if we would bask in His love. If we live in sin we
cannot live in the love of Christ. Without the holiness which pleases God, we cannot please Jesus. He who cares nothing for holiness knows
nothing of the love of Jesus.
Conscious enjoyment of our Lord's love is a delicate thing. It is far more sensitive to sin and holiness than mercury is to cold and
heat. When we are tender of heart, and careful in thought, lip, and life to honor our Lord Jesus, then we receive tokens of His love
without number. If we desire to perpetuate such bliss we must perpetuate holiness. The Lord Jesus will not hide His face from us unless we
hide our face from Him. Sin makes the cloud which darkens our Sun: if we will be watchfully obedient and completely consecrated, we may
walk in the light, as God is in the light, and have as sure an abiding in the love of Jesus as Jesus has in the love of the Father. Here
is a sweet promise with a solemn "if." Lord, let me have this "if" in my hand; for as a key it opens this casket.
The Third Day of September.
OUT OF SPIRITUAL DEATH.
"And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my
people, and brought you up out of your graves." - KJV
"And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you
from your graves, O my people." - ESV - Ezekiel 37:13.
Indeed it must be so: those who receive life from the dead are sure to recognize the hand of the Lord in such a resurrection. This is
the greatest and most remarkable of all changes that a man can undergo -to be brought out of the grave of spiritual death, and made to
rejoice in the light and liberty of spiritual life. None could work this but the living God, the Lord and giver of life.
Ah me! how well do I remember when I was lying in the valley full of dry bones, as dry as any of them! Blessed was the day when free
and sovereign grace sent the man of God to prophesy upon me! Glory be to God for the stirring which that word of faith caused among the
dry bones. More blessed still was that heavenly breath from the four winds which made me live! Now know I the quickening Spirit of the
ever-living Jehovah. Truly Jehovah is the living God, for He made me live. My new life even in its pinings and sorrowings is clear proof
to me that the Lord can kill and make alive. He is the only God. He is all that is great, gracious, and glorious, and my quickened soul
adores Him as the great I AM. All glory be unto His sacred name! As long as I live I will praise Him.
The Fourth Day of September.
Return to the Top.
VICTORY WITHOUT BATTLE.
"But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them
by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by
sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen." - KJV
"But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God.
I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen." - ESV - Hosea 1:7.
Precious word! Jehovah Himself will deliver His people in the greatness of His mercy, but He will not do it by the ordinary means.
Men are slow to render to God the glory due unto His name. If they go to battle with sword and bow, and win the victory, they ought to
praise their God; yet they do not, but begin to magnify their own right arm, and glory in their horses and horsemen. For this reason our
Jehovah often determines to save His people without second means, that all the honor may be to Himself alone.
Look, then, my heart, to the Lord alone, and not to man. Expect to see God all the more clearly when there is no one else to look
to. If I have no friend, no adviser, no one at my back, let me be none the less confident if I can feel that the Lord Himself is on my
side; yea, let me be glad if He gives victory without battle, as the text seems to imply. Why do I ask for horses and horsemen if Jehovah
Himself has mercy upon me, and lifts up His arm for my defense? Why need I bow or sword if God will save? Let me trust, and not be afraid,
from this day forth and for evermore. Amen.
The Fifth Day of September.
WITH ME WHEREVER I AM.
"The Lord will be with you." - KJV
"The Lord will be with you." - ESV - 2 Chronicles 20:17.
This was a great mercy for Jehoshaphat, for a great multitude had come out against him; and it will be a great mercy for me, for I
have great need, and I have no might or wisdom. If the Lord be with me, it matters little who may desert me. If the Lord be with me, I
shall conquer in the battle of life, and the greater my trials the more glorious will be my victory. How can I be sure that the Lord is
with me?
For certain He is with me if I am with Him. If I trust in His faithfulness, believe His words, and obey His commands, He is assuredly
with me. If I am on Satan's side God is against me, and cannot be otherwise; but if I live to honor God I may be sure that He will honor me.
I am quite sure that God is with me if Jesus is my sole and only Saviour. If I have placed my soul in the hands of God's Only-begotten
Son, then I may be sure that the Father will put forth all His power to preserve me, that His Son may not be dishonored.
Oh for faith to take hold upon the short but sweet text for today! O Lord, fulfill this word to thy servant! Be with me in the house,
in the street, in the field, in the shop, in company, and alone. Be thou also with all thy people.
The Sixth Day of September.
Return to the Top.
A STRONG HEART.
"Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart:
wait, I say, on the Lord."
- KJV
"Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!" - ESV - Psalm 27:14.
Wait! Wait! Let your waiting be on the Lord! He is worth waiting for. He never disappoints the waiting soul. While waiting keep up
your spirits. Expect a great deliverance, and be ready to praise God for it.
The promise which should cheer you is in the middle of the verse - "He shall strengthen thine heart." This goes at once to the place
where you need help. If the heart be sound, all the rest of the system will work well. The heart wants calming and cheering; and both of
these will come if it be strengthened. A forceful heart rests and rejoices, and throbs force into the whole man.
No one else can get at that secret urn of life, the heart, so as to pour strength into it. He alone who made it can make it strong.
God is full of strength, and, therefore, He can impart it to those who need it. Oh, be brave; for the Lord will impart His strength to
you, and you shall be calm in tempest, and glad in sorrow. He who penned these lines can write as David did - "Wait, I say, on the Lord."
I do, indeed, say it. I know by long and deep experience that it is good for me to wait upon the Lord.
The Seventh Day of September.
THE REACH OF ALMIGHTY GRACE.
"It shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto
them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are
the sons of the living God." - KJV
"And in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' it shall be said to them,
'Children of the living God.'" - ESV - Hosea 1:10.
Sovereign grace can make strangers into sons, and the Lord here declares His purpose to deal thus with rebels, and make them know what
He has done. Beloved reader, the Lord has done this in my case; has He done the like for you? Then let us join hands and hearts in praising
His adorable name.
Some of us were so decidedly ungodly that the Lord's Word most truly said to our conscience and heart, "Ye are not my people." In the
house of God, and in our own homes, when we read the Bible, this was the voice of God's Spirit in our soul, "Ye are not my people." Truly
a sad condemning voice it was. But now, in the same places, from the same ministry and Scripture, we hear a voice, which saith, "Ye are the
sons of the living God." Can we be grateful enough for this? Is it not wonderful? Does it not give us hope for others? Who is beyond the
reach of almighty grace? How can we despair of any, since the Lord has wrought so marvelous a change in us?
He who has kept this one great promise will keep every other; wherefore, let us go forward with songs of adoration and confidence.
The Eighth Day of September.
Return to the Top.
BROKEN AND SMOKING.
"A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench." - KJV
"A bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;" - ESV - Isaiah 42:3.
Then I may reckon upon tender treatment from my Lord. Indeed, I feel myself to be at best as weak, as pliant, as worthless as a reed.
Someone said, "I don't care a rush for you"; and the speech, though unkind, was not untrue. Alas! I am worse than a reed when it grows by
the river, for that at least can hold up its head. I am bruised, sorely, sadly bruised. There is no music in me now; there is a rift which
lets out all the melody. Ah, me! Yet Jesus will not break me; and if he will not, then I mind little what others try to do. O sweet and
compassionate Lord, I nestle down beneath thy protection, and forget my bruises!
Truly I am also fit to be likened to "the smoking flax," whose light is gone, and only its smoke remains. I fear I am rather a
nuisance than a benefit. My fears tell me that the devil has blown out my light, and left me an obnoxious smoke, and that my Lord will soon
put an extinguisher upon me. Yet I perceive that though there were snuffers under the law, there were no extinguishers; and Jesus will not
quench me; therefore, I am hopeful. Lord, kindle me anew, and cause me to shine forth to thy glory, and to the extolling of thy tenderness.
The Ninth Day of September.
FEAR HAS ITS PLACE.
"Happy is the man that feareth alway." - KJV
"Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always." - ESV - Proverbs 28:14.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning and the foundation of all true religion. Without a solemn awe and reverence of God there is no
foothold for the more brilliant virtues. He whose soul does not worship will never live in holiness.
He is happy who feels a jealous fear of doing wrong. Holy fear looks not only before it leaps, but even before it moves. It is afraid
of error, afraid of neglecting duty, afraid of committing sin. It fears ill company, loose talk, and questionable policy. This does not
make a man wretched, but it brings him happiness. The watchful sentinel is happier than the soldier who sleeps at his post. He who forseeth
evil and escapes it is happier than he who walks carelessly on and is destroyed.
Fear of God is a quiet grace which leads a man along a choice road, of which it is written, "No lion shall be there, neither shall any
ravenous beast go up thereon." Fear of the very appearance of evil is a purifying principle, which enables a man, through the power of the
Holy Spirit, to keep his garments unspotted from the world. In both senses he that "feareth alway" is made happy. Solomon had tried both
worldliness and holy fear: in the one he found vanity, in the other happiness. Let us not repeat his trial, but abide by his verdict.
The Tenth Day of September.
Return to the Top.
COMING IN; GOING OUT.
"Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out." - KJV
"Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out." - ESV - Deuteronomy 28:6.
The blessings of the law are not canceled. Jesus confirmed the promise when He bore the penalty. If I keep the commands of my Lord, I
may appropriate this promise without question.
This day I will come in to my house without fear of evil tidings, and I will come into my closet expecting to hear good news from my
Lord. I will not be afraid to come in unto myself by self-examination, nor to come in to my affairs by a diligent inspection of my
business. I have a good deal of work to do indoors, within my own soul; oh, for a blessing upon it all, the blessing of the Lord Jesus, who
has promised to abide with me.
I must also go out. Timidity makes me wish that I could stay within doors, and never go into the sinful world again. But I must go out
in my calling, and I must go out that I may be helpful to my brethren, and useful to the ungodly. I must be a defender of the faith and an
assailant of evil. Oh, for a blessing upon my going out this day! Lord, let me go where Thou leadest, on Thy errands, under Thy command,
and in the power of Thy Spirit. Lord Jesus, turn in with me and be my guest; and then walk out with me, and cause my heart to burn while
You speak with me by the way.
The Eleventh Day of September.
SUFFERERS MAKE STRONG BELIEVERS.
"It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth." - KJV
"It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth." - ESV - Lamentations 3:27.
This is as good as a promise. It has been good, it is good, and it will be good for me to bear the yoke.
Early in life I had to feel the weight of conviction, and ever since it has proved a soul-enriching burden. Should I have loved the
gospel so well had I not learned by deep experience the need of salvation by grace? Jabez was more honorable than his brethren because his
mother bare him with sorrow, and those who suffer much in being born unto God make strong believers in sovereign grace.
The yoke of censure is an irksome one, but it prepares a man for future honor. He is not fit to be a leader who has not run the
gauntlet of contempt. Praise intoxicates if it be not preceded by abuse. Men who rise to eminence without a struggle usually fall into
dishonor. The yoke of affliction, disappointment, and excessive labor is by no means to be sought for; but when the Lord lays it on us in
our youth it frequently develops a character which glorifies God and blesses the Church.
Come, my soul, bow thy neck; take up thy cross. It was good for thee when young, it will not harm thee now. For Jesus' sake, shoulder
it cheerfully.
The Twelfth Day of September.
Return to the Top.
WHAT OF MY HOUSE?.
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." - KJV
"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." - ESV - Acts 16:31.
This gospel for a man with a sword at his throat is the gospel for me. This would suit me if I were dying, and it is all that I need
while I am living. I look away from self, and sin, and all idea of personal merit, and I trust the Lord Jesus as the Saviour whom God has
given. I believe in Him, I rest on Him, I accept Him to be my all in all. Lord, I am saved, and I shall be saved to all eternity, for I
believe in Jesus. Blessed be thy name for this. May I daily prove by my life that I am saved from selfishness, and worldliness, and every
form of evil.
But those last words about my "house": Lord, I would not run away with half a promise when thou dost give a whole one. I beseech thee,
save all my family. Save the nearest and dearest. Convert the children, and the grandchildren, if I have any. Be gracious to my servants,
and all who dwell under my roof, or work for me. Thou makest this promise to me personally if I believe in the Lord Jesus; I beseech thee
to do as thou hast said. I would go over in my prayer every day the names of all my brothers and sisters, parents, children, friends,
relatives, servants, and give thee no rest till that word is fulfilled, "and thy house."
The Thirteenth Day of September.
THE DEW OF HEAVEN.
"His heavens shall drop down dew." - KJV
"His heavens shall drop down dew." - ESV - Deuteronomy 33:28.
What the dew in the East is to the world of nature, that is the influence of the Spirit in the realm of grace. How greatly do I need
it! Without the Spirit of God I am a dry and withered thing. I droop, I fade, I die. How sweetly does this dew refresh me! When once
favored with it I feel happy, lively, vigorous, elevated. I want nothing more. The Holy Spirit brings me life, and all that life requires.
All else without the dew of the Spirit is less than nothing to me: I hear, I read, I pray, I sing, I go to the table of communion, and I
ind no blessing there until the Holy Ghost visits me. But when He bedews me, every means of grace is sweet and profitable.
What a promise is this for me! "His heavens shall drop down dew." I shall be visited with grace. I shall not be left to my natural
drought, or to the world's burning heat, or to the sirocco of Satanic temptation. Oh, that I may at this very hour feel the gentle, silent,
saturating dew of the Lord! Why should I not? He who has made me to live as the grass lives in the meadow, will treat me as He treats the
grass; He will refresh me from above. Grass cannot call for dew as I do. Surely, the Lord who visits the unpraying plant will answer to
His pleading child.
The Fourteenth Day of September.
Return to the Top.
MARK OF DIVINE APPROVAL.
"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried,
he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to
them that love him." - KJV
"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial,
for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised
to those who love him." - ESV - James 1:12.
Yes, he is blessed while he is enduring the trial. No eye can see this till it has been anointed with heavenly eye-salve. But he
must endure it, and neither rebel against God, nor turn aside from his integrity. He is blessed who has gone through the fire, and has not
been consumed as a counterfeit. When the test is over, then comes the hallmark of divine approval — "the crown of life." As if the Lord
said, "Let him live; he has been weighed in the balances, and he is not found wanting." Life is the reward: not mere being; but holy,
happy, true existence, the realization of the divine purpose concerning us. Already a higher form of spiritual life and enjoyment crowns
those who have safely passed through fiercest trials of faith and love.
The Lord hath promised the crown of life to those who love Him. Only lovers of the Lord will hold out in the hour of trial; the rest
will either sink or sulk, or slink back to the world. Come, my heart, dost thou love thy Lord? Truly? Deeply? Wholly? Then that love will
be tried; but many waters will not quench it, neither will the floods drown it. Lord, let thy love nourish mine to the end.
The Fifteenth Day of September.
THE SAFEST SHELTER.
"And a man shall be as an hiding-place from the wind
and a covert from the tempest." - KJV
"Each will be like a hiding place from the wind,
a shelter from the storm," - ESV - Isaiah 32:2.
Who this MAN is we all know. Who could He be but the Second Man, the Lord from Heaven, the Man of sorrows, the Son of Man? What a
hiding-place He has been to His people! He bears the full force of the wind Himself, and so He shelters those who hide themselves in Him.
We have thus escaped the wrath of God, and we shall thus escape the anger of men, the cares of this life, and the dread of death. Why do
we stand in the wind when we may so readily and so surely get out of it by hiding behind our Lord? Let us this day run to Him, and be at
peace.
Often the common wind of trouble rises in its force and becomes a tempest, sweeping everything before it. Things which looked firm and
stable rock in the blast, and many and great are the falls among our carnal confidences. Our Lord Jesus, the glorious Man, is a covert
which is never blown down. In Him we mark the tempest sweeping by, but we ourselves rest in delightful serenity.
This day let us just stow ourselves away in our hiding-place, and sit and sing under the protection of our Covert. Blessed Jesus!
Blessed Jesus! How we love thee! Well we may, for thou art to us a shelter in the time of storm.
The Sixteenth Day of September.
Return to the Top.
REWARD IS CERTAIN.
"And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a
cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto
you, he shall in no wise lose his reward." - KJV
"And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple,
truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward." - ESV - Matthew 10:42.
Well, I can do as much as that. I can do a kind act toward the Lord's servant. The Lord knows I love them all, and would count it
an honor to wash their feet. For the sake of their Master I love the disciples. How gracious of the Lord to mention so insignificant an
action - "to give to drink a Cup of cold water only"! This I can do, however poor: this I may do, however lowly: this I will do right
cheerfully. This, which seems so little, the Lord notices — notices when done to the least of His followers. Evidently it is not the cost,
nor the skill, nor the quantity, that He looks at, but the motive: that which we do to a disciple, because he is a disciple, his Lord
observes, and recompenses. He does not reward us for the merit of what we do, but according to the riches of His grace.
I give a cup of cold water, and He makes me to drink of living water. I give to one of His little ones, and He treats me as one of
them. Jesus finds an apology for His liberality in that which His grace has led me to do, and He says, "He shall in no wise lose his
reward."
The Seventeenth Day of September.
LIKE PALM AND CEDAR.
"The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like
a cedar in Lebanon." - KJV
"The righteous flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon." - ESV - Psalm 92:12.
These trees are not trained and pruned by man: palms and cedars are "trees of the Lord," and it is by His care that they flourish;
even so it is with the saints of the Lord, they are His own care. These trees are evergreen and are beautiful objects at all seasons of the
year. Believers are not sometimes holy and sometimes ungodly: they stand in the beauty of the Lord under all weathers. Everywhere these
trees are noteworthy: no one can gaze upon a landscape in which there are either palms or cedars without his attention being fixed upon
these royal growths. The followers of Jesus are the observed of all observers: like a city set on a hill they cannot be hid. The child of
God flourishes like a palm tree, which pushes all its strength upward in one erect column without a single branch. It is a pillar with a
glorious capital. It has no growth to the right or to the left, but sends all its force heavenward, and bears its fruit as near the sky as
possible. Lord, fulfill this type in me.
The cedar braves all storms, and grows near the eternal snows, the Lord Himself filling it with a sap which keeps its heart warm and
its boughs strong. Lord, so let it be with me, I pray thee. Amen.
The Eighteenth Day of September.
Return to the Top.
COMPLETE SAFETY.
"And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in
safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he
shall dwell between his shoulders." - KJV
"Of Benjamin he said,
'The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety.
The High God surrounds him all day long,
and dwells between his shoulders.'" - ESV - Deuteronomy 33:12.
Yes, there is no safety like that which comes of dwelling near to God. For His best beloved the Lord can find no surer or safer
place. O Lord, let me always abide under thy shadow, close to thy wounded side. Nearer and nearer would I come to thee, my Lord; and when
once specially near thee, I would abide there for ever.
What a covering is that which the Lord gives to His chosen! Not a fair roof shall cover him, nor a bombproof casement, nor even an
angel's wing, but Jehovah Himself. Nothing can come at us when we are thus covered. This covering the Lord will grant us all the day long,
however long the day. Lord, let me abide this day consciously beneath this canopy of love, this pavilion of sovereign power.
Does the third clause mean that the Lord in His temple would dwell among the mountains of Benjamin, or that the Lord would be where
Benjamin's burden should be placed, or does it mean that we are borne upon the shoulders of the Eternal? In any case, the Lord is the
support and strength of His saints. Lord, let me ever enjoy thy help and then my arms will be sufficient for me.
The Nineteenth Day of September.
THE REASON FOR SINGING.
"The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he
will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy
over thee with singing." - KJV
"The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing." - ESV - Zephaniah 3:17.
What a word is this! Jehovah God in the center of His people in all the majesty of His power! This presence alone suffices to
inspire us with peace and hope. Treasures of boundless might are stored in our Jehovah, and He dwells in His church, therefore may His
people shout for joy.
We not only have His presence, but He is engaged upon His choice work of salvation. "He will save." He is always saving: He takes His
name of Jesus from it. Let us not fear any danger, for He is mighty to save. Nor is this all. He abides evermore the same; He loves, He
finds rest in loving, He will not cease to love. His love gives Him joy. He even finds a theme for song in His beloved. This is exceedingly
wonderful. When God wrought creation He did not sing, but simply said, "It is very good"; but when He came to redemption, then the sacred
Trinity felt a joy to be expressed in song. Think of it, and be astonished! Jehovah Jesus sings a marriage song over His chosen bride. She
is to Him His love, His joy, His rest, His song. O Lord Jesus, by thine immeasurable love to us teach us to love thee, to rejoice in thee,
and to sing unto thee our life-psalm.
The Twentieth Day of September.
Return to the Top.
PERFECT WILLINGNESS.
"Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." - KJV
"Your people will offer themselves freely
on the day of your power,[" - ESV - Psalm 110:3.
Blessed be the God of grace that it is so! He has a people whom He has chosen from of old to be His peculiar portion. These by nature
have wills as stubborn as the rest of the froward sons of Adam; but when the day of His power comes, and grace displays its omnipotence,
they become willing to repent, and to believe in Jesus. None are saved unwillingly, but the will is made sweetly to yield itself. What a
wondrous power is this, which never violates the will, and yet rules it! God does not break the lock, but He opens it by a master-key which
He alone can handle.
Now are we willing to be, to do, or to suffer as the Lord wills. If at any time we grow rebellious He has but to come to us with power,
and straightway we run in the way of His commands with all our hearts. May this be a day of power with me as to some noble effort for the
glory of God and the good of my fellow-men! Lord, I am willing; may I not hope that this is a day of thy power? I am wholly at thy
disposal; willing, yea, eager, to be used of thee for thy holy purposes. O Lord, let me not have to cry, "To will is present with me, but
how to perform that which I would, I find not"; but give me power as thou givest me will.
The Twenty First Day of September.
LET TRIALS BLESS.
"Knowing that tribulation worketh patience." - KJV
"knowing that suffering produces endurance." - ESV - Romans 5:3.
This is a promise in essence if not in form. We have need of patience, and here we see the way of getting it. It is only by enduring
that we learn to endure, even as by swimming men learn to swim. You could not learn that art on dry land, nor learn patience without
trouble. Is it not worth while to suffer tribulation for the sake of gaining that beautiful equanimity of mind which quietly acquiesces in
all the will of God?
Yet our text sets forth a singular fact, which is not according to nature, but is supernatural. Tribulation in and of itself worketh
petulance, unbelief, and rebellion. It is only by the sacred alchemy of grace that it is made to work in us patience. We do not thresh the
wheat to lay the dust: yet the flail of tribulation does this upon God's floor. We do not toss a man about in order to give him rest, and
yet so the Lord dealeth with His children. Truly this is not the manner of man, but greatly redounds to the glory of our all-wise God.
Oh, for grace to let my trials bless me! Why should I wish to stay their gracious operation? Lord, I ask thee to remove my affliction,
but I beseech thee ten times more to remove my impatience. Precious Lord Jesus, with thy cross engrave the image of thy patience on my
heart.
The Twenty Second Day of September.
Return to the Top.
BROAD RIVERS WITHOUT GALLEYS.
"But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers
and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall
gallant ship pass thereby." - KJV
"But there the Lord in majesty will be for us
a place of broad rivers and streams,
where no galley with oars can go,
nor majestic ship can pass." - ESV - Isaiah 33:21.
The Lord will be to us the greatest good without any of the drawbacks which seem necessarily to attend the best earthly things.
If a city is favored with broad rivers, it is liable to be attacked by galleys with oars, and other ships of war. But when the Lord
represents the abundance of His bounty under this figure, He takes care expressly to shut out the fear which the metaphor might suggest.
Blessed be His perfect love!
Lord, if thou send me wealth like broad rivers, do not let the galley with oars come up in the shape of worldliness or pride. If thou
grant me abundant health and happy spirits, do not let "the gallant ship" of carnal ease come sailing up the flowing flood. If I have
success in holy service, broad as the German Rhine, yet let me never find the galley of self-conceit and self-confidence floating on the
waves of my usefulness. Should I be so supremely happy as to enjoy the light of thy countenance year after year, yet let me never despise
thy feeble saints, nor allow the vain notion of my own perfection to sail up the broad rivers of my full assurance. Lord, give me that
blessing which maketh rich, and neither addeth sorrow, nor addeth sin.
The Twenty Third Day of September.
DELIVERANCE FROM DUST AND CHAFF.
"For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among
all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least
grain fall upon the earth." - KJV
"For behold, I will command,
and shake the house of Israel among all the nations
as one shakes with a sieve,
but no pebble shall fall to the earth." - ESV - Amos 9:9.
The sifting process is going on still. Wherever we go, we are still being winnowed and sifted. In all countries God's people are being
tried "like as corn is sifted in a sieve." Sometimes the devil holds the sieve, and tosses us up and down at a great rate, with the earnest
desire to get rid of us for ever. Unbelief is not slow to agitate our heart and mind with its restless fears. The world lends a willing
hand at the same process, and shakes us to the right and to the left with great vigor. Worst of all, the church, so largely apostate as it
is, comes in to give a more furious force to the sifting process.
Well, well! let it go on. Thus is the chaff severed from the wheat. Thus is the wheat delivered from dust and chaff. And how great is
the mercy which comes to us in the text, "yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth"! All shall be preserved that is good, true,
gracious. Not one of the least of believers shall be lost, neither shall any believer lose anything worth calling a loss. We shall be so
kept in the sifting that it shall be a real gain to us through Christ Jesus.
The Twenty Fourth Day of September.
Return to the Top.
THE LIFE-GIVING STREAM.
"And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth,
whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live." - KJV
"And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live." - ESV - Ezekiel 47:9.
The living waters, in the prophet's vision, flowed into the Dead Sea, and carried life with them, even into that stagnant lake. Where
grace goes, spiritual life is the immediate and the everlasting consequence. Grace proceeds sovereignly according to the will of God, even
as a river in all its windings follows its own sweet will; and wherever it comes it does not wait for life to come to it, but it creates
life by its own quickening flow. Oh, that it would pour along our streets, and flood our slums! Oh, that it would now come into my house,
and rise till every chamber were made to swim with it! Lord, let the living water flow to my family and my friends, and let it not pass me
by. I hope I have drunk of it already; but I desire to bathe in it, yea, to swim in it. O my Saviour, I need life more abundantly. Come to
me, I pray thee, till every part of my nature is vividly energetic and intensely active. Living God, I pray thee, fill me with thine own
life.
I am a poor, dry stick; come and make me so to live that, like Aaron's rod, I may bud and blossom and bring forth fruit unto thy
glory. Quicken me, for the sake of my Lord Jesus. Amen.
The Twenty Fifth Day of September.
THE SACRIFICE HAS BEEN ACCEPTED.
"If the Lord were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a
burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he
have showed us all these things." - KJV
"If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering
and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things" - ESV - Judges 13:23.
This is a sort of promise deduced by logic. It is an inference fairly drawn from ascertained facts. It was not likely that the Lord
had revealed to Manoah and his wife that a son would be born to them, and yet had it in His heart to destroy them. The wife reasoned well,
and we shall do well if we follow her line of argument.
The Father has accepted the great sacrifice of Calvary, and has declared Himself well pleased therewith; how can He now be pleased to
kill us? Why a substitute if the sinner must still perish? The accepted sacrifice of Jesus puts an end to fear.
The Lord has shown us our election, our adoption, our union to Christ, our marriage to the Well-beloved: how can lie now destroy us?
The promises are loaded with blessings, which necessitate our being preserved unto eternal life. It is not possible for the Lord to cast us
away, and yet fulfill His covenant. The past assures us, and the future reassures us. We shall not die, but live; for we have seen Jesus,
and in Him we have seen the Father by the illumination of the Holy Ghost. Because of this life-giving sight we must live for ever.
The Twenty Sixth Day of September.
Return to the Top.
AMONG THE REDEEMED.
"Lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned
among the nations." - KJV
"Behold, a people dwelling alone,
and not counting itself among the nations!" - ESV - Numbers 23:9.
Who would wish to dwell among the nations, and to be numbered with them? Why, even the professing church is such that to follow the
Lord fully within its bounds is very difficult. There is such a mingling and mixing that one often sighs for "a lodge in some vast
wilderness."
Certain it is that the Lord would have His people follow a separated path as to the world, and come out decidedly and distinctly from
it. We are set apart by the divine decree, purchase, and calling, and our inward experience has made us greatly to differ from men of the
world; and therefore our place is not in their Vanity Fair, nor in their City of Destruction, but in the narrow way where all true pilgrims
must follow their Lord.
This may not only reconcile us to the world's cold shoulder and sneers, but even cause us to accept them with pleasure as being a part
of our covenant portion. Our names are not in the same book, we are not of the same seed, we are not bound for the same place, neither are
we trusting to the same guide, therefore it is well that we are not of their number. Only let us be found in the number of the redeemed,
and we are content to be odd and solitary to the end of the chapter.
The Twenty Seventh Day of September.
THE DIVINE LIGHT IN DARKNESS.
"For thou wilt light my candle." - KJV
"For it is you who light my lamp." - ESV - Psalm 18:28.
It may be that my soul sits in darkness; and if this be of a spiritual kind, no human power can bring me light. Blessed be God! He can
enlighten my darkness, and at once light my candle. Even though I may be surrounded by a "darkness which might be felt," yet He can break
the gloom, and immediately make it bright around me.
The mercy is, that if He lights the candle none can blow it out, neither will it go out for lack of substance, nor burn out of itself
through the lapse of hours. The lights which the Lord kindled in the beginning are shining still. The Lord's lamps may need trimming, but
He does not put them out. Let me, then, like the nightingale, sing in the dark. Expectation shall furnish me with music, and hope shall
pitch the tune. Soon I shall rejoice in a candle of God's lighting. I am dull and dreary just now. Perhaps it is the weather, or bodily
weakness, or the surprise of a sudden trouble; but whatever has made the darkness, it is God alone who will bring the light. My eyes are
unto Him alone. I shall soon have the candles of the Lord shining about me; and, further on in His own good time, I shall be where they
need no candle, neither light of the sun. Hallelujah!
The Twenty Eighth Day of September.
Return to the Top.
WORK IS DONE; REST IN HIM.
"There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God." - KJV
"So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God." - ESV - Hebrews 4:9.
God has provided a Sabbath, and some must enter into it. Those to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief;
therefore, that Sabbath remains for the people of God. David sang of it; but he had to touch the minor key, for Israel refused the rest of
God. Joshua Could not give it, nor Canaan yield it: it remains for believers.
Come, then, let us labor to enter into this rest. Let us quit the weary toil of sin and self. Let us cease from all confidence, even
in those works of which it might be said, "They are very good." Have we any such? Still, let us cease from our own works, as God did from
His. Now let us find solace in the finished work of our Lord Jesus. Everything is fully done: justice demands no more. Great peace is our
portion in Christ Jesus.
As to providential matters, the work of grace in the soul, and the work of the Lord in the souls of others, let us cast these burdens
upon the Lord, and rest in Him. When the Lord gives us a yoke to bear, He does so that by taking it up we may find rest. By faith we labor
to enter into the rest of God, and we renounce all rest in self-satisfaction or indolence. Jesus Himself is perfect rest and we are filled
to the brim in Him.
The Twenty Ninth Day of September.
TO GLORIFY CHRIST JESUS.
"He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." - KJV
"He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you." - ESV - John 16:14.
The Holy Ghost Himself cannot better glorify the Lord Jesus than by showing to us Christ's own things. Jesus is His own best
commendation. There is no adorning Him except with His own gold. The Comforter shows us that which He has received of our Lord Jesus. We
never see anything aright till He reveals it. He has a way of opening our minds, and of opening the Scriptures, and by this double process
He sets forth our Lord to us. There is much art in setting forth a matter, and that art belongs in the highest degree to the Spirit of
truth. He shows us the things themselves. This is a great privilege, as those know who have enjoyed the hallowed vision.
Let us seek the illumination of the Spirit; not to gratify our curiosity, nor even to bring us personal comfort, so much as to glorify
the Lord Jesus. Oh, to have worthy ideas of Him! Groveling notions dishonor our precious Lord. Oh, to have such vivid impressions of His
person, and work, and glory, that we may with heart and soul cry out to His praise! Where there is a heart enriched by the Holy Ghost's
teaching there will be a Saviour glorified beyond expression. Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly light, and show us Jesus our Lord!
The Thirtieth Day of September.
Return to the Top.
NEEDS TO OPEN OUR MOUTHS.
"Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." - KJV
"Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it." - ESV - Psalm 81:10.
What an encouragement to pray! Our human notions would lead us to ask small things because our deservings are so small; but the Lord
would have us request great blessings. Prayer should be as simple a matter as the opening of the mouth; it should be a natural,
unconstrained utterance. When a man is earnest he opens his mouth wide, and our text urges us to be fervent in our supplications.
Yet it also means that we may make bold with God, and ask many and large blessings at His hands. Read the whole verse, and see the
argument: "I am Jehovah, thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." Because the Lord
has given us so much He invites us to ask for more, yea, to expect more.
See how the little birds in their nests seem to be all mouth when the mother comes to feed them. Let it be the same with us. Let us
take in grace at every door. Let us drink it in as a sponge sucks up the water in which it lies. God is ready to fill us if we are Only
ready to be filled. Let our needs make us open our mouths; let our faintness cause us to open our mouths and pant; yea, let our alarm make
us open our mouths with a child's cry. The opened mouth shall be filled by the Lord Himself. So be it unto us, O Lord, this day.
GLORY BE TO HIM WHO
WILL GUIDE ME HERE,
AND
RECEIVE ME HEREAFTER.
AMEN.
