From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Daily devotions for 07-17-2005:
Devotion: Morning and Evening
Morning Title: Our Daily Bread
Evening Title: Comfort in God
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Morning: Our Daily Bread
"They gathered manna every morning." --Exodus 16:21
Labour to maintain a sense of thine entire dependence upon the Lord's good will
and pleasure for the continuance of thy richest enjoyments.
Never try to live on the old manna, nor seek to find help in Egypt. All must
come from Jesus, or thou art undone for ever. Old anointings will not suffice
to impart unction to thy spirit; thine head must have fresh oil poured upon it
from the golden horn of the sanctuary, or it will cease from its glory.
To-day thou mayest be upon the summit of the mount of God, but He who has put
thee there must keep thee there, or thou wilt sink far more speedily than thou
dreamest. Thy mountain only stands firm when He settles it in its place; if He
hide His face, thou wilt soon be troubled. If the Saviour should see fit, there
is not a window through which thou seest the light of heaven which He could not
darken in an instant.
Joshua bade the sun stand still, but Jesus can shroud it in total darkness. He
can withdraw the joy of thine heart, the light of thine eyes, and the strength
of thy life; in His hand thy comforts lie, and at His will they can depart from
thee. This hourly dependence our Lord is determined that we shall feel and
recognize, for He only permits us to pray for "daily bread," and only promises
that "as our days our strength shall be." Is it not best for us that it should
be so, that we may often repair to His throne, and constantly be reminded of
His love?
Oh! how rich the grace which supplies us so continually, and doth not refrain
itself because of our ingratitude! The golden shower never ceases, the cloud of
blessing tarries evermore above our habitation. O Lord Jesus, we would bow at
Thy feet, conscious of our utter inability to do anything without Thee, and in
every favour
which we are privileged to receive, we would adore Thy blessed name and
acknowledge Thine unexhausted love.
Evening: Comfort in God
"Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea,
the set time is come. For Thy servants rake pleasure in her stones, and favour
the dust thereof." --Psalm 102:13, 14
A selfish man in trouble is exceedingly hard to comfort, because the springs of
his comfort entirely within himself, and when he is sad all his springs are
dry. But a large-hearted man full of Christian philanthropy, has other springs
from which to supply himself with comfort beside those which lie within. He can
go to his God first of all, and there find abundant help; and he can discover
arguments for consolation in things relating to the world at large, to his
country, and, above all, to the church.
David in this Psalm was exceedingly sorrowful; he wrote, "I am like an owl of
the desert, I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top."
The only way in which he could comfort himself, was in the reflection that God
would arise, and have mercy upon Zion: though he was sad, yet Zion should
prosper; however low his own estate, yet Zion should arise.
Christian man! learn to comfort thyself in God's gracious dealing towards the
church. That which is so dear to thy Master, should it not be dear above all
else to thee? What though thy way be dark, canst thou not gladden thine heart
with the triumphs of His cross and the spread of His truth? Our own personal
troubles are forgotten
while we look, not only upon what God has done, and is doing for Zion, but on
the glorious things He will yet do for His church.
Try this receipt, O believer, whenever thou art sad of heart and in heaviness
of spirit: forget thyself and thy little concerns, and seek the welfare and
prosperity of Zion. When thou bendest thy knee in prayer to God, limit not thy
petition to the narrow circle of thine own life, tried though it be, but send
out thy longing prayers for the church's prosperity, "Pray for the peace of
Jerusalem," and thine own soul shall be refreshed.
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From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Daily devotions for 07-16-2005:
Devotion: Morning and Evening
Morning Title: Fire of Prayer
Evening Title: Call Him Master
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Morning: Fire of Prayer
"The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out."
--Leviticus 6:13
Keep the altar of private prayer burning. This is the very life of all piety.
The sanctuary and family altars borrow their fires here, therefore let this
burn well. Secret devotion is the very essence, evidence, and barometer, of
vital and experimental religion.
Burn here the fat of your sacrifices. Let your closet seasons be, if possible,
regular, frequent, and undisturbed. Effectual prayer availeth much. Have you
nothing to pray for? Let us suggest the Church, the ministry, your own soul,
your children, your relations, your neighbours, your country, and the cause of
God and truth throughout the world. Let us examine ourselves on this important
matter. Do we engage with lukewarmness in private devotion? Is the fire of
devotion burning dimly in our hearts? Do the chariot wheels drag heavily? If
so, let us be alarmed at this sign of decay. Let us go with
weeping, and ask for the Spirit of grace and of supplications. Let us set apart
special seasons for extraordinary prayer. For if this fire should be smothered
beneath the ashes of a worldly conformity, it will dim the fire on the family
altar, and lessen our influence both in the Church and in the world.
The text will also apply to the altar of the heart. This is a golden altar
indeed. God loves to see the hearts of His people glowing towards Himself. Let
us give to God our hearts, all blazing with love, and seek His grace, that the
fire may never be quenched; for it will not burn if the Lord does not keep it
burning. Many foes will attempt to extinguish it; but if the unseen hand behind
the wall pour thereon the sacred oil, it will blaze higher and higher. Let us
use texts of Scripture as fuel for our heart's fire, they are live coals; let
us attend sermons, but above all, let us be much alone with Jesus.
Evening: Call Him Master
"He appeared first to Mary Magdalene." --Mark 16:9
Jesus "appeared first to Mary Magdalene," probably not only on account of her
great love and persevering seeking, but because, as the context intimates, she
had been a special trophy of Christ's delivering power. Learn from this, that
the greatness of our sin before conversion should not make us imagine that we
may not be specially favoured with the very highest grade of fellowship. She
was one who had left all to become a constant attendant on the Saviour. He was
her first, her chief object. Many who were on Christ's side did not take up
Christ's cross; she did. She spent her substance in relieving His wants. If we
would see much of Christ, let us serve Him.
Tell me who they are that sit oftenest under the banner of His love, and drink
deepest draughts from the cup of communion, and I am sure they will be those
who give most, who serve best, and who abide closest to the bleeding heart of
their dear Lord.
But notice how Christ revealed Himself to this sorrowing one--by a word,
"Mary." It needed but one word in His voice, and at once she knew Him, and her
heart owned allegiance by another word, her heart was too full to say more.
That one word would naturally be the most fitting for the occasion. It implies
obedience. She said,
"Master." There is no state of mind in which this confession of allegiance will
be too cold. No, when your spirit glows most with the heavenly fire, then you
will say, "I am Thy servant, Thou hast loosed my bonds." If you can say,
"Master," if you feel that His will is your will, then you stand in a happy,
holy place. He must have said, "Mary," or else you could not have said,
"Rabboni." See, then, from all this, how Christ
honours those who honour Him, how love draws our Beloved, how it needs but one
word of His to turn our weeping to rejoicing, how His presence makes the
heart's sunshine.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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