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Daily devotions for 08-11-2005:
Devotion: Morning and Evening
Morning Title: Our Life
Evening Title: Power to Forgive
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Morning: Our Life
"Christ, who is our life." --Colossians 3:4
Paul's marvellously rich expression indicates, that Christ is the source of our
life. "You hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins." That same
voice which brought Lazarus out of the tomb raised us to newness of life. He is
now the substance of our spiritual ;life. It is by His life that we live; He
is in us, the hope of glory, the spring of our actions, the central thought
which moves every other thought.
Christ is the sustenance of our life. What can the Christian feed upon but
Jesus' flesh and blood? "This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that
a man may eat thereof, and not die."
O wayworn pilgrims in this wilderness of sin, you never get a morsel to satisfy
the hunger of your spirits, except ye find it in Him!
Christ is the solace of our life. All&nbs p;our true joys come from Him; and in
times of trouble, His presence is our consolation. There is nothing worth
living for but Him; and His lovingkindness is better than life!
Christ is the object of our life. As speeds the ship towards the port, so
hastes the believer towards the haven of his Saviour's bosom. As flies the
arrow to its goal, so flies the Christian towards the perfecting of his
fellowship with Christ Jesus. As the soldier
fights for his captain, and is crowned in his captain's victory, so the
believer contends for Christ, and gets his triumph out of the triumphs of his
Master. "For him to live is Christ."
Christ is the exemplar of our life. Where there is the same life within, there
will, there must be, to a great extent, the same developments without; and if
we live in near fellowship with the Lord Jesus we shall grow like Him. We shall
set Him before us as our Divine copy, and we shall seek to tread in His
footsteps, until He shall become the crown of our life in glory. Oh! how safe,
how honoured, how happy is the Christian, since Christ is our life!
Evening: Power to Forgive
"The Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins." --Matthew 9:6
Behold one of the great Physician's mightiest arts: He has power to forgive
sin! While here He lived below, before the ransom had been paid, before the
blood had been literally sprinkled on the mercy-seat, He had power to forgive
sin. Hath He not power to do it now that He hath died?
What power must dwell in Him who to the utmost farthing has faithfully
discharged the debts of His people ! He has boundless power now that He has
finished transgression and made an end of sin. If ye doubt it, see Him rising
from the dead! behold Him in ascending splendour raised to the right hand of
God! Hear Him pleading before
the eternal Father, pointing to His wounds, urging the merit of His sacred
passion! What power to forgive is here! "He hath ascended on high, and received
gifts for men." "He is exalted on high to give repentance and remission of
sins." The most crimson sins are removed by the crimson of His blood.
At ;this moment, dear reader, whatever thy sinfulness, Christ has power to
pardon, power to pardon thee, and millions such as thou art. A word will speak
it. He has nothing more to do to win thy pardon; all the atoning work is done.
He can, in answer to thy tears, forgive thy sins today, and make thee know it.
He can breathe into thy soul at this very moment a peace with God which passeth
all understanding, which shall spring from perfect remission of thy manifold
iniquities. Dost thou believe that? I trust thou believest it. Mayst thou
experience now the power of Jesus to forgive sin! Waste no time in applying to
the Physician of souls, but hasten to Him.
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Daily devotions for 08-10-2005:
Devotion: Morning and Evening
Morning Title: Looking Ahead
Evening Title: Miracle of Grace
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Morning: Looking Ahead
"The city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it."
--Revelation 21:23
Yonder in the better world, the inhabitants are independent of all creature
comforts. They have no need of raiment; their white robes never wear out,
neither shall they ever be defiled. They need no medi cine to heal diseases,
"for the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick." They need no sleep to recruit
their frames--they rest not day nor night, but unweariedly praise Him in His
temple. They need no social relationship to minister comfort, and whatever
happiness they may derive from association with their fellows is not essential
to their bliss, for their Lord's society is enough for their largest desires.
They need no teachers there; they doubtless commune with one another concerning
the things of God, but they do not require this by way of instruction; they
shall all be taught of the Lord.
Ours are the alms at the king's gate, but they feast at the table itself. Here
we lean upon the friendly arm, but there they lean upon their Beloved and upon
Him alone. Here we must have the help of our companions, but there they find
all they want in Christ Jesus. Here we look to the meat which perisheth, and to
the raiment which decays before the moth, but there they find everything in
God. We use the bucket to fetch us water from the well, but there they drink
from the fountain head, and put their lips down to the living water. Here the
angels bring us blessings, but we shall want no messengers from heaven then.
They shall need no Gabriels there to bring their love-notes from God, for there
they shall see Him face to face.
Oh! what a blessed time shall that be when we shall have mounted above every
second cause and shall rest upon the bare arm of God! What a glorious hour when
God, and not His creatures; the Lord, and not His works, shall be our daily
joy! Our souls shall then&nbs p;have attained the perfection of bliss.
Evening: Miracle of Grace
"He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven devils."
--Mark 16:9
Mary of Magdala was the victim of a fearful evil. She was possessed by not one
devil only, but seven. These dreadful inmates caused much pain and pollution to
the poor frame in which they had found a lodging. Hers was a hopeless, horrible
case. She could not help herself, neither could any human succour avail. But
Jesus passed that
way, and unsought, and probably even resisted by the&n bsp;poor demoniac, He
uttered the word of power, and Mary of Magdala became a trophy of the healing
power of Jesus. All the seven demons left her, left her never to return,
forcibly ejected by the Lord of all. What a blessed deliverance!
What a happy change! From delirium to delight, from despair to peace, from hell
to heaven! Straightway she became a constant follower of Jesus, catching His
every word, following His devious steps, sharing His toilsome life; and withal
she became His generous helper, first among that band of healed and grateful
;women who
ministered unto Him of their substance.
When Jesus was lifted up in crucifixion, Mary remained the sharer of His shame:
we find her first beholding from afar, and then drawing near to the foot of the
cross. She could not die on the cross with Jesus, but she stood as near it as
she could, and when His blessed body was taken down, she watched to see how and
where it was
laid. She was the faithful and watchful believer, last at the sepulchre where
Jesus slept, first at the grave whence He arose. Her holy fidelity made her a
favoured beholder of her beloved Rabboni, who deigned to call her by her name,
and to make her His messenger of good news to the trembling disciples and
Peter. Thus grace found her a
maniac and made her a minister, cast out devils and gave her to behold angels,
delivered her from Satan, and united her for ever to the Lord Jesus.
May I also be such a miracle of grace!
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Spurgeon's Morning & Evening Devotions
Morning, August 9
"He hath commanded his covenant for ever." - Psalms 111:9
The Lord's people delight in the covenant itself. It is an unfailing source of
consolation to them so often as the Holy Spirit leads them into its banqueting
house and waves its banner of love. They delight to contemplate the antiquity
of that covenant, remembering that before the day-star knew its place, or
planets ran their round, the interests of the saints were made secure in Christ
Jesus.
It is peculiarly pleasing to them to remember the sureness of the covenant,
while meditating upon "the sure mercies of David." They delight to celebrate it
as "signed, and sealed, and ratified, in all things ordered well." It often
makes their hearts dilate with joy to think of its immutability, as a covenant
which neither time nor eternity, life nor death, shall ever be able to
violate-a covenant as old as eternity and as everlasting as the Rock of ages.
They rejoice also to feast upon the fulness of this covenant, for they see in
it all things provided for them. God is their portion, Christ their companion,
the Spirit their Comforter, earth their lodge, and heaven their home. They see
in it an inheritance reserved and entailed to every soul possessing an interest
in its ancient and eternal deed of gift.
Their eyes sparkled when they saw it as a treasure-trove in the Bible; but oh!
how their souls were gladdened when they saw in the last will and testament of
their divine kinsman, that it was bequeathed to them! More especially it is the
pleasure of God's
people to contemplate the graciousness of this covenant. They see that the law
was made void because it was a covenant of works and depended upon merit, but
this they perceive to be enduring because grace is the basis, grace the
condition, grace the
strain, grace the bulwark, grace the foundation, grace the topstone. The
covenant is a treasury of wealth, a granary of food, a fountain of life, a
store-house of salvation, a charter of peace, and a haven of joy.
Evening, August 9
"The people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him
saluted him." - Mark 9:15
How great the difference between Moses and Jesus! When the prophet of Horeb had
been forty days upon the mountain, he underwent a kind of transfiguration, so
that his countenance shone with exceeding brightness, and he put a veil over
his face, for the people could not endure to look upon his glory. Not so our
Saviour. He had been transfigured with a greater glory than that of Moses, and
yet, it is not written that the people were blinded by the blaze of his
countenance, but rather they were amazed, and running to him they saluted him.
The glory of the law repels, but the greater glory of Jesus attracts. Though
Jesus is holy and just, yet blended with his purity there is so much of truth
and grace, that sinners run to him amazed at his goodness, fascinated by his
love; they salute
him, become his disciples, and take him to be their Lord and Master. Reader, it
may be that just now you are blinded by the dazzling brightness of the law of
God.
You feel its claims on your conscience, but you cannot keep it in your life.
Not that you find fault with the law, on the contrary, it commands your
profoundest esteem, still you are in nowise drawn by it to God; you are rather
hardened in heart, and are verging towards desperation. Ah, poor heart! turn
thine eye from Moses, with all his repelling splendour, and look to Jesus,
resplendent with milder glories.
Behold his flowing wounds and thorn-crowned head! He is the Son of God, and
therein he is greater than Moses, but he is the Lord of love, and therein more
tender than the lawgiver. He bore the wrath of God, and in his death revealed
more of God's justice
than Sinai on a blaze, but that justice is now vindicated, and henceforth it is
the guardian of believers in Jesus. Look, sinner, to the bleeding Saviour, and
as thou feelest the attraction of his love, fly to his arms, and thou shalt be
saved.
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