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Your eyes will see the King in His beauty!
(Alexander Smellie, "The Hour of Silence" 1899)
"Your eyes will see the King in His beauty! They will behold a far-distant land!" Isaiah 33:17
If God is mine, then I shall dwell on high with Him forever. I am traveling to a world where I shall be fully satisfied.
My intellect will have her blessing then. Just now I am learning many glorious lessons in the school of Jesus; but there are questions of the mind which remain unanswered, and problems which are still unsolved. But by and by I shall know even as also I am known--clearly, unerringly, perfectly.
My conscience will have her blessing then. Since Christ became mine, her troublesome accusations have been stilled, and her governing power has been restored. But she has her fears even yet, and her difficulties and uncertainties. It is not quite the full noon in the realm of conscience. But, when she walks with the Lamb in white, all the shadows will be gone.
My will, too, will have her blessing then. By the grace of God, I have an obedient will now, whose delight is to run the way of the Master's commandments. Yes--but traces of the old rebelliousness linger within me, to my own sorrow and shame. When I see the King, I shall gladly serve Him day and night!
And my heart will have her blessing then. Jesus has met her craving for love; and yet she is crying out for more of His presence and Himself--more and more! But, in the far-distant land, my heart's most daring requests will find their fullest response, and she is content and at rest.
What stores of happiness, what rivers of pleasures, are at His right hand!
"You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore!" Psalm 16:11
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When his horse died
(J.R. Miller, "Help for the Day")
"At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised!" Job 1:20-21
There are troubles or misfortunes which have already passed--so why should we vex ourselves over these? We cannot help sorrowing when a loved one has been taken from us--but why should we refuse to acquiesce in the will of God? When some misfortune has taken money from us, or when some turn in affairs has hurt our worldly interests--why should we sit down and grieve over the loss?
Worry will not retrieve it, nor give us back the old favorable conditions! It is a great deal more sensible for us to face the fact of our diminished resources, or to accept the new and changed conditions--adjusting ourselves to them, and go right on with our life.
He was a wise traveler who, when his horse died, said, "Well, I must walk now," and traveled on with cheerful energy.
"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus!" Philippians 3:13-14
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His infinite Majesty--His ineffable Tenderness
(Alexander Smellie, "The Hour of Silence" 1899)
"Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm . . . He will feed His flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in His arms, holding them close to His heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young." Isaiah 40:10-11
The all-powerful Sovereign Lord--is loving too. I cannot part with His infinite Majesty--and just as little can I lose sight of His ineffable Tenderness.
Our omnipotent God has . . .
measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,
marked off the heavens with the breadth of His hand,
held the dust of the earth in a basket, and
weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance!
All nations are as nothing before Him! Thus . . .
He can prevail against my fiercest temptations;
He can satisfy my profoundest needs;
He can deal with my foulest sins;
He can put to flight my most persistent and remorseless enemies;
He can perfect that which concerns me.
I rejoice in His sovereign omnipotence!
Ah, but also, "He will feed His flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in His arms, holding them close to His heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young." His graciousness is deeper, larger, more patient, more steadfast than a mother's! Thus, His compassions will never fail me. Though I am poor and needy--yet He will think upon me. I am a bruised reed, a flickering candle--but He will not break my frail strength, nor quench my flickering light. I rejoice in His measureless love!
"One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that You, O God, are strong, and that You, O Lord, are loving!" Psalm 62:11-12
The Power without the Love, would crush me to the earth.
The Love without the Power, would fail when it sought to deliver me.
I crave both in harmony and union. And He gives me both.
His omnipotence prevails over my impotence; and His gentleness fastens my heart to His.
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Oh happy, happy slave!
(Alexander Smellie, "The Hour of Silence" 1899)
"But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life!" Romans 6:22
I am freed--in order to be enthralled. I am made free from sin--to become the bond-servant of God. But whereas the old vassalage was abject slavery--the new is the highest and sweetest and best liberty.
It is the servitude of my grateful heart. God has redeemed me not with silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ His dear Son! I owe Him life and peace and everything. I cannot but surrender myself, to Him who surrendered Himself for me.
It is the servitude of my adoring and worshiping heart. The vision of God's beauty, God's perfection, God's love-worthiness, has thrown its spells and charms over me. I am smitten with the hunger and thirst to resemble Him. I am enthralled to His enchantments.
It is the servitude of my obedient heart. I have bound His precepts and injunctions around me like chains of gold! The yoke of His precepts lies upon my neck. But I do not find these commandments grievous; to keep them is my great reward.
It is the servitude of my God-occupied heart. He has come Himself and made His abode in me, through His Holy Spirit given to me. From within He rules me far more than from without. And so, rejoicingly and inevitably and eternally, I yield myself to Him!
Oh happy, happy slave! There is a perpetual song on his lips as he goes about the tasks of his Golden Prince.
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The blemishes and faults of others
(J.R. Miller)
"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." 1 Peter 3:8
We should learn to look at the blemishes and faults of others--only through the eyes of love, with sympathy, patience, and compassion. We do not know the secret history of the lives of others around us. We do not know what piercing sorrows have produced the scars we see in people's lives. We do not know the pains and trials which make life hard, to many with whom we are tempted to be impatient. If we knew all the secret burdens and the heart-wounds which many keep hidden beneath their smiling faces--we would be patient and gentle with all people.
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Colossians 3:12
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How much better is it to get wisdom than gold!
(Alexander Smellie, "The Hour of Silence" 1899)
"How much better is it to get wisdom than gold!" Proverbs 16:16
How much better--for wisdom buys what gold cannot procure. Wisdom--the mind which hearkens to God and the heart which yields to Him--brings me . . .
His divine favor,
His forgiving grace,
His power to shield me,
His guidance to lead me,
His knowledge to inspire me,
His glory to crown me!
Wisdom secures for me a wealth beside which the greatest treasures of the world are but dross!
Wisdom penetrates where gold cannot go. It carries pardon and peace into the deepest recesses of my spirit--while gold can do nothing but deck my body and my home. It gives me the strongest and the tenderest influence over others--while gold cannot dispel their griefs and answer their doubts. It lifts me into communion with the Most High God--and gold is powerless to lead me there, to that glorious country far beyond the stars!
Wisdom endures when gold is gone. This world's riches take to themselves wings and flee away--almost every day furnishes me with a new instance of how fleeting and perishable they are. But wisdom makes mine the possessions which never perish, which are never withdrawn, which through life and death and eternity, are certain to gladden my soul!
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This was how he grew in spiritual strength and nobleness!
(Alexander Smellie, "The Hour of Silence" 1899)
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others!" Philippians 2:3-4
Did Paul live a depressed and dismayed life, because he was perpetually denying himself out of love for others? Not at all. The very reverse is true. This was how he grew in spiritual strength and nobleness!
The discipline prospered his own soul.
It gave him wisdom and insight.
It gave him courage and endurance.
It gave him sympathy and considerateness.
It gave him deep restfulness and glowing joy.
By it he gained inward vigor, and the glow of spiritual health, and spiritual life in its fire and force and fullness.
And this was how he won the hearts of men and women. They saw that his was a yearning tenderness for them, which made him unconcerned for his own comforts. And so others were conquered, and melted, and led willing prisoners to the Lord Jesus. He drew them by the magnetism of his love for them--and they followed on.
And this was how he learned the secret of fellowship with Jesus. "Even Christ did not please Himself" Romans 15:3. The servant Paul came very close to the Master, and the Master to the servant, just as the servant took up his cross and gloried in it as he carried it in his arms. His little lamp was lighted from the flame around the Savior's sacrifice.
So Paul lived in a noble place, because he looked perpetually not on his own interests--but on the interests of others. Let me master this truth. I shall never regret the surrender and sacrifice of my desires and interests. It is for my own good, as well as my Lord's wish and will.
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He loved them to the uttermost!
(Alexander Smellie, "The Hour of Silence" 1899)
"Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the uttermost!" John 13:1
This is . . .
love in its essence,
love in its consummate blossom and fruit,
love in its ultimate and final perfection.
The love of Jesus bends very low. It travels from Heaven to earth--and there is no science which can compute that distance. It seeks out the chief of sinners--and all human philanthropy is as nothing compared to His all-surpassing love. It is not ashamed even of me--me in all my depravity and my sin.
The love of Jesus gives very much. It wins my pardon, although my transgressions are scarlet in their dye, and countless in their multitude. It brings me holiness, although I am prone to evil. It fills my cup to overflowing with the rich and gladdening wine of Heaven!
The love of Jesus suffers very deeply. It was not by some word of kingly majesty alone--it was not easily and in a moment--that He made me the possessor of these incalculable blessings. God spared not His own Son. The Son spared not Himself. There was no bitterness from which He shrank--there was no punishment which He did not bear, for me!
The love of Jesus lasts very long. What shall separate me from it?
Life will not, with its manifold trials and temptations.
Death will not, with its icy chill.
Eternity will not, with its unending years!
"I pray that you may grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge!" Ephesians 3:17-19
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There never was a fountain like this!
(Alexander Smellie, "The Hour of Silence" 1899)
"On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity!" Zechariah 13:1
"The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin!" 1 John 1:7
There is another river, the streams of which make glad the City of God. It is a river whose waters are crimson red, rather than crystal clear. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin--His life-blood, shed for our redemption on the shameful tree.
So many have proved the potency of this blessed fountain--a great multitude which no man can number! From the East and the West, the North and the South; from the early dawn of Christ, and the modern home--they have pressed to its brink, and they are pressing still. Whoever is willing, may stoop down and drink and live!
Such continuous and permanent efficacy resides in the fountain. It is not like the Pool of Bethesda, endowed with a strange and vitalizing virtue only at intervals. The dear dying Lamb never loses His power to save. The Cross is at every moment, the instrument of pardon. The blood cleanses--retains its capacity of cleansing perennially, age after age.
And so universally and omnipotently successful these blood-red waters are. From all my sin they will purge me:
my secret sins--and my presumptuous sins,
my sins of youth--and my sins of old age,
my sins against others--and my sins against myself,
my sins when I was a stranger to God--and my darker and more hateful sins since I came home to Him.
There never was a fountain like this! Exploration has not discovered its like, nor has imagination ever conceived it! It is peerless, matchless, unique. Surely I have washed and am daily washing in it, that I may be clean!
There is a fountain filled with blood
drawn from Emmanuel's veins;
and sinners plunged beneath that flood
lose all their guilty stains!
The dying thief rejoiced to see
that fountain in his day;
and there may I, though vile as he
wash all my sins away!
Dear dying Lamb, Your precious blood
shall never lose its power
till all the ransomed church of God
be saved, to sin no more!
E'er since, by faith, I saw the stream
Your flowing wounds supply,
redeeming love has been my theme,
and shall be till I die!
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue
lies silent in the grave,
Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
I'll sing Your power to save!
(William Cowper, 1731-1800)
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Are we Christians? Or are we worldlings?
(Horatius Bonar, "Self-Denial Christianity")
"Woe to those who are at ease in Zion!" Amos 6:1
What do we say to . . .
our self-indulgence,
our spiritual sloth,
our love of ease,
our avoidance of hardship,
our luxury,
our pampering of the body,
our costly feasts,
our silken couches,
our brilliant furniture,
our gay attire,
our jeweled fingers,
our idle mirth,
our voluptuous music,
our jovial tables, loaded with every variety of rich viands?
Are we Christians? Or are we worldlings?
Where is the self-denial of the New Testament days?
Where is the separation from a self-pleasing luxurious world? Where is the cross, the true badge of discipleship, to be seen--except in useless religious ornaments for the body, or worse than useless decorations for the sanctuary?
"Woe to those who are at ease in Zion!" Is not this the description of multitudes who name the name of Christ? They may not be "living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry." But even where these are absent, there is 'high living'--luxury of the table or the wardrobe--in conformity to 'this present evil world.'
"At ease in Zion!" Yes! there is the shrinking . . .
from hard service;
from 'spending and being spent;'
from toil and burden-bearing and conflict;
from self-sacrifice and noble service;
for the Master's sake.
There is conformity to the world, instead of conformity to Christ!
There is a laying down, instead of a taking up of the cross.
Or there is a lining of the cross with velvet, lest it should gall our shoulders as we carry it!
Or there is an adorning of the cross, that it may suite the taste and the manners of our refined and intellectual age.
Anything but the bare, rugged and simple cross!
We think that we can make the strait gate wider, and the narrow way broader, so as to be able to walk more comfortably to the heavenly kingdom. We try to prove that 'modern enlightenment' has so refined 'the world and its pleasures', that we may safely drink the poisoned cup, and give ourselves up to the inebriation of the Siren song.
"At ease in Zion!" Even when the walls of our city are besieged, and the citadel is being stormed!
Instead of grasping our weapons, we lie down upon our couches!
Instead of the armor, we put on the silken robe!
We are cowards, when we should be brave!
We are faint-hearted, when we should be bold!
We are lukewarm, when we should be fervent!
We are cold, when we should be full of zeal!
We compromise and shuffle and make excuses, when we should lift up our voice like a trumpet! We pare down truth, or palliate error, or extenuate sin--in order to placate the world, or suit the spirit of the age, or 'unify' the Church.
Learn self-denying Christianity. Not the form or name, but the living thing. Let us renounce the lazy, luxurious, self-pleasing, fashionable religion of the present day!
A self-indulgent religion has nothing in common with the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ; or with that cross of ours which He has commanded us to take up and carry after Him--renouncing ease and denying self.
Our time,
our abilities,
our money,
our strength--
are all to be laid upon the altar.
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God makes no mistakes in dealing with His children!
(J.R. Miller, "Daily Bible Readings in the Life of Christ" 1890)
"Here a great number of disabled people used to lie--the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years!" John 5:3-5
That was a long time to be sick! It is very hard to be an invalid year after year!
This day's lesson may come to some who have been thus afflicted, and we should stop a minute to think about their case. Christian invalids have many comforts, if they will but take them to heart. God makes no mistakes in dealing with His children! He knows in what school they will learn the best lessons--and in what experiences they will grow best.
The furnace-fires of sickness burn off many a chain of sin and worldliness! Many who are now in Heaven, will thank God forever for their invalidism in this life--which kept them from sin. We may be sure that God never calls any of His children into sickness without a purpose of blessing them. There is . . .
some spiritual lesson which He wants to teach them;
some new glimpse of His love which He wants to show them;
some Christian virtue or grace which He wants to develop in them.
Sick-rooms should always be to us sacred places, as we remember that God has summoned us there for some special work upon our souls.
We need to be very careful lest we miss the good which He wants us to receive. It is only those who trust Christ and lie upon His bosom--who are blessed by sickness. Too many invalids grow discontented, unhappy, sour and fretful. Sickness ofttimes fails to do good to those who suffer. There are few experiences in which we so much need to be watchful over ourselves, and prayerful toward God. Be sure to keep the sickness out of your heart--and keep Christ there with His love and peace!
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To the uttermost!
(Alexander Smellie, "The Hour of Silence" 1899)
"He is able to save to the uttermost!" Hebrews 7:25
My Lord Jesus Christ is able to save me to the uttermost!
He is able to save me the uttermost depth of my need. Science is now sounding the lowest abysses of the ocean; but there is no science, nor thought, nor imagination, which can send its plummet to the bottom of Christ's unsearchable grace!
Down to my sharpest sorrow He goes,
down to my profoundest loneliness,
down to my keenest temptation,
down to my foulest sin!
He traveled from Heaven to Calvary to atone for my sin; and I know of no descent which He will not make today.
He is able to save me the uttermost limit of my nature. And such a many-faceted nature mine is! The intellect has its demands, and the memory, and the conscience, and the imagination, and the will, and the heart--each of them cries out for a separate satisfaction. And each of them finds it in Jesus!
He answers the questions of my intellect.
He plucks the deepest sorrows from my memory.
He cancels the accusations of my conscience.
He paints the noblest pictures in my imagination.
He renews and directs my will.
He fills my heart with His love.
He is able to save me to the uttermost verge of my life.
My various conditions and experiences,
my conflict and my calm,
my work and my rest,
my gladness and my grief--
He blesses me through them all. Lo, He is with me all the days, even unto the end, and through the end, and beyond the end forever and ever! Death cannot part me from Him. Eternity will only draw me closer to Him. To the ages of the ages--He is mine, and I am His!
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To be a Christian
(J.R. Miller)
Consecration to God is nothing less than doing the will of Christ, rather than our own will--doing it always, whatever . . .
the cost,
the sacrifice,
or the danger.
There is too much mere pretense in our religion. We say that we believe in Christ; but if we truly do, we must follow Him wherever He leads, though we don't know where. We say we love Christ, and from His lips comes the crucial test: "If you love Me--keep My commandments."
To be a Christian is to be devoted utterly, and irrevocably, to Christ!
"And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple!" Luke 14:27
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Earth's nests
(J.R. Miller, "Intimate Letters on Personal Problems" 1914)
"The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms!" Deuteronomy 33:27
Embracing arms suggest a father's love, or the love of a very dear and trusted friend. It is very sweet for a child to nestle thus in the arms of father and mother.
The embrace suggests not only affection--but support, protection, shelter, and secure keeping. The strongest and gentlest human arms will some day fall away, unclasping their embrace. But the arms of God are "everlasting." Nothing can ever unbind them from us. Nothing can ever snatch us out of those arms!
We know that when once enfolded in the love of God--we shall be kept there forever. Whatever human arms may have dropped away from their embrace, or may hereafter drop away--you know that the arms of God will always enfold you in warm, tender, strong affection!
Another precious word in this old text is the word "underneath." The arms of God are always underneath. No matter how low one sinks away in suffering, or weakness, or pain, or trial--still and always, God's everlasting arms are underneath His redeemed people!
I want you to feel . . .
that God's love is everlasting,
that His grace is eternal,
that His protection is something which never can be disturbed.
Earth's nests are all liable to be torn to pieces, for nothing in this poor world is stable and sure. Even the giant mountain peaks shall molder away. But the love of God remains forever the same. "The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, says the Lord that has mercy on you."
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My portion!
(James Smith, "Gleams of Grace" 1860)
"You are my portion, O Lord!" Psalm 119:57
Many people are proud of their possessions, and boast of their wealth; yet their possessions are very limited, and their wealth has wings and may at any time flee away!
A Christian may not be proud--but he has great reason to be thankful.
He can look over the whole earth, and say, "My wealth exceeds all this!"
He can look up and gaze on the starry heavens and say, "My property exceeds this vast expanse!"
He may try to conceive of the greatness and glory of the created universe, and then say, "I claim more than all this!"
Looking up to the author, owner, and disposer of all worlds--he can say, "You are my portion, O Lord!"
What a privilege! A portion--and such a portion.
God Himself in all His greatness, and in all His goodness.
God with all He is, and all He has--is my portion!
What kind of a portion is this? It is immense, for it comprehends all.
All the attributes of the Divine nature, are for us.
All the perfections of God's character, are on our side.
All the productions of the divine power, are for our good.
Therefore the apostle says, "All things are yours!"
Nothing good is withheld from us!
What the father of the prodigal said to his eldest son--our heavenly Father says to every one of His children, "Son, you are ever with Me, and all that I have is yours!"
And we may adopt similar language in speaking to our heavenly Father, to that used by the angel to Abraham, "By this I know that You love me, because You have not withheld Your Son, Your only Son from me!" And from this fact, we may draw the same conclusion as Paul did, "He who spared not His own Son--but delivered Him up for us all, how shall he not with Him also, freely give us all things!"
O beloved, God in all the glory of His nature and perfections, God with all His unsearchable riches--is our portion!
What kind of a portion is this? It is immutable. It remains forever. Others may lose their property, or it may become deteriorated and comparatively valueless--but our portion is forever the same.
Speaking of the finest, noblest, and most durable works of creation, the Psalmist says, "In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain the same; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing You will change them, and they will be discarded. But You remain the same, and Your years will never end!" Psalm 102:25-27
Our portion can never be forfeited, or alienated, or reduced in value--because it is the unchangeable God!
Blessed is the man that can say with Jeremiah, "The Lord is my portion, therefore will I hope in Him!" Or with David, "The Lord is the portion of my inheritance!"
"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever!" Psalm 73:26
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The man who has God for his portion!
(James Smith, "Gleams of Grace" 1860)
"You are my portion, O LORD!" Psalm 119:57
If God is my portion, then I ought to be content without any other portion. He is . . .
enough in poverty,
enough in persecution,
enough in life,
enough in death,
enough for evermore!
If God gives me Himself--then it is more than as if He had given me the whole world, or ten thousand worlds like this! O how happy was the apostle Paul, who knowing God to be his portion could say, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in need!" Philippians 4:11-12
If God is my portion, I ought to be thankful. It is enough. There is no losing it. What dignity, what honor is conferred on the man who has God for his portion! I deserved to be stripped of everything, and to be turned out of God's presence eternally penniless, wretched, and miserable. But instead of this, God in His free grace, in His infinite mercy--gives me . . .
a mansion,
a city with eternal foundations,
a kingdom; more,
He gives me Himself!
God in all His glory, in all His grace--is mine!
If God is my portion, then I ought to be living upon Him. If I live upon anything outside of God--then I live upon what is finite, and will change. But if I live upon God, I live upon the infinite, and upon what is unchangeable. As a believer, I should live befitting the dignity of my lofty character, position, and prospects. The man of fortune ought not to live like the pauper. Just so, the Christian ought not to live like other men.
If God is my portion, I ought to be making a proper use of it. I should set my portion over and against . . .
all my pains and privations,
all my griefs and grievances,
all my sadnesses and sorrows.
I should look above all my trials and troubles--and rejoice that throughout eternity, I shall have . . .
eternal ease--instead of pain,
eternal plenty--instead of privation,
eternal joy--instead of grief,
eternal gladness--instead of sadness,
and eternal bliss--instead of sorrow!
Beloved, is the Lord your portion? Are you living upon Him as such?
But if God is not your portion--then what is?
Where are your thoughts most?
Where do your affections center?
After what do you pursue?
The world? It is a poor, perishing, unsatisfying portion! It will be found insufficient, unsatisfactory, and perishing! Unless God is your portion, you will be . . .
unsatisfied in life,
wretched in death, and
indescribably miserable to all eternity!
"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever!" Psalm 73:26
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Your walking through this vast wilderness!
(James Smith, "Gleams of Grace" 1860)
"The LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your walking through this vast wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything!" Deuteronomy 2:7
Israel's journey from Egypt to Canaan, very well represents and illustrates the believer's journey through the present world unto the promised rest. We have . . .
to cross a desert,
to walk through a wilderness,
to live in entire dependence on God, and
to be led by his wise and gracious hand.
We may not encroach on the property of the men of this world, nor should we desire it. The reason given Israel for not touching, or taking, any of the land of the children of Esau, is the reason that may be given us, for the Lord your God "has watched your walking through this vast wilderness!" The Lord knows where we are, what we need, and is able to supply us. He is with us, has promised to provide for us--and therefore should be obeyed and honored by us.
THE PLACE.
"This vast wilderness." What that vast wilderness was to Israel--the world is, or should be, to us.
It was a barren spot--and such is the world; it yields no food for the soul; it gives no satisfaction to the mind. It was generally hot and sultry--and here we are tried by fierce temptations, or fiery afflictions. It is an exhausting and debilitating climate, and often weakens the pilgrim along his way.
It is wearying, as well as exhausting, so that the Christian tires of everything below, and often longs to flee away to a happier climate.
It is dangerous too; here the old serpent the devil, the roaring lion, and a thousand dangerous pitfalls have to be avoided or overcome!
It is as perplexing as it is dangerous, so that unless led by a divine hand, we would never find the path, or reach the promised land.
Its difficulties are great and numerous, and seem to increase the farther we advance. It lies between the plentiful and pleasant land of Egypt, which is left behind--and the more plentiful and pleasant land of Canaan, which is before us. It is often a long, tiresome, trying journey.
THE EXERCISE.
"Your walking through this vast wilderness." Walking, not riding. All had to walk. There was no royal road, or comfortable transportation. So we must walk, and walk by faith. We must . . .
walk every day,
walk after the Lord's example,
walk with God,
walk towards the promised rest,
walk all weathers, whether sunshine or storm, the wet season or the dry.
All had something to carry--the luggage went with them. Just so, we are all more or less burdened. There is a cross for every one's shoulder, and a burden for every back.
We have to travel too in a mixed company. As it was with Israel, so it is with us. A mixed multitude from of the land of Egypt went along with them--and there is a mixed multitude with us. If all were true pilgrims, then it would help and encourage us; but the false-hearted ones we have to deal with, often hinder and cast us down.
Amidst snares, temptations, and discouragements, we have to press on our way, not knowing what a day may bring forth.
Yet we are not without comfort, nor have we any real reason to be discouraged, for the Lord knows our walking through this vast wilderness.
THE FACT.
The Lord knew where they were, and what they were. He knew that they were in the wilderness, for he appointed it; he led them into it, he had conducted them through it.
Just so, we are where we are by divine appointment. It was all arranged and settled in the everlasting covenant. We are not here by chance--but by God's divine decree. The Lord by his unerring providence led us here, and by the same providence he will lead us home.
Our great comfort is, that Jesus has traveled the road before us. He knows by experience what we are now passing through. He suffered, being tempted. He was tried in all points like as we are. His eye rests upon us. He watches us every moment. He observes the difficulties of the road, and the supplies that we need. He sends us all we need, and as we need it. He is engaged to see us safely through the wilderness. He has taken charge of us. He has undertaken for us. He has made ample and suitable provision. He has helped us hitherto, and will help us through the entire journey!
The Christian's journey then is across a desert.
He must walk every step of the road.
The Lord knows all . . .
his weaknesses and his woes,
his wants and his foes,
his fears and his cares,
his faults and his follies
--and provides for all.
What is the world to us?
A pleasant spot--or a vast wilderness?
A desirable residence--or a dreary desert?
What are we doing in the world?
Are we settling down in it--or walking through it?
What is our great comfort here?
Is it that the Lord our God knows where we are, what we need, and will supply us? Beloved, our God has so provided for us, that we may not envy the children of Esau, or any of the inhabitants of the land. As Israel was forbidden to beg or steal from their neighbors, because God had blessed them--so we should, "Keep our lives free from the love of money and be content with what we have, because God has said: Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you!" Hebrews 13:5
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People with sore and bruised hearts
(J.R. Miller, "Daily Bible Readings in the Life of Christ" 1890)
"When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house--she brought an alabaster jar of perfume" Luke 7:37
It is wonderful how genuine goodness draws to itself . . .
the unfortunate,
the troubled,
the friendless,
the outcast,
the fallen.
Wherever Jesus went--these classes always found Him out and gathered about Him. It was because He was the true, unselfish friend of all men. They found sympathy in Him. He would listen to their story. Though He was the sinless One, there was yet no air of "I am holier than you" about Him. He was just as gentle to an outcast sinner--as to a religious Nicodemus. No matter who reached out a hand for help--He was ready to grasp it. One of the truest things ever said of Jesus, was the prophetic word concerning him, "He shall not break a bruised reed!" He always dealt most gently with sore spirits and with bruised hearts!
Those who want to be useful in this world--must have the same qualities as Jesus. There is a kind of false "holiness" which draws nobody to itself--but rather repels. Genuine holiness, however, wins its way everywhere into men's hearts. The secret of it all, is in living "not to be served--but to serve;" in considering one's self not too good to serve the most unworthy of God's creatures. If we live in this world to be served--we shall be of no use to anyone. But if we live to minister to others, yearning to be of service to everyone we meet--then our life will be of great worth. The hungry-hearted and the soul-needy will be drawn to us--and God will love to put work into our hands.
We need, too, to train ourselves to exceeding gentleness in dealing with human souls in their spiritual crises. Many earnest people, in the excess of their zeal--do incalculable harm to those whom they greatly desire to help. People with sore and bruised hearts--usually need loving sympathy and strong, kindly friendship--much more than they need a lecture in theology!
"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
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The increasing rage for novel reading!
(Theodore Cuyler)
Fiction has often been a wholesome relief to a good man's overworked and weary brain. Many of the recent popular novels are wholesome in their tone, and the historical type often instructive.
Exclusive reading of novels is to a person's mind--just what highly spiced food and alcoholic stimulants are to the body. The chief objection to the best of them, is that they excite a distaste in the mind for any serious reading. The increasing rage for novel reading betokens both a famine in the intellect, and a serious peril to the mental and spiritual life.
The honest truth is--that too large a number of today's fictitious works are subtle poison. The plots of some of the most popular novels are based on immorality, and the violation in some form of the seventh commandment.
They kindle evil passions;
they varnish and veneer vice;
they deride marital purity;
they uncover what ought to be hidden;
they paint in attractive hues--what never ought to be seen by any pure eye, or named by any modest tongue.
Two of the perils which threaten American youths, are a licentious theater and a poisonous literature. One who has examined many of the novels printed during the last decade, said to me: "The main purpose of many of these books is to knock away the underpinning of the marriage relation of the Bible."
If parents give house-room to trashy or corrupt books, they cannot be surprised if their children give heart-room to "the world, the flesh, and the devil." When interesting and profitable books are so abundant and so cheap, this increasing rage for novels is to me, one of the sinister signs of the times!
"Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness!" 2 Timothy 2:22
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Gracious God, anoint me with fresh oil!
(James Smith, "Gleams of Grace" 1860)
"I shall be anointed with fresh oil." Psalm 92:10
The work of the Holy Spirit in the heart, is of the greatest importance.
Until we experience it, we are dead in sin.
Having once enjoyed it, we often need its renewal.
The work of the Holy Spirit in the heart is variously represented in God's Word, and is compared to a variety of things. In one place, to the reviving and refreshing influences of the dew. In another, to the quickening and fructifying effects of the shower. Again, the Psalmist sings, "I shall be anointed with fresh oil."
Oil is a common emblem of the Spirit, who is called "the anointing which you have received." This anointing represents His renewing, sanctifying, and saving operations, as received and enjoyed by all God's people.
This anointing consecrates them as God's kings, and they become the Lord's anointed.
It qualifies them as God's priests, and they become a royal priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God, through Jesus Christ.
This anointing beautifies them, as God's sons, causing their faces to shine, and filling them with joy and peace.
This anointing perfumes them as God's favorites, and all their garments smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia.
Without this anointing, we cannot . . .
reign as kings,
officiate as priests,
approach God as sons, or
rejoice before Him as favorites.
The EFFECTS of this anointing are many, and very precious:
This anointing gives us fresh views of Christ, and every sight of Him endears Him more and more to our hearts.
This anointing gives us a deeper experience of the truth, and we know more of its power, sweetness, and savor.
This anointing gives us more power in prayer, and we plead with God and prevail.
This anointing gives us sweeter enjoyment of ordinances, for we see more of Christ in them, and are mightily refreshed through them.
This anointing gives us stronger confidence in God, so that we conquer our doubts and fears, and can trust God in the dark--or in the light; on the mount--or in the valley.
This anointing gives a delightful savor to our conversation, so that we not only speak of Christ with freedom, and of our Christian experience with pleasure--but there is a savor and a power in what we say, which produces a good impression in those that hear.
This anointing preserves us from falling into temptation. Nothing will . . .
raise us above the world,
give us power over flesh, or
make us a match for Satan--
like being anointed with fresh oil.
We are regenerated but once--but we may receive the renewings of the Holy Spirit often, and unless we receive these renewings, we shall become dry, barren, lifeless, and cold! There will be . . .
no delight in prayer,
little pleasure in ordinances, and
the Bible itself will become unsavory.
We cannot go on long, or go on happily, without fresh oil. See then, what we all need, "fresh oil." We need daily to be renewed in the spirit of our minds. The earth may as well be expected to be fruitful without sun, rain, or dew--as for our souls to prosper without frequent communications of the Holy Spirit.
We should ardently desire the fresh anointings of the Spirit. He is as necessary to our souls, as the vital air is to our bodies. Our natural lives could as easily be sustained without breath, as our spiritual life without the Holy Spirit. We should earnestly pray to "be filled with the Spirit," that we may "live in the Spirit," and "walk in the Spirit."
Gracious God, anoint me with fresh oil!
We sometimes say, "beware of a religion without Christ," It is of quite as much importance to say, "beware of a religion without the Holy Spirit."
Reader, are you one of God's anointed ones? Have you received an unction from the Holy One? Does the Spirit of God dwell in you? Beware, O beware, of a religion without the Holy Spirit! If the Holy Spirit is in you, He will daily . . .
teach you your need of Christ,
bring you to Christ,
make Christ precious to you, and
lead you to glory in Him, and in Him alone.
