Daily Devotionals

Mornings and Evenings with Jesus

Devotional: June 11th

And rejoice in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 3:3.

WE are here informed of the source of the Christian’s joy. Every thing deemed worthy of the name of joy to the Christian he finds in his Saviour, and in him only. Hence the name by which he is known:-“The Consolation of Israel.” Hence what Lamech said to his wife, upon the birth of Noah, will apply more fully to him of whom Noah was a mere type:- “This same shall comfort us.” Thus we find the prophets of old, whenever they would comfort the church of God, either in her external afflictions or in her internal distresses, lead forward their views at once to his coming. Ah! it will be better soon; ah! his coming will make amends for all.

In what a wretched, desolate state was the kingdom of Judah, owing to the invasion of these two “firebrands,” Bezin, and Bemaliah’s son, when Isaiah rushed forth among them, and said, “Every battle of the warrior is with confused noise and garments rolled in blood, but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire; [that is, his victory shall be final, and shall even destroy the very implements of war;] for unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”

Zechariah prophesied amidst all the confusion and discouragements and the opposition attending the return of the Jews from Babylon to their own land; but, said he, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy King cometh unto thee. He is just, and having salvation, lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass.”

And David considered his approach as a summons to the whole universe to triumph:-“Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; let the field be joyful, and all that is therein; then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord, for he cometh, for he cometh to judge [that is, he shall rule and govern] the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.” Hence the message of the angel to the shepherds:-“Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people; for unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

And hence the apostle says to the Corinthians, “I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.” The words are hardly intelligible as they now stand: give them their proper order, this is their meaning unquestionably:-“I die daily. I do so, I protest, by the joy which you and I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Now, when we appeal, and when we swear by any thing, it is by something that is most obvious and undeniable; and the apostle could think of nothing more so than the joy which he and his brethren had in Christ Jesus their Lord. Therefore also he here says to the Philippians, “We are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus, having no confidence in the flesh.” Therefore, also, he said to them, “Rejoice in the Lord alway; and again I say, rejoice.”

Rejoice not in the creature, but in Christ; not in yourselves, (you are only so many cells of emptiness,) but in Him who is “full of grace and truth.” Oh, there is enough in him to relieve every want, to fulfil every hope, to surpass every wish. Am I lost? “It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Am I enslaved? “He has redeemed us unto God by his blood.” Am I guilty? He is “the Lord our righteousness.” Am I poor? “He has unsearchable riches.” Am I weak? “His strength is made perfect in weakness.” Am I opposed? “His grace is sufficient for me.” Am I destitute? “It hath pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;” and we are “blessed in him with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.”

There is no light-not a ray-but beams down upon us from him, “the Sun of righteousness;” there is no living stream that flows but comes from him, the Fountain of “living waters.” “If any man thirst,” says he, “let him come unto me and drink.” “He is All, and in all.”

Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? - Micah 6:6.

OF all questions this is the most important and interesting; where shall we find an answer? The world cannot satisfy the inquiry, for the world by wisdom knew not God. Philosophy cannot; it says, It is not in me. Nature says, It is not in me. Providence says, It is not in me. But God has “magnified his word above all his name;” and this blessed book contains the revelation of the mystery; and in words so ample, and in a manner too simple and plain to be misunderstood, tells us that “no man cometh unto the Father” but by him who has announced himself as “the way, the truth, and the life.” We can only come before the Lord and bow before the Most High as we exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us consider this exalted privilege. For “it is with him we have to do” mainly and principally, in the concerns of the soul and eternity. He is not only the greatest and the best of beings, but we are most intimately and perfectly related to him. We derive everything from him; we depend upon him; we are responsible to him. He is the fountain of life, and he must be to us the supreme good. Let us view man in three states with regard to this privilege.

First, We may view him before the fall, and in his original condition. Then he was one altogether with the Lord. He wore his image. He lived in his presence. He enjoyed his smiles, and carried on continual intercourse with him; and he was no more afraid to meet him than a child is afraid to meet the tenderest of fathers and the most endeared of mothers. But ah! how is the “gold become dim, and the most fine gold changed.” This condition was broken up by sin.

Let us, therefore, Secondly, View him in his fallen state; there we see him in a state of alienation or distance from God, in which he is “far off,” penally and morally from God; for when man departed from God in the way of obedience, God departed from man in the way of favour. When the angels sinned they were banished from heaven; when Adam and Eve sinned they were banished from Paradise; and when the Jews transgressed the commandments of the Lord they were exiled from Canaan. All these things are designed to show us that the tendency of sin is to separate between God and us, and hence results our degradation and wretchedness: for, says God, “Woe unto you when I depart from you.”

Thirdly, View man in his renewed state. Here we behold him no longer “without God in the world.” He now feels his need of God. Now he returns to him from whom he has deeply revolted, with weeping and with supplication, saying with the Church, “O Lord, other lords beside thee have had dominion over me, but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.” He not only inquires how he may come before the Lord, and seeks after the enjoyment of this privilege, but he finds him, to the joy and to the rejoicing of his soul.