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Daily Devotionals
Mornings and Evenings with Jesus
Devotional: November 27th

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Morning Devotional

The sons of God. - 1 John 3:2.

WE have here to consider a distinguished privilege. It consists in our relation to God. “We are the sons of God.” By this the apostle means much more than our relation to him as our Maker and Benefactor, “in whom we live and move and have our being.” It is very true that we have some claim upon God as being his creatures, for surely he will have “respect to the work of his hands.” But as far as we are sinners we are not the work of his hands,-we are not his children, but the children of the wicked one. But the Christian has experienced a change. He not only feels that there is a relative change accomplished by adoption, but also a personal change accomplished by regeneration; for, as he is adopted, so he is born of God,-new-born,- “born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Therefore, with the name he has the nature, and with the rank he has the heart, of a child. Now, what a privilege does this relation constitute! We know how the Jews prided themselves in having Abraham for their father, and with what pleasure David spake of being son-in-law to the king. Yet all the lines of human nobility are found to originate in one first pair, where all are upon a perfect level. But Christians can go much higher: they are the children of God; and this distinction confers true and real honour, compared with which all human grandeur vanishes into insignificance.

Oh, let us then consider that his wisdom, his power, his greatness, and his love are towards all that stand in this relation to him; and while they gaze upon his works in the earth and in the starry heavens, and reflect upon their number, they can say, My Father made them all, governs them all, upholds them all. Yea, “He doeth according to his pleasure in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth;” and “he doeth all things well!” An earthly parent may be unable to afford relief and tenderness to a child in distress and danger, “but nothing is too hard for the Lord.” This relation gives us free access to God: at all times, under all circumstances, we can enter his presence and spread before him what we are perhaps unwilling to communicate to the dearest fellow-creature upon earth. We ought indeed at all times to entertain the most reverential thoughts of God; nor can we sufficiently adore him; but oh, how blessed it is to feel that he is our Father, and that we are embosomed in his love!

Then as to the tuition of these sons of God: he will not have his children brought up in ignorance, nor will he trust their education to another; the promise is, “All thy children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of thy children.” And, moreover, their heavenly Father has secured for them a sufficiency of temporal supplies. He has engaged to feed and clothe them. If, as the Saviour says, “He feeds the fowls of the air and clothes the grass of the field, how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?” And, besides all this, Christians have an inheritance reserved in heaven for them.

Evening Devotional

And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so. - Joshua 5:13-15.

LET us glance at the circumstances here recorded. Joshua had now passed the river Jordan. He had just commenced the course of his warfare, and was now favoured with a supernatural appearance. Observe the time of the manifestation. It was when he had performed the rite of circumcision and the ordinance of the passover. None of our services can be meritorious; “but them that honour me,” says God, “I will honour:” “draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to thee.”

Observe, also, the place of this manifestation. He was now under the walls of Jericho. What was he doing there? It is not possible for us absolutely to determine; he seems to have been alone, probably surveying the place, perhaps dejected at the difficulty of taking such a stronghold; perhaps he was praying, or perhaps, rather, musing in meditation, when, lifting up his eyes, he “looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand.” There was something dreadful in the aspect, and a timid man would have fled; but Joshua was full of Divine confidence and courage, and therefore unruffled.

Thus inspired, he approached his mysterious visitant, and inquired whether he is a friend, that he may entertain him, or whether he is an enemy, that he may engage with him. The armed messenger soon furnished him with an answer, assuring him not only that he was come as a friend, but that he was come to take the chief command. Joshua immediately pays him homage, asks of him orders, and is enjoined to render him the deepest reverence. Would any man, any mere creature, any created agent, have either required or have allowed this? Did Paul and Barnabas at Lystra? “When the people were disposed to sacrifice to them, they said, “Sirs, why do ye these things? we also are men of like passions with you.” Or would the angel of the Apocalypse have enjoined or allowed this, of whom John says, “I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things; and the angel said unto me, See thou do it not, for I am thy fellow-servant?”

We are therefore enabled to decide who this man was: the man who wrestled with Jacob until the dawning of the day, and. rested, and concerning whom Jacob said, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved;” this is the man who, allied to our nature by engagement and anticipation, “rejoiced in the habitable parts of the earth before his incarnation, and his delights were with the sons of men;” he “whose goings forth were from everlasting.”

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