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Daily Devotionals
The Poor Man's Morning and Evening Portions
Devotional: April 22nd

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April 22—Morning—Matthew 24:28

"Wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. "—Matthew 24:28.

My soul! these are the words of Jesus, none of which should be suffered to fall to the ground. No doubt much instruction is contained in this passage. An eagle is a bird of prey: and Job saith, that the eagle hasteneth to the prey as the swift ships. Job 9:26. In all birds of prey there is great sagacity, a vast quickness of scent to smell their proper food afar off; and thus natural instinct, added to a rapacious appetite, compel those creatures to fly swift to their prey, and to devour the carcase. Is there nothing in all this that suits thee, my soul? Oh yes: If Jesus hath given thee a real principle of life in himself, which becomes a spiritual quickening from day to day, and from one hour to another, thy hungering and thirsting for Jesus will be as earnest and as importunate as the instinct of nature in those birds for daily food. Pause, my soul, and say—is it so? Dost thou seek after Jesus in his ordinances, in his word, in retirement, in meditation, in prayer, in providences; and, in short, in all the various ways by which thou mayest enjoy him, as a famished bird would hasten to his prey? If Jesus be indeed the one blessed object of thy desire, will not this be manifested by the earnestness of thy desires? Did David long for the waters of Bethlehem when thirsty? Did he declare," that as the hart panteth for the waterbrooks," so he longed for the enjoyment of God? Here then, my soul, mayest thou learn how to estimate the real standard of thy affections to thy Jesus. Oh for grace to have the soul exercised day and night, and never, never to give over those longings, like pregnant women, until the full desires of the soul in Jesus, and upon Jesus, be fully gratified. Methinks as the eagles gather together unto the carcase, so should believers be found feasting upon Jesus. In Jesus, and his glorious excellencies, every thing is suited to the wants of the believer: his name, his person, his work, his blood, his righteousness; every perfection, every promise, every experience we have had in him in times past, becomes food to the soul. So that the spiritual cravings of the soul, when the soul is in health and strength, like the natural cravings of the bird of prey, act like the same instinct to lead to and to feed upon Jesus. See then, my soul, whether this morning thou art risen with a keen appetite for Jesus. Surely thou hast tasted that the Lord is gracious in times past. And if thou art in health of soul, wilt thou not as much hunger again for this heavenly food, as the body of an healthy man craves for his morning meal? Oh blessed Lord, give me this appetite. Excite an hungering in me for thee. Let it be for thyself; not for thy gifts only, not for thy graces only, sweet as these are; but, blessed Jesus, let it be for thyself. And let this desire be continual: every day, and all the day. And let it be wholly to thee, in all that belongs to thee. I mean, after every thing in Jesus; thy cross, if needful, as well as thy crown; a love to thy precepts, as well as thy promises. And, O let this desire be so insatiable, so earnest, so unceasing, that nothing I have of thee may so satisfy me that I should long no more after thee; but rather provoke my soul’s appetite, and tend but to inflame my heart and longings more and more, till, from tasting of thee here below, thou bringest me to the fountain-head of enjoyment above, where my longing eyes and longing soul shall feast upon Jesus and his love for ever and for ever. Amen.

April 22—Evening—Isaiah 57:2

"He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each walking in his uprightness "

—Isaiah lvii, 2.

Here, my soul, is a sweet portion for thee to lie down with, this night, and every night until the night of death arrives, and thou droppest asleep in the arms of Jesus, to wake no more, till the everlasting morn arise that shall have no night. This is the privilege of the faithful, who enter into the peace of Jesus, and these are the beds they repose in, yea, each of them, for it is the personal enjoyment of each, and of all, to make Jesus their rest. "This is the rest (saith the Holy Ghost, by this same prophet, chap. 28: 12.) wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest, and this is the refreshing. "And dost thou know it, my soul, that Jesus is all this for thee to rest upon, for peace here, and glory to all eternity? Behold him in his person; behold him in the fulness of his grace, his righteousness, his blood, and the unceasing efficacy of his atonement and salvation! Surely thou hast both known him, and rested upon him, under all these endearing views, and therefore cannot now need to inquire, what is the rest of the weary, and the sure dwelling-place of the believer? Look at each sweet character and office of Jesus, and mark how suited they all are for his people, when buffetted by Satan, or fatigued in the world, or tired with the many burdens and interruptions to their peace, which arise from bodily infirmities; look at each, and see what a bosom Jesus opens to receive, and lull to sleep in his arms, every lamb of his fold. If the tempter should hiss from the "lion’s den, and from the mountain of the leopards, how quieting is that voice which speaketh pardon and peace in the blood of the cross! And what strength does faith afford in Jesus’s righteousness," to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked! "If the world frown, if family cares and sorrows arise, or if any of those various afflictions which necessarily arise out of a fallen state, abound to make this state wearisome, still the promise holds good: "he shall enter into peace; they shall rest in their beds:" Jesus will here again lull them to sleep with his sweet refreshments. "In the world ye shall have tribulation, but in me ye shall have peace. "And if, my soul, thine own manifold frailties, which daily and hourly harass thee, from that body of sin and death thou carriest about with thee; if these induce sorrow, as well they may, Oh! how blessed is it to look up to Jesus under all, and view that blood which speaketh for thee, more than all thy errors plead against thee! Here, thou dearest Lord, wilt thou cause me to find constant support and consolation in thee; and, amidst all, I shall hear thy lovely voice saying," Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. "Lie down then, my soul, this night, and every night, until thou takest thy last night in the quiet bosom of the grave, upon the covenant promises of thy God, in the sure and safe resting-place of thy Jesus, and his finished salvation. And as the waters of the flood allowed no resting-place for the dove, neither could she find place for the sole of her foot, until she returned to Noah in the ark, so neither will the tribulated waters of sin, and sorrow, and temptation, suffer thee to enjoy rest in any thing short of Jesus, which the ark of Noah signified. "Return then to thy rest, O my soul, return to thy Jesus, thy Noah, thine ark, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee? "

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