Daily Devotionals

The Poor Man's Morning and Evening Portions

Devotional: June 13th

June 13—Morning—John 11:28

" The master is come, and calleth for thee,"—John 11:28.

My soul, mark how gracious the Lord is to his people in the special and distinguishing tokens of his grace. Jesus doth not barely send his gospel to the church, or house, or family; but he speaketh by the soft, but powerful whispers of his love, to the individual soul. "To thee is the word of his salvation sent." Hence the soul who feels the sovereignty of his word in the constraining influences with which it is accompanied, cries out, I shall never forget thy word, for by it thou hast quickened me. But besides the calls of his grace in his house of prayer, in how many Ways, and by what a variety of methods, is the Lord Jesus calling upon his people. My soul, I hope that thou art always upon the look out, and art getting to thy watch-tower to hear what the Lord thy God hath to say to thee, by his word, by his providences, his chastisements in love, and in all the gracious manifestations of his favour. Behold, he saith, "I stand at the door and knock." So Jesus calleth, and so let my soul hear. Now, Lord, thou art calling me by thy word and providence in a way of grace: by and by I shall hear thy voice in the hour of death and judgment. And who shall say how very powerful, sweet, and gracious, that call is, when Jesus cometh to take his people home to himself, that where he is, there they may be also? ’I hear my Master’s voice,’ said a highly favoured servant of God in the moment of his departure. Perhaps a loud voice, a glorious distinguishable voice, to him that is called, when no stander by is at all conscious of the sound. Hence another said, when he was dying, ’I shall change my place, but not my company.’ Jesus, master, in that hour be it my happiness to say, "let me hear thy voice, let me see thy countenance: for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely."

June 13—Evening—Hebrews 9:4

"The golden pot that had manna."—Hebrews 9:4.

There is somewhat very blessed in the account given concerning the furniture of the second tabernacle. Some few evenings since, my soul, a glance was taken of the candlestick, the table and shew-bread; in the first tabernacle. Perhaps the Lord the Holy Ghost will open to thy meditation some edifying considerations in the view of the contents of the second. The golden pot, which preserved the manna pure, that in itself was soon subject to corruption, was unquestionably a beautiful emblem of the divine nature of Jesus, imparting durableness and dignity to his human nature. We are told concerning the manna, that if the Israelites kept it, though but for a day (except when miraculously preserved pure on the sabbath-day, to remind them of that ordinance) it bred worms, and stank; Exodus 16:20. But in this golden pot, an omer full of manna put therein, was laid up before the Lord as a memorial, and preserved pure. Precious Lord Jesus! do I not learn from hence, that it is thou, and thou alone, who givest life, and purity, and sweetness to our poor persons and offerings? Every thing in us, and groin us, must, like ourselves, be corrupt, and is indeed part of ourselves, and subject to putrefaction: but in thee, and by thee, as the manna was preserved in the golden pot, we are preserved, made clean and holy, in thy holiness and purity. And surely, Lord, I learn, moreover, from this part of the furniture in the second tabernacle, that as thou art entered into the holy place, there to appear in the presence of God for us; so, by this emblem of the golden pot, is set forth the sweet communion and fellowship, which thy people now are privileged to enjoy, in thee, and from thee, and with thee! Yea, Lord, thou art still the bread of God, the living bread, which that manna represented: and still dost thou feed thy church above, and lead them to fountains of living waters. And surely, Lord, thou wilt no less feed thy church below, which yet remains in this dry and barren wilderness, where no water is. I hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, and I feel delight: "To him that overcometh, will I give to eat of the hidden manna." Revelation 2:17.