the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
The Poor Man's Morning and Evening Portions
August 29—Morning—John 14:9
"Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me?"—John 14:9.
Pause, my soul, over this question of the Lord Jesus which he put to Philip—figure to thyself that the Lord saith the same to thee; and now see what answer thou wilt give him. It is a great question: and if thou art able to answer it with a—"Yea, Lord;" and from the blessed Spirit’s teaching thou truly knowest Jesus to be what the scripture saith he is, and canst as truly, from the receiving that testimony which God hath given of his dear and ever-blessed Son, set to thy seal that God is true; then art thou truly happy, and mayest humbly take to thyself a portion in that blessedness which the Lord Jesus pronounced upon Peter, from the same grace manifested: "Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." Pause then, and inquire: dost thou know who Christ is? Art thou perfectly satisfied, my soul, of the oneness in nature, in essence, in glory, in will, in worship, in work, in design, in attributes, perfections, power, sovereignty; in short, in all and every thing which constitutes the Godhead between the Father, and the Son, and the Spirit? Oh yes, my soul cries out, I do, through the teaching of my God, most firmly, heartily, and cordially believe, that Jesus is one with the Father over all, God blessed for ever! Amen. Pause again, my soul, and say, dost thou as firmly and heartily believe that thy Jesus, who, in the divine nature, is one with the Father, is no less in the human nature, which he united to the Godhead for the purposes of salvation, one with thee, bone of thy bone, and flesh of thy flesh? Doth this make an equal article in thy creed? Oh yes, I am, through the same divine teaching, as fully and perfectly convinced that he who is and was, and ever will be, the uncreated Word, was made flesh, and thereby became the true Immanuel, God with us, God in our nature. Pause, once more, my soul, and say, dost thou believe that, by this union of God and man, Jesus became the true, the only, the blessed Mediator, the Christ of God, the Sent of God, the Sealed of God, the Anointed of God, the Lamb of God, the Word of God, the Wisdom of God, and the power of God for salvation to every one that believeth? Bow down, my soul, with unceasing thanksgivings and praise to the Author and Giver of faith, for the stupendous discoveries he hath made to thee of himself, while thou criest out in transports of rejoicing—Lord, all this I believe; and am perfectly satisfied that thou art one with the Father, and art in the Father, and the Father in thee. And while thou thus givest in thy testimony of the Lord Jesus, wilt thou not, my soul, at the same time, under a conscious sense of the distinguishing mercy, cry out also with the astonished disciple—"Lord, how is it that thou hast thus manifested thyself unto me, and not unto the world."
August 29—Evening—Isaiah 45:11
"Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me."—Isaiah 45:11.
Nothing can give a higher proof of the love of God, than what the scriptures reveal concerning him. He opened a way of access to himself, when man by sin had lost the way; and in his dear Son he has made every provision for bringing us nigh by his blood. The throne of grace he hath opened for their approach; the assurance he hath given of accepting them in the beloved; the very tender and kind expressions which issue from the throne; and the answers which have been given to thousands, and are continually given to thousands who come there; yea, the promises with which they are surrounded, that" before they call, he will answer, and while they are speaking, he will hear:" all these are full of endearments, to shew forth the love of God in Jesus Christ to all his people. But still, if possible, beyond all these, this portion from the writings of the prophet is most wonderful, and is confirmed by Jehovah’s own saying," Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me." What! doth the Lord indeed allow himself to be commanded? Hath he thrown, as it were, the reins of government into the hands of his people; and, if the object of their petition be for his glory and their welfare, may they command him? My soul! what an astonishing, what an unparalleled instance of condescension is this!—But are there any instances upon record of the kind? Yes! When Jacob wrestled with God in prayer, he boldly told the Lord, that he would not let him go without a blessing: and the blessing he had. And God himself, a thousand years after, noted it down by the prophet, that" by his strength, he had power with God," Genesis 32:26; Genesis 32:28. Hosea 12:3-4. When Joshua was pursuing the enemies of God, and of his Christ, he bade the sun stand still; and it did so; Joshua 10:12-14. When the Lord Jesus went with the disciples to Emmaus, and they constrained him to abide, he was entreated of them, and went in with them; Luke 24:29. And who shall say, what instances of wonder, grace, and love, in a thousand and ten thousand cases, both public and private, in the history of the church and the Lord’s people, have been accomplished, of the same kind, and are every day going on in their experiences? My soul! look at Moses, stopping the Lord’s hand, when coming forth to destroy Israel; Exodus 32:9-14. Look how Elias shut up, and again opened, the windows of heaven, by the prevalency of prayer; and read the apostle’s comment upon it; 1 Kings 17:1. James 5:16-18. And when thou hast duly pondered the wonderful subject, say, what is there thy God and Father can or will deny thee, when thou comest to him in the name, and blood, and intercession of his dear and ever blessed Son? Read the inscription on his cross, in connection with this blessed scripture of the prophet, and then say, with the apostle: "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he rot with him freely give us all things?" Romans 8:32.
