Daily Devotionals

The Poor Man's Morning and Evening Portions

Devotional: September 12th

September 12—Morning—John 3:14-15

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life."—John 3:14-15.

Pause, my soul, over these words, and remember that they are the words of Jesus. Call to mind the wonderful event to which Christ refers, in the church’s history in the wilderness, as related, Numbers 21:5-9. Israel had sinned; and the Lord sent fiery flying serpents among the people, which bit them, and they died. In their distress they cried unto the Lord, and the Lord appointed this method of cure. A figure of a serpent was made in brass, to which Israel was commanded to look only, and be healed. They who did so, lived. If any refused, he died. This was the ordinance of God. "Now," saith Jesus, "as Moses, at the command of God, lifted up the serpent, so must I be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in me shall never perish, but have eternal life." Now, my soul, mark what the Saviour saith, and see the blessedness contained in his precious assurance. It was a serpent, that stung the Israelites. It was the old serpent, the devil, which poisoned our nature at the fall. All his temptations, assaults, and poisons, are fiery. And when the dreadful effects of sin are felt in the awakened conscience, how do they burn with terrors in the soul! What could the dying Israelite do to heal those venomous bites? Nothing. Would medicine cure? No. Was there no remedy within the power of man? No; it baffled all art, it resisted all attempts to heal. Such is sin. No prayers, no tears, no endeavours, no repentance can wash away sin. If the sinner be restored, it must be by the interposition and mercy of God alone. Now observe the method God took with Israel—a figure of brass. And if, as some men tell us, any thing shining like brass, to look upon, when the head and brain is diseased, would make the person mad; so far was this serpent of brass likely to cure, that it was the most unpromising thing in the world to accomplish it. But yet it was God’s command; and that was enough. It infallibly cured. Look now to Christ. Here also is God’s appointment, God’s command, God’s authority. Christ was made in the likeness of sinful flesh: and though holy in himself, yet becoming sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. The single precept is, "Look unto me, and be ye saved." What, must I do nothing, bring nothing, take nothing? No. The answer is, "look unto me." This is the appointed way. Christ is the One only ordinance; Christ is the Altar, Offering, High Priest. "If thou liftest up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it." Christ is the Father’s gift for healing. In Jesus there is a fulness to heal. Faith then hath a double plea—the authority of God the Father, and the fulness of salvation in God the Son. Lord, I take this for my warrant. Help me, thou blessed Spirit, so to look, so to depend, so to fix my whole soul on this complete remedy for all my need, that heaven and earth may witness for me, I seek salvation in no other, being most fully convinced that there is salvation in no other; "neither is there any other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved."

September 12—Evening—1 Corinthians 12:13

"And have been all made to drink into one Spirit."—1 Corinthians 12:13.

What a most lovely and endearing representation is here given of the several members of Christ’s mystical body, as all united to their one glorious and common head, and, like so many branches of the vine, deriving every thing of life, and grace, and fruitfulness, from him! "They have been all made to drink into one Spirit." Yes; the Lord the Spirit, the Holy Ghost the Comforter, whose gracious influence first unites them to Jesus, unites them also, in him, to one another. Hence, though distant and remote from each other; divided and separated by distant climes, and countries, and languages; though unknown by face to each other, yea, in language, and manners, and customs wholly dissimilar; and of different degrees of knowledge, and apprehension, and attainment in the divine life; yet, from being one with Christ, they are also one with each other, and" are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones;" part of the universal church, and constituting one complete whole, of which Christ is the head: "whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it: or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it." My soul, couldest thou ask the native of any country or climate, who is a real member of Christ’s body, what are his feelings of sin, and what his views of Jesus, thou wouldest find a complete correspondence with thine own. He hath groaned for sin, as thou hast groaned; and he hath found Jesus precious, as thou hast found him. And whence all this, but because one and the same almighty Teacher hath been the instructor of both? "We have been all made to drink into one Spirit!" He is the source and fountain of spiritual life, and sustenance, and strength in all! And as the first quickenings of grace arise from his divine influences, so is it from his blessed impressions that believers are sealed and secured unto the day of eternal redemption. Hail! thou holy and almighty Lord! cause the whole church of Jesus to be for ever living at the fountain-head of mercies, "who have been all made to drink into one Spirit!"