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Daily Devotionals
The Poor Man's Morning and Evening Portions
November 11—Morning—Isaiah 11:10
"And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious."—Isaiah 11:10.
Jesus is both the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and MORNING star; and therefore, is not this the day, the very day, the joyful day, in which he who was set up, as God the Father’s ensign from everlasting, for salvation in the council of peace? And was he not brought forth, and set up, and proclaimed as God’s salvation to us poor gentiles in the fulness of time, as well as the light of his people Israel? Surely it can have reference to no other. Precious Jesus, I do indeed behold thee as set up from everlasting. Thou wert so exhibited in the council of peace, and thy goings forth were, from everlasting, when thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people. In the bible thou art the great promise; and the whole of the promises. Thou art the whole of the law and the prophets. Both the old testament dispensation, and the new testament grace, all pointed to thee, and in thee they had their completion. Thou art the Father’s ensign of redemption, the signal of war with sin, with Satan, and all the powers of hell and corruption. Lord, to thee do I seek; under thy banner, and in thy strength, would I enjoy a rest which indeed must be glorious. And Oh thou blessed Spirit of all truth! when at any time the enemy cometh in like a flood, do thou lift up thy ensign, even Jesus, as a standard against him.
November 11—Evening—1 John 5:3
"And his commandments are not grievous."—1 John 5:3.
Is it so, my soul, that the commandments of thy Lord are not grievous unto thee? Surely it is; for though thou carriest about with thee a body of sin and death, which is everlastingly harassing thee, yet thou canst, and dost say, "I delight in the law of God after the inward man:" yea, in the very moment that thine old unrenewed nature, when evil is present with thee, is tempting thee to break through the hedge of divine precepts, in thy regenerated part thou truly lovest and delightest in the holiness of thy Lord’s commandments. And are there not seasons in thine experience, when, in spite of sin, and Satan, and the world, thou canst adopt the language of one of old, and say, "Oh, how I love thy law; it is my meditation all the day!" And is it not joy to thy heart, and a blessed part of thy faith, that the law of thy God was so pure and so strict, that rather than a jot of it should pass unfulfilled, or the smallest breach of it go unatoned for, Jesus must and did die? And is it not one of the sweetest and most satisfying principles to thee in the gospel, that Jehovah did not, and would not clear the guilty, but by an equivalent; so that, both in obedience and by sacrifice, the law is magnified by thy great Surety, and made honourable? Precious Jesus! it is wholly by thee, and in thee, that my soul finds the commandments of my God to be not grievous. By faith I behold them all fulfilled in thee, as my glorious Head; and by virtue of my union with thee, I feel the gracious principle of thy quickening Spirit inclining my soul both to love thy commandments, and most earnestly desiring to fulfil them. "Lord! enable me to run the way of thy commandments, now thou hast set my soul at liberty!"
