the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
The Poor Man's Morning and Evening Portions
December 1—Morning—Psalms 65:1
"Praise waiteth for thee, Oh God, in Zion."—Psalms 65:1.
Is this the language of my heart? Am I indeed waiting until that Jesus be ready to receive my poor praise? Hath God the Holy Ghost prepared my heart? Oh then, hasten to him, my soul, with thy morning offerings, poor as they are; for sure I am, Jesus is waiting to be gracious. God will accept both thee and thy offering in him the Beloved. Go forth to meet him as early and as often as thine heart can wish: depend upon it, thy Redeemer will be beforehand with thee, and is waiting thy coming. Neither thy praise nor thy prayer can outrun his love; for both are the blessed effects of his grace, and of his own quickenings. Precious Jesus, grant me to come as often as I need thee. And, Lord, if thou wilt grant me this blessing, I shall never be from thee, for I need thee every moment.
December 1—Evening—Acts 2:46-47
"And they continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness, and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people."—Acts 2:46-47.
What a beautiful picture is here given of the primitive church! My soul, think of the happiness of the saints of God in those days, when, instead of that idle and unprofitable conversation, which, for the most part, fills up the employment of Christians professing godliness in the present day, believers never met without celebrating the Lord’s supper (for so the expression of eating bread from house to house means); and their ordinary meals were conducted with a single eye to God’s glory! What a sad change hath taken place in the circumstances of Christians! "They were daily with one accord in the temple:" and thousands who would be very highly offended, were their religious profession to be called in question, think one part of the Lord’s day sufficient to be found there. They conversed "from house to house" of the great things of salvation: but what parlour, what place of meeting, what house or family must we go into, to hear of Jesus and his gospel? They were daily setting forth the broken body of Christ, in the action "of breaking of bread and of prayer:—" but how many are there, who think the observance of monthly communions of Christ’s body and blood too frequent, and only attend now and then, lest the frequency of the service should lessen the reverence due to it! My soul, look to it, that thy life be upon the plan of those venerable followers of the Lord! Oh! for grace to make every day a sabhath day; and every table the Lord’s table! Precious Jesus! I would pray to keep up a constant remembrance of thee, that "whether I eat or drink, or whatever I do, I may do all to the glory of God!"
