the Fourth Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
The Poor Man's Morning and Evening Portions
December 11—Morning—Malachi 3:3
"And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. And he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness."—Malachi 3:3.
My soul, contemplate this gracious office of thy Jesus, and then see, whether he hath as graciously wrought it on thee. Jesus found our whole nature, when he came to save it, wanting refining and purifying indeed. By the operation of his holy word, and by the influences of his blessed spirit, he brings the souls of his people into the furnace of purification. By the fire of troubles, of afflictions, of persecutions, he melts down their stubborn nature there. By the Spirit of judgment, and by the Spirit of burning, he purgeth their dross, taketh away their tin, and forms all his people into vessels of mercy and sanctification; that he may at length present them unto himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that they may be without blame before him in love. And what endears him to his people under this blessed character as their Refiner is this, that all the while the process is going on, Jesus sits by, watches over them, tempers the fire in exact proportion to what it should be, and suffers not the enemy to fan it a jot more than his love and wisdom see it fit to be. Is this the case, my soul, with thee? Are all the fiery trials thou hast gone through, regulated, kept under, and blessed, by thy Jesus, to so much good? Oh my foolish heart, how have I repined in my affliction, because I saw not Jesus’s hand in the appointment, nor discerned his love carrying me through it. Blessed Refiner, henceforth give the to see thee. And do thou sit in this most needful office over my soul, that as all true believers are of the royal priesthood, being sons of Levi, and made kings and priests to God and the Father, never may my soul come out of the furnace of thy purification, until that I am enabled, by thy grace, to offer to the Lord an offering in the blood and righteousness of Jesus, whereby alone I can find acceptance with God in grace here, and glory hereafter.
December 11—Evening—Deuteronomy 15:7-8
"If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren, within any of thy gates, in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother; but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth."—Deuteronomy 15:7-8.
How is it possible, dearest Lord Jesus, that I can read this scripture, and call to mind thy obedience for me, in fulfilling the whole law, without connecting with it all the blessedness of looking up to thee under every circumstance, and in every case, for thy favour and thy love? When Jesus became circumcised for his people, he made himself a debtor to the whole law. And is not this delightful precept of my evening meditation a part of it? Surely, Lord, this precept speaks to thee. Not that my glorious Surety needed a command to the love of any of his poor brethren; for, blessed Jesus, thy love brought thee down from heaven, and it was thine own free voluntary love that, at the call of God thy Father, prompted thine infinite mind to stand up as thy brethren’s law-fulfiller from all eternity. But though thou needest not. to be put in mind of mercy to any poor brother of thine, yet is it precious to my soul to see that this command of God my Father forms a part in the obedience of Jesus to the whole law; and doubly blessed is it to my soul to see, that in all the blessings wherewith Jesus, the Head of his body the church, blesseth his people, the hand of God my Father is in it. How hath God the Father manifested his love to his church in the gift of his dear son, and in all those blessed commands given to Jesus for the church’s welfare! And how hath Jesus manifested his love in giving himself, yea, and becoming sin and a curse for his church, that all his redeemed might be made the righteousness of God in him.! Look up then, my soul, to thy Jesus, thy Brother, thy Law-fulfiller! He will not overlook, nor forget this sweet precept. Thou art waxen poor indeed, but Jesus knoweth all thy poverty and all thy need; and though thou hast been a transgressor from the womb, and hast forgotten, times without number, thy relationship, Jesus will never forget his. He hath so loved thee as to die for thee; so loved thee as to shed his blood for thee; so loved thee as to plead for thee, and is for ever appearing in the presence of God for thee. And therefore, he will never harden his heart against thee, nor shut up his hand, nor his heart, nor his loving-kindness, in displeasure. Precious Lord! thou art indeed a brother born for adversity, and one that loveth at all times; yea, "thou stickest closer than a brother."
