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Daily devotions for 01-11-2005:
Devotion: Morning and Evening
Morning Title: A Bounteous Harvest
Evening Title: He Prays For Us
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Morning: A Bounteous Harvest
"These have no root." --Luke 8:13
My soul, examine thyself this morning by the light of this text. Thou hast
received the word
with joy; thy feelings have been stirred and a lively impression has been made;
but, remember, that to receive the word in the ear is one thing, and to receive
Jesus into thy very soul is quite another; superficial feeling is often joined
to inward hardness of heart, and a lively impression of the word is not always
a lasting one. In the parable, the seed in one case fell upon ground having a
rocky bottom, covered over with a thin layer of earth; when the seed began to
take root, its downward growth was hindered by the hard stone and therefore it
spent its strength in pushing its green shoot aloft as high as it could, but
having no inward moisture derived from root nourishment, it withered away.
Is this my case? Have I been making a fair show in the flesh without having a
corresponding inner life? Good growth takes place upwards and downwards at the
same time. Am I rooted in
sincere fidelity and love to Jesus? If my heart remains unsoftened and
unfertilized by grace, the good seed may germinate for a season, but it must
ultimately wither, for it cannot flourish on a rocky, unbroken, unsanctified
heart. Let me dread a godliness as rapid in growth and as wanting in endurance
as Jonah's gourd; let me count the cost of being a follower of Jesus, above all
let me feel the energy of His Holy Spirit, and then I shall possess an abiding
and enduring seed in my soul. If my mind remains as obdurate as it was by
nature, the sun of trial will scorch, and my hard heart will help to cast the
heat the more terribly upon the ill-covered seed, and my religion will soon
die, and my despair will be terrible; therefore, O heavenly Sower, plough me
first, and then cast the truth into me, and let me yield Thee a bounteous
harvest.
Evening: He Prays For Us
"I have prayed for thee." --Luke 22:32
How encouraging is the thought of the Redeemer's neverceasing intercession for
us. When we pray, He pleads for us; and when we are not praying, He is
advocating our cause, and by His supplications shielding us from unseen
dangers. Notice the word of comfort addressed to Peter--"Simon, Simon, Satan
hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat; but"--what? "But go and
pray for yourself." That would be good advice, but it is not so written.
Neither does he say, "But I will keep you watchful, and so you shall be
preserved." That were a great blessing. No, it is, "But I have prayed for thee,
that thy faith fail not."
We little know what we owe to our Saviour's prayers. When we reach the
hill-tops of heaven,
and look back upon all the way whereby the Lord our God hath led us, how we
shall praise Him who, before the eternal throne, undid the mischief which Satan
was doing upon earth. How shall we thank Him because He never held His peace,
but day and night pointed to the wounds upon His hands, and carried our names
upon His breastplate! Even before Satan had begun to tempt, Jesus had
forestalled him and entered a plea in heaven. Mercy outruns malice. Mark, He
does not say, "Satan hath desired to have you." He checks Satan even in his
very desire, and nips it in the bud. He does not say, "But I have desired to
pray for you." No, but "I have prayed for you: I have done it already; I have
gone to court and entered a counterplea even before an accusation is made." O
Jesus, what a comfort it
is that thou hast pleaded our cause against our unseen enemies; countermined
their mines, and unmasked their ambushes. Here is a matter for joy, gratitude,
hope, and confidence.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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