From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Daily devotions for 03-06-2005:
Devotion: Morning and Evening
Morning Title: Do Not Sleep
Evening Title: No Doubt
Do you enjoy this devotional? Send it on to a friend!
____________________________________________________________
Morning: Do Not Sleep
"Let us not sleep, as do others." --1 Thessalonians 5:6
There are many ways of promoting Christian wakefulness. Among the rest, let me
strongly
advise Christians to converse together concerning the ways of the Lord.
Christian and Hopeful, as they journeyed towards the Celestial City, said to
themselves, "To prevent drowsiness in this place, let us fall into good
discourse."
Christian enquired, "Brother, where shall we begin?" And Hopeful answered,
"Where God began with us." Then Christian sang this song--
"When saints do sleepy grow, let them come hither, And hear how these two
pilgrims talk together; Yea, let them learn of them, in any wise, Thus to keep
open their drowsy slumb'ring eyes.
Saints' fellowship, if it be managed well, Keeps them awake, and that in spite
of hell."
Christians who isolate themselves and walk alone, are very liable to grow
drowsy. Hold Christian company, and you will be kept wakeful by it, and
refreshed and encouraged to make quicker progress in the road to heaven. But as
you thus take "sweet counsel" with others in the ways of God, take care that
the theme of your converse is the Lord Jesus. Let the eye of faith be
constantly looking unto Him; let your heart be full of Him; let your lips speak
of His worth. Friend, live near to the cross, and thou wilt not sleep.
Labour to impress thyself with a deep sense of the value of the place to which
thou art going.
If thou rememberest that thou art going to heaven, thou wilt not sleep on the
road. If thou
thinkest that hell is behind thee, and the devil pursuing thee, thou wilt not
loiter. Would the
manslayer sleep with the avenger of blood behind him, and the city of refuge
before him?
Christian, wilt thou sleep whilst the pearly gates are open--the songs of
angels waiting for
thee to join them--a crown of gold ready for thy brow? Ah! no; in holy
fellowship continue to
watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation.
Evening: No Doubt
"Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation." --Psalm 35:3
What does this sweet prayer teach me? It shall be my evening's petition; but
first let it yield me an instructive meditation. The text informs me first of
all that David had his doubts; for why
should he pray, "Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation," if he were not
sometimes exercised with doubts and fears? Let me, then, be of good cheer, for
I am not the only saint who has to
complain of weakness of faith. If David doubted, I need not conclude that I am
no Christian
because I have doubts. The text reminds me that David was not content while he
had doubts and fears, but he repaired at once to the mercy-seat to pray for
assurance; for he valued it as much fine gold. I too must labour after an
abiding sense of my acceptance in the Beloved, and must have no joy when His
love is not shed abroad in my soul. When my Bridegroom is gone from me, my soul
must and will fast. I learn also that David knew where to obtain full
assurance. He went to his God in prayer, crying, "Say unto my soul I am thy
salvation."
I must be much alone with God if I would have a clear sense of Jesus' love. Let
my prayers cease, and my eye of faith will grow dim. Much in prayer, much in
heaven; slow in prayer, slow in progress. I notice that David would not be
satisfied unless his assurance had a divine
source. "Say unto my soul." Lord, do Thou say it ! Nothing short of a divine
testimony in the soul will ever content the true Christian. Moreover, David
could not rest unless his assurance had a vivid personality about it. "Say unto
my soul, I am thy salvation." Lord, if Thou shouldst say this to all the
saints, it were nothing, unless Thou shouldst say it to me. Lord, I have
sinned; I deserve not Thy smile; I scarcely dare to ask it; but oh! say to my
soul, even to my soul, "I am thy salvation." Let me have a present, personal,
infallible, indisputable sense that I
am Thine, and that Thou art mine.
========================================
Daily devotions for 03-05-2005:
Devotion: Morning and Evening
Morning Title: Grace for Trials
Evening Title: The Table of Grace
Do you enjoy this devotional? Send it on to a friend!
____________________________________________________________
Morning: Grace for Trials
"My grace is sufficient for thee." --2 Corinthians 12:9
If none of God's saints were poor and tried, we should not know half so well
the consolations of divine grace. When we find the wanderer who has not where
to lay his head, who yet can say, "Still will I trust in the or, when we see
the pauper starving on bread and water, who still
glories in Jesus; when we see the bereaved widow overwhelmed in affliction, and
yet having faith in Christ, oh! what honour it reflects on the gospel. God's
grace is illustrated and magnified in the poverty and trials of believers.
Saints bear up under every discouragement, believing that all things work
together for their good, and that out of apparent evils a real blessing shall
ultimately spring--that their God will either work a deliverance for them
speedily, or most assuredly support them in the trouble, as long as He is
pleased to keep them in it. This patience of the saints proves the power of
divine grace.
There is a lighthouse out at sea: it is a calm night--I cannot tell whether the
edifice is firm;
the tempest must rage about it, and then I shall know whether it will stand. So
with the Spirit's
work: if it were not on many occasions surrounded with tempestuous waters, we
should not know that it was true and strong; if the winds did not blow upon it,
we should not know how firm and secure it was. The master-works of God are
those men who stand in the midst of difficulties, stedfast, unmoveable,--
"Calm mid the bewildering cry, Confident of victory."
He who would glorify his God must set his account upon meeting with many
trials. No man can be illustrious before the Lord unless his conflicts be many.
If then, yours be a much-tried path, rejoice in it, because you will the better
show forth the all-sufficient grace of God. As for His failing you, never dream
of it--hate the thought.
The God who has been sufficient until now, should be trusted to the end.
Evening: The Table of Grace
"They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house."
--Psalm 36:8
Sheba's queen was amazed at the sumptuousness of Solomon's table. She lost all
heart when she saw the provision of a single day; and she marvelled equally at
the company of servants who were feasted at the royal board. But what is this
to the hospitalities of the God of grace? Ten thousand thousand of his people
are daily fed; hungry and thirsty, they bring large appetites with them to the
banquet, but not one of them returns unsatisfied; there is enough for each,
enough for all, enough for evermore. Though the host that feed at Jehovah's
table is countless as the stars of heaven, yet each one has his portion of
meat. Think how much grace one saint requires, so much that nothing but the
Infinite could supply him for one day; and yet the Lord spreads His table, not
for one, but many saints, not for one day, but for many years; not for many
years only, but for generation after generation.
Observe the full feasting spoken of in the text, the guests at mercy's banquet
are satisfied, nay, more "abundantly satisfied;" and that not with ordinary
fare, but with fatness, the peculiar
fatness of God's own house; and such feasting is guaranteed by a faithful
promise to all those children of men who put their trust under the shadow of
Jehovah's wings.
I once thought if I might but get the broken meat at God's back door of grace I
should be
satisfied; like the woman who said, "The dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from
the master's table;" but no child of God is ever served with scraps and
leavings; like Mephibosheth, they all eat from the king's own table. In matters
of grace, we all have Benjamin's mess--we all have ten times more than we could
have expected, and though our necessities are great, yet are we often amazed at
the marvellous plenty of grace which God gives us experimentally to enjoy.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Mailing List Jesus-Net Ministry Indonesia - JNM -
Daftar : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Keluar : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Posting: jesus-net@yahoogroups.com
Bantuan Moderator : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jesus-net/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
