From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] daily devotional
Evening...
Psalm 119:37
Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken Thou me in Thy way.
There are divers kinds of vanity. The cap and bells of the fool, the mirth of
the world, the dance, the lyre, and the cup of the dissolute, all these men
know to be vanities; they wear upon their forefront their proper name and
title. Far more treacherous are those equally vain things, the cares of this
world and the deceitfulness of riches. A man may follow vanity as truly in the
counting-house as in the theatre. If he be spending his life in amassing
wealth, he passes his days in a vain show. Unless we follow Christ, and make
our God the great object of life, we only differ in appearance from the most
frivolous. It is clear that there is much need of the first prayer of our text.
"Quicken Thou me in Thy way." The Psalmist confesses that he is dull, heavy,
lumpy, all but dead. Perhaps, dear reader, you feel the same. We are so
sluggish that the best motives cannot quicken us, apart from the Lord Himself.
What! will not hell quicken me? Shall I think of sinners perishing, and yet not
be awakened? Will not heaven quicken me? Can I think of the reward that
awaiteth the righteous, and yet be cold? Will not death quicken me? Can I think
of dying, and standing before my God, and yet be slothful in my Master's
service? Will not Christ's love constrain me? Can I think of His dear wounds,
can I sit at the foot of His cross, and not be stirred with fervency and zeal?
It seems so! No mere consideration can quicken us to zeal, but God Himself must
do it, hence the cry, "Quicken Thou me." The Psalmist breathes out his whole
soul in vehement pleadings: his body and his soul unite in prayer. "Turn away
mine eyes," says the body: "Quicken Thou me," cries the soul. This is a fit
prayer for every day. O Lord, hear it in my case this night.
January 21
Morning...
Romans 11:26
And so all Israel shall be saved.
Then Moses sang at the Red Sea, it was his joy to know that all Israel were
safe. Not a drop of spray fell from that solid wall until the last of God's
Israel had safely planted his foot on the other side the flood. That done,
immediately the floods dissolved into their proper place again, but not till
then. Part of that song was, "Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which
thou hast redeemed." In the last time, when the elect shall sing the song of
Moses, the servant of God, and of the Lamb, it shall be the boast of Jesus, "Of
all whom thou hast given me, I have lost none." In heaven there shall not be a
vacant throne.
"For all the chosen race
Shall meet around the throne,
Shall bless the conduct of His grace,
And make His glories known."
As many as God hath chosen, as many as Christ hath redeemed, as many as the
Spirit hath called, as many as believe in Jesus, shall safely cross the
dividing sea. We are not all safely landed yet:
"Part of the host have crossed the flood,
And part are crossing now."
The vanguard of the army has already reached the shore. We are marching
through the depths; we are at this day following hard after our Leader into the
heart of the sea. Let us be of good cheer: the rear-guard shall soon be where
the vanguard already is; the last of the chosen ones shall soon have crossed
the sea, and then shall be heard the song of triumph, when all are secure. But
oh! if one were absent-oh! if one of His chosen family should be cast away-it
would make an everlasting discord in the song of the redeemed, and cut the
strings of the harps of paradise, so that music could never be extorted from
them.
1 John 5:18
(18) We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is
begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
The person who has been finally "born of God" will not sin any longer.
Once we are born of God at the resurrection, we will be able to live without
ever sinning again. How? Simply because we will then possess the fullness of
God's perfect character and divine nature. We will no longer possess a nature
which can fall victim to sin and Satan's influence.
But as long as we are only "begotten" of God, we must "keep ourselves"—we
must continue to resist the evil temptations of the flesh. Such a one can
commit sin. When caught off guard or in a moment of weakness, we can and often
do sin! But we cannot "practice [or, continually live in] sin" and be the
begotten sons of God ( I John 3:5-6).
Life, to the begotten Christian, is a constant struggle against Satan's
influence, which is the cause of the evil side of man's nature. Although he has
now received the begettal of God's divine nature ( II Peter 1:4), he still
manifests the traits of human nature as well, and the one wars against the
other ( Galatians 5:17).
From What It Means to Be Born Again
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daily devotional
Evening...
Luke 22:32
I have prayed for thee.
How encouraging is the thought of the Redeemer's never-ceasing intercession
for us. When we pray, He pleads for us; and then 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.
January 12
Morning...
1 Corinthians 3:23
Ye are Christ's.
Ye are Christ's." You are His by donation, for the Father gave you to the
Son; His by His bloody purchase, for He counted down the price for your
redemption; His by dedication, for you have consecrated yourself to Him; His by
relation, for you are named by his name, and made one of His brethren and
joint-heirs. Labour practically to show the world that you are the servant, the
friend, the bride of Jesus. When tempted to sin, reply, "I cannot do this great
wickedness, for I am Christ's." Immortal principles forbid the friend of Christ
to sin. When wealth is before you to be won by sin, say that you are Christ's,
and touch it not. Are you exposed to difficulties and dangers? Stand fast in
the evil day, remembering that you are Christ's. Are you placed where others
are sitting down idly, doing nothing? Rise to the work with all your powers;
and when the sweat stands upon your brow, and you are tempted to loiter, cry,
"No, I cannot stop, for I am Christ's. If I were not purchased by blood, I
might be like Issachar, crouching between two burdens; but I am Christ's, and
cannot loiter." When the siren song of pleasure would tempt you from the path
of right, reply, "Thy music cannot charm me; I am Christ's." When the cause of
God invites thee, give thy goods and thyself away, for thou art Christ's. Never
belie thy profession. Be thou ever one of those whose manners are Christian,
whose speech is like the Nazarene, whose conduct and conversation are so
redolent of heaven, that all who see you may know that you are the Saviour's,
recognizing in you His features of love and His countenance of holiness. "I am
a Roman!" was of old a reason for integrity; far more, then, let it be your
argument for holiness, "I am Christ's!"
January 12
Evening...
Job 36:2
I have yet to speak on God's behalf.
We ought not to court publicity for our virtue, or notoriety for our zeal;
but, at the same time, it is a sin to be always seeking to hide that which God
has bestowed upon us for the good of others. A Christian is not to be a village
in a valley, but "a city set upon a hill;" he is not to be a candle under a
bushel, but a candle in a candlestick, giving light to all. Retirement may be
lovely in its season, and to hide one's self is doubtless modest, but the
hiding of Christ in us can never be justified, and the keeping back of truth
which is precious to ourselves is a sin against others and an offence against
God. If you are of a nervous temperament and of retiring disposition, take care
that you do not too much indulge this trembling propensity, lest you should be
useless to the church. Seek in the name of Him who was not ashamed of you to do
some little violence to your feelings, and tell to others what Christ has told
to you. If thou canst not speak with trumpet tongue, use the still small voice.
If the pulpit must not be thy tribune, if the press may not carry on its wings
thy words, yet say with Peter and John, "Silver and gold have I none; but such
as I have give I thee." By Sychar's well talk to the Samaritan woman, if thou
canst not on the mountain preach a sermon; utter the praises of Jesus in the
house, if not in the temple; in the field, if not upon the exchange; in the
midst of thine own household, if thou canst not in the midst of the great
family of man. From the hidden springs within let sweetly flowing rivulets of
testimony flow forth, giving drink to every passer-by. Hide not thy talent;
trade with it; and thou shalt bring in good interest to thy Lord and Master. To
speak for God will be refreshing to ourselves, cheering to saints, useful to
sinners, and honouring to the Saviour. Dumb children are an affliction to their
parents. Lord, unloose all Thy children's tongue.
January 13
Morning...
1 Kings 22:48
Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not;
for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber.
Solomon's ships had returned in safety, but Jehoshaphat's vessels never
reached the land of gold. Providence prospers one, and frustrates the desires
of another, in the same business and at the same spot, yet the Great Ruler is
as good and wise at one time as another. May we have grace to-day, in the
remembrance of this text, to bless the Lord for ships broken at Ezion-geber, as
well as for vessels freighted with temporal blessings; let us not envy the more
successful, nor murmur at our losses as though we were singularly and specially
tried. Like Jehoshaphat, we may be precious in the Lord's sight, although our
schemes end in disappointment. The secret cause of Jehoshaphat's loss is well
worthy of notice, for it is the root of very much of the suffering of the
Lord's people; it was his alliance with a sinful family, his fellowship with
sinners. In 2 Chron. 20:37, we are told that the Lord sent a prophet to
declare, "Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the Lord hath broken
thy works." This was a fatherly chastisement, which appears to have been blest
to him; for in the verse which succeeds our morning's text we find him refusing
to allow his servants to sail in the same vessels with those of the wicked
king. Would to God that Jehoshaphat's experience might be a warning to the rest
of the Lord's people, to avoid being unequally yoked together with unbelievers!
A life of misery is usually the lot of those who are united in marriage, or in
any other way of their own choosing, with the men of the world. O for such love
to Jesus that, like Him, we may be holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from
sinners; for if it be not so with us, we may expect to hear it often said, "The
Lord hath broken thy works."
2 Samuel 15:13-14
(13) And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of
Israel are after Absalom. (14) And David said unto all his servants that were
with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape
from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring
evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.
The background of these verses is David's flight from Absalom. Absalom
was determined to become king, so he began undermining David through deceitful
and worldly-wise ways: by using psychology, by giving favorable judgments to
garner support. In so doing, he began to persuade people to follow him. It took
him four years of undermining of his father to get a large enough following to
move to overthrow him. He was successful to a point.
Proverbs 28:1 says that the wicked flee when no one pursues. God would
certainly not call David a wicked man. He went through periods when he was far
from God. Here, he fled for his life into the wilderness east of Jordan. Why
did he flee? Wisdom dictated that David was in no position to defend the city:
He was outnumbered and "outgunned." Absalom, by his strategy, had gained the
upper hand, so David decided that it was better to have freedom of movement in
an open place than it was to be trapped in a city, where he would be subject to
siege.
So he—like Jesus later on—decided that discretion is the greater part of
valor. Was David a coward? He was mighty man of valor, a great man in the eyes
of God, and a winner of many military victories. It was a proverb in Israel
that "David [has slain] his ten thousands" ( I Samuel 18:7; 21:11; 29:5). None
would dare call David a coward! At the time, flight was the wisest move; his
action was guided by wisdom, not cowardice. Beyond this, David, who usually had
his spiritual wits about him, did not presume to discount God's authority to do
as He pleased as the real Sovereign of Israel.
John W. Ritenbaugh
From A Place of Safety? (Part 2)
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