Morning
“I am the Lord, I change not.”—Malachi 3:6.
THIS day before I venture into the world I would listen to the voice of my Lord. While the dew is on the grass I would ask for dew upon my soul. I must look for changes, for I am in a world where nothing is fixed and certain. My outward circumstances, my bodily health, my home comforts, all these may undergo an entire change during the fleeting hours of this day. My spiritual experience will, in like manner, be sure to vary; I may this hour awake rejoicing in Christ, and when I have for a little while mingled with the busy world, I may lose my joy and sink into doubts and fears. I am a poor fickle creature; the colours of a chameleon are not more changeable than the feelings of my unstable soul. Let me then listen with awe to the words of the Lord, my God. How far is he beyond my comprehension! his immutability is high; I cannot attain unto it. Teach me, O Holy Spirit, evermore to reverence the great and unchangeable Jehovah. But my soul sees an amazing beauty in these words, and I am filled with delight in reading them, especially when I mark the concluding sentence, “therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Here is something for my hopes to rest upon; oh that I may have grace to stay myself upon it! The Lord Jehovah is the same in essence, for from everlasting to everlasting he is God. In his attributes, he suffers no shadow of a turning; he is ever full of wisdom, power, justice, love, and truth, and in none of these can there be a variation. If he loved me yesterday, I may rely upon him to-day. I need not fear that his power or truth shall fail me, for he is like the great mountains and abideth fast for ever. God of my past days, thou hast been my help, and since thou art ever the same, I securely trust in thee for days to come. My Lord is also unchanging in his plans. His mind hath from eternity settled the predestined order in which his purposes shall ripen, and the great result which they shall produce; from his intention he will never swerve, but perseveringly pursue his one undeviating course. And now, my soul, refresh thyself with another thought, which is sweeter than the droppings of the honeycomb; his promises abide sure. Are not all his promises, yea and Amen in Christ Jesus? Which of them hath he broken? Blessed be his name, not one good thing hath failed, and from this I encourage my faith, for since he is the same, none of them ever shall be violated; but all shall be fulfilled. And now I close my morning’s meditation with one more precious thought; he is not mutable in the objects of his love. He does not love to-day and hate to-morrow: “he hates to put away.” His beloved church shall never cease to dwell in the centre of his heart, and never shall the least of her members be allowed to perish. Oh what consolation! I cast my anchor of faith into the depth of this doctrine, and let everything earthly rock beneath my feet, this truth applied by the Holy Spirit shall hold me fast in the trying hour. May this be my sweet portion all the day—truly it is like “wafers made with honey”—
“Unchangeable his will,
Though dark may be my frame;
His loving heart is still
Eternally the same:
My soul through many changes goes,
His love no variation knows.”
Noon
“I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.”—Canticles 6:3.
OH! for grace to remember in the midst of this day that I am my Beloved’s. Blessed be the name of my adorable Lord, he is the beloved of my soul. I dare not deny that my heart is enamoured of his beauties and enchanted by his glories. He is better unto me than all things in the world beside. Father, mother, wife or husband, children and friends, all these are dear, but Jesus is dearer far than these. He is my best beloved, the chief one of my heart. How precious is that little word my! how delightful to repeat it with the confidence which the gracious Spirit hath fostered in my soul! Yes, he is mine, by his own loving gift. “He loved me, and gave himself for me.” And I have taken him to be mine, my hope, my trust, my aim, my strength, my comfort, my heaven, and my all. Thou art my beloved, O thou lovely Jesus, and as such, my heart cleaveth fast unto thee.
The text reminds me, that not only is he mine, but I am his, and to this truth I give my hearty assent. I am his by his father’s gift, by his own bloody purchase, by his triumphant conquest of my heart, and by my own surrender to him. Remember, my soul, the solemn dedication which thou hast made, for thou hast publicly avouched thyself to be the Lord’s. Look back to the solemn hour when thou didst give thyself unreservedly to him, and confess how ill thou hast fulfilled thy promise and covenant. Adored be the grace which has had patience with an unworthy servant whose false heart has so continually violated the most solemn engagements, and forgotten the most pressing obligations. And now let me remind myself of the purport of my vow, or rather the measure of my duty. I am to be Christ’s wholly without any reserve. All that I am, and all I have, belong only to my Lord Jesus. I must not rob him of his righteous due, or defraud the king’s exchequer of the little reverence it claims from me. Then again, I am Christ’s alone. No one else can share with him, he is the sole owner of my entire being. Rivals he will not endure; let me therefore beware of setting up any idol in my heart, and let me daily pray that I may be preserved as a chaste virgin, having neither love nor look for any but my espoused Husband, Emmanuel, my Beloved. It will, under the divine influence of the Holy Spirit, be very useful for me to recollect that I am always the rightful property of my Redeemer. I pray that this day, I may acknowledge this truth in the shop, the market, the counting-house, the family, or wherever Providence may call me. My dedication must not end here, I must carry it further than my chamber and my closet. Whatsoever I do, whether I eat or drink, I must do all to his glory.
Have I grace to acknowledge one more fact, I am his absolutely, without conditions or limitations? Whatsoever he pleases to do with me I must not murmur, for I am so entirely his that if he slay me he has a right to do what he wills with his own.
Oh that I may henceforth live out these weighty truths, &c., especially let me seek to do so during the remainder of this day! What shall I do for him to prove my love? How much can I afford to offer to him of my substance before the sun goes down? I will at this time pay a quit-rent to my liege Lord as an acknowledgment, that all my stock belongs to him and not to myself. If he be pleased to take away some of my treasures ere nightfall, I must endeavour to be resigned, for he does but take of his own, which he had graciously lent unto his servant, yea, if he removes all my comforts from me, it is my business to yield without a murmuring word, for only by so doing can I prove that I am my Beloved’s.
My soul, is this painful to thee? then chide thyself and remember who it is to whom thou resignest thyself. Does a wife weep because she is her husband’s? Is it not her joy and delight? Surely, when the Spirit enables me to feel aright, I can say, Jesus, I am thine, and it is my honor to be so, I would not be mine own if I could, for my heart’s highest ambition is to be thine, entirely thine for ever.
Night
“Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not.”—Isaiah 35:4.
OH how precious is the Word of God! for it contains a cordial for every sickness, a balm for every wound, and here at the close of the day let me console myself with it. How often does a fearful heart weaken and vex the people of God! how well it is that the Holy Spirit has given this word to cheer them in their distresses!
Sometimes GREAT TROUBLES cause the heir of heaven to be much cast down. But why is it so? Are not our fears groundless? Do not our troubles work our lasting good? Why need we fear the issue when it is in Jehovah’s hands? Our fears grieve us more than our afflictions. Our greatest pains spring from our unbelief, not from our trials, for if we had more faith our trials could not make us afraid. Besides this, such fears weaken us, they cut the girdle of our loins and take away the staff of our support. We shall have need of all the strength we have; it is neither prudent nor right to allow the life-blood of that strength to flow away from the wounds of our fears. Do not our anxieties dishonour God, and cast a reflection upon his power, his wisdom, or his grace? Away with that which casts a slur upon the attributes of God, it is not fit that such a thing should be harboured by a Christian. Once more, Are not such fears very useless things? Who ever derived any advantage from them? Can fears fill an empty cupboard, or restore the health of a dying child? There is something reasonable in strong prayer and earnest activity, but of what value are our fears? When we can prove that they benefit us, we may be almost excused for indulging them, but till then, let us be strong and fear not.
GREAT DUTIES also have a tendency to alarm our poor timorous flesh and blood, but let us remember that the work is the Lord’s, we do not go a warfare at our own charges. Our Master will never set us upon a work which is too hard for us. When we have his command we are sure to have his assistance.
Spurgeon, C. H. (1866). The Sword and Trowel: 1866, 242–244. (Public Domain)
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