Daily devotionals - April 8th

[AY Angel Bot]

Morning Meditation

"If they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?"
Luke 23:31

Among otherinterpretations of this suggestive question, the following is full ofteaching: "If the innocent substitute for sinners, suffer thus, whatwill be done when the sinner himself -the dry tree-shall fall into thehands of an angry God?" When God saw Jesus in the sinner's place, hedid not spare him; and when he finds the unregenerate without Christ,he will not spare them. O sinner, Jesus was led away by his enemies: soshall you be dragged away by fiends to the place appointed for you.Jesus was deserted of God; and if he, who was only imputedly a sinner,was deserted, how much more shall you be? "Eloi, Eloi, lamasabachthani?" what an awful shriek! But what shall be your cry when youshall say, "O God! O God! why hast thou forsaken me?" and the answershall come back, "Because ye have set at nought all my counsel, andwould none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I willmock when your fear cometh." If God spared not his own Son, how muchless will he spare you! What whips of burning wire will be yours whenconscience shall smite you with all its terrors. Ye richest, yemerriest, ye most self-righteous sinners-who would stand in your placewhen God shall say, "Awake, O sword, against the man that rejected me;smite him, and let him feel the smart for ever?" Jesus was spit upon:sinner, what shame will be yours! We cannot sum up in one word all themass of sorrows which met upon the head of Jesus who died for us,therefore it is impossible for us to tell you what streams, what oceansof grief must roll over your spirit if you die as you now are. You maydie so, you may die now. By the agonies of Christ, by his wounds and byhis blood, do not bring upon yourselves the wrath to come! Trust in theSon of God, and you shall never die.
Evening Meditation

"I will fear no evil: for thou art with me."
Psalms 23:4

Behold, how independentof outward circumstances the Holy Ghost can make the Christian! What abright light may shine within us when it is all dark without! How firm,how happy, how calm, how peaceful we may be, when the world shakes toand fro, and the pillars of the earth are removed! Even death itself,with all its terrible influences, has no power to suspend the music ofa Christian's heart, but rather makes that music become more sweet,more clear, more heavenly, till the last kind act which death can do isto let the earthly strain melt into the heavenly chorus, the temporaljoy into the eternal bliss! Let us have confidence, then, in theblessed Spirit's power to comfort us. Dear reader, are you lookingforward to poverty? Fear not; the divine Spirit can give you, in yourwant, a greater plenty than the rich have in their abundance. You knownot what joys may be stored up for you in the cottage around whichgrace will plant the roses of content. Are you conscious of a growingfailure of your bodily powers? Do you expect to suffer long nights oflanguishing and days of pain? O be not sad! That bed may become athrone to you. You little know how every pang that shoots through yourbody may be a refining fire to consume your dross-a beam of glory tolight up the secret parts of your soul. Are the eyes growing dim? Jesuswill be your light. Do the ears fail you? Jesus' name will be yoursoul's best music, and his person your dear delight. Socrates used tosay, "Philosophers can be happy without music;" and Christians can behappier than philosophers when all outward causes of rejoicing arewithdrawn. In thee, my God, my heart shall triumph, come what may ofills without! By thy power, O blessed Spirit, my heart shall beexceeding glad, though all things should fail me here below.



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