Daily Devotionals

Mornings and Evenings with Jesus

Devotional: January 2nd

And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. - 2 Timothy 3:15.

THE Scriptures are a revelation from God, and are “able to make us wise unto salvation.” Let us therefore inquire what we owe to the Scriptures in a way of PRIVILEGE, and to do this let us view the advantages we derive from the Sacred Writings under seven aspects.

First, As inspired; “for holy men of old wrote as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” Wise men, indeed, differ a little as to the mode of this inspiration; but this does not affect the reality nor the nature of the communications. All we meet with is acknowledged to be of divine origin; and of this we have internal evidence in the purity, in the dignity, and in the consistency of its contents; and we have external evidences in the numberless miracles openly performed in the presence of enemies who would have gladly denied them if they could. We have prophecies, many of which have been fulfilled, and others which are fulfilling under our own eye. And here we have something upon which we may rely, for our Saviour says, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”

Secondly, As preserved. What immense multitudes of books have perished in the lumber of the world! Yet this book has been exposed to innumerable dangers peculiar to itself, from the malice of devils and the wickedness of men. The ark is in safe keeping, and the “gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Thirdly, As translated. How much do we owe to the translation of the Scriptures! What would the Scriptures be to many in their original languages? only as a dark room filled with beautiful pictures, but none of them can be seen. They would be “a garden enclosed, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.” Now every man can read in his own language “the wonderful works of God.”

Fourthly, As printed. A copy of the Scriptures transcribed would cost as much as a man’s labour during a lifetime. Now all may have a Bible either for a trifling sum or by donation. Now, while one copy of the Scriptures could be written by the pen, a million may be printed by the press.

Fifthly, As expounded. And how much we owe to many of those who have thus written! Calvin wrote as a commentator. It seems amazing that he should have succeeded so well, when we consider he had no one to follow. Yet he is seldom found to differ from those who followed him in the same course. “What a glorious work is Scott’s!-perhaps for ministers, superior to any other. But oh, dear Henry, thou prince of all expositors, nothing can ever equal thy commentary for personal profit and pious use.

Sixthly, As preached. We are far from undervaluing the reading of the Holy Scriptures; yet after all, generally speaking, “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Nothing is capable of producing so much impression and effect as a living address from man to man.

Lastly, Let us view the Scriptures as experienced. There are many who have the Scriptures in their houses, in their hands, and some of them in their mouths, but not in their hearts; but in others they are as “a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The gospel has come to them, not in word only, but in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, and they have found these words to be “spirit and life.”

When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. - Matthew 6:6.

OUR blessed Saviour was the example as well as the enjoiner of private devotion. We read of his “rising a great while before day,” and of his “going up into a mountain apart to pray,” and of his “continuing all night in prayer” to his Divine Father. Some complain of not having time. Daniel was prime minister of one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, and daily and frequent private devotion was his constant practice. David had to give audiences to ambassadors, and orders to generals and magistrates, and yet he says, “Morning and evening and at noon will I pray.” A real Christian will not live a stranger to devotional retirement; he will feel continually that he has much to do with God alone. There are three advantages pertaining to private prayer. The first results from, frequency; we can retire much oftener than we can go to the public sanctuary. We can easily seize a moment of leisure when journeying or engaged in our occupations, as Nehemiah did, who was the king’s cupbearer, who, while attending on his royal master, said, “I prayed to the God of Heaven.”

The second is freedom; for alone we can make confessions which it would not be proper to make in the hearing of a fellow-creature. We can pour into the bosom of God things we do not feel at liberty to divulge to the dearest relation and friend upon earth. Friendship always deals in secrecy, and so does the friendship subsisting between God and the soul.

The third arises from sincerity. Private devotion is a much better evidence of sincerity than public worship. Many things in the public assembly are calculated to excite and attract; but when a man retires God must be the principal excitement and attraction. His language is, “Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none upon earth I desire beside thee.” We must not judge of ourselves by what we feel in large assemblies.

Let us retire to be alone with God, and then we shall say, “It is good for me to draw near to God.”