Daily Devotionals

The Poor Man's Morning and Evening Portions

Devotional: March 30th

March 30—Morning—Romans 7:25

"So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."—Romans 7:25.

Is this thy language, my soul? Hast thou learnt with Paul, with Job, with Isaiah, and all the faithful gone before, to loathe thyself in thine own sight? Dost thou groan, being burthened with a body of sin which drags down the soul? Pause over this view of human nature. In the first place - think, my soul, what humbling thoughts such a state of corruption ought to induce. Though the mind be regenerated, though with the mind the believer serves the law of God, delights in the law of God, loves the law, and would make it the subject of devout meditation all the day; yet such is the body of sin, the flesh with its affections, and appetites, and desires, that it draws away the attention, imperiously, puts in its claims, and rises up in rebellion continually. And are the souls of God’s children thus exercised, thus afflicted, in the struggles between the different motions of grace and corruption from day to day? Yes, such is the state, such the uniform experience of God’s people in all ages. Paul thus complains, though he had been so highly sanctified. Perhaps there never was a child of God brought into a closer and more intimate communion with God. He had been caught up to the third heaven, and heard unspeakable words. He had laboured more than all the apostles. He had been converted by a miracle from heaven, and by the immediate call of the Lord Jesus personally to him. But yet this highly favoured servant of the Lord, this blessed apostle, who was continually flying on the wings of zeal and love in the service of his Master, even he, with his flesh, he-tells us, served the law of sin: nay, he felt and discovered "a law of sin in his members, warring against the law of his mind, and bringing him into captivity to the law of sin which was in his members;" and under a deep distress of soul he cried out - "Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death!" Is it so, then, my soul, with thee also! Dost thou discover the same in thy experience? Dost thou feel the rebellions of sin rising up within thee? Dost thou detect thine heart, wandering even in the moment of solemn exercises; and, in short, thine own body, the worst and greatest enemy thou hast to contend with? Oh then, learn from hence, what humbling views oughtest thou to have of thyself, and to lay low in the dust in consequence thereof before God. When thou hast duly contemplated this state of fallen nature, let thy next improvement of this subject be to endear the Lord Jesus to thee, my soul, more and more; to fly out of thyself, to fly to Jesus, to take refuge in him and his great salvation; from even thyself, with all that body of sin and death, under which thou thus continually groanest; and to derive here from a daily and hourly conviction, yet more strong and unanswerably conclusive, that nothing but the blood of Jesus can cleanse, nothing but the righteousness of Jesus can save and justify a sinner. Say as Paul did, when from the bottom of his heart that soul-piercing question arose," Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord."

March 30—Evening—Song of Solomon 7:2

"I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother’s house, who would instruct me." Song of Solomon 8:2.

My soul! hast thou ever noticed the peculiar beauties of this scripture? if not, make it the subject of this evening’s meditation; it will amply recompense thine attention. The church is here in great liveliness, and actings of faith upon the person of her Lord; indeed, so much so, that we do not find any thing like this holy familiarity, used by the church towards her Lord, in any other part of the bible. It is the well-known office of Jesus, to lead his people, and to draw them to himself. God the Father hath given him for this blessed purpose, as "a Leader and Commander to his people. "Isaiah 55:4. And Jesus himself declared, that "if he was lifted up, he would draw all to himself." John 12:32. But here, it is the church leading Christ. Pause, my soul. Dost thou know any thing of this, or like it, in thine own experience? Shall I not hope thou dost? Look diligently; for if so, it will form a blessed subject, not only for thy present mediration, but for every evening and morning of thy life. And it will have a blessed effect also, in proving the reality of thy faith, and of endearing to thyself the Redeemer’s love. Say, then, is not Jesus led by his people, when he is constrained at any time, as the disciples constrained him at Emmaus, to remain with them, until he maketh himself known to them in breaking of bread? Hast thou not thyself been compelled, at times, to say, as they did, that "thine heart hath burned within thee," when Jesus hath made himself known, in the word of his grace; or when he hath manifested himself in the tokens of his love, in softening thine heart when hardened, in warming it when frozen, comforting it when cast down; and thou hast held him in the galleries of his grace, by faith and prayer, and the exercises of the graces of his Holy Spirit, which his own hand first gave thee, and which his own power, in all the after-enjoyments of them, called forth into actings upon his person, work, and righteousness? Luke 24:28-32. What wilt thou call these things, but leading Christ, and bringing Christ into thy mother’s house, the church, where Jesus manifests himself to his beloved, otherwise than he doth to the world? Was it not thus that Jacob led the Lord, and constrained him not to depart from him, until he had blessed him? Genesis 32:26. Was it not of the same kind, in the instance of Lot, when, by faith and prayer, the patriarch so led the Lord concerning Zoar, that the Lord said, "I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither?" Genesis 19:22. Precious, precious Jesus! is it thus thy people have power with thee, and prevail with thee to stay with them; and thou sufferest thyself to be led by them, in all those instances where their furtherance in grace, and the promotion of thy glory will be accomplished by it? Oh! then, thou dear Lord! I beseech thee, give me such a double portion of thy blessed Spirit, that, taking hold of thy strength, I may lead my Lord, by faith and prayer, and all the goings forth of grace upon thy person and righteousness, into such rich enjoyments as the church here had in view, until" I cause thee to drink," also as she did, "of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate!"