Daily Devotionals

The Poor Man's Morning and Evening Portions

Devotional: September 5th

September 5—Morning—Psalms 148:14

"The praise of all his saints."—Psalms 148:14.

And who is this, my soul, but Jesus? Is he not indeed both the praise and the glory, the delight and the joy, the portion and the happiness of all his people? His saints, doth it say? Yes, saints, made so by his righteousness and salvation, when taken from among sinners; and when themselves sinners, he hath washed them in his blood, clothed them with his garment of salvation, and granted them an inheritance among the saints in light. And is he not their praise? Indeed, is there any other the object of their praise, to whom they look up, in whom they delight, but Him, in whom God their Father hath made them accepted in Him, the Beloved? Say then, my soul, is he not thy praise this day; and will he not be thine everlasting, unceasing praise, every day, and all the day, and through the endless day of eternity? Who shall be thy praise but Jesus; his beauty, his glory, his excellency; in whom all divine perfections centre? Who shall be thy praise but Jesus, the Mediator, the Christ of God, whose glory it is to redeem poor sinners and make them saints; to give out of his fulness, and grace for grace? Who shall be thy praise, but he that hath made thy peace, in the blood of his cross, and ever liveth to make intercession for thee? Oh thou fair and lovely one, the chiefest among ten thousand, thou art my praise, my glory, my song, my rejoicing! Every day, will I praise thee; morning by morning will I hail thy name, and night by night testify thy faithfulness. Here, while upon earth, will I unceasingly speak of thy praise; and, ere long, I shall join the happy multitude above, in that song—"To him that hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood!" Oh thou that art the praise of all the saints.

September 5—Evening—Genesis 8:22

"While the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease."—Genesis 8:22.

My soul, look at this gracious covenant promise of God, which was made more than four thousand years since, and is as faithfully confirmed to thy experience this night, as in the first hour wherein the Lord delivered it. How hath the seed-time and harvest, the cold and heat, the summer and winter, and day and night, through every generation, proclaimed the unfailing truth! And although we are taught to expect, and by faith both to look and to long for the "new heavens and the new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness;" yet is this blessed promise not less sure, or less to be depended upon, while the present earth remaineth. And do not overlook that special feature of divine faithfulness, in the fulfilment of this gracious promise; I mean that amidst all the unworthiness of man, God’s bounty continues the same. Were the sun to cease its beneficial influence, or the clouds to withhold their fatness, until man deserved those blessings, the sun would rise no more, neither would the bottles of heaven pour down their fruitfulness. Sweet thought to the heart of a poor sinner! The Lord’s goodness is all in himself, and from himself, and to himself for his own glory. Indeed, so abundantly gracious and compassionate is the Lord, that he very frequently takes occasion from our misery, to magnify the riches of his mercy; and "where sin hath abounded, grace doth much more abound; that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord." There is one delightful thought more arising out of this blessed scripture, in the confirmation which the regular return of day and night gives to the faithfulness of the almighty Promiser, namely, that the Lord himself appealeth to this fulfilment of his covenant in nature, as the confirmation that he will fulfil his covenant in grace. "Thus saith the Lord, if ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, that there should not be day and night in their season; then also may my covenant be broken with David my servant," Jeremiah 33:20-21. Oh! precious words of a gracious covenant God in Christ! Lord, I bow down before thee, under a deep sense of thy grace and love! Thou hast indeed "sworn once in thy holiness, that thou wilt not lie unto David;" even the David of thy people, thy dear and ever blessed Son! Oh! grant that, each night and morning, as well as through all the changing, but sure seasons of nature, all may be sweetly sanctified in their regular visits to my soul, while remaining on earth; that I may have a double relish and enjoyment in a sanctified use of them; and accept thy daily faithfulness in nature, as a sure pledge of thy everlasting faithfulness in grace, that "in Jesus all the seed of Israel shall be justified, and shall glory."