Daily Devotionals

Mornings and Evenings with Jesus

Devotional: November 21st

Thou shall guide me with thy counsel. - Psalms 73:24.

THIS determination to place ourselves under the guidance of the Almighty implies the renunciation of pride and vanity, the sacrifice of self-will, self-conceit, and self-sufficiency. It implies a willingness to have our inclinations crossed, and our fond earthly hopes destroyed. And we may feel assured of this,-that the man is a stranger to the thing itself, whoever he is, who views it as an easy attainment. No; such a character is not formed without strong supplications to Him who is able to keep us from falling, -much striving against besetting sins, much observation upon the misery and mistakes of others, much experience of those evils to which we have found ourselves exposed when, instead of trusting in the Lord with all our heart, we have leaned to our own understanding. And, after all, there are some remains of this wretched leaven still left in the Christian.

But there are distinguished, there are hallowed, heavenly hours, in which the Christian, with a holy heroism, can relinquish all, and, falling upon his knees, can say, “The Lord shall choose mine inheritance for me;” “Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterwards receive me to glory.” The generality of mankind have no abiding impression of God upon their minds; they do not refer to God’s glory in their pursuits, nor do they use means to ascertain his will in reference to their movements in life, nor are they desirous to secure his approbation.

Let us therefore, in reference to any important removal in prospect, seek divine guidance, and turn not to the right hand nor to the left but as we see the pillar of his providence directing us,-never moving without a conviction of its being right; otherwise we cannot expect peace and satisfaction. How much attaches, as to our future course through life, upon any wrong step we may take! Such a course may produce a thousand bitter regrets, and cause repentance to be quartered upon us for the rest of our life.

Where, then, is our safety but in seeking direction of the Lord, saying, “Thou, Lord, shalt choose our inheritance for us”?

And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. - Luke 17:14-16.

OBSERVE their recovery. These men having received our Saviour’s directions, concluding that the very order to show themselves unto the priests was an intimation that they should be healed, immediately went, and as soon as they began to move the cure commenced; and filled them with wonder and astonishment. “Oh,” says one, “I feel better already.” “So do I,” says another. So say they all. They look upon each other and see their flesh has become like the flesh of a new-born child. They feel and they find the purification of their blood, and the renewal of their strength, and all those fine but indescribable emotions and energies which are enjoyed when a person recovers from disease and enjoys health and strength again.

Observe what was their conduct finally. The conduct of one of them was very praiseworthy. “One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God and fell down at his feet, giving him thanks; and he was a Samaritan.” And what said the Saviour to him? “Arise, go thy way;” but he seemed glued to the very ground whereon our Saviour stood. He seemed to imagine that he might have been allowed to remain with him as a servant, to do his pleasure as a monument of his power, as a trophy of his goodness, and to accompany him on his journey. But no, the religion of the Saviour is a religion adapted to human nature. “No,” said Jesus, “‘go thy way; thy place is vacant,-it is asking for thee; thy family, thy friends, thy condition- they are all waiting for thee. Go and walk among them, and show forth the praises of thy Deliverer.”

Nor was this all, but he gave him a very important assurance: “Thy faith hath saved thee;” tending to encourage his future confidence in him; not meaning that his faith had done this efficiently, but that this was the medium through which he chose to convey to him a cure. And this is most strikingly the case with regard to ourselves; we therefore read everywhere of the importance of faith; we read that by faith we walk, we live, we are justified, we are sanctified, “we are saved by grace through faith.”

Hence it is worthy of remark that the very same things in the Scriptures which are ascribed to Christ are also ascribed to faith; not in the same way, indeed; they are ascribed to him meritoriously, but they are equally ascribed to faith instrumentally. He is indeed a refuge; but a refuge is nothing unless it be entered, and it can only be entered by faith.

He is the remedy; but the remedy is nothing unapplied, and it can only he applied by faith. He is the food of the soul; but however excellent in itself, this cannot nourish us unless it be eaten, and it is only to be eaten by faith. “He that eateth me, even he shall live by me.”

But the conduct of the rest was, oh, how blameable! “Jesus answering, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.”