the Fourth Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
The Poor Man's Morning and Evening Portions
January 3—Morning—Isaiah 63:4
"The year of my redeemed is come." Isaiah 63:4.
Yes! from everlasting the precise period of redemption was determined, and the appointed time of the vision could not tarry. Every intermediate event ministered to this one glorious area-redemption by Jesus. The church was in Egypt four hundred and thirty years, and in Babylon seventy. But we are told in the former instance, ’the self-same night’ the Lord brougbt, them forth with their armies; and the latter did not out stay the hour of their promised deliverance. So when the fulness of time was come, the Son of God came for the redemption of his people. And observe how graciously Jesus speaks of them; he calls them his redeemed. They were so in the covenant from everlasting; and when the time arrives for calling them by his grace, he claims them as the gift of his Father, and the purchase of his blood. My soul, is this thy jubilee year? Art thou living as the redeemed of the Lord? If so, plead with thy Redeemer for the holy renewed visits of his love to thee, and for the year of redemption to all his unawakened.
January 3—Evening—John 20:20
"He shewed unto them his hands and his side",—John 20:20.
My Lord and my God I would say, while thou openest to me such a view, and while I would look into and read thine heart in it. And what was such a display designed for, dearest Lord? I think thou hast taught me to discover. Was it not as if Jesus had said, See here the marks of your sure redemption. From hence issued the blood that hath cleansed you from all sin. And this blood hath a voice. It is a speaking blood, which speaketh better things than that of Abel. For his blood cried for vengeance, mine for pardon. It speaketh for thee to my Father of his covenant promises. And it speaketh to thee from my Father of thy sure acceptance in my salvation.’- Neither was this all. For surely, dearest Jesus, when thou shewedst thine hands and thy side, it was also as if thou hadst said, I see here an opening to my heart. Here put in all you wish to tell my Father, and I will bear it to him with all my warmest affections. And let all my disciples, in every age of my church do this. I will be the bearer of all their suits. And sure they may be both of my love and of my success for them; for I will carry all that concerns them in this opening to my heart.’ Precious Lord! cause me often to view with the eye of faith this gracious interview of thine with thy disciples. And as in the evening of the day the disciples were thus favoured with thy presence, and so rich a manifestation of thy love; so, Lord, make me to realize the scene afresh, and very often in the silence of the night may my soul be going forth in the full enjoyment of this spiritual blessing! Yea, Jesus! let me behold thine hands and thy side, and learn day by day to put therein all I would tell my God and Father of thy great salvation, and my firm reliance upon it; until from a life of faith I come to enter upon a life of absolute enjoyment, and behold thee still as the Lamb that hath been slain for the redemption of thy people, in the midst of the throne, leading the church to the living fountains of waters, where all tears are wiped away from all eyes.
