March 1
Morning
"Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden,
that the spices thereof may flow out." —
Son_4:16
Anything is better than the dead calm of indifference. Our souls may
wisely desire the north wind of trouble if that alone can be sanctified to the
drawing forth of the perfume of our graces. So long as it cannot be said,
"The Lord was not in the wind," we will not shrink from the most
wintry blast that ever blew upon plants of grace. Did not the spouse in this
verse humbly submit herself to the reproofs of her Beloved; only entreating him
to send forth his grace in some form, and making no stipulation as to the
peculiar manner in which it should come? Did she not, like ourselves, become so
utterly weary of deadness and unholy calm that she sighed for any visitation
which would brace her to action? Yet she desires the warm south wind of
comfort, too, the smiles of divine love, the joy of the Redeemer's presence;
these are often mightily effectual to arouse our sluggish life. She desires
either one or the other, or both; so that she may but be able to delight her
Beloved with the spices of her garden. She cannot endure to be unprofitable,
nor can we. How cheering a thought that Jesus can find comfort in our poor
feeble graces. Can it be? It seems far too good to be true. Well may we court
trial or even death itself if we shall thereby be aided to make glad Immanuel's
heart. O that our heart were crushed to atoms if only by such bruising our
sweet Lord Jesus could be glorified. Graces unexercised are as sweet perfumes
slumbering in the cups of the flowers: the wisdom of the great Husbandman
overrules diverse and opposite causes to produce the one desired result, and
makes both affliction and consolation draw forth the grateful odours of faith,
love, patience, hope, resignation, joy, and the other fair flowers of the
garden. May we know by sweet experience, what this means.
Reference Verses
Song of
Solomon 4:16
Awake: Son_1:4;
Ecc_1:6; Isa_51:9-11,
Isa_64:1; Eze_37:9;
Joh_3:8; Act_2:1-2,
Act_4:31
the spices: Son_4:13-14,
Son_7:12-13; 2Co_9:10-15; Php_1:9-11;
Col_1:9-12; 1Th_2:12-13; Heb_13:20-21;
2Pe_3:18
Let: Son_5:1,
Son_8:12; Mat_26:10,
Mat_26:12; Joh_5:8; Rom_15:16,
Rom_15:28; 1Pe_2:5, 1Pe_2:9-10
Extract from
e-Sword- the sword of the LORD with an electronic edge.
Through the Bible Day by Day.(F.B Meyer)
Evening
"He is precious." — 1Pe_2:7
As all the rivers run into the
sea, so all delights centre in our Beloved. The glances of his eyes outshine
the sun: the beauties of his face are fairer than the choicest flowers: no
fragrance is like the breath of his mouth. Gems of the mine, and pearls from
the sea, are worthless things when measured by his preciousness. Peter tells us
that Jesus is precious, but he did not and could not tell us how precious, nor
could any of us compute the value of God's unspeakable gift. Words cannot set
forth the preciousness of the Lord Jesus to his people, nor fully tell how
essential he is to their satisfaction and happiness. Believer, have you not
found in the midst of plenty a sore famine if your Lord has been absent? The
sun was shining, but Christ had hidden himself, and all the world was black to
you; or it was night, and since the bright and morning star was gone, no other
star could yield you so much as a ray of light. What a howling wilderness is
this world without our Lord! If once he hideth himself from us, withered are
the flowers of our garden; our pleasant fruits decay; the birds suspend their
songs, and a tempest overturns our hopes. All earth's candles cannot make
daylight if the Sun of Righteousness be eclipsed. He is the soul of our soul,
the light of our light, the life of our life. Dear reader, what wouldst thou do
in the world without him, when thou wakest up and lookest forward to the day's
battle? What wouldst thou do at night, when thou comest home jaded and weary,
if there were no door of fellowship between thee and Christ? Blessed be his
name, he will not suffer us to try our lot without him, for Jesus never
forsakes his own. Yet, let the thought of what life would be without him
enhance his preciousness.
Reference Verses
1 Peter 2:7
you: 1Pe_1:8;
Son_5:9-16; Hag_2:7; Mat_13:44-46;
Joh_4:42, Joh_6:68-69;
Php_3:7-10
precious: or, an honour, Isa_28:5;
Luk_2:32
which be: 1Pe_2:8;
Act_26:19; Rom_10:21, Rom_15:31
*marg. Tit_3:3; Heb_4:11, Heb_11:31
*marg.
the stone: Psa_118:22-23;
Mat_21:42; Mar_12:10-11; Luk_20:17;
Act_4:11-12
the head: Zec_4:7;
Col_2:10
Extract from
e-Sword- the sword of the LORD with an electronic edge.
Through the Bible Day by Day.(F.B Meyer)
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