Morning   “Faultless before the presence of his glory.” / Jude 24

 Revolve in your mind that wondrous word, “faultless!” We are far off from it

now; but as our Lord never stops short of perfection in his work of love, we

shall reach it one day. The Saviour who will keep his people to the end, will

also present them at last to himself, as “a glorious church, not having spot,

or wrinkle, or any such thing, but holy and without blemish.” All the jewels

in the Saviour’s crown are of the first water and without a single flaw. All

the maids of honour who attend the Lamb’s wife are pure virgins without spot

or stain. But how will Jesus make us faultless? He will wash us from our sins

in his own blood until we are white and fair as God’s purest angel; and we

shall be clothed in his righteousness, that righteousness which makes the

saint who wears it positively faultless; yea, perfect in the sight of God. We

shall be unblameable and unreproveable even in his eyes. His law will not only

have no charge against us, but it will be magnified in us. Moreover, the work

of the Holy Spirit within us will be altogether complete. He will make us so

perfectly holy, that we shall have no lingering tendency to sin. Judgment,

memory, will–every power and passion shall be emancipated from the thraldom

of evil. We shall be holy even as God is holy, and in his presence we shall

dwell forever. Saints will not be out of place in heaven, their beauty will be

as great as that of the place prepared for them. Oh the rapture of that hour

when the everlasting doors shall be lifted up, and we, being made meet for the

inheritance, shall dwell with the saints in light. Sin gone, Satan shut out,

temptation past forever, and ourselves “faultless” before God, this will be

heaven indeed! Let us be joyful now as we rehearse the song of eternal praise

so soon to roll forth in full chorus from all the blood-washed host; let us

copy David’s exultings before the ark as a prelude to our ecstasies before the

throne.

 

Evening   “And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee

out of the hand of the terrible.” / Jeremiah 15:21

 Note the glorious personality of the promise. I will, I will. The Lord Jehovah

himself interposes to deliver and redeem his people. He pledges himself

personally to rescue them. His own arm shall do it, that he may have the

glory. Here is not a word said of any effort of our own which may be needed to

assist the Lord. Neither our strength nor our weakness is taken into the

account, but the lone I, like the sun in the heavens, shines out resplendent

in all-sufficience. Why then do we calculate our forces, and consult with

flesh and blood to our grievous wounding? Jehovah has power enough without

borrowing from our puny arm. Peace, ye unbelieving thoughts, be still, and

know that the Lord reigneth. Nor is there a hint concerning secondary means

and causes. The Lord says nothing of friends and helpers: he undertakes the

work alone, and feels no need of human arms to aid him. Vain are all our

lookings around to companions and relatives; they are broken reeds if we lean

upon them–often unwilling when able, and unable when they are willing. Since

the promise comes alone from God, it would be well to wait only upon him; and

when we do so, our expectation never fails us. Who are the wicked that we

should fear them? The Lord will utterly consume them; they are to be pitied

rather than feared. As for terrible ones, they are only terrors to those who

have no God to fly to, for when the Lord is on our side, whom shall we fear?

If we run into sin to please the wicked, we have cause to be alarmed, but if

we hold fast our integrity, the rage of tyrants shall be overruled for our

good. When the fish swallowed Jonah, he found him a morsel which he could not

digest; and when the world devours the church, it is glad to be rid of it

again. In all times of fiery trial, in patience let us possess our souls.