Morning “The trees of the Lord are full of sap.” / Psalm 104:16

Without sap the tree cannot flourish or even exist. Vitality is essential to a

Christian. There must be life–a vital principle infused into us by God the

Holy Ghost, or we cannot be trees of the Lord. The mere name of being a

Christian is but a dead thing, we must be filled with the spirit of divine

life. This life is mysterious. We do not understand the circulation of the

sap, by what force it rises, and by what power it descends again. So the life

within us is a sacred mystery. Regeneration is wrought by the Holy Ghost

entering into man and becoming man’s life; and this divine life in a believer

afterwards feeds upon the flesh and blood of Christ and is thus sustained by

divine food, but whence it cometh and whither it goeth who shall explain to

us? What a secret thing the sap is! The roots go searching through the soil

with their little spongioles, but we cannot see them suck out the various

gases, or transmute the mineral into the vegetable; this work is done down in

the dark. Our root is Christ Jesus, and our life is hid in him; this is the

secret of the Lord. The radix of the Christian life is as secret as the life

itself. How permanently active is the sap in the cedar! In the Christian the

divine life is always full of energy–not always in fruit- bearing, but in

inward operations. The believer’s graces are not every one of them in constant

motion, but his life never ceases to palpitate within. He is not always

working for God, but his heart is always living upon him. As the sap manifests

itself in producing the foliage and fruit of the tree, so with a truly healthy

Christian, his grace is externally manifested in his walk and conversation. If

you talk with him, he cannot help speaking about Jesus. If you notice his

actions you will see that he has been with Jesus. He has so much sap within,

that it must fill his conduct and conversation with life.

 

Evening “He began to wash the disciples’ feet.” / John 13:5

The Lord Jesus loves his people so much, that every day he is still doing for

them much that is analogous to washing their soiled feet. Their poorest

actions he accepts; their deepest sorrow he feels; their slenderest wish he

hears, and their every transgression he forgives. He is still their servant as

well as their Friend and Master. He not only performs majestic deeds for them,

as wearing the mitre on his brow, and the precious jewels glittering on his

breastplate, and standing up to plead for them, but humbly, patiently, he yet

goes about among his people with the basin and the towel. He does this when he

puts away from us day by day our constant infirmities and sins. Last night,

when you bowed the knee, you mournfully confessed that much of your conduct

was not worthy of your profession; and even tonight, you must mourn afresh

that you have fallen again into the selfsame folly and sin from which special

grace delivered you long ago; and yet Jesus will have great patience with you;

he will hear your confession of sin; he will say, “I will, be thou clean”; he

will again apply the blood of sprinkling, and speak peace to your conscience,

and remove every spot. It is a great act of eternal love when Christ once for

all absolves the sinner, and puts him into the family of God; but what

condescending patience there is when the Saviour with much long-suffering

bears the oft recurring follies of his wayward disciple; day by day, and hour

by hour, washing away the multiplied transgressions of his erring but yet

beloved child! To dry up a flood of rebellion is something marvellous, but to

endure the constant dropping of repeated offences–to bear with a perpetual

trying of patience, this is divine indeed! While we find comfort and peace in

our Lord’s daily cleansing, its legitimate influence upon us will be to

increase our watchfulness, and quicken our desire for holiness. Is it so?