Morning  “Your heavenly Father.” / Matthew 6:26

God’s people are doubly his children, they are his offspring by creation, and

they are his sons by adoption in Christ. Hence they are privileged to call

him, “Our Father which art in heaven.” Father! Oh, what precious word is that.

Here is authority: “If I be a Father, where is mine honour?” If ye be sons,

where is your obedience? Here is affection mingled with authority; an

authority which does not provoke rebellion; an obedience demanded which is

most cheerfully rendered–which would not be withheld even if it might. The

obedience which God’s children yield to him must be loving obedience. Do not

go about the service of God as slaves to their taskmaster’s toil, but run in

the way of his commands because it is your Father’s way. Yield your bodies as

instruments of righteousness, because righteousness is your Father’s will, and

his will should be the will of his child. Father!–Here is a kingly attribute

so sweetly veiled in love, that the King’s crown is forgotten in the King’s

face, and his sceptre becomes, not a rod of iron, but a silver sceptre of

mercy–the sceptre indeed seems to be forgotten in the tender hand of him who

wields it. Father!–Here is honour and love. How great is a Father’s love to

his children! That which friendship cannot do, and mere benevolence will not

attempt, a father’s heart and hand must do for his sons. They are his

offspring, he must bless them; they are his children, he must show himself

strong in their defence. If an earthly father watches over his children with

unceasing love and care, how much more does our heavenly Father? Abba, Father!

He who can say this, hath uttered better music than cherubim or seraphim can

reach. There is heaven in the depth of that word–Father! There is all I can

ask; all my necessities can demand; all my wishes can desire. I have all in

all to all eternity when I can say, “Father.”

 

Evening “All they that heard it wondered at those things.” / Luke 2:18

We must not cease to wonder at the great marvels of our God. It would be very

difficult to draw a line between holy wonder and real worship; for when the

soul is overwhelmed with the majesty of God’s glory, though it may not express

itself in song, or even utter its voice with bowed head in humble prayer, yet

it silently adores. Our incarnate God is to be worshipped as “the Wonderful.”

That God should consider his fallen creature, man, and instead of sweeping him

away with the besom of destruction, should himself undertake to be man’s

Redeemer, and to pay his ransom price, is, indeed marvellous! But to each

believer redemption is most marvellous as he views it in relation to himself.

It is a miracle of grace indeed, that Jesus should forsake the thrones and

royalties above, to suffer ignominiously below for you. Let your soul lose

itself in wonder, for wonder is in this way a very practical emotion. Holy

wonder will lead you to grateful worship and heartfelt thanksgiving. It will

cause within you godly watchfulness; you will be afraid to sin against such a

love as this. Feeling the presence of the mighty God in the gift of his dear

Son, you will put off your shoes from off your feet, because the place whereon

you stand is holy ground. You will be moved at the same time to glorious hope.

If Jesus has done such marvellous things on your behalf, you will feel that

heaven itself is not too great for your expectation. Who can be astonished at

anything, when he has once been astonished at the manger and the cross? What

is there wonderful left after one has seen the Saviour? Dear reader, it may be

that from the quietness and solitariness of your life, you are scarcely able

to imitate the shepherds of Bethlehem, who told what they had seen and heard,

but you can, at least, fill up the circle of the worshippers before the

throne, by wondering at what God has done.