Morning   “Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which

is among the trees of the forest?” / Ezekiel 15:2

These words are for the humbling of God’s people; they are called God’s vine,

but what are they by nature more than others? They, by God’s goodness, have

become fruitful, having been planted in a good soil; the Lord hath trained

them upon the walls of the sanctuary, and they bring forth fruit to his glory;

but what are they without their God? What are they without the continual

influence of the Spirit, begetting fruitfulness in them? O believer, learn to

reject pride, seeing that thou hast no ground for it. Whatever thou art, thou

hast nothing to make thee proud. The more thou hast, the more thou art in debt

to God; and thou shouldst not be proud of that which renders thee a debtor.

Consider thine origin; look back to what thou wast. Consider what thou wouldst

have been but for divine grace. Look upon thyself as thou art now. Doth not

thy conscience reproach thee? Do not thy thousand wanderings stand before

thee, and tell thee that thou art unworthy to be called his son? And if he

hath made thee anything, art thou not taught thereby that it is grace which

hath made thee to differ? Great believer, thou wouldst have been a great

sinner if God had not made thee to differ. O thou who art valiant for truth,

thou wouldst have been as valiant for error if grace had not laid hold upon

thee. Therefore, be not proud, though thou hast a large estate–a wide domain

of grace, thou hadst not once a single thing to call thine own except thy sin

and misery. Oh! strange infatuation, that thou, who hast borrowed everything,

shouldst think of exalting thyself; a poor dependent pensioner upon the bounty

of thy Saviour, one who hath a life which dies without fresh streams of life

from Jesus, and yet proud! Fie on thee, O silly heart!

 

Evening   “Doth Job fear God for nought?” / Job 1:9

This was the wicked question of Satan concerning that upright man of old, but

there are many in the present day concerning whom it might be asked with

justice, for they love God after a fashion because he prospers them; but if

things went ill with them, they would give up all their boasted faith in God.

If they can clearly see that since the time of their supposed conversion the

world has gone prosperously with them, then they will love God in their poor

carnal way; but if they endure adversity, they rebel against the Lord. Their

love is the love of the table, not of the host; a love to the cupboard, not to

the master of the house. As for the true Christian, he expects to have his

reward in the next life, and to endure hardness in this. The promise of the

old covenant was prosperity, but the promise of the new covenant is adversity.

Remember Christ’s words–“Every branch in me that beareth not fruit”–What?

“He purgeth it, that it may bring forth fruit.” If you bring forth fruit, you

will have to endure affliction. “Alas!” you say, “that is a terrible

prospect.” But this affliction works out such precious results, that the

Christian who is the subject of it must learn to rejoice in tribulations,

because as his tribulations abound, so his consolations abound by Christ

Jesus. Rest assured, if you are a child of God, you will be no stranger to the

rod. Sooner or later every bar of gold must pass through the fire. Fear not,

but rather rejoice that such fruitful times are in store for you, for in them

you will be weaned from earth and made meet for heaven; you will be delivered

from clinging to the present, and made to long for those eternal things which

are so soon to be revealed to you. When you feel that as regards the present

you do serve God for nought, you will then rejoice in the infinite reward of

the future.