THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH .

 

EVENING DEVOTIONS by James Smith

JANUARY 31

 

Nehemiah 8:10

Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and

drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom

nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord:

neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

 
 
Fear and sorrow naturally weaken us, but faith and joy give us strength.
 
Joy is the cordial of the soul; it quickens, enlivens, emboldens, and makes us strong. Our Heavenly Father is called, “The blessed, or THE HAPPY God.”
 
He is also the happy-making God.
 
He loves to see his people happy, therefore, as the God of all comfort, he has made great provision for our happiness.
 
There are wells of salvation, and we should draw from them with joy.
 
There is an inexhaustible fulness in Jesus, and from that fulness we should receive, for every want, for every duty, for every trial.
 
We cannot apply to it too often, we cannot go to it for too much.
 
Hear our beloved Lord, “ Ask and receive, that your joy may be full.”
 
It is only as we live out of self, upon Jesus; above the world in the region of God’s free, that we can be happy.
 
The happy Christian is the strong Christian, and it is the strong Christian that brings much glory to God, much credit to his cause, and does much good in the world.
 
It is as much our duty to be happy, as to be holy, both are recommended.

 

Rejoice evermore

In the truth and the power,

And the grace of your heavenly Friend,

‘Till to us who believe

He his glory doth give,

And a kingdom that shall never end.

 
James Smith
 

AND WE KNOW THAT WE ARE OF GOD ,

 

EVENING DEVOTIONS BY James Smith

JANUARY 30

 

I John 5:19

And we know that we are of God, and

the whole world lieth in wickedness.

 
What an honour!
 
What a comfort is this!
 
Yes, we are of God, created anew in Christ Jesus, by the power and agency of the Holy Spirit.
 
Consecrated to his service and glory, by the death of our great High Priest, and the sprinkling of his blood upon us.
 
Set apart in his eternal purpose for his praise, and now brought into holy and profitable relation to him. We were rebels against him, we are now his willing servants.
 
We were his avowed enemies, we are now the children of his love.
 
We know that we are of God,
  by faith in his word—
  by love to his saints—
  by sympathy with himself—
  by the grief we feel when we sin—
  by our pleasure in obeying his will—
  by the contrast there is between us and the world,
in our principles, pleasures, and pursuits.
 
What we are, as distinguished from others, is of God;
   being thus distinguished, we are peculiarly the Lord’s:
      his property, his treasure, his portion, his delight.
 
What an outstanding fact!
 
We are the Lord’s. The grace that made us so must be free and infinite.
 

O Lord, be daily near my heart,

And let my spirit feel thee near;

Then willingly with all I’d part,

Nor count it worthy of a tear.

 
James Smith

THY WORD HAVE I HID IN MINE HEART .

 

EVENING DEVOTIONS by James Smith

JANUARY 29
 
Psalm 119:9
Thy word have I hid in mine heart,
that I might not sin against thee.

 

The tables of the old covenant were laid up in the ark, and hidden in the holy place; the contents of the new covenant should be laid up in the believer’s heart.

 

By close, daily, prayerful meditation, we should seek to understand, enjoy, and lay up God’s holy word.

 

It is the manna we are to gather for our daily food, the light in which we are to walk, and the rule by which we are to work.

 

Let us lay up the gracious doctrines,

      which are the ground of our confidence;

            the exceeding great and precious promises,

                  which are inexhaustible sources of comfort; and

                        the kind and holy precepts, which are unerring guides.

 

If hidden in the heart, no one can deprive us of this precious treasure;

       nor shall we have it to seek, when we want it to enjoy.

 

But in order to do this, we must know its value,

      prize its contents,

            search its pages,

                   ponder it in our minds, and

                          feed upon it as our daily food.

 

Except we hide it in our hearts, we shall not be sanctified by it,

       nor will it be written out in our lives;

              from the heart it flows into the life.

 

May it be our daily prayer, that God would put his law into our minds, and write them upon our hearts.

 
Its promises rejoice the heart,
Its doctrines are divinely true;
Knowledge and pleasure it imparts
It comforts and instructs us too.
 

James Smith

 

HE EVER LIVETH TO MAKE INTERCESSION.

 EVENING DEVOTIONS by James Smith

JANUARY 28
 
Hebrews 7:25
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the
uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing
 he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

 

He died for our sins once; but he lives to plead for us daily, hourly, moment by moment.

 

He possesses an endless life, an unchangeable priesthood; he appears in heaven as the great High Priest of our profession, our names are in his breastplate, he is intimately acquainted with our affairs, and he lives above on purpose to intercede for us.

 

He presents his precious blood, his perfect righteousness; and he pleads them for our pardon, preservation, and glorification.

 

He has the Father’s ear, the Father’s heart; and he improves all he has for our welfare.

 

How wonderful his love, he first left heaven for us, and on earth he laboured, suffered, died, in our stead; he then returned to heaven for us, and there he lives, pleads, and secures our best interests.

 

He witnesses all our changes, but he changes not;

   he is often grieved by our inconsistencies, but still pleads in our behalf;

       he undertook our cause, when there was nothing in us to move or induce him to do so,            

            and he still feels the deepest interest in us,

                  pleads for us, and rejoices to do us good.

 

What a source of comfort, what a ground of confidence is this.

 
There, as our great High Priest, he stands.
And pleads before the mercy-seat;
Our cause is in his faithful hands,
Our enemies beneath his feet.
 
James Smith
 

HE WILL NOT FAIL THEE.

 

EVENING DEVOTIONS by James Smith

JANUARY 27

 

Deuteronomy 31:6

Be strong and of a good courage, fear no, nor be afraid

of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go

with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

 
The expectations raised by his word shall never be disappointed, the promises he has made shall never be broken, the trust reposed on his faithfulness shall never be dishonoured. He will not forget his word, or neglect our interest.
 
He never did fail his people, he never will.
 
Your faith may be weak, your fears may be strong, your doubts may be painful, your weakness may be distressing, and your wants may be numerous and alarming, but thy God will not fail thee.
 
Why should he?
 
He foresaw all thy wants, thy woes, and thy unworthiness before he called thee by his grace; thy present circumstances are not new to him, he had then in his eye when he made his promises, and he will get honour to himself by bringing thee through them.
 
Fail not to trust him.
 
Fail not to apply to him by prayer.
 
Fail not to believe his faithful word.
 
He will not fail to support thee under thy burdens, to listen to thy requests, to provide for thy necessities, or to honour thy faith. 

However singular your experience, or strange the path may appear to you, his word is true.
 
“He will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able”
 

Why should’st thou fear when God is thine,

When all he is, he is for thee!

If thou are weak, his strength divine

To perfect in infirmity.

 
James Smith

FOR I HAVE LEARNED BY EXPERIENCE.

 

EVENING DEVOTIONS by James Smith

JANUARY 26

 

 Genesis 30:27

And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found

favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience

that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake. -

 
So said Laban in reference to the benefit he derived from Jacob’s services, and so may the Christian say in reference to the effects of divine teaching.
 
Experience is knowledge derived from trial, and this we learn the truth and value of real religion; 

the importance and dignity of the holy Scriptures; 

the true state and condition of human nature; 

the character and suitableness of the Saviour; 

the need and nature of the operations of the Holy Spirit;

 the malice and cunning of Satan; 

and the power and efficacy of believing prayer;

 the beneficial tendency of afflictive dispensations; 

the emptiness and vanity of the present world; 

and the love and faithfulness of a covenant God.
 
No knowledge is like that which is gained by experience; it is far preferable to what we gain from report, or reading, or mere opinion; it is above every other kind of knowledge in point of certainty,-in its tendency to usefulness,-and in its power to establish the mind.
 
Young people should be modest, they know but little from experience yet.
 
Established Christians should communicate the results of their experience to others, nothing is more likely to be useful.
 
 

Teacher divine! instruct me still

To know, to love, to do thy will;

And let me by experience prove

Thy sanctifying power and love.

 
 
James Smith
 

Is this thy kindness to thy friend?

 EVENING DEVOTIONS by James Smith

JANUARY 25

 

2 Samuel 16:17

And Absalom said to Hushai, 

Is this thy kindness to thy friend? 

why wentest thou not with thy friend?

 
The conduct of Jesus towards us, is the perfection of kindness; but our conduct toward him is often just the reverse.
 
How often we treat him with neglect, and instead of prayer being a delightful privilege, it is an irksome task.
 
How often we violate his positive precepts, or omit to perform known and acknowledged duties.
 
How often we doubt his love, distrust his word, and complain of his dealings.
 
How often we encourage the flesh, which he has directed us to mortify; prefer the world, which he has commanded us to forsake; and yield to Satan, whom he has exhorted us to resist.
 
And have we not sometimes been afraid or shamed to confess him before the world; or at least to bear a plain, honest, decided testimony for him?
 
Well may our cheeks burn with shame, and our bosoms fill with confusion, if the question be put to us, in reference to much of our conduct toward our kind and gracious Redeemer.
 
Let us seek afresh the tokens of his forgiving love, and in future when about to yield to temptation, or give way to any sin, put the question to our consciences, “Is this thy kindness to thy friend?”
 
 

Sure, were I not most vile and abase,

I could not thus my friend requite!

And were not he the God of grace,

He’d frown and spurn me from his sight.

 
 
James Smith
 

CHRIST DIED FOR US .

 

EVENING DEVOTIONS by James Smith

JANUARY 24

  

Romans 5:1

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace

with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

 
What an unspeakable blessing is this!
 
Let us very seriously consider to-night.
 
Christ died,
   Jehovah’s only begotten Son,
       the fountain of being and blessedness,
           the centre and source of all excellence and glory.
 
Jesus, who united the divine and human natures in himself, he died:
   died as our great friend,
      who stood up for us in covenant,
           who stooped for us from heaven to earth,
                  whose love was stronger than death.
 
He died for us the objects of his love and his Father’s choice; died for us though we were base, the ungodly—weak, without strength—rebellious, his enemies.
 
He died for us, as the Head for his body,
—as the Surety for the debts he had undertaken to set free,
—as the Redeemer for captives he was pledges to deliver,
—as the Husband for his beloved, but fallen, bride,
—as the Shepherd to the flock entrusted for his care,
—as the Servant of the Father, who came to do his will and maintain his honour.
 
He died for us to redeem us from death, to raise us to eternal life, to restore us to friendship with God, to fit us for his holy service, and that we might be crowned with glory at last.
 
Let us therefore live looking to Jesus.
 

Christ bore our sins upon the tree,

To seek and save the lost he came;

There was he doomed to set us free

From death and everlasting shame;

The captive flock from hell was freed

And ransom’d when their Shepherd bled.

 
 
James Smith

FEAR NOT, THOU WORM JACOB.

 

EVENING DEVOTIONS by James Smith

JANUARY 23

 

Isaiah 41:14

Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel;

I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer,

 the Holy One is Israel.

 
However mean and despicable we may appear in the eyes of others, however weak and feeble we may feel in ourselves, still our God says, “Fear not.”
 
Though but a worm, yet if a praying Jacob, we need not fear, we should not fear; our God forbids it because it injures our souls, encourages our enemies, dispirits our friends, and dishonours his glorious name.
 
How precious, unspeakably precious these “Fear nots” are!
 
How thickly they are strewed through the divine word!
 
But why should we fear?
 
The Lord expressly tells us that “the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the string, neither bread to the wise, not yet riches to me on understanding, not yet favour to men of skills; but time and chance happeneth to them all.”
 
Are we believers in Jesus?
 
Then we should not fear, for our God is our friend, and his care extends over all time—embraces every event—supplies every want—anticipates every emergency—comprehends every believer from the beginning to the end of time—and shall everlastingly secure the safety and happiness of every worm that trusts in him.
 
“Fear not, thou worm of Jacob.”
 

On God thy constant Helper trust,

Thou abject worm despised by all;

No one shall crush thee in the dust,

Since he has raised thee from the fall.

 
James Smith
 

KEEP ME AS THE APPLE OF THY EYE

 

EVENING DEVOTIONS by James Smith

JANUARY 22
 
-Psalm 17:8
Keep me as the apple of thy eye,
hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

 

Through another day the Lord has shielded us, and we should to-night record his faithful love.

 

But while we record his past kindness, we should pray for protection for the future.

 

What a beautiful expressive, striking prayer this is!

 

Keep me, for thou art omnipotent, omniscient, and all-wise.

 

Keep me, for I am exposed to enemies and storms;

   I am in danger from various quarters;

      I am weak and inexperienced as the newly fledged bird;

          I fear I shall fall! I have no one on whom I can repose but thee.

 

Keep me as the apple of the eye, carefully—constantly—tenderly—graciously.

 

Keep me in Christ my head, watching, expecting, and enjoying thy presence and thy blessing.

 

Keep me, for I see many fall into sin, and I feel I am as liable as they.

 

Keep me, for such numbers decline, grow lukewarm, and leave the world under a cloud.

 

Keep me by night and by day; and may I realize thy preserving goodness, that I may with confidence say, “The Lord is my keeper; the Lord is my shade upon my right hand.

 

The Lord will preserve my coming in from this time forth.”

 
Jehovah, by his ceaseless care,
Whose eye can never sleep,
From earthly foes, from Satan’s snare,
My soul shall safely keep.
 

James Smith

 

TRULY I AM THY SERVANT.

 

EVENING DEVOTIONS by James Smith

JANUARY 21

 

O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant,

and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed

my bonds. -Psalm 116:16

 
Yes, we are the Lord’s servant, created for his glory, redeemed to show forth his praise, regenerated to exhibit his virtues: we are his by the strongest ties.
 
Jesus is our Master, his will is our law, and his pleasure should be our delight.
 
Our Master is also our example; as the servant of the Father he appeared in our world. 

Consulted the Father’s will in all that he did, and suffered without complaining, all the Father saw fit to inflict. 

He humbled himself and became obedient, and now he is exalted, and extolled, and is very high; and to us he says, “If any man serve me, let him imitate me: and where I am there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me him will me father honour.”
 
Obedience to Christ may sink us in the eyes of men, but it exalts us in the sight of God; it may expose us to suffering and contempt before the world, but God will honour us with his presence and smiles, and will afterwards receive us to glory.
 
Well, whose servant have we been to-day? Whom have we been seeking to please?
 
Whose cause have we been endeavoring to promote?
 
Can we retire to rest as the servants of Christ, willing to go to him whenever he calls us?
 

Jesus, how great thy servants are!

What dignity on man bestow’d!

We, who rejoice thy yoke to bear,

Are honour’d with the esteem of God.

 
James Smith
 
 

FOR THE LORD GIVETH WISDOM.

 

EVENING DEVOTIONS by James Smith

JANUARY 20

 

Proverbs 2:6

For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth

cometh knowledge and understanding.

 
In order to this he gives is to feel that we need it, ardently to long for it, and earnestly to seek it as his throne.
 
We need wisdom to walk circumspectly, to overcome temptations, to work consistently in the Lord’s vineyard, and to glorify God in our bodies, souls, and spirits which are his.
 
The wisdom we need we may have; not by labour, but by prayer; we cannot produce it, but God has promised to bestow it.
 
Hear his own word, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, not wavering.”
 
God is willing to bestow it, he promises to impart it; we ought therefore to believe his word, ask him for it, as though he really meant what he said in his promise.
 
“The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”
 
Would you be wise unto salvation?
 
Wise to win souls?
 
Wise to avoid evil, and secure all possible good?
 
Then seek wisdom of God, seek it instantly, seek it earnestly, seek it in faith, and “it shall be given you.”
 

That wisdom, Lord, on me bestow,

Gentle, and peaceable, and pure;

That I may walk with thee below,

And make my own salvation sure.

 
James Smith
 

JOINT-HEIRS WITH CHRIST .

 

EVENING DEVOTIONS by James Smith

JANUARY 19
 
-Romans 8:17
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and
joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer
with him, that we may be also glorified together.

 

Related to Jesus now, we shall inherit with him by and by; not only as brethren of the same family, but as the bride inherits with her bridegroom.

 

Jesus is constituted heir of all things, we are one with him and as such are

   “heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ.”

 

What dignity!

 

What an unspeakable privilege is this!

 

We are heirs of salvation.

 

The heirs of promise.

 

Connection with Adam involved us in guilt, ruin, and misery;

   connection with Jesus,

       brings us righteousness,

            peace, and

                 everlasting salvation.

 

Now we suffer with him, but we shall soon be glorified together.

 

Now we taste the cup of his sorrow, but we shall soon drink of the cups of his joys.

 

But we are indeed joint-heirs?

 

Are we children of God by faith in Jesus Christ?

 

Do we love our heavenly Father?

 

Are we jealous for his honour and glory?

 

Is sin the object of our hatred, and holiness our desire and delight?

 

If so, Jesus calls us brethren, Jehovah calls us children, and in Jesus, “we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.”

 
 
Children of God, through Jesu’s love
We rise undoubted heirs;
His rich inheritance above,
He with his brethren shares.
 

James Smith

 

YE THAT LOVE THE LORD.

 EVENING DEVOTIONS by James Smith

JANUARY 18

 

Psalm 97:10

Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls

of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.

 
Exhortations to the plainest duties are necessary, for sometimes we forget, but more often sink into a lukewarm, indifferent frame of soul.
 
Do we love the Lord?
 
If so, we love his people,
   his ordinances,
      his gospel, and
          his law.
 
We love his prohibitions as well as his promises, knowing that he only prohibits what would do us an injury.
 
Can we to-night join with David, and say
    “O how I love thy law, it is my meditation all the day!”
 
 The law prohibits all evil.
 
Let us hate evil thoughts, and strive against them.
 
Let us hate evil words, and keep the mouth as with a bridle.
 
Let us hate evil works and abstain from all appearance of evil.
 
The evils of the heart are the worst, as all other evils flow from them: especially let us beware of an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.
 
Would you hate evil?
 
Then walk close with God, be in much fellowship with him,
   and so will holiness become your element,
         and every species of evil your abhorrence.
 
Lovers of God, set your hearts, set your fears against evil;
 “follow peace with all men, and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.”
 

Lord, whom I love, to thee I give

My soul, my life, my all:

To thee would I devoted live.

And ne’er the gift recall.

 
James Smith
 

THY PEOPLE SHALL BE WILLING .

 EVENING DEVOTIONS by James Smith

JANUARY 17

Psalm 110:3 

Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power,

 in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the 

morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

 
No man by nature is willing to come to Christ for salvation, or to be saved by free and sovereign grace alone.
 
Human nature is too blind, obstinate, and proud: if we are willing God has made us so.
 
Nor is any one desirous, or even willing, to be made truly holy, expect he is taught of God.
 
If therefore we would do good, if we are heartily desiring and earnestly seeking to be made holy in heart and life, it is because we are under the teaching of the Holy Spirit.
 
What a mercy to know this!
 
How often do we give human nature credit for being better than it is, and fancy that what we feel, desire, and do, is merely from an enlightened mind, and not from a sanctified heart.
 
The Lord’s people are made willing by the Lord’s power; but that power works so secretly, so silently, in such strict accordance with our nature and facultilies, that we do not perceive it.
 
Are you in doubt, whether God hath really called you by grace or no? 

Enquire, am I willing to be saved by Jesus as a poor lost sinner?
 
Am I concerned to be made holy, as well as to be made happy?
 
If so, you are one of the Lord’s people.
 

Willing to be saved by grace,

Let me see thy glorious face;

Willing to be holy too,

Work in me to will and do.

 
James Smith
 

IT IS WELL .

 

EVENING DEVOTIONS by James Smith

JANUARY 16

 

2 Kings 4:26

Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her,

Is it will with thee? Is it well with thy husband?

Is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well.

 

What a mercy to be able to say so!

 

Still if we are in Christ, if clothed with his righteousness, if living upon him as the bread of life, “it is well.”

 

For all our sins are blotted out, the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts, and God looks down upon us and loves us with an infinite love.

 

It is well,

   for our names are in the book of life,

      our cause is in the Saviour’s hands, and

          our peace with God is made.

 

It may be a day of darkness with us, but the Lord is our everlasting light, and the days of our mourning will soon be ended.

 

Providence may frown upon us, but temporal trials are only intended to endear spiritual blessings.

 

We may feel weak, very weak, but the strength of Jesus shall be made perfect in our weakness.

 

Satan may sorely harass and hunt us like the partridge upon the mountains, but God will bruise Satan under our feet shortly.

 

Our hearts may appear barren, and all within may wear a wintry aspect; but this is only permitted to drive us out of self, to prevent spiritual pride, and to render Jesus and his finished work more precious.

 

It is well with them that fear the Lord, let outward things be as they may; he watches over them to do them good.

 

Though you may trials sharp endure,

From sin, or death, or hell;

Your heavenly Father’s love is sure,

And therefore, “It is well.”

 

James Smith