THOU ART MY PORTION, O LORD.

 

SEPTEMBER 7.
 
Thou art my portion, O Lord.
Psalm 119:57

 
CAN we honestly say this?
 
Could we be satisfied with the Lord
   in the absence of every thing else?
 
Do we think of the Lord as our portion?
 
Look to the Lord as our portion?
 
Live upon the Lord as our portion?
 
If God is our portion we shall be thinking frequently
  and with interests of what he is,
  what he has,
  what he has promised, and
   what we may expect to receive from him.
 
Every man is naturally desirous of knowing the nature,
  extent, and value of his portion; and
  so also is the Christian man.
 
If God is our portion,
  we see at once that it is spiritual, not carnal;
  eternal, not temporal;
  permanent, not evanescent;
  it infinite, not limited;
    valuable, not to be estimated.
 
If God is our portion,
  it is very probable that we shall have little beside God,
  for where God gives himself he does not usually give
    wealth, earthly honors, or temporal greatness.
 
Those who have God for their portion,
  are generally a poor and afflicted people,
  emptied from vessel to vessel,
  lightly esteem by the world,
    but who trust in the name of the Lord.
 
O Jesus --
 

Whate’er I wish or want,

Shall come from thee alone,

Thou canst my heart content,

And let thy grace be shown;

I choose thee for my portion, Lord,

Supply me well from mercy's board.

 
James Smith 1849