The Lord Jesus Christ, God’s blessed Son, is all our salvation. There is no salvation, no perfect peace, no real joy, no power over sin and Satan, no good works, no effectual service till Jesus be received into the heart. In Jesus and Jesus alone we find eternal life, present happiness, and future glory. “Christ is all” (Col. 3:1111Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. (Colossians 3:11)). Jesus is the chief good, —the center of rest and the source of grace and truth. God gives not His good things apart from Jesus; Jesus must be received first, and abiding in Jesus we receive every blessing.
Communion with Jesus in the spirit by faith and prayer should be the habit of our life on earth; so precious is He that we should never forget Him, but always realize Him present in all places. “To me to live is Christ.” (Phil. 1:2121For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21).) Any other object than Jesus is below the Christian’s dignity. Pursuit after riches, or honors, or worldly pleasures, is folly and sin.
A late godly and beloved minister sent the following from his death-bed to his people: —“I have preached to you for thirty-two years the complete atonement of Christ, His perfect righteousness, and salvation through His blood. These truths are now my hope, my comfort, my stay. I believe that God’s righteousness is mine, and that Christ’s atonement is my perfect satisfaction for sin; and God’s Holy indwelling Spirit is my support and my life now. In this faith I have lived, and in this faith I die. I have nothing else, and I want no more. My faith is firm as a rock.”
On another occasion he said to one by his side, “We ministers of the gospel ought to set before our people more fully the joys of communion with Christ as a living and present friend. We are apt to preach about Christ, rather than to preach Christ; about salvation, rather than to set forth the Savior. I have learned to think more about the Person of my living Savior than about the doctrines that concern Him; and if I were raised up again from this bed of sickness—while I should preach the doctrines that I have ever preached—I would set before my people the joy of present personal communion with Jesus; for He hath said. ‘Lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the world.’
WATCHING DAILY.
Ο child of God, so weary with earth’s toil
And ceaseless strife,
Thy Master chooseth thee for high behest
And fruitful life.
O, gladly wait
Beside the portal of the Masters gate,
To do His bidding for the day grows late.
Take thou His message, and then hasten back
To His dear feet;
And He will greet thee with His tender love
And comfort sweet.
Then gladly wait
Beside the portal of the Master’s gate,
For the next message, as the day grows late
And mourn not sorely, if thine errand seem
All fruitless now,
The message was thy Master’s, and His mark
Is on thy brow.
And thou didst wait
Beside the portal of the Master’s gate,
As the shades gathered, and the day was late.
Not now the time of reckoning, it will come
To thee at last,
And thou wilt smile to think of weary hours
That shall be past,
When thou didst wait,
Beside the portal of the Master’s gate,
To do His bidding, ere it was too late.