27. Twenty-seventh Day.
Do it Heartily
"Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord."--Col. in. 23.
In 2 Chron. x.x.xi. 21, we read of Hezekiah, that "in every work that he began, he did it with all his heart, and prospered." And this morning"s "bell" rings a New Testament echo, "Do it heartily!" Sing it now, like a little peal of bells!
[Music: Do it hear-ti-ly!]
See if that does not ring in your ears all day, and remind you that it is not merely much pleasanter to be bright and brisk about everything, but that it is actually one of G.o.d"s commands written in His own word.
I know this is easier to some than to others. Perhaps it "comes natural"
to you to do everything heartily. That is very nice, but it is not enough.
What else? "Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, _as unto the Lord_, and not unto men." He knows whether the industrious energetic boy or girl is wishing to please Him, and looking up to Him for His smile; or whether He is forgotten all the while, and only the smile of others and the pleasure of being quick and busy is thought of. But perhaps it is hard to you to do things heartily. You like better to take your time, and so you dawdle, and do things in an idle way, especially what you do not much like doing. Is this right? Is it a little sin, when G.o.d"s word says, "Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily!" Is it not just as much disobeying G.o.d as breaking any other command? Are you not _guilty_ before Him? Very likely you never thought of it in this way, but there the words stand, and neither you nor I can alter them. First ask Him to forgive you all the past idleness and idle ways, for Christ"s sake, and then ask Him to give you strength henceforth to obey this word of His. And then listen to the little chime, "Do it heartily! do it heartily!" And _then_ the last word of the verse about Hezekiah will be true of you too--"Prospered!"
"Up and doing, little Christian!
Up and doing, while "tis day!
Do the work the Master gives you.
Do not loiter by the way.
For we all have work before us, You, dear child, as well as I; Let us learn to seek our duty, And to "do it heartily."
28. Twenty-eighth Day.
The Sight of Faith.
"As seeing Him who is invisible."--Heb. xi. 27.
If we were always doing everything just as if we saw Him, whom having not seen we love, how different our lives would be! How much happier too! How brave, and bright, and patient we should be, if all the time we could really see Jesus as Stephen saw Him! And by faith, the precious faith which G.o.d is ready to give to all who ask, we may go on our way with this light upon it, "as seeing Him who is invisible."
These words were said of Moses; and this seeing Him by faith had three effects. First, "he forsook Egypt;" it made him ready to give up anything for his G.o.d, and G.o.d"s people. It made him true and loyal to G.o.d"s cause.
What did He care for anything else, so long as he saw "Him who is invisible?" Secondly, it took away all his fear. What was "the wrath of the king" to him, when Jehovah was by his side? Of what should he be afraid? Thirdly, it enabled him to "endure," to wait patiently for forty years in the desert, and then to work patiently for forty years in the wilderness; and only think how strength-giving that sight of faith must be which enabled him to endure everything for eighty years!
Try for yourself to-day what was such great and long help to Moses. Ask G.o.d, before you go down-stairs, for faith, "the eye of the soul," so that you may walk all day long "as seeing Him who is invisible." When you are tempted to indulge in something wrong,--idleness or carelessness, or selfishness,--this will help you to give it up at once, and forsake it; for how can you give way to it when your eye meets His? When something makes you afraid, this will make you brave and peaceful; for how can you fear anything when your G.o.d is so near? When lessons, or work, or even having to be quiet with nothing to do, seem very tiresome, and you are tempted to be impatient, and perhaps cross, this will help you to endure and not only so, but to feel patient; for how can you be impatient when you are looking up to Him, and He is looking down on you all the time!
"G.o.d will not leave me all alone, He never will forsake His own; When not another friend I see, The Lord is looking down on me."
29. Twenty-Ninth Day.
No Weights.
"Let us lay aside every weight."--Heb. xii. 1.
If you were going to run a race, you would first put down all the parcels you might have been carrying. And if you had a heavy little parcel in your pocket, you would take that out, and lay it down too, because it would hinder you in running. You would know better than to say, "I will put down the parcels which I have in my hands, but n.o.body can see the one in my pocket, so that one won"t matter!" You would "lay aside _every_ weight."
You have a race to run to-day, a little piece of the great race that is set before you. G.o.d has set a splendid prize before you, "the prize of the high calling of G.o.d in Christ Jesus," a crown that is incorruptible.
Now what are you going to do about the weights, the things that hinder you from running this race? You know some things do seem to hinder you; will you keep them or lay them aside? Will you only lay aside something that every one can see is hindering you, so that you will get a little credit for putting it down, and keep something that your own little conscience knows is a real hindrance, though no one else knows anything at all about it? Oh, take St. Paul"s wise and holy advice, and make up your mind to lay aside _every_ weight.
Different persons have different weights; we must find out what ours are, and give them up. One finds that if she does not get up directly she is called, the time slips by, and there is not enough left for quiet prayer and Bible-reading. Then here is a little weight that must be laid aside.
Another is at school, and finds that he gets no good, but a little harm, when he goes much with a certain boy. Then he must lay that weight aside.
Another takes a story-book up to bed, and reads it while nurse is brushing her hair, and up to the last minute, and then her head is so full of the story that she only _says words_ when she kneels down, and can not really _pray_ at all. Can she doubt that this is a weight which must be laid aside?
It may seem hard to lay our pet weight down; but oh, if you only knew how light we feel when it is laid down, and how much easier it is to run the race which G.o.d has set before us!
30. Thirtieth Day.
The Shield of Salvation.
"Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation."--2 Sam. xxii.
36.
This beautiful little text teaches us a very precious truth. It shows us that the salvation which the Lord Jesus came to bring is not only salvation at last, just escaping h.e.l.l, but that it is salvation now, and salvation in everything Salvation does not only mean victory at last, but it is like a broad, shining shield, given to us in the midst of the battle, coming between us and the poisoned arrows and sharp sword-thrusts of the enemy. It is a shield not only to keep us from death, but to keep us from being hurt and wounded. It is the shield which the Captain _has_ given us to use now, as well as the crown which He _will_ give when the warfare is ended.
How are you to use this shield? what does it really mean for you? It means, that if you have come to the Lord Jesus to be saved, He does not merely say He _will_ save you, but that you _are_ saved, that He saves you now. And this is how you are to use it--believe it, and be sure of it, because you have His word for it; and then, when a temptation comes, tell the enemy that he has nothing to do with you, for you are saved; that you belong to Jesus, and not to him,--look up and say, "Jesus saves me!" Will He fail you? Did He ever let any find themselves deceived and mistaken who looked up in faith and confidence to Him, trusting in His great salvation?
Never! and never will you find this shield of His salvation fail to cover you completely. Satan himself can not touch you when you are behind this shield! Lift it up when you see him coming, even ever so far off, and you will be safe.
"Jesus saves me every day, Jesus saves me every night; Jesus saves me all the way, Through the darkness, through the light."
31. Thirty-first Day.
I will love Thee
"I will love Thee, O Lord."--Ps. xviii. 1.
Yes, even if I have never loved Thee before, I will love Thee, O Lord, now!