Morning and Evening Podcast

“The Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself.” — Daniel 9:26

Blessed be His name, there was no cause of death in Him. Neither original
nor actual sin had defiled Him, and therefore death had no claim upon Him. No man could have taken His life from Him justly, for He had done no
man wrong, and no man could even have lain Him by force unless He had
been pleased to yield Himself to die. But lo, one sins and another suffers.
Justice was offended by us, but found its satisfaction in Him. Rivers of
tears, mountains of offerings, seas of the blood of bullocks, and hills of
frankincense, could not have availed for the removal of sin; but Jesus was
cut off for us, and the cause of wrath was cut off at once, for sin was put
away for ever. Herein is wisdom, whereby substitution, the sure and
speedy way of atonement, was devised! Herein is condescension, which
brought Messiah, the Prince, to wear a crown of thorns, and die upon the
cross! Herein is love, which led the Redeemer to lay down His life for His
enemies!

[Read more…] about January 16th Evening

“I will help thee, saith the Lord.” — Isaiah 41:14

This morning let us hear the Lord Jesus speak to each one of us: “I will
help thee.” “It is but a small thing for Me, thy God, to help thee. Consider
what I have done already. What! not help thee? Why, I bought thee with
My blood. What! not help thee? I have died for thee; and if I have done the
greater, will I not do the less? Help thee! It is the least thing I will ever do
for thee; I have done more, and will do more. Before the world began I
chose thee. I made the covenant for thee. I laid aside My glory and became
a man for thee; I gave up My life for thee; and if I did all this, I will surely
help thee now. In helping thee, I am giving thee what I have bought for
thee already. If thou hadst need of a thousand times as much help, I would
give it thee; thou requirest little compared with what I am ready to give.
‘Tis much for thee to need, but it is nothing for me to bestow. ‘Help thee?’
Fear not! If there were an ant at the door of thy granary asking for help, it
would not ruin thee to give him a handful of thy wheat; and thou art
nothing but a tiny insect at the door of My all-sufficiency. ‘I will help
thee.’”

[Read more…] about January 16th Morning

“But I give myself unto prayer.” — Psalm 109:4

Lying tongues were busy against the reputation of David, but he did not
defend himself; he moved the case into a higher court, and pleaded before
the great King Himself. Prayer is the safest method of replying to words of
hatred. The Psalmist prayed in no cold-hearted manner, he gave himself to
the exercise — threw his whole soul and heart into it — straining every
sinew and muscle, as Jacob did when wrestling with the angel. Thus, and
thus only, shall any of us speed at the throne of grace. As a shadow has no
power because there is no substance in it, even so that supplication, in
which a man’s proper self is not thoroughly present in agonizing
earnestness and vehement desire, is utterly ineffectual, for it lacks that
which would give it force. “Fervent prayer,” says an old divine, “like a
cannon planted at the gates of heaven, makes them fly open.” The common
fault with the most of us is our readiness to yield to distractions.

[Read more…] about January 15th Evening

“Do as thou hast said.” — 2 Samuel 7:25

God’s promises were never meant to be thrown aside as waste paper; He
intended that they should be used. God’s gold is not miser’s money, but is
minted to be traded with. Nothing pleases our Lord better than to see His
promises put in circulation; He loves to see His children bring them up to
Him, and say, “Lord, do as Thou hast said.” We glorify God when we
plead His promises. Do you think that God will be any the poorer for
giving you the riches He has promised? Do you dream that He will be any
the less holy for giving holiness to you? Do you imagine He will be any
the less pure for washing you from your sins? He has said “Come now,
and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall
be as wool.” Faith lays hold upon the promise of pardon, and it does not
delay, saying,

[Read more…] about January 15th Morning

“Beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.” — Matthew 14:30

Sinking times are praying times with the Lord’s servants. Peter neglected
prayer at starting upon his venturous journey, but when he began to sink
his danger made him a suppliant, and his cry though late was not too late.
In our hours of bodily pain and mental anguish, we find ourselves as
naturally driven to prayer as the wreck is driven upon the shore by the
waves. The fox hies to its hole for protection; the bird flies to the wood for
shelter; and even so the tried believer hastens to the mercy seat for safety.
Heaven’s great harbour of refuge is All-prayer; thousands of
weather-beaten vessels have found a haven there, and the moment a storm
comes on, it is wise for us to make for it with all sail.

[Read more…] about January 14th Evening

“Mighty to save.” — Isaiah 63:1

By the words “to save” we understand the whole of the great work of
salvation, from the first holy desire onward to complete sanctification. The
words are multum in parro: indeed, here is all mercy in one word. Christ is
not only “mighty to save” those who repent, but He is able to make men
repent. He will carry those to heaven who believe; but He is, moreover,
mighty to give men new hearts and to work faith in them. He is mighty to
make the man who hates holiness love it, and to constrain the despiser of
His name to bend the knee before Him. Nay, this is not all the meaning, for
the divine power is equally seen in the after-work. The life of a believer is
a series of miracles wrought by “the Mighty God.” The bush burns, but is
not consumed. He is mighty to keep His people holy after He has made
them so, and to preserve them in his fear and love until he consummates
their spiritual existence in heaven.

[Read more…] about January 14th Morning