Morning
Verse
"On
Him they laid the cross, that He might bear it after Jesus." Luke 23:26
We see in Simon's carrying the cross a picture of the work of the Church
throughout all generations; she is the cross-bearer after Jesus. Mark then,
Christian, Jesus does not suffer so as to exclude your suffering. He bears a
cross, not that you may escape it, but that you may endure it. Christ exempts
you from sin, but not from sorrow. Remember that, and expect to suffer.
But let us comfort ourselves with this thought, that in our case, as in
Simon's, it is not our cross, but Christ's cross which we carry. When you
are molested for your piety; when your religion brings the trial of cruel
mockings upon you, then remember it is not your cross, it is Christ's
cross; and how delightful is it to carry the cross of our Lord Jesus!
You carry the cross after Him. You have blessed company; your path is
marked with the footprints of your Lord. The mark of His blood-red shoulder is
upon that heavy burden. 'Tis His cross, and He goes before you as a
shepherd goes before his sheep. Take up your cross daily, and follow Him.
Do not forget, also, that you bear this cross in partnership. It is
the opinion of some that Simon only carried one end of the cross, and not the
whole of it. That is very possible; Christ may have carried the heavier part,
against the transverse beam, and Simon may have borne the lighter end. Certainly
it is so with you; you do but carry the light end of the cross, Christ bore the
heavier end.
And remember, though Simon had to bear the cross for a very little while,
it gave him lasting honour. Even so the cross we carry is only for a little
while at most, and then we shall receive the crown, the glory. Surely we should
love the cross, and, instead of shrinking from it, count it very dear,
when it works out for us "a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."
Evening
Verse
"Before
honour is humility." Proverbs 15:33
Humiliation of soul always brings a positive blessing with it. If we
empty our hearts of self God will fill them with His love. He who desires close
communion with Christ should remember the word of the Lord, "To this man will I
look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My
word." Stoop if you would climb to heaven. Do we not say of Jesus, "He descended
that He might ascend"? so must you. You must grow downwards, that you may grow
upwards; for the sweetest fellowship with heaven is to be had by humble souls,
and by them alone. God will deny no blessing to a thoroughly humbled spirit.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," with all
its riches and treasures. The whole exchequer of God shall be made over by deed
of gift to the soul which is humble enough to be able to receive it without
growing proud because of it. God blesses us all up to the full measure and
extremity of what it is safe for Him to do. If you do not get a blessing, it is
because it is not safe for you to have one. If our heavenly Father were to let
your unhumbled spirit win a victory in His holy war, you would pilfer the crown
for yourself, and meeting with a fresh enemy you would fall a victim; so that
you are kept low for your own safety. When a man is sincerely humble, and never
ventures to touch so much as a grain of the praise, there is scarcely any limit
to what God will do for him. Humility makes us ready to be blessed by the God of
all grace, and fits us to deal efficiently with our fellow men. True humility is
a flower which will adorn any garden. This is a sauce with which you may season
every dish of life, and you will find an improvement in every case. Whether it
be prayer or praise, whether it be work or suffering, the genuine salt of
humility cannot be used in excess.
—Morning and Evening
