December 17

Morning

Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem that this is what the LORD says: ‘I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. — Jer 2:2 BSB

Let us consider how much Christ delights in thinking about His Church and gazing upon her beauty. Just as a bird returns often to its nest, or a traveler hurries home, so does the mind constantly return to the object of its desire. We can never gaze too often upon the face we love, nor can we ever tire of keeping our precious things in view.

It is the same with our Lord Jesus. From all eternity, “His delights were with the sons of men.” When the foundations of the earth were set, He was there, and His thoughts looked ahead to the time when His chosen ones would be born. He saw them in the mirror of His foreknowledge. Long before His incarnation, He descended to earth in the likeness of man to visit His people—on the plains of Mamre, by the brook of Jabbok, near the walls of Jericho, and even in the fiery furnace of Babylon.

Because He delighted in His people, He could not stay away from them, for His heart yearned for them. He engraved their names on His hands and carried them always on His heart, just as the high priest carried the names of the tribes of Israel on his breastplate. The names of Christ’s elect are His most precious jewels, constantly glittering in His thoughts.

We may often forget to meditate on the perfections of our Lord, but He never forgets us. Let us rebuke ourselves for our neglect and pray for the grace to always keep Him in our fondest thoughts. Lord, engrave the image of Your lovely Son on the very eyes of my soul!

Evening

I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture. — John 10:9 BSB

Jesus, the great I AM, is the entrance to the true church and the way to approach God Himself. To anyone who comes to God through Him, Jesus gives four special privileges:

1. He shall be saved. Just as the fugitive who fled to the city of refuge was safe and Noah was secure in the ark, so too is anyone who enters through the door of Christ. None who trust in Jesus will ever be lost. Entering through Him into forgiveness guarantees that the same door will open to heaven. Jesus is the only door—open, wide, and safe. Blessed is the one who places all hope of salvation on the crucified Redeemer!

2. He shall go in. This person is welcomed into the family of God, sharing in the bread of the children and enjoying their privileges. He is invited into communion with God, to the banquets of love, the treasures of the covenant, and the promises of Scripture. He shall enter the presence of the King of kings through the Holy Spirit, and the Lord’s secrets will be revealed to him.

3. He shall go out. This is a blessing often forgotten. We are called to go out into the world to work and suffer, but how comforting it is to go in the name and strength of Jesus! We are sent out to bear witness to the truth, to comfort the sorrowful, to warn the careless, to win souls, and to glorify God. As the angel said to Gideon, “Go in this your might,” so the Lord sends us as His messengers, empowered by His strength.

4. He shall find pasture. Whoever knows Jesus will never lack. Whether going in or out, they will find all they need. In communion with God, they will grow strong, and in serving others, they will be refreshed. When Jesus is our all, we will find everything we need in Him. Our souls will be like a well-watered garden, a spring whose waters never fail.