November 27

Morning

Then the angel showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, with Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. — Zech 3:1 BSB

In Joshua, the high priest, we see a picture of every child of God who has been brought near by the blood of Christ and taught to minister in holy things, entering within the veil. Jesus has made us priests and kings unto God, and even here on earth we exercise the priesthood of a consecrated life and hallowed service.

Joshua is described as "standing before the angel of the Lord," meaning he was standing to minister. This should be the constant position of every true believer. Every place is now God's temple, and His people can serve Him in their daily tasks just as much as in His house. They are always to be "ministering," offering up the spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise, and presenting themselves as "living sacrifices."

Notice where Joshua stands to minister—it is before the angel of the Lord. It is only through a mediator that we, who are defiled, can ever be priests unto God. I present what I have before the angel of the covenant, the Lord Jesus. Through Him, my prayers are accepted, wrapped in His own prayers; my praises are sweetened, mixed with His own fragrance of myrrh, aloes, and cassia from His garden. If all I can bring are my tears, He will collect them with His own, for He once wept. If all I can offer are my groans and sighs, He will accept them, for He too was once broken in spirit. Standing in Him, I am accepted in the Beloved, and my polluted works, which in themselves are objects of divine wrath, are so received that they are a sweet fragrance to God. He is pleased, and I am blessed.

See then, the position of the Christian: a priest—standing—before the angel of the Lord.

Evening

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace — Eph 1:7 BSB

Could there be a sweeter word than "forgiveness" when it falls upon the ears of a guilty sinner, like the silver notes of jubilee to a captive Israelite? Blessed, forever blessed, be that dear star of pardon, shining into the condemned cell and giving the perishing soul a gleam of hope amid the midnight of despair!

Can it really be that such sin as mine can be forgiven, forgiven entirely, and forever? Hell is my portion as a sinner—there is no escape from it as long as sin remains upon me. Can the heavy burden of guilt be lifted? Can the crimson stain be wiped away? Can the chains of my prison be loosed and the doors torn from their hinges? Jesus tells me that I may indeed be forgiven! Blessed forever be the revelation of His atoning love, which not only declares that pardon is possible but also guarantees it to all who trust in Jesus. I have believed in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus crucified, and therefore, at this moment and forever, my sins are forgiven through His suffering and death. What joy is this! What bliss to know that I am a completely pardoned soul! My soul dedicates all her powers to Him who, by His unmerited love, became my surety and wrought my redemption through His blood.

What riches of grace are displayed in this free forgiveness! To forgive at all, to forgive fully, to forgive freely, and to forgive forever! This is a constellation of wonders! When I consider how great my sins were, how precious were the drops of blood that cleansed me, and how gracious the means by which pardon was secured for me, I am lost in wonder and worship! I bow before the throne that absolves me, I cling to the cross that redeems me, and I devote my life to the Incarnate God, through whom I am this night a pardoned soul.