November 21

Morning

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. — Eph 4:30 BSB

All that a believer possesses comes from Christ, but it comes solely through the channel of the Spirit of grace. Just as all blessings flow to you through the Holy Spirit, so too, no good thing can come out of you—whether in holy thoughts, worship, or actions—apart from the sanctifying work of the same Spirit. Even if the good seed is planted in you, it will remain dormant until He moves within you, working to will and to act according to His purpose.

Do you desire to speak for Jesus? How can you, unless the Holy Spirit touches your tongue? Do you long to pray? Alas! How dry and dull your efforts are without the Spirit making intercession for you! Do you want to overcome sin? Do you wish to be holy and to imitate your Master? Do you aspire to reach the heights of spirituality, wanting to be like the angels of God, full of zeal for His cause? You can do none of these things without the Spirit!

“Without Me, you can do nothing.” O branch of the vine, you bear no fruit without the sap! O child of God, you have no life within you except what God gives through His Spirit! Let us then be careful not to grieve Him or provoke Him by our sin. Let us not quench His presence, even in His faintest motions in our soul. Let us cultivate His leading, and be eager to follow His promptings.

If the Holy Spirit is indeed so powerful, let us attempt nothing without Him! Let us start no project, continue no endeavor, and complete no task without seeking His blessing. Let us honor Him by recognizing our total dependence on Him, and trust Him alone to accomplish His work through us!

Evening

So they hosted a dinner for Jesus there. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with Him. — John 12:2 BSB

Lazarus is to be envied. It was good to be Martha, serving Jesus, but even better to be Lazarus, communing with Jesus. There are times for both, and each has its beauty, but no tree in the garden bears fruit like the vine of communion with Christ. To sit with Jesus, listen to His words, observe His actions, and bask in His smile—this must have made Lazarus as joyful as the angels themselves!

When we’ve had the privilege of feasting with our Beloved in His banqueting hall, we wouldn’t trade a sigh for all the kingdoms of the world, if even a breath could buy them!

Lazarus should also be imitated. It would have been strange indeed if Lazarus, having been raised from the dead, were absent when the Lord who gave him life was at his house. It would have been ungrateful for one who had been dead to stay away from the table where Jesus sat.

We, too, were once dead! Yes, and like Lazarus, we lay in the grave of sin, wrapped in its stench. But Jesus raised us, and now we live! Can we then be content to live far from Him? Can we neglect to remember Him at His table, where He graciously feasts with His people? Oh, how cruel that would be! Let us repent and do as He has commanded, for His slightest wish should be law to us.

To have lived without close fellowship with the One of whom the Jews said, “Behold how He loved him,” would have been shameful for Lazarus. And what excuse do we have, we whom Jesus has loved with an everlasting love? To be cold toward Him, who not only wept over our spiritual death but also shed His blood for us, would be monstrous ingratitude.

Come, brothers and sisters who read this, let us return to our heavenly Bridegroom. Let us ask for His Spirit to draw us into closer intimacy with Him, so that we may sit at the table with Him once more!