March 19

Morning

Yet he did not waver through disbelief in the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, — Rom 4:20 BSB

Christian, take care of your faith—for faith is the only way you can receive blessings. If we want blessings from God, faith is the only way to bring them down. Prayer can't bring answers from God's throne unless it's the prayer of someone who believes. Faith is like the messenger between your soul and the Lord Jesus in glory. If that messenger is gone, we can neither send up prayer nor receive answers. Faith is like the telegraph wire that connects earth and heaven, carrying God's messages of love so quickly that before we even call—He answers, and while we are still speaking—He hears. But if that wire of faith is broken, how can we receive His promises?

Am I in trouble? Faith can bring help in trouble. Am I under attack from the enemy? My soul can lean on its Refuge through faith. But without faith, calling to God is in vain. Faith is the only path between my soul and heaven. Even in the coldest winter, faith is the road on which the horses of prayer can travel—and all the better for the icy frost. But if the road is blocked, how can we connect with the Great King? Faith links me to God. Faith clothes me in His power. Faith brings God's almighty power to my side. Faith brings all of God's attributes to defend me. It helps me defy the armies of hell. It makes me walk triumphantly over my enemies. But without faith—how can I receive anything from God? Let the one who doubts—who is like a wave of the sea—never expect to receive anything from God! So, Christian, guard your faith, for with it, you can win all things, no matter how poor you are. But without it, you can receive nothing. “If you can believe—all things are possible for the one who believes.”

Evening

At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here; have some bread and dip it into the vinegar sauce.” So she sat down beside the harvesters, and he offered her roasted grain, and she ate and was satisfied and had some left over. — Ruth 2:14 BSB

Whenever we have the privilege of receiving the bread Jesus gives, we are, like Ruth, satisfied with a full and sweet meal. When Jesus is the host, no one leaves the table hungry. Our minds are satisfied with the precious truths He reveals; our hearts are content with Jesus, the most lovely object of our love; our hope is fulfilled, for who else do we have in heaven but Jesus? And our desires are satisfied, for what more could we want than “to know Christ and be found in Him”? Jesus fills our conscience with perfect peace, our minds with the certainty of His teachings, our memories with the reminders of what He has done, and our imaginations with the hope of what He is yet to do.

Like Ruth, who “was satisfied and had some left over,” so are we. We’ve had deep experiences of Christ and thought we could take in all He is, but when we’ve done our best, there’s still so much more. We’ve sat at the table of His love and said, “Only the infinite can satisfy me! I am such a great sinner that I need infinite merit to wash my sin away!” But we’ve had our sins removed and found there was merit to spare. We’ve had our hunger satisfied at the feast of His love and found there was still spiritual food left over.

There are certain sweet things in God’s Word we haven’t yet experienced, things we must leave for another time; for we are like the disciples, to whom Jesus said, “I have much more to say to you, but you cannot bear it now.” Yes, there are graces we haven’t yet reached, places of closer fellowship with Christ we haven’t yet entered, and heights of communion with Him we haven’t yet climbed. At every feast of love, there are many baskets of leftovers. Let us celebrate the generosity of our glorious Boaz!