November 15

Morning

But the LORD’s portion is His people, Jacob His allotted inheritance. — Deut 32:9 BSB

How are they His portion?

First, by His sovereign choice. He chose them and set His love upon them. He selected them completely apart from any goodness they had at the time or any He foresaw in them. He had mercy on whom He would have mercy and appointed a chosen people for eternal life. Therefore, they are His by His free and unforced election.

Not only are they His by choice, but also by purchase. He bought and paid for them fully, down to the last detail. There can be no dispute over His ownership of them. The Lord’s portion has been redeemed, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ! See the blood-mark on all the elect—unseen by human eyes but known to Christ, for “the Lord knows those who are His.” He forgets none whom He has redeemed. He counts every sheep for whom He laid down His life and remembers all those for whom He gave Himself.

They are also His by conquest. What a battle He had with us before we were won! How long He besieged our hearts! How many times He sent us terms of surrender! Yet we barred our gates and fortified our walls against Him. Do we not remember that glorious moment when He conquered our hearts? When He placed His cross against the wall and scaled our defenses, planting the blood-red flag of His mercy on our strongholds? Yes, we are the captives of His overwhelming love!

Chosen, purchased, and conquered—the rights of our divine Master are absolute. We rejoice that we will never belong to ourselves again, and every day we desire to do His will and show forth His glory!

Evening

Summon Your power, O God; show Your strength, O God, which You have exerted on our behalf. — Ps 68:28 BSB

It is both wise and necessary to constantly ask God to strengthen the work He has begun in us. Many Christians, by neglecting this, bring upon themselves spiritual struggles and afflictions caused by their own unbelief. Yes, Satan tries to flood the garden of our hearts and turn it into a wasteland, but many Christians leave the gates open through carelessness and a lack of prayer to their Strong Helper.

We often forget that the One who starts our faith must also sustain it. The lamp that burned in the temple was never allowed to go out, but it had to be replenished daily with fresh oil. In the same way, our faith can only live when sustained by the oil of grace, and we can only get that grace from God Himself. We will be like foolish virgins if we don’t keep our lamps filled. The God who created the world sustains it, or it would collapse in an instant. Likewise, the One who made us Christians must keep us by His Spirit, or we will quickly fall.

So, evening by evening, let’s go to the Lord for the grace and strength we need. We have a powerful argument to bring before Him, for we ask Him to strengthen the work He Himself began in us. “Strengthen, Lord, what You have done in us.” Do you think He would fail to protect and nourish what He has created? If your faith takes hold of His strength, then no power of darkness, not even the devil himself, can steal your joy or peace. Why grow weak when you can be strong? Why suffer defeat when you can conquer? Take your faltering faith and fragile graces to Him, the One who can renew and replenish them, and earnestly pray, “Strengthen, O God, what You have done in us!”