"Make no thought for the morrow" (Matt. 6:34)—that is, no
_anxious thought_—for this comes of distrust of God. But there
is a thought for the morrow which is a holy carefulness: "A prudent
man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself" (Prov. 22:3). Gathering
clouds bespeak a coming storm. Watch and be ready for every storm:
be it in your own heart, in the church, or in the world, provide
against it by abiding in Christ; He is our hiding-place, our
high tower into which the righteous runneth and is safe. "Watch
ye, and pray, lest ye enter into temptation."
Even when we have most of the consolations of Christ, and most
of His approval, let us be on the watch, lest like the spouse
in the Song, through the deceitfulness of the flesh, we leave
the blessedness of tender communion and put ourselves to shame
by "I sleep, but my heart waketh" (S. Sol. 5:2).
What love to the Thessalonians must Paul have had, who, though
he so greatly delighted in his brethren's fellowship, sent Timothy
from Athens to Thessalonica, and was content to be left alone!
If a child of God pleases the flesh under colour of liberty,
mistaking carnal liberty for spiritual, who can say how far he
may go wrong? It is the self-denial of grace that is true liberty.
Christ measures our kindness to others, especially toward His
members, not by the greatness of our gifts, but by our faith
and self-denial.
When we see any servant of Christ lowly and self-denying, such
we must esteem and revere. To great gifts of knowledge and utterance
unaccompanied with lowliness, we pay the tax of admiration; but
our esteem and reverence they cannot command.
The habit of denying self in little things will give us a vigour
of spiritual life.
In looking out for opportunities of doing great things in the
Lord's cause, we lose the daily, hourly opportunities for little
acts of self-denial which especially require the grace of Christ.
To be crucifying self when no eye but that of God sees us, this
is the most acceptable service to our Lord and Master.
That is the best watching and waiting which puts the keeping
of our souls into the hands of God; for, "Except the Lord keep
the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." (Psalm 127:1.)
__1__ (A Song of degrees for Solomon.) Except the LORD build
the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD
keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.