June 5

Morning

The Lord shut him in. — Gen 7:16

Noah was shut in away from all the world—by the hand of divine love. The door of electing purpose, interposes between us and the world which lies in the wicked one. We are not of the world even as our Lord Jesus was not of the world. Into the sin, the gaiety, the pursuits of the multitude—we cannot enter. We cannot play in the streets of Vanity Fair with the children of darkness, for our heavenly Father has shut us in.

Noah was shut in with his God. “Come into the ark,” was the Lord’s invitation, by which He clearly showed that He Himself intended to dwell in the ark with His servant and his family. Thus all the chosen dwell in God and God in them. Happy people to be enclosed in the same circle which contains God in the Trinity of His persons, Father, Son, and Spirit. Let us ever be attentive to that gracious call, “Come, my people, enter into your chambers, and shut your doors about you, and hide yourself as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast.”

Noah was so shut in that no evil could reach him. Floods did but lift him heavenward, and winds did but waft him on his way. Outside of the ark, all was ruin but inside, all was rest and peace. Without Christ we perish but in Christ Jesus there is perfect safety. Noah was so shut in that he could not even desire to come out, and those who are in Christ Jesus are in Him forever. They shall go no more out forever, for eternal faithfulness has shut them in, and infernal malice cannot drag them out. The Prince of the house of David shuts and no man opens; and when once in the last days as Master of the house He shall rise up and shut the door—it will be in vain for mere professors to knock, and cry ““Lord, Lord open unto us,” for that same door which shuts in the wise virgins will shut out the foolish forever. Lord, shut me in by Your grace!

Evening

He that loveth not knoweth not God. — 1 John 4:8

The distinguishing mark of a Christian is his confidence in the love of Christ and the yielding of his affections to Christ in return. First, faith sets her seal upon the man by enabling the soul to say with the apostle, “Christ loved me and gave Himself for me!” Then love gives the countersign, and stamps upon the heart gratitude and love to Jesus in return. “We love Him—because He first loved us.”

In those grand old ages, which are the heroic period of the Christian religion, this double mark was clearly to be seen in all believers in Jesus; they were men who knew the love of Christ, and rested upon it as a man leans upon a staff whose trustiness he has tried. The love which they felt towards the Lord was not a quiet emotion which they hid within themselves in the secret chamber of their souls, and which they only spoke of in their private assemblies when they met on the first day of the week, and sang hymns in honor of Christ Jesus the crucified but it was a passion with them of such a vehement and all-consuming energy, that it was visible in all their actions, spoke in their common talk, and looked out of their eyes even in their commonest glances. Love to Jesus was a flame which fed upon the core and heart of their being; and, therefore, from its own force—it burned its way into the outer man, and shone there. Zeal for the glory of King Jesus—was the seal and mark of all genuine Christians. Because of their dependence upon Christ’s love—they dared much; and because of their love to Christ—they did much, and it is the same now.

The children of God are ruled in their inmost powers by love—the love of Christ constrains them; they rejoice that divine love is set upon them, they feel it shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Spirit, who is given unto them, and then by force of gratitude they love the Savior with a pure heart, fervently. My reader, do you love Him? Before you sleep—give an honest answer to a weighty question!