The Night Watches by John McDuff
The Grace of God The God of All Grace 1 Peter Chapter 5 Verse
10 By the grace of God, I am what I am. This is the believer's
eternal confession. Grace found him a rebel. It leaves
him a son. Grace found him wandering at
the gates of hell. It leaves him at the gates of
heaven. grace devised the scheme of redemption. Justice never would. Reason never
could. And it is grace which carries
out that scheme. No sinner would ever have sought
his God but by grace. The thickets of Eden would have
proved Adam's grave had not grace called him out. Saul would have
lived and died the haughty self-righteous persecutor had not grace laid
him low. The thief on the cross would
have continued breathing out his blasphemies had not Grace
arrested his tongue and tuned it for glory. Out of the naughtiest
timber, says Rutherford, he can make vessels of mercy for service
in the high palace of glory. Top Lady writes, I came I saw
I conquered may be inscribed by the Savior on every monument
of grace. I came to the sinner I looked
upon him and with a look of omnipotent love I conquered. Believer You
would have been this day a wandering star, to whom is reserved the
blackness of darkness forever. Christless, hopeless, portionless,
had not grace invited you and grace constrained you. And it
is grace which at this moment keeps you. You have often been
a Peter, forsaking your Lord, but brought back to him again.
Why have you not been a Demas or a Judas? I have prayed for
you that your faith fail not. Is not this your own comment
and reflection on life's retrospect? Yet not I, but the grace of God
which was with me. Seek to realize your dependence
on this grace every moment. More grace, more grace needs
to be your continual cry. But the infinite supply commensurates
with the infinite need. The treasury of grace, though
always emptying, is always full. The key of prayer which opens
it is always at hand. And the Almighty bestower of
the blessings of grace is always waiting to be gracious. the recorded
promise never can be cancelled or reversed. My grace is sufficient
for you. Reader, seek to dwell much on
this inexhaustible theme. The grace of God is the source
of lesser temporal blessings as well as of higher spiritual
blessings. It accounts for the crumb of
daily bread as well as for the crown of eternal glory. but even
in regard to earthly mercies, never forget the channel of grace
through Christ Jesus. It is sweet thus to connect every,
even the smallest and humblest token of providential bounty
with Calvary's cross, to have the common blessings of life
stamped with the print of the nails. It makes them doubly precious
to think this flows from Jesus. When with dear friends sweet
talk I hold, And all the flowers of life unfold, Let not my heart
within me burn, Except in all I you discern. Let others be
contented with the uncovenanted mercies of God, Be it mine to
say as a child of grace and heir of glory, My Father in heaven,
give me today my daily bread. reposing in the all-sufficiency
in all things, promised by the God of all grace. I will lie
down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell
in safety. Psalm 4, verse 8.