"With purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord." - Acts 11:23
My soul, art thou cleaving to thy Jesus? It is a grand thing so to do;
and it must be from continued supplies of grace in Jesus, if thou art
really doing it. A few points will shew. Is Jesus thy all? Is he
uppermost in all things? Faith hath for its one object, Jesus. Let a
true believer be wheresoever he may - at home, or abroad; alone, or in
company; the closet, or the church, it is all the same, if he really,
truly, cleaves to the Lord with purpose of heart; there is a looking
unto Jesus for all thinks, and in all things. Again; if I cleave to the
Lord, I shall do no one thing but in his strength, and deliberately
desire nothing but for his glory. The graces of the Holy Spirit,
implanted in the souls of the faithful, are fed and kept alive, and
brought forth into exercise by the communications of Jesus. My joy then
is in Jesus; not in myself, not in what I feel. These feelings of mine
may languish, but while I cleave to the Lord, my spiritual joy will
always be the same. "From me," saith that sweet Lord, "from me is thy
fruit found." Once more - if I cleave unto Jesus, shall I not find an
increasing love for him, an increasing desire for him, and an
increasing communion with him, from increasing knowledge of him, and of
his love and preciousness? To be sure I shall. Well then, my soul, art
thou indeed cleaving to him? Think how precious Jesus was, when first
thou wast brought so savingly acquainted with him as to see thy need of
him, and his suitableness and disposition to save thee. Dost thou think
of these blessings less now? Oh no! You love him more because you know
your need of him more, and therefore cleave to him the closer. Lastly,
to add no more, doth my soul truly cleave to Jesus? Why then, I am
loosening more and more from everything beside. If Jesus hath my whole
heart, then is the world and all creature idols thrown down. One Lord
Jesus Christ is portion enough for a whole ransomed church of God to
live upon to all eternity. In him there is portion enough for me. Oh!
then, precious Lamb of God, be thou my portion; for in thee I have all
things.
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