Morning By Morning #133

I…will…show myself to him.

John 14:21

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

The Lord Jesus gives special revelations of Himself to His people. Even if Scripture did not tell us this, there are many believers who could testify to its truth from their own experience. They have had such amazing manifestations of their Lord and Savior that no mere retelling can equal it.

In the lives of some of God’s prominent saints we find many instances when Jesus was pleased, in a very special way, to speak to their souls, to unfold for them the wonders of His person, or to immerse their souls in such happiness that they thought they were in heaven itself. And although they were not actually in heaven, they were just on its threshold, for when Jesus reveals Himself to His people, it is heaven on earth, it is paradise unveiled, it is divine happiness begun.

These special manifestations of Christ have a profound and holy influence on a believer’s heart. One effect is humility. If someone says, “Look at what a great person I am, for I have had ‘such-and-such’ communication with the Lord,” then he has never communicated with Jesus at all. For “the LORD…looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar” (Ps. 138:6). He does not need to come near the proud to know them and will never give them any special visits of love.

Another effect will be happiness, for “you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Ps. 16:11).

And holiness will be sure to follow. Someone who exhibits no holiness has never had a special manifestation of Christ. Some people make a great many claims, but we should not believe anyone unless their actions align with their words. “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked” (Gal. 6:7). He will not bestow His gifts on the wicked, for “surely God does not reject a blameless man or strengthen the hands of evildoers” (Job 8:20).

Thus, there will be three effects of closeness to Jesus—humility, happiness, and holiness. May God give them to you, dear Christian!

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

Today’s devotion brings to mind a story from “The Anatomy of a Church,” a sermon by John MacArthur:

One man said that Jesus comes into his bathroom and puts His arm around him while he is shaving. I thought, “Do you keep shaving? If you can keep shaving, then it isn’t Jesus. If holy God came into the bathroom while you were shaving, you would fall to the floor so hard that you would kill yourself!” It is an awesome thing to confront an infinitely holy God!*

Even the prophet Isaiah, when he saw the Lord, responded,”‘Woe to me!’ I cried.’I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips…and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty’” (Isa. 6:5). Next consider the apostle John: “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead” (Rev. 1:17).

Yes, an encounter with Jesus will lead to humility, happiness, and holiness—but humility must be first!