Twenty-fourth Day: "And thy staff."
The shepherd's staff is his crook, bent or hooked at one end.
No shepherd is complete without it. It is used for three different
purposes. Beneath it the sheep pass to be counted as they go
into the fold. By means of it the sheep fallen into the pit are
rescued. In the hands of the shepherd it is sometimes used for
correction or punishment.
Let it encourage you this day to know that your name is not unknown to the Lord. In the Old Testament days the high priest wore over his heart the breastplate on which were inscribed the names of the children of Israel. Our names in these New Testament days are written over his heart. God sees us there.
But, alas! in spite of all this, many of us have fallen. David did. Peter did. But He whose name is love stoops to lift us up. You cannot get away from his love. David came up from the pit to write his best psalms, and Peter to preach one of the world's greatest sermons. So may you.
Many of us have needed the rod of correction. If your heart is aching and your home desolate, it would be well to stop and ask whether this is not God speaking to you in this way because you would not hear in any other.
Suggestions for To-day.
1. Remember that temptation is a compliment paid you by the tempter.
He sees that there is something in you worth the having,
and tempts you that he may gain it.
2. Sin is yielding; it is opening the door, permitting the sinful
thought for which you were in no way responsible to tarry with
you.
3. Remember that God will take your part against sin if you will
let him.
From The Secret of a Happy Day: Quiet Hour Meditations by J. Wilbur Chapman. Boston: United Society of Christian Endeavor, ©1899.
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