Category: Devotion of the Day

His Blood and His Bidding

Christ died for our sins.
I Corinthians 15:3.

Come unto me.
Matthew 11:28.

Just as I am, without one plea
But that thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

We do not come on the ground of His teaching, His character, His life, but rather on the ground of His death. The problem of our sin was not taken care of until Calvary. There is a salvation offered today on the ground of Christ the Example, Christ the Teacher, Christ the Ideal, but the sinner does not come on the plea that “Thy life was lived for me,” or “Thy example was revealed for me.” Christ’s life and example and teaching have their place and a great and glorious place it is, but I come in my sins because His blood was shed for me.

And then His Bidding. He invited me. He bids me come, just as I am. I don’t have to dress up. He will dress me up after I come. My righteousnesses—the best I am and can do—are but filthy rags, rags because they do not cover me and filthy because they only defile me.

HIS BLOOD: “But that Thy blood was shed for me.”
HIS BIDDING: “And that Thou bid’st me come to thee.”
May your answer be, “O Lamb of God, I come!”

The daily devotions are from Day by Day by Vance Havner. Fleming H. Revell Company, 1953.

Get Through to Jesus!

If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
John 7:37.

Some stop too soon in their quest for a satisfying experience of the Lord. They get this blessing or that and settle down there and make their blessing an end in itself and a yardstick by which they measure everybody else. The part becomes greater than the whole. They major on the gift instead of on the Giver. Others experience no “blessing” at all, give up and resign themselves to a dry faith, and plod along through dull and mediocre years.

Others go too far. They run past the Lord into delusions and excesses and fall into snares of demonism. Pitiful cases they are, starting out honestly and earnestly, but not guided by the Word.

Jesus simply invites us to Himself, whether for rest (Mt. 11:28) or for the Spirit’s fullness (Jn. 7:37), and guarantees that if we come He will not cast us out (Jn. 6:37). It is not difficult to get to Jesus if we really want to come. And anyone who gets through to Him will be all right. “All the fitness He requireth is to feel your need of Him.”

The daily devotions are from Day by Day by Vance Havner. Fleming H. Revell Company, 1953.