Our Commander

‘Behold, I have given Him for a witness to the people, a leader and Commander to the people.’ — Isa. lv.

le Jesus is our Leader, He must be our

Commander too.

When God meant to bring the Israelites into the promised land He set Joshua over them to lead them out and bring them in (Num. xxvii. ); and when Joshua was made their leader the people said, “All that thou commandest us we will do” (Josh. i.

Are you ready to say that to the Lord Jesus? Does it seem very hard? Are you afraid He may command you something you would not like to do? It would be not only very hard, but quite impossible, to do what He commands, if it were not for two things.

The first is, that He has promised to write dis laws in our hearts (Heb. viii. ie which means that He will make our hearts willing and glad to keep them. And He gives His Holy Spirit to enable us to keep them.

And the second is, that love makes all the difference to obedience. When sailors have a good commander of their ship they lke doing what he wants done. The hardship to them would be to be prevented from doing it. So, if we love our Commander, we shall want to do what He bids us. Suppose you had been there that last, sweet, solemn evening, when He had the last long talk with His disciples, just before He went to Gethsemane, and had heard Him say, “If ye love Me, keep My commandments” (John xiy,

), don’t you think you would have wished to keep them? Would you have thought it hard then?

Look in those beautiful chapters (John XIV. and xy. ), and find out for yourself what Jesus promises to those who keep His commandments; and then see what St. John says about them in his First Epistle (chap. v. ); for, after all, He never commands us one single thing but what will make us happy if we only do exacély what He tells us. They are “for our good, always” (Deut. vi. ). If everybody kept them, everybody would be happy, as happy as the angels (Ps. ciii. )3 pfor “blessed” (that means very happy zzdeed) “is the man that delighteth greatly in His commandments” (Ps. cxii. ). Ask Him to make you love Him so much that you may say, “J will delight myself in Thy commandments, which I have loved” (Ps. cxix. +.

Just to ask Him what to do
All the day,

And to make you quick and true
To obey.

Just to know the needed grace
He bestoweth,
Every bar of time and place
Overfloweth.
Just to take thy orders straight

From the Master’s own command.

Blessed day! when thus we wait
Always at our Sovereign’s hand.