The Open Door — The Open Reward
“When thou fastest anoint thine head, and wash thy face that thou appear not unto men to fast, but to thy Father which seeth in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” — Matt. vi. 17. “When they saw the boldness of Peter and John they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” — Acts iv. 13. “And it came to pass when Moses came down from Mount Sinai, that he wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with them. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh to him. And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil upon his face.” — Exod. xxxiv. 29-33.
The transition from the fellowship with God in the morning hour to the intercourse with our f ellowmen is often difficult. If we have met God, we long to maintain the sense of His presence, and our surrender to Him. We go out to the breakfast table, where, perhaps in the bosom of our own family, the atmosphere is all at once changed, and as the presence of men and the visible asserts itself, we begin to lose what we had found. Many a young Christian has been perplexed with the question how to keep his heart filled with that of which he does not feel at liberty, or has not the opportunity, to speak. Even in religious circles it is not always easy to have free intercourse, through lack of fervour or boldness, on that which would give the greatest profit and pleasure. Let us strive to learn how our intercourse with men, may be, instead of a hindrance, a help to the maintenance of a life of continual fellowship with God.
The lessons which the story of Moses with the veil on his face teach, are very suggestive. Close and continued fellowship with God will in due time leave its mark and make itself manifest before men. Moses wist not that his face shone: the light of God shining from us will be unconscious; it will but deepen the sense of our being an earthen vessel (1 Cor. ii. 3, 4, and 2 Cor. iv.). The sense of Gods presence in a man may often cause others to fear, or at least to feel ill at ease in, his company. When others observe what is to be seen in him, the true believer will know what it is to veil his face, and prove by humility and love that he is indeed a man of like passions with those around him. And yet, through all, there will be the proof, too, that he is a man of God, who lives in, and has dealings with, an unseen world.
The same lessons are taught by what our Lord says about fasting. Make no show of thy fasting, so that thou appear not unto men to fast; meet them in the joy and kindness of God’s gentleness, as the Father’s beloved and loving child. Count UPON God, Who Has Seen Thee in Secret, to Eewaed Thee Openly, to Give Thee Grace in Intercourse with Him, and to Make Them Know That His Grace and Light Are on Thee.
The story of Peter and John confirms the same truth: they had been with Jesus not only while He was on earth, but as He entered into the heavenlies, and had received His spirit. They simply acted out what the spirit of Christ taught them; even enemies could see by their boldness that they had been with Jesus.
The blessing of intercourse with God may easily be lost by entering too deeply into intercourse with men. The spirit of the inner chamber must be carried out into a holy watchfulness throughout the day. We know not at what hour the enemy may come. This continuance of the morning watch may be maintained by a quiet self-restraint, in not giving the reins to nature. It has, in a religious home circle, often sought help, in each one repeating a text at the breakfast table on some fixed subject, giving easy occasion to religious conversation. When once the abiding sense of God’s presence and of intercourse with Him — “be thou in the fear of God all the day long” — has become the aim of the morning hour, with the deepest humility and the most loving intercourse with those around us, grace will be sought and found to pass on into the day’s duties with the continuity of fellowship kept unbroken. It is a great thing to enter the inner chamber, and shut to the door, and meet the Father in secret. It is a greater thing to open the door again, and go out, in an enjoyment of that Presence which nothing can disturb.
To some, such a life does not appear needful; the strain is too great; one can be a good Christian without it. To those who seek to be men of one thing, who feel that if they are to be true and mighty to influence the church and the world around them they must be full of God and His Presence, everything will be subordinate to the one question: How to bear in the earthen vessel the heavenly treasure, the power of Christ resting on us all the day.