daily-devotionalsReading: “Who loved me, and gave himself for me.”Galatians 2:20

See how Paul is forever using Jesus and feasting forever on him. Oh! seek grace to do the same, Christian. He says, Jesus loved him; Jesus, the Son of God, loved Paul. Now love from any object is valuable, but from the first, and best, and greatest of all Beings, what invaluable love is this? And who did Christ love? “Why me,” says Paul, “who was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and injurious.” And how do you know, Paul, that Jesus loved you? ”He gave himself for me,” Paul replies.

“Gave himself?” Yes, himself. Not his gifts only, not his grace, not his mercies; but himself. And whatever he gave must have been an undeserved mercy; for I merited hell, when be bestowed upon me heaven.

But even heaven, with all its glories, is nothing, say Paul, to what Jesus gave me; for he gave “himself for me.” Oh! Christian, will you not look up, will you not be encouraged to hope, to believe, to hang upon Jesus, for the same. Precious Jesus—the author and finisher of faith, who gave himself for poor lost sinners.     

Taken from The Poor Man’s Evening and Morning Portions by Rev. Robert Hawker, Works, Vol. 8; 1830. Edited by Aaron Dunlop for thinkgospel.com ©2013.