It may seem hard to lay our pet weight down; but oh, if you only knew how light we feel when it is laid down, and how much easier it is to run the race which God has set before us!

30.  Thirtieth Day.

The Shield of Salvation.

   “Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation.”—­2 Sam. xxii.
   36.

This beautiful little text teaches us a very precious truth.  It shows us that the salvation which the Lord Jesus came to bring is not only salvation at last, just escaping hell, but that it is salvation now, and salvation in everything Salvation does not only mean victory at last, but it is like a broad, shining shield, given to us in the midst of the battle, coming between us and the poisoned arrows and sharp sword-thrusts of the enemy.  It is a shield not only to keep us from death, but to keep us from being hurt and wounded.  It is the shield which the Captain has given us to use now, as well as the crown which He will give when the warfare is ended.

How are you to use this shield? what does it really mean for you?  It means, that if you have come to the Lord Jesus to be saved, He does not merely say He will save you, but that you are saved, that He saves you now.  And this is how you are to use it—­believe it, and be sure of it, because you have His word for it; and then, when a temptation comes, tell the enemy that he has nothing to do with you, for you are saved; that you belong to Jesus, and not to him,—­look up and say, “Jesus saves me!” Will He fail you?  Did He ever let any find themselves deceived and mistaken who looked up in faith and confidence to Him, trusting in His great salvation?  Never! and never will you find this shield of His salvation fail to cover you completely.  Satan himself can not touch you when you are behind this shield!  Lift it up when you see him coming, even ever so far off, and you will be safe.

    “Jesus saves me every day,
      Jesus saves me every night;
    Jesus saves me all the way,
      Through the darkness, through the light.”

31.  Thirty-first Day.

I will love Thee

   “I will love Thee, O Lord.”—­Ps. xviii. 1.

Yes, even if I have never loved Thee before, I will love Thee, O Lord, now!

I will love Thee, Lord Jesus, because Thou hast loved me, and because Thou art loving me now, and wilt love me to the end.  Oh, forgive me for not having loved Thee!  How could I have helped loving Thee, when Thou wast waiting all the time for me, waiting so patiently while I did not care about Thee!  Oh, forgive me! and now I will love Thee always; for Thou wilt take my love, and fix it on Thyself, and keep it for Thyself.

I will love Thee, O Lord Jesus; I will not listen to Satan, who tries to keep me from loving Thee; I will not ask myself anything about it, lest I should begin to get puzzled about whether I do love Thee or not.  Thou knowest that I do want to love Thee; and now, dear Lord Jesus, hear me say that I will love Thee, and that I will trust Thee to make me love Thee more and more, always more and more.