October 17

The Lord is my Portion.—Lam. iii. 24.

WHEN man came from the hands of his Creator, he was holy, great, and happy: besides, he was also rich, God made him lord of this lower world, and gave him the delightful Eden, as his happy abode. But sin robbed him of all he possessed; caused his expulsion from paradise, and involved him in shame and wretchedness. God in his mercy, exercised compassion towards him, and in the boundlessness of his love, has bestowed upon him another portion; he has given to him, his only begotten Son, who, though he was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that we, through his poverty, might be made rich. This gift, this divine portion we receive by faith, and thus do we become heirs of the unspeakable riches of his grace. Then we may say, "The Lord is my portion." In this portion, there is precisely what the soul requires. Christ is suited to the sinner's state and need. He is a portion of knowledge to the ignorant, a portion of mercy to the guilty, a portion of peace to the wretched, and a portion of holiness to the impure. Man is starving, and Jesus is the bread of heaven. Man is poor, and Jesus is the pearl of inexpressible worth. Man is sick, and Jesus is the infallible physician of souls. Man is dead, and exposed to eternal death, and Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Man is lost, and Jesus is the salvation of his people. In the possession of this portion, we enjoy peace and righteousness, and joy in the Holy Ghost. There is no want which it doth not supply; no misery which it doth not remove; and no solid felicity, which it doth not impart. How truly happy are all those who can say, "The Lord is my Portion."