March 7

"And he shall lift you up." — James 4:10.

THE sentiment of the whole verse is in accordance with the maxim of the Saviour, — "He that humbleth himself shall be exalted." We have here

A PLEASING PROMISE. It is made to humble souls. God lifts them up from despair by a sweet sense of pardon. Sometimes the load of guilt is felt so heavily by the poor sinner, that mercy is despaired of, and his case is viewed as desperate; but in God's own time the promise is fulfilled, and as the bright beams of the Divine favor pierce the dark clouds of sin, and scatter them to the four winds of heaven, a cheering voice is heard. — "Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." Thus God lifts upon us the light of his countenance.

He lifts them up from affliction by the comforts of his grace. When the hand of his fatherly correction is on them, the arm of his paternal love and pity is beneath them. And when he has tried them in his own way, and for his own wise and gracious designs, he will bring them forth.

He lifts them up in death with his cheering presence. Death is the tribute money that every believer must pay before he enters the gate of heaven. "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." Though the poor body is brought low in death, how often is the soul lifted up! What ravishing views has it of Christ and things divine, even while grappling with the last enemy; and longing for a release from the prison of clay and the contaminating influence of sin, to breathe in the pure, untainted atmosphere of immortal bliss!

He will lift them up from the grave of the last day. Their mortal remains are deposited in the tomb, only for a certain period. At the resurrection, the trumpet of the archangel shall wake them, and the Divine power shall collect and reanimate their scattered dust, so that in their flesh they shall see God.

He will lift them up to the glories of heaven. What an elevation! — The happy saint raised to the very throne of the great Eternal; lifted up above the reach of all that would degrade its nature, defile its purity, interrupt its enjoyments, or disturb its blissful contemplations. Let us cultivate a humble spirit, and, disdaining to thirst after worldly distinctions, seek that honor that cometh from above.