September 30—Morning—Exodus 12:14
"And this day shall be unto you for a memorial." — Exodus 12:14

It is a blessed thing to end the month, and to end each day as we would wish to end our lives—blessing and praising God in Christ, rising from the table of divine bounties, and thanking the great Master of the feast. Pause, my soul, and consider whether, in the past month, you have experienced such sovereign grace and unmerited mercies that you can now set up your Ebenezer and mark this day as a memorial. What visits has Jesus made to you, my soul? How has your heart been drawn toward Him?

Has the Father, as well as the Son, come and made His abode with you? Has the Holy Spirit, the glorious inhabitant in the souls and bodies of His people, manifested His continued presence to you? This day is indeed a memorial if, in reflecting on the many wonderful expressions of divine love in providence and grace during the month now ending, and in the years already passed, you can recount the blessed instances.

And will not my Lord, before this day passes, make it memorable by some renewed favor? Oh, for some new visits from the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—this morning, today, and all the day! As long as I live, I want my soul to continue in exercises of faith and love upon the person of Emmanuel, so that I may carefully record the countless instances of His grace. I would say, "Here, Jesus visited me; here, He met me; here, He showed me His love," and made the place and the day ever memorable by His grace.
 

September 30—Evening—John 9:4
"I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work." — John 9:4

Pause, my soul, over this profound scripture and these sweet words from your Lord! Look at Jesus, even your Jesus, who, as Mediator and God's servant, had His own work to do in His day, just as you have in yours. And what a day His was! Every moment was filled with goodness. Now, my soul, the night of this present day has come; and the night of your entire life on earth will soon follow. It may come this very night, for just as this month is ending, so might your life. And even if death does not come tonight, it cannot be far off and may be nearer than you think.

How then does your great account stand? Take a moment to review it, just as merchants do with their ledger at certain times, to see where they stand. Has Jesus filled up every page? Can you recall the numerous moments of His grace, love, and bounty? Can you testify of Him who sent you into the world, just as He said His Father sent Him? (John 17:18). Can you remember from the very first Bethel visit of His love until now how He has borne you and carried you as on eagle’s wings?

And even though it would tire the arm of an angel to write down the countless instances of His mercy and grace, and though, in your forgetful heart, thousands upon thousands of these instances have faded away like traces on water, can you still look back and say, "Jesus is mine, and I am His"? Oh, the unspeakable joy of looking back over months, days, and years when the night comes in which no man can work.

Precious Lord Jesus! You have truly done all for me and worked all within me; You have made me, and You bear me. It was You who formed me in the womb, and now You have made me in Yourself. You have redeemed me, washed me from my sins in Your blood, borne with me in all my unworthiness, and carried me through all my sorrows! Into Your gracious hands, Lord, I desire to place myself this night, and every night, and in the night of death, with the blessed assurance that "when my heart shall faint, and my strength shall fail, You will be the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Amen.

- Robert Hawker