Daily Devotionals

Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God

Devotional: January 3rd

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.- 1 John 5:21.

Idolatry is founded in ignorance of Jesus, the true God, and eternal life. None are spiritual worshippers of God but believers in Jesus. There are many idols in the world, suited to the pride and lusts of our corrupt nature. These we are cautioned against. But, in reading this very exhortation, the idol of free-will is ready to present itself; as though disciples, by their own power, were to keep themselves. This notion opposes the Spirit and power of Jesus and springs from that grand idol, pride. Pride introduces the idol of selfrighteousness. This blinds the eye to the glory of the righteousness of Christ, freely imputed by God, through faith. Thus this trinity of idols, free-will, pride, and selfrighteousness, are in unity with each other. By the simple faith of Jesus, we are daily to guard our hearts against all their specious pretensions.

So also, every outward object suited to our corrupt nature, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life; these naturally call for the attention of our minds, tend to attract the affections of our hearts, and promise us pleasure, happiness, and joy. But if these are sought unto, coveted, and enjoyed, they also become idols-they rival Jesus-they rob our hearts of the consolation of the Saviour’s love-and him of the glory due to his name; which is ever the indispensable duty of all his beloved disciples, to give unto him ONLY. Shall we then say of our own righteousness, or our sins, ye are our glory! Shall we at all hope in the one? shall we ever seek happiness from the other? Verily, if so, our hearts are not right with God: our souls are not sincere and upright with Jesus. Can we at any time halt between two opinions in our conduct, Jesus and self? God and the world? O where then is our faith in Jesus, our love to God! Has not God manifested love enough to us, in the gift of his beloved Son? Has not Jesus done enough, suffered enough, to attract every affection, and to engage our whole hearts in love to himself? Has not the Holy Spirit so clearly and fully revealed the love of the Father, and the salvation of the Son, as to make us happy? We must confess this. Surely then conscious shame, holy blushing, godly sorrow, should fill our hearts, if we act not as chaste virgins to our heavenly bridegroom. While we cry in the fervency of prayer to the divine Spirit for power, we shall in the fervor of love, and in the resolution of faith, say with Ephraim, "Get ye hence: what have I to do any more with idols?"- Hosea 14:8.

Mortals with joy behold his face,

Th’ eternal Father’s only Son;

How full of truth! how full of grace!

When thro’ his eyes the Godhead shone.

Archangels leave their high abode,

To learn new myst’ries here; and tell

The loves of our descending God,

The glories of Immanuel.

Things that accompany salvation. Hebrews 6:9.

Mary mistook Christ for the gardener. (John 20:15.) We are very apt to mistake our graces for our Saviour. Some put their faith in the place of Christ’s righteousness. They say, we are justified by our faith, and not by the righteousness of Christ. Others call the graces of the covenant, the conditions of salvation. These are sad mistakes. Hereby the glory of Christ is eclipsed. The sinner’s eye is turned from the Saviour to himself. His trust is placed on something wrought in him instead of Christ. He mistakes the things which accompany salvation, for salvation itself. What are the things which accompany salvation? Naturally, we have none of them. We have only the things which accompany damnation. We are no more able to work them in ourselves, than a dead corpse can raise itself to life, or a devil in hell change himself into an angel in heaven. They are the train of graces which ever attend the King of saints. The Saviour brings them, with himself, into the saved sinner’s heart. They are the graces of his Spirit. (1st.) Faith in Jesus, as a redeeming, justifying, sanctifying Saviour. (2d.) Repentance towards God, as receiving and pardoning sinners in Christ: hatred of sin, and turning from sin to Christ. (3d.) Hope; which is an anchor of the soul, by keeping it steady in the expectation of what the word promises, and faith believes. (4th.) Love to God, excited by his love to us in Christ. (5th.) Peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, (6th.) Joy in God, having now received the atonement by faith. (7th.) Heavenly-mindedness, by living on Jesus. (8th.) Deadness to sin, by the body of Christ. (9th.) Deadness to the world, being crucified with Christ. (10th.) Living to holiness, being alive unto God through Jesus Christ. (11th.) Love to our brethren and fellow-sinners, being passed from death to life. And, to all the rest, constant dissatisfactions with ourselves, seeing we still are miserable sinners, imperfect creatures, unprofitable servants. We look on nothing within us as our title to glory, but wholly and solely to Jesus. These graces we receive out of his fulness. These are evidences of interest in him, make us meet for heaven, and accompany salvation. For we have fellowship with God, and his Son Jesus Christ. St. Paul was persuaded of these things concerning his Christian brethren. See, then, the glorious nature of Christianity. The faith of the gospel, and the hope of salvation, are not empty notions. But “whom God justified, them he also glorified.” (Romans 8:30.) Those whom he adorns with the glorious robe of Christ’s righteousness, he makes glorious with the graces of his Spirit. What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. Matthew 19:6.

“Salvation, Lord, is thine,

And all thy saints confess,

The royal robes in which they shine,

Were wrought by sov’reign grace.”