Daily Devotionals

Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God

Devotional: February 2nd

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.- 1 Peter 2:11.

The soul of every disciple of Jesus is most dearly beloved by the holy Trinity. It is a precious jewel in the eyes of the loving Father, the redeeming Son, and the sanctifying Spirit; who all unite to make it happy. But it hath a world of enemies. Yea, it is at present in the closest and nearest relation to one of its greatest foes, the flesh; the lust and desires of which are at continual war against the peace, comfort, and welfare of the soul. Therefore, O Christian, thy best friend sounds an alarm of love, gives thee a dehortation of kindness: "Abstain from fleshly lusts." He knows what great hurt compliance with and indulgence in them will do thee; thou wilt surely smart and be sorely grieved for it. Destroy thee, they shall not; but distress thee, like the prevailings of a bitter enemy, they will.

Consider, beloved Christians, we are strangers and pilgrims, sojourning and passing through a strange land and foreign country; our clothing is, Christ and his righteousness; our food, Christ and his fulness; our staff, Christ, and his promises; our rule, the word of Christ; our guide, the Spirit of Christ; the place whither we are bound, is heaven, a better country, our father’s house, the inheritance of our friends and brethren.

Settle this in your minds. Meditate daily on your calling, your hope, your heaven, where your treasure is. Where should your affections and delight be? Not on earth, this is not your rest, it is polluted; not in the flesh, this is to be denied, its motions abstained from, its lusts and affections crucified daily. Know the flesh as thine enemy, treat it as such, keep it under; in it "dwells no good thing"-its lustings and desires cannot but be evil continually-they will never cease to oppose the spirit, the life and liberty of thy soul; they are ever at war against the peace, consolation, and joy, which is in Christ Jesus. Daily victory is joyful triumph. Therefore ever consider the need of following this advice: "Put on the whole armour of God."- Ephesians 6:11. Feeling foes within, and being at war against them, is a sure evidence of a good soldier of Jesus Christ. "Fight the good fight of faith."

This life’s a dream, an empty show;

But the bright world to which I go,

Hath joys substantial and sincere:

When shall I wake and find me there?

O glorious hour! O blest abode!

I shall be near and like my God,

And flesh and sin no more control

The sacred pleasures of the soul.

My flesh shall slumber in the ground.

Till the last trumpet’s joyful sound;

Then burst the chains, with sweet surprise,

And in my Saviour’s image rise.

Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, not to be repented of. 2 Corinthians 7:10.

By legal preaching, setting forth the curses of the law, and the terrors of hell, a sinner’s conscience may be made to tremble under the dread of damnation. He may be said to repent. “Judas thus repented himself, and said, I have sinned.” He might be sorry for it. His sin might make his heart ache, and fill his soul with horrors. But here was no godly sorrow. God was not in all his thoughts. No repentance unto salvation: this was out of his sight. His repentance was unto damnation. For “he went out and hanged himself,” (Matthew 27:5.) Natural fears and legal terrors may excite sorrow without the grace of repentance. (1st.) What then is godly sorrow? It springs from God, it is excited by the views of God, it is directed to God, and arises in the heart on account of God. With David the soul cries, “against thee only have I sinned,” (Psalms 51:4.) The heart is pierced to the very quick with anguish, for having sinned against a God in Christ, a sin pardoning, a soul comforting, a most affectionate Father. This is the sorrow of faith. It is grateful to God. (2dly.) It worketh repentance. It causes the soul to change its mind and its conduct. Its mind. Sin and Satan had deceived it. It foolishly fancied there were some sweet charms in sin, that could make it quite happy. But O, it now feels the wormwood and gall of it. It looks at its sin, and looks at its Saviour, and cries, O my Lord and my God, could I ever be so mad as to turn from thee to sin! I lament my folly. Jesus pardon me. Its conduct. Godly sorrow causes the soul to turn away from sin with loathing and detestation, and to turn to the Lord, with humble faith, holy hope, ardent desire, and earnest cry, O my Jesus, “restore to me the joy of thy salvation: cast me not away from thy presence: take not thy Holy Spirit from me,” (Psalms 51:11-12.) Though sin has made me miserable, yet thou and thou only canst make me happy. (3dly.) This repentance is unto salvation. It brings the soul to Jesus. “There is salvation in him and in no other,” Acts 4:12. (4thly.) This is not to be repented of. O my soul, canst thou ever change thy mind, concerning the precious salvation of Jesus, by repentance unto life, from a godly sorrow for sin! Beware then of those “fools who make a mock of sin,” (Proverbs 14:9.) Of those mad fools, who deride godly sorrow for sin, and laugh at all repentance as downright legality. But says Jesus, “except ye repent, ye shall all perish,” Luke 13:3.

‘Twas for my sins my dearest Lord

Hung on the cursed tree,

And groan’d away a dying life,

For thee, my soul, for thee.

Whilst with a melting, broken heart,

My murder’d Lord I view,

I’ll raise revenge against my sins,

And slay the murd’rers too.