the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God
Behold I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.- Revelation 16:15.
Vain confidence begets spiritual sloth. Licentious principles harden the heart in sin, deafen the ear to the calls of grace, and cause the tongue to pronounce evangelical excitements to love and obedience, LEGAL. But the faith of Jesus enlivens to duty, and inspires the soul with godly jealousy and holy watchfulness. So the members of Jesus are blessed; blessed in him with all spiritual blessings; and they enjoy a sweet sense of blessedness in obeying him. "Behold I come," saith Jesus the head. In the faith of this, enable me, Lord, to watch alway, saith every living member. We know but in part; there are infinitely greater blessings to be found in Jesus, more of his knowledge, his love, his peace, of his image, greater conformity to, and likeness of him. For this we are called to watch, and wait, and pray continually, lest we lose the garments of truth, the clothing of humility, the adorning of the gospel, and sorrow overtake us, and shame cover us. So also to watch against the desperate wickedness of our nature, the devices of Satan, and the deceits of an ensnaring world. None fully know the dangers to which they are exposed, and how dreadfully they may be suffered to fall. Most true, Jesus both can and will keep all his members, by his power through faith unto salvation. But it is as true, thou wilt have sad evidence of thy interest in him, while his word is not thy rule of conduct. WATCH, saith he.
Comfort and peace of soul are enjoyed in the way of circumspection and watchfulness, while with care and diligence we study to approve ourselves as God’s children, "by a holy walk and godly conversation." Awful instances are frequent and visible, of many souls "who did run well for a season;" but Satan hath hindered. They have forsaken the precious truths of Jesus, the world has enslaved them, and their conversation-garments are defiled with gross and abominable sins. Their minds appear destitute of faith, love, and holiness, and their shame is seen and manifest. A state, how deplorable! how much to be dreaded! all from neglecting to watch. Serious thoughts are terrifying, self-examination they fly from, the view of death fills them with horror, an appearing, forsaken Jesus they dread. But he will come; every eye must see him; though as a thief, suddenly; yet to his faithful ones not dreadfully, to rob and destroy them; but to gather them together, that they may be ever with him. And now, "little children, abide in him; that when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming."- 1 John 2:28.
It pleased the Father, that in him should all fulness dwell. Colossians 1:19.
The religion of nature is the religion of pride. Pride is of the devil. Pride works by a lie, and keeps the soul in unbelief of the truth. Hence, we naturally think some change in us, some good done by us, causes God to be our Father, and we consider ourselves as his very good children. This notion obtains in the mind of many, and is the cause of their rejecting the everlasting covenant of the three-one Jehovah, and denying the covenant relations and transactions of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. They are so filled with themselves, with their Stuff of inherent righteousness, freewill, moral agency, and one knows not what unscriptural jargon, that they see not all fulness in Jesus, where it pleased the Father it should dwell. Lord! empty us of all self-fulness, that we may receive out of thy fulness. The Father, by covenant love, took on him that near and dear relation to all his chosen, when his eternal, co-equal Son, covenanted to become man, to sustain the curse for man, to satisfy justice, and obtain every blessing for sinners: this pleased the Father. And as man had lost all holiness, happiness, and blessedness by the first Adam, and was quite empty of all good,-all fulness is treasured up and dwells in the second Adam, the Lord from heaven: this also pleased the Father. The Father of whom? “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” (Romans 8:9.) Here the covenant office of the blessed Spirit is engaged, to convince us of sin, to empty us of self-sufficiency, and to shew us the fullness that dwells in Jesus for us. Hence, here is a plain answer to that question, How may I know whether I have the Spirit of Christ or not? Do you see yourself stripped of all righteousness, emptied of all good, prone to every evil? This is the teaching of the Spirit. Do you see the fulness that dwells in that glorious Man, Christ Jesus? that you must receive pardon of sin, justifying righteousness; adoption, to be a child of God, by faith in him; sanctification, and eternal redemption out of his fulness? Are you pleased at this? Are you satisfied to come, day after day, as a self-emptied sinner, hungry and thirsty, to receive out of his fulness? Can you say so? Then, you have the Spirit of God; for what pleased the Father, pleases you. O! rejoice in this. You may say with the apostles and all saints, “Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3.)
Lord, pull our haughty spirits down,
Our empty hearts renew;
O! make us fall, and see, and own
All fulness in thy Son.
Spirit of grace! lead us to Christ,
As to our fountain head,
Out of his fulness to be blest
With life and living bread.
