Daily Devotionals

Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God

Devotional: July 7th

Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.- Hebrews 4:1.

Fear without faith enslaves the soul to wrath and bondage. Faith without fear tends to licentiousness. But a loving, filial fear of offending our dear Father and precious Saviour, ever accompanies the grace of faith in the heart. Jesus is the rest of his people. This rest is by promise: and therefore it is sure to all his spiritual seed. They now enter into it and enjoy it by faith. But, from awful instances of others falling away from the hope of Jesus, the apostles ever exercised a loving fear and a godly jealousy over their dear converts, lest any of them should even seem to come short through unbelief. The Lord only knoweth who are his elect according to the covenant of grace. This did not lie open to the eyes even of his chosen apostles. It could only be made manifest by their faith and its fruits. Hence they were continually exhorting disciples to give all diligence to make their calling and election sure. To work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. Not with a fear of suspicion of the love and faithfulness of a covenant God; but nothing doubting the finished work of Jesus’ salvation, or the safety and security of every believer in him. These are truths of the greatest certainty and are to be held with the strongest confidence. But so to fear, lest their own souls should at any time be so captivated by the devices of Satan, so enslaved by the snares of the world, so allured by the lusts of the flesh, and the pleasures of sense, so kept from Jesus by the workings of unbelief, that their conduct should give sad evidence of their state. Lest it should seem they sought other lovers but Jesus, other rest but in him, other hope and other comforts beside those which the gospel affords.

So the apostles were excited to a godly fear over their professing brethren. Blessed also art thou, disciple, who thus fearest continually. By this evangelical fear, verily thou shalt be kept from departing from the Lord. Count not this fear LEGAL, as though it tended to bondage. Nay, but it is a fruit of thy Father’s love, a grace of the gospel-covenant. It is as essential to the health of thy soul as faith is to thy being a disciple of Jesus. "Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long." If at any time this fear is cast off, thou art that moment in danger of falling. But "in the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge."- Proverbs 14:26.

Praise, everlasting praise be paid

To him that earth’s foundation laid;

Praise to the God whose strong decrees

Sway the creation as he please.

Praise to the goodness of the Lord,

Who rules his people by his word;

And there, as strong as his decrees,

He sets his kindest promises.

Men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. Psalms 72:17.

“ Cursed is every one who continueth not in all things, which are written in the book of the law to do them.” (Galatians 3:10.) This curse, God hath never revoked. Every man upon the earth is naturally under it. But the greatest curse is, men neither believe it, feel it, nor care for it. Hence they slight and disregard that dear Man, who was made “a curse for us,” that we might be blessed in him. Says our Lord, “search the scriptures, they testify of me,” (; John 5:39.) Here is a sweet testimony for our mind, and precious food for our faith. Jesus, Master, bless me while I meditate on it. (1st.) See all blessedness in Christ. Well might Luther say, “I will have nothing to do with an absolute God.” That is, God without a mediator. O sinner, O saint, there is nothing but curse and wrath for us, out of Christ. There is a hell of sin in our nature. The pride of the devil, and the lust of the beast dwell in our flesh. Spirit of God, give us to know this more and more, to the humbling of our hearts, and to the prizing of our dear Immanuel. For in Christ there is nothing but blessedness. We are blessed IN him. Blessed be his God and Father, who hath blessed us, with all spiritual blessings in Christ, according as he hath chosen us IN HIM before the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1:3.) These are the precious foundation truths of our blessedness. Faith receives them, and works by the love of them. (2d.) Not only blessed IN, but blessed BY Christ. As our covenant head, he hath every blessing for time and eternity to bestow upon his members. We have not only a notion of this, but the enjoyment of it. Christ is the author of our faith. He gave us faith, that we might feed on him in our hearts, have fellowship with him in our spirits, and have all things in common with him, which our Father’s love can bestow, to make us blessed and happy. (3d.) Men, miserable, sinful men, shall not only be blessed IN and BY Christ, but shall bless themselves IN him. This is a sweet art. Holy Spirit, teach it us from day to day. Though we find ourselves vile, miserable, and cursed, yet let us bless ourselves in the Lord: boast of him, glory in, and rejoice for what Christ of God is made to us. Lastly, Men shall call Christ blessed. The most blessed objects their eyes ever saw, or their hearts ever knew. The paper fails. [The author had written to the bottom of the page.] Lord make up in spirit what is wanting in letter. There is no end of speaking, dear Lord, of thy blessedness.

In Christ I am for ever blest,

Tho’ sin and law condemn me still:

Christ is my refuge and my rest,

Let carnal sense say what it will.

Faith lifts me out of nature’s views,

And judges not by carnal sense:

When on Christ’s love I sweetly muse,

It drives all slavish terrors hence.