Daily Devotionals

Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God

Devotional: October 16th

I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.- Psalms 119:162.

The saints of God in all ages were taught by the same Spirit, looked for the same salvation, and were comforted by the same truths found in the word of the Lord; hence the WORD is so precious to them; it causes rejoicing of soul within them; thus it is of the written word of the Lord which makes known his everlasting, loving designs to sinners of mankind: this also is true of the essential, divine, and uncreated WORD, the Lord Jesus: he in person manifested God’s thoughts of love, as words declare what is in the mind: Jesus lay in the bosom of the Father from eternity; he has revealed the Father’s eternal love to us! O, he who findeth Jesus will rejoice indeed. With joy, says Philip, "we have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write."- John 1:45. Hath a conqueror, who hath obtained a complete victory over, and is enriching himself with the spoils of a wealthy enemy, cause of rejoicing? how much more has the Christian daily from the word of the Lord. Alas! the joy of the one is but momentary and uncertain; what he hath gained in war to-day, to-morrow he may be deprived of; but joy through the victory of Jesus, and the spoil the Christian reaps from the word are durable and eternal: the victory of Jesus is the Christian’s spoil; here he beholds sin subdued, death conquered, Satan vanquished, hell overcome, and a crown of eternal life and glory fully obtained, absolutely ensured, and which shall most certainly be enjoyed. In the written word of the Spirit are given unto us "exceeding great and precious promises." In the essential word JESUS, "all the promises are in him, yea and amen, to the glory of God." By the former we understand "what is the hope of our calling, and what the riches of the glory of our inheritance in the saints." By the latter, union with Jesus, and faith in him, we obtain the happy assurance that all things are ours. "Whether ministers, the world, life, death, things present, or things to come, all are yours, and ye are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s."- 1 Corinthians 3:22-23. And "nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus."- Romans 8:39.

Blessed be God for the word of his grace, the BIBLE; blessed be God for his unspeakable gift, Jesus. Here is thy treasure, O Christian; where should thy heart be but in meditation and delight herein daily? For thou canst get spiritual joy from no object but victorious Jesus, set before thee in the gospel; and the clearer thou seest salvation by him, so will thy faith be stronger in him; this creates spiritual rejoicing of soul continually.

How doth thy word my heart engage!

How well employ my tongue!

And in my tiresome pilgrimage

Yields me a heav’nly song.

When nature sinks and spirits droop,

Thy promises of grace

Are pillars to support my hope:

And there I write thy praise.

We also joy in God, through our LORD JESUS CHRIST, by whom we have now received the atonement. Romans 5:11.

Having obtained the King’s free pardon, for a poor man cast for transportation, I carried it to the goal to him. Seeing the poor fettered creature fall down upon his knees to return thanks, caused a flood of tears of heart-felt joy to burst from mine eyes. I thought, this is just what thou, O my precious Saviour, hast done for me. Thou hast obtained a free and full pardon for all my sins, set my soul at liberty, and filled it with peace and joy, by the one atonement of thy precious blood. The poor convict had not read his pardon. He had not seen the King’s name to it. I only made the report to him, that I had obtained it. He believed me. Hence he was happy, joyful, and thankful. Thus he received his pardon. Now here is a simple and plain idea of faith: Of what? Receiving the atonement of Christ, and of joy in God. You are a poor sinner. The Spirit of God comes and convinces you of sin. You are arraigned, tried, brought in guilty, cast and condemned in the court of conscience. You are concluded under sin, and shut up in unbelief. Here you wait in sorrow and distress for the sentence of the law to be executed upon you. You find you can do nothing that can obtain pardon and liberty for your soul. But the gospel brings the glad tidings of the atonement of Christ to your ears, and that by it, a full and free remission is obtained for sinners. Now, what reception does it meet with in your heart? Say you, I believe it from the very ground of my heart, but I fear it is not for me. It is free for all, who will receive it by faith. You believe it, therefore you have received it. You ought to joy in God for it. Examine into the grounds of your fears and doubts. Is the atonement of Christ sufficient to satisfy divine justice, and obtain pardon and peace? This you cannot doubt. Is it not free for all sorts of sinners? Of this you can have no fear. “For this is a faithful saying, and worthy of ALL acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” (1 Timothy 1:15.) who are nothing but cursed sinners, and have nothing but cursed sin in them. Do you doubt that you are too great a sinner? This cannot be. St. Paul says of sinners, I am chief. Yet he received the atonement, and was saved by it. Learn hence, (1st.) That all joy in God springs from the one atonement of Christ for sin, and that only, exclusive of every thing else. (2d.) Every one who believes in Christ has now received this atonement. And therefore, (3d.) Ought constantly to joy in God the Father’s everlasting love.

No joy in God, to him no love,

We ever can possess;

‘Till faith is given from above,

In Christ our righteousness.