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Daily devotions for 05-05-2005:
Devotion: Morning and Evening
Morning Title: Idolatry of Believers
Evening Title: Our Kingly Nature
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Morning: Idolatry of Believers
"Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods." --Jeremiah 16:20
One great besetting sin of ancient Israel was idolatry, and the spiritual
Israel are vexed with
a tendency to the same folly. Remphan's star shines no longer, and the women
weep no more for Tammuz, but Mammon still intrudes his golden calf, and the
shrines of pride are not forsaken.
Self in various forms struggles to subdue the chosen ones under its dominion,
and the flesh
sets up its altars wherever it can find space for them. Favourite children are
often the cause of
much sin in believers; the Lord is grieved when He sees us doting upon them
above measure; they will live to be as great a curse to us as Absalom was to
David, or they will be taken from us to leave our homes desolate. If Christians
desire to grow thorns to stuff their sleepless pillows, let them dote on their
dear ones.
It is truly said that "they are no gods," for the objects of our foolish love
are very doubtful
blessings, the solace which they yield us now is dangerous, and the help which
they can give us in the hour of trouble is little indeed. Why, then, are we so
bewitched with vanities? We pity the poor heathen who adore a god of stone, and
yet worship a god of gold. Where is the vast superiority between a god of flesh
and one of wood? The principle, the sin, the folly is the
same in either case, only that in ours the crime is more aggravated because we
have more light, and sin in the face of it. The heathen bows to a false deity,
but the true God he has never known; we commit two evils, inasmuch as we
forsake the living God and turn unto idols. May the Lord purge us all from this
grievous iniquity!
"The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be;
Help me to tear it from thy throne,
And worship only thee."
Evening: Our Kingly Nature
"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible." --1
Peter 1:23
Peter most earnestly exhorted the scattered saints to love each other "with a
pure heart
fervently" and he wisely fetched his argument, not from the law, from nature,
or from
philosophy, but from that high and divine nature which God hath implanted in
His people. Just as some judicious tutor of princes might labour to beget and
foster in them a kingly spirit and
dignified behaviour, finding arguments in their position and descent, so,
looking upon God's
people as heirs of glory, princes of the blood royal, descendants of the King
of kings, earth's truest and oldest aristocracy, Peter saith to them, "See that
ye love one another, because of
your noble birth, being born of incorruptible seed; because of your pedigree,
being descended
from God, the Creator of all things; and because of your immortal destiny, for
you shall never
pass away, though the glory of the flesh shall fade, and even its existence
shall cease." It would be well if, in the spirit of humility, we recognized the
true dignity of our regenerated
nature, and lived up to it.
What is a Christian? If you compare him with a king, he adds priestly sanctity
to royal dignity.
The king's royalty often lieth only in his crown, but with a Christian it is
infused into his
inmost nature. He is as much above his fellows through his new birth, as a man
is above the
beast that perisheth. Surely he ought to carry himself, in all his dealings, as
one who is not
of the multitude, but chosen out of the world, distinguished by sovereign
grace, written among
"the peculiar people" and who therefore cannot grovel in the dust as others,
nor live after the
manner of the world's citizens. Let the dignity of your nature, and the
brightness of your
prospects, O believers in Christ, constrain you to cleave unto holiness, and to
avoid the very
appearance of evil.
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Daily devotions for 05-04-2005:
Devotion: Morning and Evening
Morning Title: Expecting Trouble
Evening Title: Using Jesus
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Morning: Expecting Trouble
"In the world ye shall have tribulation." --John 16:33
Art thou asking the reason of this, believer?
Look upward to thy heavenly Father, and behold Him pure and holy. Dost thou
know that thou art one day to be like Him? Wilt thou easily be conformed to His
image? Wilt thou not require
much refining in the furnace of affliction to purify thee? Will it be an easy
thing to get rid
of thy corruptions, and make thee perfect even as thy Father which is in heaven
is perfect? Next, Christian, turn thine eye downward. Dost thou know what foes
thou hast beneath thy feet? Thou wast once a servant of Satan, and no king will
willingly lose his subjects. Dost thou think that Satan will let thee alone?
No, he will be always at thee, for he "goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking
whom he may devour." Expect trouble, therefore, Christian, when thou lookest
beneath thee. Then look around thee. Where art thou? Thou art in an enemy's
country, a stranger and a sojourner.
The world is not thy friend. If it be, then thou art not God's friend, for he
who is the friend of
the world is the enemy of God. Be assured that thou shalt find foe-men
everywhere. When thou sleepest, think that thou art resting on the battlefield;
when thou walkest, suspect an ambush in every hedge. As mosquitoes are said to
bite strangers more than natives, so will the trials of earth be sharpest to
you. Lastly, look within thee, into thine own heart and observe what is there.
Sin and self are still within. Ah! if thou hadst no devil to tempt thee, no
enemies to fight thee, and no world to ensnare thee, thou wouldst still find in
thyself evil enough to be a sore trouble to thee, for "the heart is deceitful
above all things, and desperately wicked." Expect trouble then, but despond not
on account of it, for God is with thee to help and to strengthen thee. He hath
said, "I will be with thee in trouble; I will deliver thee and honour thee."
Evening: Using Jesus
"A very present help." --Psalm 46:1
Covenant blessings are not meant to be looked at only, but to be appropriated.
Even our Lord Jesus is given to us for our present use. Believer, thou dost not
make use of Christ as thou oughtest to do. When thou art in trouble, why dost
thou not tell Him all thy grief? Has He not a
sympathizing heart, and can He not comfort and relieve thee? No, thou art going
about to all thy friends, save thy best Friend, and telling thy tale everywhere
except into the bosom of thy
Lord. Art thou burdened with this day's sins?
Here is a fountain filled with blood: use it, saint, use it. Has a sense of
guilt returned upon
thee? The pardoning grace of Jesus may be proved again and again. Come to Him
at once for
cleansing. Dost thou deplore thy weakness? He is thy strength: why not lean
upon Him? Dost thou feel naked? Come hither, soul; put on the robe of Jesus'
righteousness. Stand not looking at it, but wear it. Strip off thine own
righteousness, and thine own fears too: put on the fair white linen, for it was
meant to wear.
Dost thou feel thyself sick? Pull the night-bell of prayer, and call up the
Beloved Physician! He
will give the cordial that will revive thee. Thou art poor, but then thou hast
"a kinsman, a mighty man of wealth." What! wilt thou not go to Him, and ask Him
to give thee of His abundance, when He has given thee this promise, that thou
shalt be joint heir with Him, and has made over all that He is and all that He
has to be thine? There is nothing Christ dislikes more than for His people to
make a show-thing of Him, and not to use Him. He loves to be employed by us.
The more burdens we put on His shoulders, the more precious will He be to us.
"Let us be simple with Him, then,
Not backward, stiff, or cold,
As though our Bethlehem could be
What Sinai was of old."
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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