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Daily devotions for 07-27-2005:
Devotion: Morning and Evening
Morning Title: Assured Faith
Evening Title: Special Privileges
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Morning: Assured Faith
"Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge, etc."
--2 Peter 1:5, 6
If thou wouldest enjoy the eminent grace of the full assurance of faith, under
the blessed Spirit's influence, and assistance, do what the Scripture tells
thee, "Give diligence." Take care that thy faith is of the right kind--that it
is not a mere belief of doctrine, but a simple faith, depending on Christ, and
on Christ alone.
Give diligent heed to thy courage. Plead with God that He would give thee the
face of a lion, that thou mayest, with a consciousness of right, go on boldly.
Study well the Scriptures, and get knowledge; for a knowledge of doctrine will
tend very much to confirm faith. Try to understand God's Word; let it dwell in
thy heart richly.
When thou hast done this, "Add to thy knowledge temperance." Take heed to thy
body: be temperate without. Take heed to thy soul: be temperate within. Get
temperance of lip, life, heart, and thought. Add to this, by God's Holy Spirit,
patience; ask Him to give thee that patience which endureth affliction, which,
when it is tried, shall come forth as gold. Array yourself with patience, that
you may not murmur nor be depressed in your afflictions. When that grace is won
look to godliness. Godliness is something more than religion. Make God's glory
your object in life; live in His sight; dwell close to Him; seek for fellowship
with Him; and thou hast "godliness"; and to that add brotherly love. Have a
love to all the saints: and add to that a charity, which openeth its arms to
all men, and loves their souls.
When you are adorned with these jewels, and just in proportion as you practise
these heavenly virtues, will you come to know by clearest evidence "your
calling and election." "Give diligence," if you would get assurance, for
lukewarmness and doubting very naturally go hand in hand.
Evening: Special Privileges
"That He may set him with princes." --Psalm 113:8
Our spiritual privileges are of the highest order. "Among princes" is the place
of select
society. "Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus
Christ." Speak of select society, there is none like this! "We are a chosen
generation, a peculiar people, a royal priesthood." "We are come unto the
general assembly and church of the first-born, whose names are written in
heaven."
The saints have courtly audience: princes have admittance to royalty when
common people must stand afar off. The child of God has free access to the
inner courts of heaven. "For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto
the Father."
"Let us come boldly," says the apostle, "to the throne of the heavenly grace."
Among princes there is abundant wealth, but what is the abundance of princes
compared with the riches of believers? for "all things are yours, and ye are
Christ's, and Christ is God's." "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered
Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"
Princes have peculiar power. A prince of heaven's empire has great influence:
he wields a sceptre in his own domain; he sits upon Jesus' throne, for "He hath
made us kings and priests unto God, and we shall reign for ever and ever." We
reign over the united kingdom of time and eternity.
Princes, again, have special honour. We may look down upon all earth-born
dignity from the eminence upon which grace has placed us. For what is human
grandeur to this, "He hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus"? We share the honour of Christ, and compared
with this, earthly
splendours are not worth a thought.
Communion with Jesus is a richer gem than ever glittered in imperial diadem.
Union with the Lord is a coronet of beauty outshining all the blaze of imperial
pomp.
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Daily devotions for 07-26-2005:
Devotion: Morning and Evening
Morning Title: Flee From Sin
Evening Title: Brought Down Through Affliction
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Morning: Flee From Sin
"He left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out." --Genesis 39:12
In contending with certain sins there remains no mode of victory but by flight.
The ancient naturalists wrote much of basilisks, whose eyes fascinated their
victims and rendered them easy victims; so the mere gaze of wickedness puts us
in solemn danger. He who would be safe from acts of evil must haste away from
occasions of it. A covenant must be made with our eyes not even to look upon
the cause of temptation, for such sins only need a spark to begin with and a
blaze follows in an instant.
Who would wantonly enter the leper's prison and sleep amid its horrible
corruption? He only who desires to be leprous himself would thus court
contagion. If the mariner knew how to avoid a storm, he would do anything
rather than run the risk of weathering it. Cautious pilots have no desire to
try how near the quicksand they can sail, or how often they may touch a rock
without springing a leak; their aim is to keep as nearly as possible in the
midst of a safe channel.
This day I may be exposed to great peril, let me have the serpent's wisdom to
keep out of it and avoid it. The wings of a dove may be of more use to me
to-day than the jaws of a lion. It is true I may be an apparent loser by
declining evil company, but I had better leave my cloak than lose my character;
it is not needful that I should be rich, but it is imperative upon me to be
pure. No ties of friendship, no chains of beauty, no flashings of talent, no
shafts of ridicule must turn me from the wise resolve to flee from sin.
The devil I am to resist and he will flee from me, but the lusts of the flesh,
I must flee, or they will surely overcome me. O God of holiness preserve thy
Josephs, that Madam Bubble bewitch them not with her vile suggestions. May the
horrible trinity of the world, the flesh, and the devil, never overcome us!
Evening: Brought Down Through Affliction
"In their affliction they will seek Me early." --Hosea 5:15
Losses and adversities are frequently the means which the great Shepherd uses
to fetch home His wandering sheep; like fierce dogs they worry the wanderers
back to the fold. There is no making lions tame if they are too well fed; they
must be brought down from their great strength, and their stomachs must be
lowered, and then they will submit to the tamer's hand; and often have we seen
the Christian rendered obedient to the Lord's will by straitness of bread and
hard labour.
When rich and increased in goods many professors carry their heads much too
loftily, and speak exceeding boastfully. Like David, they flatter themselves,
"My mountain standeth fast; I shall never be moved." When the Christian groweth
wealthy, is in good repute, hath good health, and a happy family, he too often
admits Mr. Carnal Security to feast at his table, and then if he be a true
child of God there is a rod preparing for
him. Wait awhile, and it may be you will see his substance melt away as a
dream. There goes a portion of his estate--how soon the acres change hands.
That debt, that dishonoured bill--how fast his losses roll in, where will they
end? It is a blessed sign of divine life if when these embarrassments occur one
after another he begins to be distressed about his backslidings, and betakes
himself to his God.
Blessed are the waves that wash the mariner upon the rock of salvation! Losses
in business are often sanctified to our soul's enriching. If the chosen soul
will not come to the Lord full-handed, it shall come empty. If God, in His
grace, findeth no other means of making us honour Him among men, He will cast
us into the deep; if we fail to honour Him on the pinnacle of riches, He will
bring us into the valley of poverty. Yet faint not, heir of sorrow, when thou
art thus rebuked, rather recognize the loving hand which chastens, and say, "I
will arise, and go unto my Father."
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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