Daily Devotionals

Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God

Devotional: January 14th

Love as brethren.- 1 Peter 3:8.

Love without reason is a mad passion. Profession without love, is but "a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal;" unmeaning noise to others; unprofiting to him that makes it. Love is of God. It is that precious ointment that is poured forth from the Father of love upon the head of our spiritual Aaron, and runs down to the skirts of his garment, even upon all his brethren, the children of love. Love descends from God, through Jesus, to us, spreads itself among the brethren, and ascends in grateful odours to the God of love.

The prophet asks, "Have we not all one Father?"- Malachi 2:10. Yes, saith our elder brother, "I ascend unto my Father, and your Father."- John 20:17. Hence the Holy Spirit draws the image of Jesus, "the first born of the many brethren," upon each of their souls; and possesses them with the faith of Jesus. "And whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God; and every one that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him."- 1 John 5:1. Faith in Jesus is the band and cement of brotherly love. Are we the brethren of Jesus, beloved and chosen by one Father, born again of the same Spirit, partakers of the same grace, heirs of the same promises, travellers to the same kingdom, and shall we not love each other? Alas! alas! we mourn for the loss of health, substance, etc. but what greater cause is there to lament the loss of love amongst God’s dear children, Jesu’s beloved brethren!

But we are all like Simeon and Levi, brethren in iniquity: and as with them, so anger and self-will is also found with us- Genesis 49:5-6. Both are the effect of pride, and are contrary to faith and love. The question is not, Are we perfectly freed from every passion and temper contrary to love? Nor are we to expect this from our brethren. God loves us not as sinless, but as he views us in Christ Jesus. Do we really love the children of God as such-love the members of Jesus purely for his sake? Instead of indulging, do we curb and resist, watch and pray against our tempers, which are contrary to love? This is a blessed evidence, the root of love is in us. Let us be importunate with Jesus, that the fruits may abound more and more to the glory of God, "whom we love, because he first loved us."

To seek her neighbour’s good:

Love lays her own advantage by.

So God’s own Son came down to die,

And bought our lives with blood.

Love is the grace that keeps her pow’r

In all the realms above:

There faith and hope are known no more

But saints forever love.

The kingdom of God suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. Matthew 11:12.

We say hunger will break through stone walls. Desperate circumstances make men violent. Thus is it with a convinced sinner. He sees himself in the city of destruction, and Moses has set his house on fire about his ears, as Mr. Bunyan says in his Pilgrim’s Progress. Now, he cannot think of God, sin, death, judgment, heaven, and hell with indifference. No, he is awake. He sees the importance of them. His soul is alive. He feels the weight of them. He finds sin has destroyed him. The law terrifies him. Death stares him in the face. Judgment alarms him. He trembles to see hell moved from beneath to receive him. Now his fancied good works, his morality, etc. stand him in no stead. He hungers after righteousness. His apprehensions of wrath make him violent. His hunger is keen. He besieges the kingdom of God with eager prayer. He forces his way through every opposition. He breaks through every wall of obstruction, with, O give me Christ, or I perish. Give me his blood to pardon me, his righteousness to justify me, or I am damned for ever. This is fleeing for refuge. This is like one escaping for his life, from dreadful flames and devouring fire. This is being violent. Such take the kingdom of God by force. Though by grace we are brought into the kingdom of God, and enjoy pardon of sin and peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ; yet the Lord forbid that we should so lose our conviction of divine truths, as to have done with holy force and violence. Soldiers of Christ, to arms. What! think of laying down your weapons of defence, and folding your hands to sleep on an enemy’s ground, when all around are up in arms against you? Come, come, there is enough yet before you to alarm you, and to call up your violence. Sin is within you. Satan is plotting against you. The world would ensnare you. Death and judgment approach you. “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burnt up.” O, dream not over dry doctrines and empty speculations, so as to be proof against the force of these solemn events, and to lose your holy violence. “For seeing that all these things shall come to pass, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation, looking for the coming of the day of the Lord.” (2 Peter 3:11-12.)

Let me ask the important question,

(Brethren, be not too secure)

What it is to be a Christian?

How we may our hearts assure?

Vain is all our best devotion,

If on false foundations built:

True religion’s more than notion:

Something must be known and felt.