Daily Devotionals

Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God

Devotional: January 25th

Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.- Luke 14:33.

"Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again," saith Christ,- John 3:7. The blessed effects of this spiritual birth will be evident in the life. Earthly objects will be forsaken: heavenly ones prized. Jesus will be chosen as our beloved master and only hope. He being esteemed our treasure, our hearts will be with him, our affections towards him; and it will be our chiefest delight to hear his voice, and to follow him in the regeneration. Coming to Christ, is turning our backs upon the "lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life." By the faith of Jesus we renounce and forsake all these things as our curse and shame. The clearer views we have of Christ’s glory, and the stronger our faith is in him, so much the more we become dead to all things beside him. Thus it is manifest who are the disciples of Jesus.

Their master so teacheth them. We have need to pray daily, Sun of righteousness, shine brighter on our minds! Lord, increase our faith! For the flesh, with its affections and lusts, still abides with us; and as the life of Jesus increaseth through faith in the heart, so shall we more and more groan under whatever is contrary thereto. The victory is obtained only through faith. In its nature very simple, but in its fruits and effects most comprehensive. For hereby we enjoy more happiness and comfort in Christ, than all that this present world can give us. Ye sons of earth, ye disdain us; we pity you. As ye are now, so once were we. We enjoyed your carnal gratifications, and feasted on your vain delights too, too long. We confess it, and grieve for it. Now we have found Jesus. We have another and a better life. In divine pleasures, spiritual joys from Christ, and sweet communion with him, we anticipate future glory. We enjoy a heaven of comfort in a world of sorrow. Therefore, in forsaking all, we gain all. In following Jesus, though painful and grievous to the flesh, yet it is consolation and joy to the life of our souls.

Experience will ever prove, that he who walks most by faith, will be the most comfortable disciple. He who lives nearest Christ in faith, will follow him closest in love; and consequently keep at the greatest distance from the world’s vain pleasures, and the carnal delights of the flesh. "If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye, through the spirit, do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live."- Romans 8:15.

Mistaken souls that dream of heav’n,

And make their empty boast

Of inward joys and sins forgiv’n

While they are slaves of lust!

Faith must obey their Father’s will,

As well as trust his grace;

A pard’ning God is jealous still

For his own holiness.

O, death! where is thy sting? O grave! where is thy victory? 1 Corinthians 15:55.

Says a celebrated poet, “All men think all men mortal but themselves.” True, there is a natural philosophy in us so to think; but new-born souls, not only know they are mortal, dying creatures, but, in the exercise of grace, they can indulge the thoughts of death with pleasing reflections. For death is not only a conquered enemy by the Captain of our salvation; but he is also enumerated in the catalog of our blessings.-“Death is yours.” Yours, to deliver you from all your evils of sin, sorrow, and temptations; yours, to introduce you into the presence of your God and Saviour, and into the enjoyment of all the glory and blessedness of his kingdom. But death has a sting, and the grave a victory: this sting is sin. And what gives strength to sin, and victory over the sinner, is, the law. That darts the sting into us, and so fixes it in us, that, for any thing that we can do, we must feel its poisoned sting to all eternity. But, “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this, who is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength?” He answers, “I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” (Isaiah 63:1.) It is that glorious Warrior! our almighty Conqueror, Jesus! who has disarmed death of his sting, and obtained a complete victory over the grave. Do you ask, What is this to us? Why, truly, we can draw no comfort from it, unless we believe in him, and look upon his victories as obtained for us. Thus, viewing our triumphant, risen, ascended Saviour, we shall be enabled, in the confidence of faith, to say, “O, death! where is thy sting?” thou hast lost it in the flesh of Christ; by his death, he has deprived thee of it. “Through death, he hath destroyed him who had the power of death-that is, the devil: and delivers them who, through fear of death, were all their life time subject to bondage.” (Hebrews 2:14-15.) Art thou in bondage, through fear? Who holds thee under it? thy worst enemy, the devil. By what means? unbelief: because thou dost not believe thy best Friend, thy dear Redeemer. Dost thou say, I would believe, but cannot? What! canst thou not believe thy Lord? He says to all thy questioning doubts, “I speak in righteousness.”-I have wrought out and brought in an everlasting righteousness, to clothe your naked soul, and to make you stand before the throne of God perfect and entire, lacking nothing. Believe this, and triumph over sin and death. “Mighty to save!” Can the power of sin, death, and hell withstand my might? look unto me, and be saved from thy bondage and fear. Receive his word; rejoice in the comfort of it. Christ hath fulfilled it, “O death, I will be thy plague! O grave, I will be thy destruction.” (Hosea 13:14.)