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Daily Devotionals
Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God
Devotional: February 3rd

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Morning Devotional

Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from my secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me.- Psalms 19:12-13.

As faith gives a holy boldness at the throne of grace, so the regenerate soul is open and ingenuous in confession of sin. When sin is dethroned in the heart, its errors are its concerns; the most secret faults bow it in humility before the Lamb. To his precious blood the believer has recourse for cleansing; he has daily need of it. He cannot understand all his errors. Many secret faults cleave unto him. He is sensible that even these must be washed away, lest they defile his conscience, and spread a cloud over his mind. It is the peculiar wisdom of disciples, not only to observe the bud, blossom, and fruit of sin, but also to consider the evil root, the polluted nature from which it springs. Here is the exercise of watchfulness. This calls for their daily prayer to be kept by the power of God.

Happy souls! who, under a sense of peace through the blood of Jesus, are daily praying to be kept by the grace of the Spirit. Such truly know themselves-see their danger of falling-will not, dare not palliate or lessen the odious nature and hateful deformity of their sin. They will not give a softer name to sin than it deserves, lest they depreciate the infinite value of that precious blood which Jesus shed to atone its guilt. Far will they be from flattering themselves into a deceitful notion that they are perfect, and have no sin in them. The Spirit of truth delivers them from such errors-he teacheth them as poor sinners to look to the Saviour, and to beseech him to keep back the headstrong passions, the unruly lusts, and evil concupiscences which dwell in their sinful natures. Alas! the most exalted saint, the most established believer, if left to himself, how soon might the blackest crimes, the most presumptuous sins, get the dominion over him? David had woeful experience of this for a season. He prays from a heartfelt sense of past misery, and the dread of future danger. And he found the blessing of that covenant-promise: O believer, may it be the exercise of thy faith daily to live upon it, daily to plead it before thy Saviour! "Sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under the law, but under grace."- Romans 6:14. Why shall not sin lord it over the conscience of a believer? Truly, because the grace of Jesus reigns for him, and within him. For he saith, "I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from ME."- Jeremiah 32:40.

O who can ever find

The errors of his ways?

Yet with a bold presumptuous mind

I would not dare transgress.

Warn me of ev’ry sin.

Forgive my secret faults,

And cleanse this guilty soul of mine,

Whose crimes exceed my thoughts.

Evening Devotional

Speak thou the things which become sound doctrine. Titus 2:1.

“ Like people, like priest,” is a Scripture adage, (Hosea 4:9.) Professors generally possess the same ideas of the minister they sit under. Our Lord advises, “take heed what you hear,” (; Mark 4:24.) The seeds of all heresies are in our nature; they are sooner learned than sound doctrine. Hence Paul’s jealousy of, and advice to Titus. He was not only to preach sound doctrine, but the things also which become it. Sound doctrine is to be highly prized, yet it is not to be alone. Good as it is, to have a sound judgment in the doctrines of grace, yet we are ever to consider, they are all according to, and tend to promote godliness. They are all of a practical and experimental nature: productive of love in the heart, and holiness in the life. Many err here. Some make little of sound doctrine. They cry out, away with your doctrines, give us practical holiness. These cast contempt upon the word of truth, and impeach the wisdom of the Spirit of truth, in revealing the doctrines of the grace of the everlasting covenant. However they may talk of Christ, yet they lightly esteem the truth as it is in him. From such turn away. “For the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple: the statutes (or doctrines) of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes,” etc. (Psalms 19:7-8.) Again, there are others, who think and speak of nothing but doctrines. They care nothing about the things which become sound doctrine, such as a self denying life, a holy walk, a careful abstaining from the very appearance of evil, living in the exercise of spiritual grace, and in the discharge of every Christian duty, striving to “adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things,” (; Titus 2:10.) Alas! it is common to see such. Like the wild ass, they snuff up the wind of doctrine, bray it over, while their hearts are as cold and dead to spiritual communion with Christ, and the life and power of godliness, as the world which lieth in wickedness. Beware of such. Christianity is life, as well as truth. The gospel is to be experienced in its power, as well as believed in its word. Christ is to be lived upon by faith, and lived to by love, as well as talked of with the tongue. O let us not be content with a form of sound words in our heads: but let us cry earnestly and constantly to our Lord for the life and power of them in our hearts, to influence our lives; so shall we, from precious, heart-felt experience joyfully say, “truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ,” 1 John 1:3.

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