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Daily Devotionals
Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God
Devotional: April 9th

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Morning Devotional

Thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear.- Romans 11:20.

So we are called upon by the spirit of prophesy, "Behold, (give the most earnest attention, let this truth sink deep in your hearts) his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him." Habakkuk 2:4. Standing by faith, and living by faith, are ever opposed to pride, vain confidence, and an high conceit of our own attainments. True faith in Jesus sinks the soul in humility, works by real love to God, is accompanied with a child-like fear of offending him, and excites to a godly jealousy over our own souls, lest we fall-fall into sin, fall away from the hope of the gospel, fall from the precious privileges of Jesus, and the comforting sense of his love. Without this, what is profession, but an empty name, talking ever so highly, but a sound of words, pretension to the greatest things, but a vain shadow, while the substance is not enjoyed?

It is the glorying of believers in Jesus that they are "delivered out of the hands of their enemies, that they might serve God in holiness and righteousness all the days of their life,"- Luke 1:74-75 -and it is added, "without fear." But are we to cast off all kind of fear of God? No verily: no more than faith in him, love to him, and hope of enjoying him. One would dread such a state most of all, the Lord himself being judge. "Know therefore, and see that it is an evil and bitter thing, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that MY FEAR is not in thee, saith the Lord God of Hosts."- Jeremiah 2:19.

Glory to Jesus, by his grace the bands of legal bondage are broken asunder; the cords of slavish fear, of wrath and hell, we cast from us: yet faith and fear go hand in hand. And this is the blessedness of everlasting love and new covenant grace, "I, saith Jehovah, will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. So shall they fear me for ever for their good."- Jeremiah 32:40. This is the precious fear the apostle exhorts to, which is ever to be cherished in the heart, and attended to in one’s daily walk. A fear of departing from the Lord Jesus tends to keep the soul close to him. Fear of offending causes watchfulness. Hope in a sin-pardoning God produceth fear; a sense of pardon increaseth it. "There is forgiveness with thee; that thou mayest be feared."- Psalms 130:4. "Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief."- Proverbs 28:14.

Forbid it, Lord, that I forget,

My standing is by faith;

This ever humbles at thy feet,

Well pleas’d at what thou saith.

If I withdraw my trust from thee,

I soon high-minded grow:

Forget thy fear, grow proud in self,

So prove I nothing know.

Evening Devotional

There is no fear in love. But perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment; he who feareth is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18.

The wild fire of nature’s passions are often mistaken for heavenly love. These have hurried people into dreadful delusions. Some have pretended to be so perfect in love, as to have nothing but pure love in them, and that the being of sin was entirely taken out of them. But they have soon given awful evidence, that they “deceived themselves, and that the truth was not in them.” (1 John 1:8.) Be wise by other’s harms. Study the word of God: abide by that. Live upon the perfect love of God: glory in that alone. For you are, and ever will be, while in the body, the subject of sin, therefore subject to that fear which hath torment: to fear God as an enemy, armed with almighty vengeance and vindictive wrath against you, a sinner. How is this tormenting fear to be cast out? By love; the perfect love of God in Christ to sinners. This, clearly known, cordially received and steadily believed in the heart, ejects all fear that hath torment. “There is no fear in love.” When we are fully persuaded of God’s love, in giving his Son to die for our sins, and to save us from wrath: this precious, everlasting, immutable, perfect love of God the Father, and God the Son, shed abroad in our hearts by God the Holy Ghost, fills our minds with peace and joy: it suffers no tormenting fears of hell and damnation to remain. Our hearts are full of heaven. The love of heaven is in our souls. For “God is love, and God dwelleth in us.” Thou, poor sinner, dejected with fears, bemoaning thy sins, and mourning thy want of love to God, dost thou confess that Jesus is the Son of God? Know then, to thy present peace and everlasting comfort, “God dwelleth in thee, and thou in him.” Do you ask, but why then am I so often tormented with fear? The apostle answers, you are not made perfect in, rather by love. Instead of firmly believing, and steadily living upon the perfect love of God in Christ, you lose sight of it, are slow of heart to believe it, and let it slip out of your mind. Hence, fears prevail again in your conscience. Here we mistake. We look for perfect love in ourselves to God, instead of the perfect love of God to us. If we find not a constant, pure flame of love ever burning in our hearts, without any smoke of contrary affections, tormenting fears beset us. This is for want of being established in God’s love to us. ‘Tis by this we are made perfect in our conscience, that God is at perfect peace with us in Christ. Hence, we are happy: “We love God, because he first loved us.” (verse 10.)

O! God of love, now shed abroad

Thy perfect love within my breast,

That I may run the heav’nly road

With joy to thy eternal rest.

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