the Fourth Week after Easter
Daily Devotionals
Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.- Psalms 55:22.
The soul, having lost its innocency by the sin of the first Adam, can never be happy till it knows righteousness is restored to it again by Jesus, the second Adam. Sensible sinners would be truly miserable when they see their nakedness and feel their want of righteousness, was not righteousness revealed as God’s unspeakable gift by Jesus Christ. By him a glorious robe of righteousness is wrought out and imputed to naked and destitute sinners. Grace reigns through his righteousness. All the mercy and favor we receive from God is in a way of righteousness. We enjoy the knowledge and comfort that we are righteous before God through faith. If this point is not clear and settled in the mind, it is because the clouds of ignorance and unbelief are not chased away; the sun of righteousness hath not yet arose upon such hearts; therefore they are perplexed and distressed touching the hope of salvation. For this is the essential and leading point in Christianity. We may toil all the days of our life to get righteousness, but we shall go to bed in the dark without it, unless we are made righteous IN Christ. Infinite are the blessings, most precious the promises which abound in God’s word to the RIGHTEOUS. When we read of the righteous in scripture, we are ever to remember Jesus, and give glory to him who is our righteousness by faith. God "will never suffer the righteous to be moved from their hope." There is also a holy boldness and sweet familiarity between a righteous Lord and such righteous souls. As he has clothed them with the garments of salvation, they have always a sympathizing friend in their hours of trouble to flee to. This is the hope that supports them; Jesus will support their weak souls and sustain their heavy burdens; they cannot sink though they may be often ready to faint. But why is this? Truly we are apt to struggle with this difficulty and toil with the other load upon our poor minds, instead of casting all upon Jesus who careth for us. Sense opposeth faith, hence Jesus is forgotten, and the mind remains troubled. But here is the wisdom and glory of faith; whenever we feel our souls are bowed down on any account, to refer all our griefs and cast or roll all our burdens off from our own minds upon Jesus, and simply to cry out with Hezekiah, "O Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for me."- Isaiah 38:14.
But I with all my cares,
Will lean upon the Lord;
I’ll cast my burdens on his arm,
And rest upon his word.
His arm shall well sustain
The children of his love;
The ground on which their safety stands
No earthly pow’r can move.
-That in all things he might have the pre-eminence. Colossians 1:18.
We cannot be happy, till this truth is brought into the experience of our hearts. The regenerate soul is ever at war with the flesh, for it opposes the pre-eminence of Christ. And is also at war against the proud notions of profane, as well as self-righteous men, who reject Christ our precious head, from having the pre-eminence in the salvation of the body. They put him in subordination in many things, instead of giving him the pre-eminence in all things. When our Lord says, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work,” (John 5:17,) some selfsufficient sinners become bold intruders, and add, “Lo we work also, and our works must have some part in our salvation.” Well, it will be so, till the law of works, which has the pre-eminence in their hearts, kills their legal hopes and self-righteous confidence. Soul, can you say with St. Paul, “I, through the law, am dead to the law?” (Galatians 2:19.) Are you married to Christ by faith? Then you have seen, that you are totally destroyed in the old creation; and a mere cypher, an insignificant nothing in the work of a new creation. Here Christ is all in all. As a chaste and loving bride, you will glory in, and exalt your beloved Bridegroom above all things. (1st.) You will give him the pre-eminence in your heart. It is said of the late king, George the Second, when he chose to keep his nobles at a distance, he used to say, “the king is at home today.” So, whenever any bold intruders from the world, the flesh, or the devil, solicit admittance, you will say, “King Jesus is on his throne to-day.” He has the pre-eminence within. My affections are set on him. There is no room for you. (2d.) Of your hopes. Does Satan accuse? We overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb, and by our testimony of Jesus. (Revelation 12:11.) Does the law condemn? “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.” (Galatians 3:13.) Is conscience distressed? “His blood sprinkles our hearts from an evil conscience.” (Hebrews 10:22.) His work “makes perfect,” as pertaining to the conscience. (Hebrews 9:9.) “His blood purges our conscience from dead works, to serve the living God.” (Hebrews 9:14.) Thus Christ has the preeminence in all things, pertaining to our conscience, and our hopes. For we are fully assured, “God hath made us accepted in the beloved.” (Ephesians 1:6.) (3d.) In our lives.
We are not under the law. Therefore we have done with all legal striving to fulfil it, that we may be justified by, and saved for what we do. But we are under the grace of Christ. This has the preeminence over our walk. We live under the influence of love. We walk with Christ’s salvation in our hearts.
