the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God
I press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.- Philippians 3:14.
By effectual vocation the soul is called from a death in sin to a life of righteousness. By spiritual illumination the most desirable objects are discerned; the faith of God’s elect manifests itself to be an operative grace in the heart by the conduct of the life. Blessed Paul, though such a zealous champion for sovereign operations and free-grace truths, though so averse to the pride of free-will and the confidence of human righteousness in his writing and preaching, yet his life and exhortations are equally opposite to all licentious practices and unchristian sloth; he had a race to run, a prize to win, the end of his calling to attain. Thus is it with all who are partakers of like precious faith; folding the hands, sitting down contented, resting in ease and indolence, may suffice when doctrines are only received as notions in the head.
Truth may be assented to in the judgment as dry speculations, so as to engage the tongue, without warming and influencing the heart, and producing the fruits of holiness in the life. If sitting still and talking, or walking contrary to the hope of the gospel, be to imitate the apostle’s blessed conduct, followers of him abound greatly every where; but the truth received in the love of it excites to activity. Says the Christian, "I press forward," like a racer who considers the mark before him, turns his back upon the place he set out from, and is solicitous so to run that he may obtain the prize. Jesus is the Christian’s mark, he presses towards him, he is solicitous to enjoy much of Christ below, he longs for full enjoyment of him above; this is our glorious high calling. What can be put in competition with it? the world, with all its sinful customs, vain pleasures, and carnal delights? No; we forsake these, and leave them behind us. We fear being entangled with the objects of time and sense, preferring Jesus above all. Earthly things grow more and more mean and contemptible to us. The more we see our all in Jesus, and expect all from him, so much the more we press towards him. Hence means of grace are prized, ordinances attended to, Christ’s word is precious, the prize is glorious. Thou man of God, ever exercise a godly jealousy of being brought into bondage to the world or the flesh. Remember how unloving, how dishonorable thou actest when any object engages thy attention and rivals thy Saviour. "So run that you may obtain."
How vain are all things here below!
How false and yet how fair!
Each pleasure hath its poison too,
And ev’ry sweet a snare.
Dear Saviour, let thy beauties be
My soul’s eternal food;
And grace command my heart away
From all created good.
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saveth us. Titus 3:5.
“ Shew us a miracle, and we will believe you are inspired,” say carnal men. We can, but they have no eyes to see it. Blessed be God, miracles are not ceased. The Lord works miracles of grace daily. Every regenerate sinner is a miracle of God the Father’s mercy, of God the Son’s grace, and of God the Holy Spirit’s power. His humble language proclaims it. I stand forth and declare, that I was a vile sinner, condemned by the law of God, and justly deserving the damnation of hell; yet full of the pride of my own works, and confident of salvation by my own righteousness; but God, by an act of sovereign mercy, has saved me from the power of sin, and a vain confident hope of my own righteousness. “Not by works which we have done.” Our works are out of the question. For all boasting is excluded. Yet the notion of absolute mercy in God to any sinner, without respect to works of righteousness performed by man, to fulfil the law of God, is absurd and unscriptural. It is to be rejected as contrary to the attributes and perfections of the Godhead. Therefore, we are saved by mercy, according to works of righteousness: but not which we have done. No. But what Jesus our law-fulfilling head hath done for us. He hath fully obeyed the commands of the holy law; perfectly satisfied the demands of strict justice, hence the mercy of the Holy Spirit flows to us. Jesus saves us from the curse of the law, and the sword of justice. The Spirit saves us from the blindness of our understanding, the rebellion of our will, and the carnality of our affections. Pause, O my soul! Fall down and adore his rich mercy, that snatched thee from hell, and saved thee to heaven. Yes, into the heaven of the love of the Father, Son, and Spirit. My soul is formed for it. I have suitable dispositions to it. How? “By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” As water separates the filth from the thing washed, and makes it clean; so the Spirit separates us from the love of sin, our pride, selfrighteousness, and aversion to Christ and his salvation; begetting us again from our old natural false hope, to a new and lively hope of salvation, by the death and resurrection of Jesus, by the word through faith; renewing us hereby in the spirit of our mind, making us new creatures in Christ. So that salvation is not by reforming and mending our old nature. That is left just as it was. But begetting us anew in Christ, that we might live and walk in him to the glory of God. Our old nature is subjected to grace. “Christ is in us the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27.
No works of ours have any share,
God’s mercy to procure:
It’s all by grace, we’re what we are!
May grace make us more pure.
