the Fourth Week after Easter
Daily Devotionals
Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God
God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.- Galatians 6:14.
Satan is very busy to hinder the Christian’s glorying in Jesus ONLY. As an adversary to the truth, he objects, by the men of the world, and it is frequently suggested to the believer’s mind, "Jesus is ever uppermost in your heart and tongue; you ascribe no glory to God the Father, and to the Holy Spirit." But this is vain and ignorant; for in our crucified Jesus we behold the great love of the Father. Our glorying in the cross of Christ alone, is by the grace and teaching of the Holy Spirit, whose office it is to testify of Jesus ONLY, and of salvation by none other; so saith our Lord, "He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you."- John 16:14.
God forbid that any man upon earth, all the devils in hell, all the lusts in our nature, or unbelief of our hearts, should corrupt our minds from the simplicity of Christ, or prevent our glorying in our ever dear, ever lovely Jesus of Nazareth; for he hung on the accursed tree, with all our guilt, and sin, and shame, in his naked, exposed body. Was he ashamed to own our vile characters, or love our sinful persons? No: shall we be ashamed to own and confess his innocent person, his glorious name, his gracious words, his accursed death, his perfect salvation? Surely then the very stones in the street would cry out against us. And Jesus says, "whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."- Mark 8:38. To expect salvation from no other, and all salvation from this man JESUS, this fellow, this malefactor, as the Jews accounted him, as suffering, dying on the cross, a gibbet, a gallows; this is the very essence of the gospel, the glory of God’s grace, the wonder of angels, and the envy of devils; this is the only hope of a poor humble sinner, and the triumph of faith.
Who can fully describe the blessedness of Jesus-glorifying souls! As they find and feel new life from his cross, they experience a crucifixion and death to all legal hopes and vain confidence, which a self-righteous world glory in. From the cross of Jesus they view the world with all its pomps and pleasures, riches and honors, glory and happiness, as accursed, sentenced and devoted to destruction. Therefore, as crucified persons by the faith of Jesus, we die daily to the world. "Christ is our life."- Colossians 3:4.
Our faith adores thy bleeding love,
And trusts for life in one that dy’d;
We hope for heavenly crowns above,
From "Redeemer crucified."
Let the vain world pronounce it shame,
And fling their scandals on the cause!
We come to boast our Saviour’s name.
And make our triumphs in his cross.
For he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. Hebrews 11:27.
What a paradox! “Seeing him who is invisible.” Is not this deemed the very height of enthusiasm? I dearly love that word. It signifies, being in God. And I love it, in the very sense carnal men use it too, for they mean, one who evidences the zeal and fire of godliness in his soul. Give me that man for my companion, who is cast off by the world, as an enthusiast. Is it any marvel that scriptural, experimental truths, are foolishness to the spiritually blind, and that they can neither endure the persons, nor the language of the children of faith? Consider, (1st.) What did Moses endure? What you and I, and every enlightened soul is called to endure, “the reproach of Christ, and suffering affliction with the people of God.” Now this is opposed, by “enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season.” So that if you will but enjoy the pleasures of sin with the men of the world, you may escape the reproach of Christ, and avoid suffering affliction from them. Now which is your choice? If Christ be your object, you cannot hesitate one moment: Moses’ choice will be yours. Give me Christ-welcome reproach-afflictions I embrace for him. O let me have Christ within me, and his mark upon me. Faith makes all easy: love makes all pleasant: hope makes all joyful. Well, but, how could Moses endure the reproach of Christ, before Christ was born in the flesh? Why, the premised Messiah was the object of his faith, his hope, his love and his joy. As he was of all these heroes of faith, recorded in this chapter, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever,” is the one only object of every sinner’s faith, since the fall of Adam to this day. Take away Christ, and faith has no existence. But, (2d.) How did Moses endure? Just as you and I must. Seeing: this implies a continued act of the mind, constantly fixed upon an object. We cannot be stedfast in faith, joyful in hope, abounding in love, and enduring reproach for Christ, unless we are continually “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2.) Though he is invisible to the eye of sense, yet we see him by the eye of faith. See him as our forerunner entered into heaven for us-after having removed all things out of the way that hindered us-now ever living to pray for us-ever ready to keep us-and waiting to receive us to himself, that where he is there we may be also. O this constant looking makes hopeful, holy, joyful living, and comfortable dying.
Faith gives a sight unto the soul,
To see an unseen Christ,
Which does our sinful pow’rs control,
And make us truly blest.
Bless God for Christ, and Christ for faith,
To see such blessed things:
O take more heed to what God saith,
Which only comfort brings.
