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Daily Devotionals
Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God
Devotional: August 16th

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Morning Devotional

And they laughed him to scorn.- Matthew 9:24.

Wonderful indeed is our master in patience, meekness, love, and goodness, under such insult and scorn. "When Herod saw Jesus he was exceeding glad: he desired to see him of a long season, for he hoped to see some miracle done by him." Miracles may satisfy the curiosity; they do not of themselves, convert the heart to the truth. This is plain. Herod saw in Jesus a most astonishing miracle. Behold innocence itself arraigned and accused-death in its most cursed and ignominious form threatened. Amazing to consider! Jesus stood mute; his tongue locked up in silence. His mighty arm, which could have dealt destruction at a blow, he suffered to be bound; himself set at nought, mocked, and in derision arrayed in a robe of mock royalty-WHITE, saith Beza. So Herod, though undesigned, gives him a token of his innocence; as Pilate, contrary to his judgment and intention, gives him a title, "This is the King of the Jews." Though requested to alter the words, he was constrained to be inflexible; replies, "What I have written, I will not revoke."

See your calling, brethren: it is to confess and follow a once laughed at, scorned, ridiculed Jesus: never once dream of being excused pledging our Lord in the same cup. So sure as thou dost "witness a good profession" of faith in Jesus and conformity to him, thou also shalt not escape laughter and scorn from the carnal world, nor of being arrayed by them in the contemptible garb of a fool’s cap and a madman’s coat.

Time was when we acted as they do. Think of this, and be humble. Give him the glory who taught us better. But what harm can this do us? Harm! it is our greatest glory on earth. "Such honor have all his saints." An honor angels share not in. Sinners only are called thus to glorify their master. True, it is galling to the flesh; but "they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts." By the world’s scorn, pride is mortified, while the soul is joyful; and the Spirit of Christ and glory rests upon us. The world laughs us to scorn; Jesus smiles and approves. Shall we be uneasy and grieve at it? No; our master bids us rejoice, and be exceeding glad. Thus, follow Christ and fear not men.

In former times it was a proverbial expression, to shew the impossibility of a thing, "You may as soon turn a Christian from Christ as do it." Stedfastness here is our glory. In the things of God, said Luther, I assume this title, CEDO NULLI, "I yield to none." As God’s election is irrevocable, so let our confession of Christ be: striving to imitate him in love and patience. "Put on (as the elect of God, holy and beloved) humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering."- Colossians 3:12.

Evening Devotional

Thus saith thy LORD, the LORD, and thy GOD who pleadeth the cause of his people, etc. Isaiah 51:22.

Thou poor soul, who art almost at thy wits’ end, drunk with trouble, and intoxicated with affliction, over thee do men insult, and Satan triumph? Are they saying to thee, “Bow down, thou poor, insignificant wretch! that we may go over thee.” You a Christian! you are not what you profess. In the lowliness of thy mind, and in the meekness of thy heart, dost thou take all this? And, as it were, hast thou laid thy body on the ground, and suffered thyself to be walked over? All this cannot satisfy the fury of thine enemies. Wherein art thou to take comfort under all this? Verily, from, thus saith thy Lord. Thy Lord: mind that. However men treat thee, they cannot take thy Lord, nor his love from thee: nor should they at any time disturb thy peace, or destroy thy comfort in him. For the Lord Is thy God. Thy is again repeated. Why? that thou shouldest take special notice of it; be doubly confident in it. O the sweetness of these pronouns, My and Thy! The preciousness of the gospel (says Luther) consists in them. “Who pleaded the cause of his people.” Who doth this but Jesus? Then he is thy Lord: the Lord and thy God. Canst thou desire a better? Wouldst thou look to any other pleader? This righteous Advocate has fully undertaken thy cause, without fee or reward. Yea, such is his amazing love for thee, such his astonishing readiness to serve thee, that unsought, unasked, he voluntarily undertook to plead thy desperate cause. Thou art not asked to put into his hands. But thou art content, and happy to see it there, Canst thou help loving and thanking such a dear Advocate, such a blessed Mediator? This precious pleader hath two points to carry for us. (1st.) To acquit us from every charge of the law, every condemnation of justice, and all the fury of divine wrath due to our sins: (2d.) To obtain for us the comforting, renewing, sanctifying influence of the Holy Ghost. For this, he pleads the perfect atonement of his death, and the spotless obedience of his life. O! let what he ever pleads before the throne, be the constant objects of our faith: so shall we triumph over all the powers of darkness-the evil of sin-the curse of the law, and even sing victory in distress. Mind this precious word, and rejoice. “The Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.” (Psalms 149:4) Then do you take pleasure in the Lord, and glory in his salvation.

I shall prevail, for Jesus pleads

My cause against my foes:

My soul on death and danger treads,

Quite safe from all their woes.

The faith of this makes me rejoice,

To walk the ways of God:

Tis sweet to hear his loving voice

All thro’ the heav’nly road.

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