Daily Devotionals

Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God

Devotional: August 17th

Thou hast received gifts for men.- Psalms 68:18.

The dedication of this Psalm, according to Beza, is to him that excelleth, even Jesus, the excellent one. It contains a glorious display of the Redeemer’s kingdom. The royal prophet was highly favored with clear and comfortable views of the ample provision which is made for poor rebellious sinners in the settlements of the everlasting covenant of grace and love. Jesus is the rich treasury; all grace is laid up in him. So it pleased the Father, so it rejoiced the heart of all his members like Joseph’s brethren, to receive all gifts from his hands.

Jesus is the unspeakable gift of God the Father to us.- John 4:10. All his members were given to him: in him Jehovah loves us, delights in us, and rejoices over us to do us good. Alas! too, too often we are apt to think vainly, and talk arrogantly; to ascribe what we are, and what we hope for, to something in us, or done by us. So we lose sight of our own poverty, forget our kind benefactor, and presently this fever of pride is succeeded by an ague of heartless dejection: our hands hang down and our knees grow feeble. For ever blessed be God, salvation from first to last is all of free gift by free grace, secured by free promises in Christ. So it is effectual to the hearts of sinners; so believers ascribe all the glory to the ever-blessed trinity by Jesus. Are mine eyes opened to see the exceeding sinfulness of sin? Am I sensible of my deserts, my ruined, helpless state as a sinner? Do I see the purity and spirituality of God’s righteous law? Do I despair of all hope and help in myself? Is Jesus my refuge? Do I see the glory of his righteousness, and perfection of his atonement? Is the triumph of his cross, the victory of his death, the foundation of my faith, the support of my hope from day to day? These are love-tokens from Jesus. He sheds them on us as the free gifts of the Holy Spirit. So our hearts are enamoured with him, and knit to him in love. And, for our farther consolation and joy, he still lives to bestow innumerably more and infinitely greater gifts than what we have yet received; for if we have received the first fruits of the Spirit the harvest is sure: every enemy shall be conquered, every lust subdued. Nothing less than perfect holiness and perfect happiness await us. Is sin atoned for by the blood of Jesus; and shall his members live without a sense of pardon? No: "Ask," says our munificent benefactor, "and receive, that your joy may be full."- John 16:24.

Jesus is glorified; the Spirit is given to bear witness of love and salvation to us, to comfort and sanctify us. This is the joyful reasoning of faith. "If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him, also freely GIVE us all things?"- Romans 8:31-32.

And he said unto them, why are ye troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Luke 24:38.

Help, O help us, thou dear Lord, who spake these words to thy affrighted disciples, to gather some sweet consolation from them to our hearts this night. We know thou prayest for us, when thou prayest for all who should believe on thee. (John 17:20.) O speak in life and power these words to our troubled hearts, and for the rising thoughts of distress. Thine is the power: thine shall be the glory. (1st.) We here see, though their dear Lord was present, yet his beloved disciples were troubled. Yea, and though he had but that moment pronounced peace unto you, yet fears again rose in their hearts. They were as we are, flesh, as well as spirit: men of like passions with us. The frights, fears and troubles which nature is subject to, discompose the spiritual frames of disciples. But, (2d.) They do not alter our state, nor separate us from the love of Christ. This is a cordial under all heart troubles, and the rising of all evil, blasphemous, filthy or horrid thoughts. For, (3d.) Christ is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He sympathizes with us in what is distressing to us. He asks, why are ye troubled? Why do ye give way to unreasonable fears and terrors, which distract and distress your minds? (4th.) He takes pains to remove them. Says he, “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is myself:” no other than your dear and loving Saviour. O the condescending grace of Christ! He manifests himself to us. A sight of a risen Christ by faith, expels troubles and fears from our hearts. Therefore, (5th.) Whatever troubles, fears, dejections, terrors, or distress, arise in our hearts, we are encouraged with all freedom of soul, and boldness of hope, to go to him. Now, to the shame of our hearts, and the sorrow of our souls, have not you and I acted contrary to this? Instead of simply going to Christ with our heart troubles, and soul distresses, have we not questioned Christ’s love to us, and care for us? Thus Satan gets an advantage over us: our Saviour gets no glory from us. O fools that we are, and slow of heart to believe, that Jesus died for our sins, rose again for our justification, and that he is able to save unto the uttermost-ALL them that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25.) Up then with faith, and down with fears: away with all thoughts that trouble our hearts. Look from within: look up. Jesus is before the throne for us. “In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul.” “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me.” Psalms 94:19; Psalms 138:7.

My troubles, Lord, are known to thee,

Thou hast a loving heart,

To feel with tender sympathy,

And bid them all depart.

While I pass through this vale of tears,

How oft my spirit sinks,

Daily beset with doubts and fears;

But Jesus of me thinks.