Daily Devotionals

Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God

Devotional: October 1st

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.- 1 Peter 5:7.

We are now called to confess Jesus in a day of mildness; the fury and rage of persecution is restrained; bonds and imprisonments do not await us; yet we must not think to be exempt from trials and difficulties of various kinds. The adversary is not dead; nature’s lusts and corruptions are alive, and daily fight against us. The love of Jesus is ever accompanied with the world’s hatred. Disciples of Jesus are not mere stoics; they feel the exercise of these things more or less. Sometimes it may be their lot, like the disciples, to be in the midst of a sea of troubles; tossed with the wave of difficulties, the wind of providence seems contrary to them; and to the eye of nature and sense, Jesus seems asleep to their sorrows; as though he intermits in his kind love to them, and tender care over them. Here is the trial of faith; but this grace never consults nature and appearances; it looks through all, to the everlasting love and almighty power of Jesus, knowing he can save from the uttermost depth of distress, to the uttermost height of comfort.

So triumphs the church under all her tribulations; "I will look unto the Lord: I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me."- Micah 7:7-8. Sweet confession of faith under very discouraging views. But while the Lord cares for us, what can harm us? And while we cast our every care on him, we obey his will, honor his word, and gather from that heavenly plant the blessed fruit of heart-ease. How composed did the three children of faith stand before the wrathful monarch! How easy their minds under the dreadful threatening of a fiery furnace! How calm their reply! "O king, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter!" the Lord careth for us; we cast all our care upon him. Ever judge of Jesus’ care for sinners by his love to them. Ever remember while we were enemies, his blood atoned for our sins. Can we believe his love to us, and doubt of his care for us? O how unreasonable is unbelief! But if we had no corruptions to conflict with, no troubles to exercise us, no burdens to bow us down, no cares to beset us, no fears to attend us, great part of God’s word would be useless. As we are not to expect total freedom from these things, the exhortations of the word are suited to our state, and direct to a loving friend, whom we are to believe and honor by obeying his kind invitations: under every distress Jesus saith, "Come unto me."- Matthew 11:28.

But was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15.

O, says a soul in heaviness, through manifold temptations, surely no one was ever tempted and tried as I am: St. Paul answers to the contrary. “There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to men,” (1 Corinthians 10:13.) Is this any relief and support to you? If not, consider the text. (1st.) Temptation was common to Christ as man. He was tempted in all points like as we are. View him beset by Satan. See the hellish arts he practised upon him. He tempted him to the lust of the eye-to self-murder-to idolatry-to distrust God-to tempt God-yea, in all points, like as we are. You cannot feel a trial or temptation, but what Christ felt before you. Though he had no sin in his nature for Satan to work upon, yet, he doubtless felt all the assaults, which the power and malice of hell could attack him with, yet without sin. Therefore, temptations are not sin. (2d.) Though as God, Christ knew all things intuitively, yet he could only as a man have a feeling, experimental sense of the nature and power of temptations. (3d.) This is very comfortable to his tried, tempted members. For he is “touched with a feeling of our infirmities.” “Being tempted himself, he is able to succour them when are tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18.) O think of this under all your temptations and trials. What! did Christ feel all that I feel before him, and for me? Had he the most lively sense and pungent feelings of temptation? And was all to this end, that he might be able to succour me? Think, O my soul, thy crowned Head in glory feels for all his tempted members on earth. Consider Jesus, once a MAN as thou art, and now, as seeing thy distressed, panting heart, and labouring breast, bowed down with one temptation after another. Methinks I hear him say, Thus it was with me, when in the flesh. My heart yearns, my bowels move with tender compassion, to that my brother, in flesh. I am touched with a tender sympathy for him. Is it so? Then do not keep the devil’s secrets. Does he tempt thee from day to day, with some vile, filthy, cursed lust? Go and lay all in thine heart open to the Lord. Be neither afraid nor ashamed. Christ knows what sore temptations mean, for he has felt the same. Confess the vile, abominable, hellish lusts, and corruptions of thy nature. Remember, ever remember, Christ’s blood is the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness. Zechariah 13:1.

Temptations black beset my soul,

And often make me start:

How can this be, if grace control,

That I should feel such smart?

My soul, be not dismay’d at this,

Thy Lord did feel the same:

Satan doth strive to mar thy peace,

But Christ hath conquer’d him.