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Daily Devotionals
Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God
Devotional: October 10th

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Morning Devotional

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.- Philippians 2:12.

The salvation of lost sinners, from first to last, is all of grace, not of works- Romans 11:16. It was planned in the covenant of grace; by the grace of Jesus it is FINISHED. The moment we believe on Jesus, salvation is ours; it is OUR OWN SALVATION. Mind that. Why are we called to work it out? Consider, salvation implies deliverance from dangers and enemies. Are we not surrounded with these, without as well as within? The legality of our spirits, the pride of our natures, the lusts of the flesh, the carnal reasonings of our minds, unbelief of the offspring of them, the rebellion of our wills, the self-righteousness of our hearts, the worldly mindedness of our desires, the carnality of our affections, the turbulency of our passions, etc., say, are not these like a legion of enemies to our salvation? Is not Satan, our grand adversary, ever working by means of these enemies to bring us into dangers and distress, if by any means he may prevent our peaceably possessing, and eternally enjoying salvation?

Judge then, O believer, is not deliverance from danger through these enemies needful? Is there not a necessity for thy working out thy deliverance from their force and fraud? Is there not need for faith to work by love, striving against sin, resisting Satan, mortifying the flesh, perfecting holiness, fruitful in good works? The commands of thy God make the work of faith, the labour of love, and the patience of hope necessary. The gospel requires, love constrains to be much in prayer and meditation, searching the scriptures, and in all holy ordinances; and to encourage to this, ever remember, it is "God who worketh in us both to will and to do." "Be strong, for I am with you," saith the Lord of hosts.- Haggai 2:4. Does all thy happiness consist in the comfortable enjoyment of the full assurance of this salvation? Then "work it out with fear and trembling." FEAR to think of establishing thy works and duties as thine own righteousness, or to procure the favor of thy God. TREMBLE to entertain any hope of salvation, but by the atoning blood of Jesus, and the perfect righteousness of Jesus; any way of access to God, but through his mediation.

Fear and tremble, above all, after thou hast done all, to think I am PERFECT. Know, thou art still "an unprofitable servant." TREMBLE to entertain the least notion that thy might, thy power, thy faithfulness, hath wrought anything as terms and conditions to procure salvation. FEAR ever to ascribe any glory to thyself. "Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."- James 1:25.

Evening Devotional

Mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. Psalms 38:4.

Though there may be pleasures in sin for a season, yet at the last, “it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.” O come hither and see, how the venom of sin has overspread poor David’s whole frame. Read this Psalm. Mark the anguish of his conscience, and the distress of his soul; and say, is not sin exceedingly sinful? What pain, out of hell, can be compared to the anguish of a guilty conscience? But better, infinitely better, to smart for sin here, than to cry out under the smart of sin and hell. Conviction of sin by the Spirit, is in order to cleansing of sin by the blood of Christ. Better to roar from disquietude of the soul on earth, than to sleep secure in sin, till we drop into and roar for sin in the bottomless pit. One or other will be the portion of all flesh. Two similes are before us, expressive of David’s distress. (1st.) “Mine iniquities are gone over mine head.” He was like a man in the greatest danger of drowning; overwhelmed with distress, like one whose head was under water. His iniquities caused his soul to sink within him. (2d.) They were as a heavy burden. He had greater weight upon him, than he could stand under. He cries out, as though ready to be crushed by its ponderous load, “They are too heavy for me.” (3d.) Look at his cry, and hear upon whom he calls. “Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.” (ver. 22.) Though sinking under, and pressed down with his iniquities on his conscience, yet he had salvation in view, and the Lord of his salvation as his hope. O Lord, MY Jesus! Now, can you be in a worse plight than David was? Can you be under more distressing circumstances? He was sinking in deep waters, with a ponderous load upon him. In such a state, you may discover whether your convictions are evangelical, and you possess the faith of God’s elect or not. Legal convictions only fill the soul with terror, drive it from God, and leave it in despair without hope. Convictions from the Spirit, the Comforter, lead the soul to Christ: and the faith, hope, and cry of the soul will be, after the help and salvation of Jesus only. For he is “the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world.” Behold him, O my soul, under every sense of guilt. Believe him, under every dejection of soul; for he hath assured us, “All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men.” Matthew 12:31.

When sin does weigh my spirits down,

And dread besets my soul;

Lord, then thy sacrifice I’ll own,

Thy blood can make me whole.

I bless the Spirit’s holy grace,

Who doth convince of sin,

And leads me to my Saviour’s face,

For pard’ning love within.

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