Daily Devotionals

Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God

Devotional: October 23rd

Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man.- Matthew 26:74.

Self-righteous hearts are ready to think, better to have concealed Peter’s abominable wicked conduct. No; the Spirit of wisdom hereby stains the glory of all flesh, and exalts the super-abounding riches of Jesus’ grace over the aboundings of sin. He shews, in Peter’s denying his loving Saviour, what human nature is, and what shocking depths of sin a believer may fall into when left to the workings of carnal nature and the buffetings of Satan. Dreadful to think of! Most earnestly to be prayed against! Yet we see the affectionate heart of Jesus is ever towards his wounded, fallen members. Love is within, and by a look of love, how suddenly, how effectually did Jesus raise and restore Peter! Three denials of Jesus, each attended with higher aggravations, though deserving only a look of wrath, and a frown into hell; yet were followed with a look from Jesus which broke Peter’s heart into affection, and melted his very soul into love. Amazing grace! Astonishing kindness! Let no disciple think, I am not in danger of falling, after the like example of unbelief; for every one is.

If any poor lamb of Jesus’ flock is fallen, and has been worried and torn by the wolf, let him not say that his loving shepherd has cast him off for ever, and has no more care for him or love to him. What! will the true shepherd who gave his life for the sheep, who bought every one of them with his own blood, will he suffer the enemy to rob him of his property, and destroy any one of his purchased ones? No, verily, this can never be while Jesus is mighty to save. That can never come to pass till Jesus ceaseth to love, and he can as soon cease to exist; for Jesus is God, and GOD IS LOVE- 1 John 4:16. O, how oft are our poor souls hurt and wounded! though not in denying Jesus to a fellow-creature with oaths and curses, yet too oft are we ashamed to confess his dear person, his precious cause, his despised cross. Yea, and when we entertain unloving thoughts of our Saviour, from the working of unbelief in the heart, this naturally tends to deny Jesus in his office and character; leads to depreciate and think too meanly of his salvation, his blood, righteousness, intercession, and faithfulness to his people. Hence we encourage guilty fears, our views of his love get clouded, a sense of it in the heart grows cold, and the influence of it on the life is benumbed. Is not this in effect to say, "I know not the man?" Such are the workings of nature and unbelief. O, how little do we consider what Christ hath done, and is doing for us! We have too mean and contracted views of Jesus at best; and such at times as we are ashamed of, when we are enabled clearly to view "Christ in us our hope of glory."- Colossians 1:27.

Is any thing too hard for the LORD? Genesis 18:14.

A clergyman went to read prayers on a working-day. There was but one person in the church, beside himself and the clerk. On which he said to the clerk, As there is nobody else here, what signifies my reading prayers? Sir, said the clerk, Is not God present? O said the priest, I forgot God. Do not we too often the same? Is it not hence, that our minds are exercised with doubts, fears, and distress? This question the Lord put to Sarah, when an unbecoming laugh of incredulity appeared, and this unbelieving speech dropt from her lips, “Shall I, of a surety, bear a child, who am old?” O the longsuffering kindness, the condescending goodness of our Lord! He is Jesus the Saviour, for instead of striking her dead at his feet, for her contempt of his word, he mildly reasons with her. As though he had said, Sarah, look not at yourself. Consult not flesh and blood. Judge not according to nature, reason, and the state of things. Consider the promise, look at the Promiser, the Lord God omnipotent. “Is any thing too hard for the Lord?” O think of the love of an incarnate God! This question, doubtless, broke the strong fetters of Sarah’s unbelief, for it is thus recorded of her, “Through faith, Sarah received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful, who had promised,” (Hebrews 11:11.) Here is a matter brought to pass, beyond the power, and contrary to the laws of nature. But who shall set bounds to the God of nature? O soul, whenever thy mind is puzzled with any mysterious truth of God’s word, solve the difficulty with thy Lord’s own interrogation, “Is any thing too hard for the Lord?” It is quite sufficient to silence all thy carnal reasoning, quell the risings of unbelief, and cause thee to leave all thy hard matters and difficult concerns in thy Lord’s hand. Never forget his everlasting love. Never doubt his almighty power. Say, thou hast a hard heart, a sea of corruptions, a storm of afflictions and temptations, potent enemies, strong unbelief; yea, say, thou hast death and hell to conflict with. Yet say not that any, or all of these are too strong for thy Lord: too hard for him to support thee under, and save thee from. O then, in all thy straits, difficulties, and trials, never, never forget thy Lord’s question, Is any thing too hard for the Lord? “Remember the eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath thee are his everlasting arms. He will speak destruction to thy foes, and salvation to thy soul.” Deuteronomy 33:27.

The Lord we serve’s omnipotent,

Let faith then trace his pow’r,

For that’s engag’d by covenant,

To keep us ev’ry hour.

Whene’er strong foes do us assault,

And sin and lust do rage.

Lord, keep our souls from ev’ry fault,

And on our side engage.