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Daily Devotionals
Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God
Devotional: October 24th

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Morning Devotional

Remember Lot’s wife.- Luke 17:32.

It may do a disciple much good, it can do him no harm, to call to mind the judgments of his God. Hence he may learn from others’ harm to be more wise and wary. If he sees professors fall away, it teaches him to take heed; it tends to lay him low in humility at the feet of Jesus, and excites gratitude and love in his heart, and makes him cry out in astonishment, Why am I not fallen! How am I kept! "Glory to grace!" It is well, O believer, ever to remember thou standest by faith; "Be not high minded, but fear." O, fear to look back with a wishful eye, or a lusting heart, to the sinful vanities of a carnal world. Remember Lot’s wife. What of her? She loitered; she did not keep up with her husband; she was behind him. So, soul; if thou dost loiter, and not keep close with Jesus thy husband, thou wilt be in danger. "She looked back from behind him." Here was an act of folly, unbelief, and disobedience: folly, in thinking, as she was behind Lot, he could not see her look back. Unbelief, in not stedfastly crediting God’s word.

Disobedience, in looking back to Sodom, contrary to his word, instead of looking forward, and up to the Lord. O soul, forget not Jesus sees the looks of thy heart if they are to this perishing world. He sees the unbelief of thy heart, if thou forgetest him, and lookest to any thing but him for happiness. He will punish disobedience to his voice, "follow me." "She became a pillar of salt."- Genesis 19:26. A lasting monument of God’s judgment. Though we never see this pillar of salt, yet we may see such every day. How many seem to turn their backs upon the world, and escape to Jesus, but their eyes look again to it. Looking begets longing; their feet are again entangled in its snares, their hearts bewitched with its smiles, they are hugged to death in the world’s embraces, and become as a pillar of salt: a monument of God’s judgment upon their conduct. It is supposed Lot’s wife retained her natural shape in this pillar: so in such professors there is all the appearance of the form of religion kept up; but the heart, the spirit, the life and power of it, are entirely extinct in their souls. Their very hearts are given up to the world, and are as cold and as dead to God as Lot’s wife, when she became a pillar of salt, was to the things of this life. The eye is a great inlet to temptation. Saints have woefully experienced this! David did. He saw; then he longed after enjoyment. O believer, Jesus is thy object. Here looking may beget love and longing, without danger of hurt; yea, with the greatest certainty of good to thy soul. Ever look to Jesus, remember him; so wilt thou, with Paul, "forget the things that are behind, and press toward the mark of the prize of thy high calling in HIM. Thou hast escaped for thy life." It is the command of thy God, in love to thy soul, "Look not behind thee."

Evening Devotional

The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord, he is their strength in the time of trouble. Psalms 37:39.

We may say of righteousness, as Job says of wisdom, “Where shall righteousness be found? And where is the place of perfect righteousness? Man knoweth not the price thereof, neither is it to be found in the land of the living,” (Job 28:12-13.) The Patriarch says, It is not in me. The Prophet says, It is not in me. The Apostle says, It is not in me. The Lord saith, “All flesh hath corrupted his way,” (Genesis 6:12.) “There is none righteous, no not one,” (Psalms 14:3.) Why then do the Scriptures speak so much of the righteous, if there be no such persons upon earth? Indeed there are. This is a point of great importance. The Lord settle it well in your heart and mine. We are guilty sinners in ourselves. We have no righteousness of our own. Yet, saith the Lord Jesus, the righteous one, “Their righteousness is of me,” (Isaiah 54:17.) We are made the righteousness of God in Christ, (2 Corinthians 5:21.) When we are taught this by the Spirit of truth, instead of looking into ourselves for righteousness, we cry out in the joy of faith, I have found it. “In the Lord have I righteousness.” (Isaiah 45:24.) Then we have a living union with the Lord our righteousness, by faith. Being perfectly righteous in him, we have righteous hopes, fears, desires, a righteous walk, and righteous expectations. For we know our salvation is of the Lord. The Spirit of truth does not leave us to the unrighteous notions of salvation, on any condition of our own work, duties, and performances, either in whole or in part. But he shews us such matchless glory in our Lord’s one everlasting righteousness, that it puts us at once, both out of conceit with our own filthy rags, and prevents us from placing any dependence on them for salvation. The Lord increase our faith in this righteousness. Lord quicken our love to thee for making us righteous. So neither are we left to live in sin, and walk in sin. But though thus righteous, yet sin is in us, therefore we have our troubles. Many are the afflictions of the righteous. Are we in trouble about the number of our enemies, the greatness of our sins and corruptions-the weakness of our graces-the strength of our temptations-a sense of desertion-the want of comfort, peace, and joy from the Lord? These are righteous troubles. The righteous Lord is our strength to support, under them-he has power to remove them. He neither wants strength of love, nor ability of power to save us from them. For the Lord delivereth the righteous out of all his troubles. Psalms 34:17.

Salvation is a joyful theme,

To sinners lost and poor.

While Lord, ‘tis thine most glorious scheme,

O let us feel its pow’r.

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