the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God
Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.- Psalms 73:24.
That is a precious caution of our loving Saviour, "Judge not according to the appearance."- John 7:24. St. Paul reproves saints, "Do ye look on things after the outward appearance?"- 2 Corinthians 10:7. Through this conduct, saints in all ages have puzzled their minds, distressed their souls, and have been tempted to hard thoughts of their God. They have not "judged righteous judgment," in respect to carnal men and the dispensations of God’s providence to them. So we see Job greatly exercised, (Job 21:7.) and Asaph in the above Psalm. But after the cloud of carnal reasoning and unbelief passed over their minds, the sun of glory and truth shone again with splendor upon them; then faith puts forth its lively exercises and sweet approbations of God. "O MY God and Saviour, I see thy ways to man are just! Righteous art thou, O Lord, thou art MY God, I will love thee: Thou shalt guide ME by thy counsel," etc. As the Lord is often said to make a covenant with his people when it was only renewing his old covenant of grace and love in Christ Jesus, so faith frequently makes a fresh choice of, claim to, and glory in the Lord Jesus.
"My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure, saith the Lord."- Isaiah 46:10. Amen, saith the believing heart. By thy word and Spirit guide me continually; I cannot guide myself. Jesus be thou my guide, my companion, and my familiar friend. Blessed Christian! though in Paul’s case- Acts 27:20 -"When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, when no small tempest is upon thee, and all hope of being saved seems taken away," yet Jesus is at the helm. Thy vessel shall ride out every storm; he will guide safe to the haven of glory and blessedness. Some persons seem so wholly taken up with prying into the secret purposes and inscrutable depths of God’s decrees, that they take no heed to their steps, but, like the philosopher who was so intent in observing the starry heavens, that being careless of his walk he fell into a ditch. Not God’s secret purposes, but his revealed truths are the objects of our faith: "his word is a light to our feet:" by that he counsels and directs us. The gracious Spirit leads and guides his children in the paths of peace and holiness. It is true, the path to glory is unpleasing to the flesh, and therefore is ever opposed by it; but as there is a disposition in regenerate souls to long for glory, so also a love in them to God’s word and the way of holiness. In this the children of God are manifest. All such, God will most certainly receive to glory. "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."- Romans 8:14.
He received from GOD the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 2 Peter 1:17.
These words furnish poor sinners with matter for sweet meditation. Spirit of truth, help us to see the honour and glory of the Father and Son in them, and to get comfort from them. Here is, (1st.) a silencing answer to that objection: you rob the Father of his honour and glory, by ascribing so much to the Son Jesus. Have you never been assaulted with this temptation? It comes from the enemy of God and sinners. Can two walk together, except they be agreed? But God and we are agreed. Our faith puts all the honour and glory of our salvation upon God’s beloved Son. There God himself puts it. IN his beloved Son, God is well pleased, and with us also IN him. (2d.) Here see the nature of faith. It causes the soul both to imitate and obey God, and to be well pleased with what God is, the dear Man, his beloved Son. (3d.) Though, to the eye of nature, Jesus appeared as a mere man, in abject poverty, contemptible meanness, and lowest abasement; yet the Father gives him the highest honour and glory, because he magnified his holy law and made it honourable: satisfied his divine justice, and brought everlasting honour and glory to every attribute and perfection of his nature. So that now, “God is just, and the justifier of sinners who believe in Jesus.” Then, under a sight and sense of your ruined nature, innumerable sins, and dreadful apostasies from God, put honour and glory upon the Son of God this night. His work and salvation, God is well pleased with. It has satisfied heaven for all thy sins: let thy conscience be satisfied with Jesus, and glory of him and in him alone. For thy encouragement herein, (4th.) consider St. Peter, who wrote these words. He was honoured to be on the mount: saw his Lord’s transfiguration: heard these words from the excellent glory-and yet, O shocking to think of! this same Peter, with horrid oaths and curses, denied that he knew the man, whom God the Father had so lately honoured and glorified. Yet there was an inexpressible fulness of grace in Jesus for him. Out of Christ’s fulness, Peter received grace upon grace, whereby he was recovered from his fall, restored to repentance, and preserved to salvation. O may the dear Saviour look our hearts into godly sorrow and holy love, that we may say, “This is my beloved Saviour, in whom I am well-pleased.”
If God in Jesus is well pleas’d,
Such glory to him gave,
We ne’er can honour Christ too much,
Who came our souls to save.
O, Lamb of God! we lift our eyes
Up to thy gracious throne:
Grant us thee daily more to prize,
And call thee, Lord, our own.
