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Daily Devotionals
Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God
Devotional: December 2nd

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Morning Devotional

I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.- Jeremiah 31:3.

Thus the Lord speaks to his church as to a collected body; therefore ye members of Jesus, what foundation of comfort, what cause of rejoicing have you daily! But what doubts and scruples do often arise in your poor hearts concerning God’s love to you! Why is this? Because we judge of and determine the bounds of the love of our God, from the sense and feeling we find in ourselves, instead of abiding by the Lord’s own gracious declarations in his word to us. How absurd would it be for us to judge of the dimensions of that glorious luminary the sun, by the little light and heat which we partake of! Shall we conclude from the severe cold we feel in winter’s frost; or, in the sense of midnight darkness, that light and heat cease to exist in the sun? Alas! we may as well "measure the waters in the hollow of our hand, mete out the heaven with our span, weigh the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance," as truly as to estimate and judge of the infinite, boundless love of God to poor sinners in Christ Jesus, from our perception and sense of it. Dost though O soul, experience the drawing of thy heart to Jesus for righteousness, atonement, life, and salvation? This is not of the will of the flesh, but of the power of God, the effects of his loving kindness to thee. For, saith Jesus, "no man can come unto me, except the Father draw him."- John 6:44. As the rays of light lead to the source from whence they flow, so this stream of love, in time, instructs our souls in the most comfortable truth of God’s everlasting love. Think not, because I experience repentance towards God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, am obedient to the gospel of holiness, therefore, for these graces, now the Lord begins to love me. O no! for his love is of an earlier date; this is reversing God’s method; and in times of darkness and desertion, and under Satan’s buffetings, when thou hast no light to see thy graces, nor feeling sense of comfort in the exercise of them, this method of judging of God’s love will be most distressing to thy poor soul. O, may the Spirit of truth help us to judge of God’s love according to his own word of grace. "I have loved thee with an everlasting love; and therefore (for this cause) with loving kindness have I drawn thee" from darkness to light, from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of my dear Son; glory shall crown what grace begun. What motive so powerful, what doctrine so influential to animate and enliven the soul with fervent love and cheerful obedience as the daily reflection and constant belief of the everlasting, unchangeable love of God to us in Christ Jesus? "Not any thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."- Romans 8:39.

Evening Devotional

The times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the LORD. Acts 3:19.

Who shall these times come to? Every sinner that repents and turns to Christ for salvation. From whence shall they come? From the presence of the Lord. Here then it is manifest, whether you have repented and turned to the Lord. If so, (1st.) your soul will delight in God’s presence. (2d.) You will earnestly long for and highly prize these refreshing seasons. (3d.) You will say with David, “Thou art my God; my times are in thy hands. I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall be continually in my mouth.” (Psalms 31:14-15: Psalms 34:1.) Hence, (4th.) you will turn from your sins, your self-righteous hopes, carnal pleasures, and worldly vanities, to seek all your happiness in the enjoyment of the presence of the Lord. And, (5th.) you will wait in the patience of faith, for the coming of refreshing seasons, believing they shall come. Is it now a night of gloom and sadness? Are we tried and afflicted, bowed down and dejected? Is the sun of comfort set? Does the moon withhold its shining, and the stars their light? Yet times of refreshing shall come. Believe this: hang on this word: bless the Lord for it. That dear Comforter, who brought us to Christ, will refresh our souls with a sense of the love of Christ, the peace of God, and the joys of the heavenly world. He will refresh us with his witness to our hearts, that we are the children of God, and heirs of glory. He does keep up in our minds a constant sense of his precious truth, that Christ is both an able and a willing Saviour to us; that he calls our weary labouring souls to him, and promises to ease and refresh us. This is refreshing to our hearts. Is sin our burden? Do we want rest? Are our souls troubled for want of peace? Are our spirits distressed for want of refreshment? Christ says, Come unto me. But the most precious times of refreshment shall soon come. Yet a little while, and we shall behold and be in the eternal enjoyment of the presence of the Lord. O, a lively view of this by faith is most refreshing indeed! Then, we long to be absent from the body and present with the Lord: we are sick of the world, sick of ourselves; we triumph over sin and Satan, smile at death, and welcome its approach. “And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee.” (Psalms 39:7.) Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearance of the great God, even our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us. Titus 2:13.

Tho’ sin and sorrow bow me down,

And my dear Lord delays;

He will refresh my spirit soon,

With tokens of his grace.

Therefore, I’ll wait, and look, and pray,

And not from him depart:

His presence makes a happy day,

And fills with joy my heart.

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