Daily Devotionals

Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God

Devotional: December 4th

Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust, that he will yet deliver us.- 2 Corinthians 1:10.

Divine confidence is founded upon God’s revealed truth; it arises in the heart in proportion to the discovery which is made of free-grace promises to sinners in Christ Jesus. Faith looks at nothing in nature, nor in the creature; it stands not upon any human probability or rational possibility; but, as the queen of graces, faith looks wholly to the king of glory, consults the word of his truth, relies on his promises and oath, and trusts in the power of an omnipotent Lord. Past experience of former deliverances sweetly encourage the soul to trust God for future. So the apostles reasoned upon temporal deliverances from the persecuting powers of earth and hell, which were engaged against them. All hope and help from the right hand and left were cut off. In themselves they had the sentence of death. They were like malefactors in their own apprehension, doomed to certain execution. But God had delivered them in time past! He did deliver them at the present; hence, their trust was excited for future deliverance. Just so they taught and gloried in a salvation equally as extensive, through all the periods of time past, present, and to come; which should certainly issue in everlasting glory.

O believer, here is a mode of reasoning for thy soul. Exercise thy faith on things past, present, and to come. Call to mind how God in time past delivered thy soul from thy great death in trespasses and sins. In how many dangers has he kept thee? From how many snares has he delivered thee? And art thou this present hour a saved sinner, living by faith on the Son of God? O, see thy Lord’s past mercies! O, consider thy Lord’s present blessings! Thence honor him with the faith of thy heart, the trust of thy soul, that he will yet deliver thee from every enemy. Art thou harassed by temptations? Remember, "thy Lord knoweth how and when to deliver out of them!"- 2 Peter 2:9. Art thou groaning under a body of sin and death? Crying out, O, wretched that I am? Consider the everlasting love and almighty power of thy precious deliverer; exult and triumph with, "thanks be to God who giveth the victory through Jesus Christ." Thus daily study, O soul, to live in an habitual view of thy God and Saviour; pray and wrestle for constant applications of Jesus’ grace, daily feelings of his love by the Spirit; so shall every lust of thy nature be subdued, Satan shall fly from the resistings of faith, victory shall be obtained over the world, holiness will be delightful to thy heart, and heaven desirable and longed for by the soul. Ever remember "it is God who worketh in us to will and to do of his good pleasure," as the only enlivening confidence to encourage thee to "work out thy salvation with fear and trembling."- Philippians 2:12-13.

I, even I am he, who blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Isaiah 43:25.

With tears of joy and emotions of love, my once dearly beloved and much honoured friend, now with Jesus, the late reverend Mr. Jones, minister of St. Saviour’s, told me, the awful charges which precede, and the free and unmerited grace which is proclaimed in this text, made the first impressions of the Saviour’s love upon his heart. O that the Lord of all grace may give us some comfort from it to-night! Here grace shines with meridian splendour; here grace gloriously reigns, over all the aboundings of sin: here grace sweetly triumphs over all the baseness and unworthiness of the sinner. In the two former verses, God arraigns the culprit, reads a black catalogue of indictment against him, and concludes with, “Thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.” The sinner is struck dumb. He dare not deny it. The judge proceeds to pass sentence. What is it? Vengeance, hell fire, and damnation? What else could be expected? Be astonished, O heavens! Shout for joy, O sinners, upon earth. I, even I am he-what? Who will be avenged of thee? Yes, but it is love which takes vengeance upon thy sins, and will melt down thy hard, thy base heart; that blotteth out thy transgressions. What, my soul, the very God whom thou hast made to serve with thy sins, and wearied with thine iniquities, will he blot them all out? Yes, as a black cloud is dispelled by the sun, or dispersed by the wind; or as an immense debt is discharged by the stroke of the pen of a merciful creditor, never more to appear against, or be demanded of the debtor. For, O wonder of love! he saith farther, and will not remember thy sins. I cannot forget my sins. How then can my Lord? They are all forgiven and forgotten as thy sins. The Lord remembers he laid them all upon his Son, thy surety. Then they passed from thee to him. Then they were all atoned for by him. Why all this? For the sake of thy works? For any terms and conditions thou hast performed? Spurn the thought. Hear thy Lord: For mine own sake, the dear Jesus blotted out thy sins with his blood. The loving Father blots them out for the sake of his justice and truth. The gracious Spirit blots them out of the conscience, for the glory of the Father and the Son, and because he is the comforter of poor sinners. O what boundless bliss is here! Believe, rejoice, and love.

Here is most joyful gospel news-

Sin’s blotted and forgot!

On this sweet word, my soul, now muse,

‘Till comfort thou hast got.

Then give thy Lord his glory due;

Rejoice, adore, and love:

Thou art as safe from sin and woe,

As those in heav’n above.