the Fourth Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God
Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.- 1 John 1:3.
The prophet asks, "cannot two walk together, except they be agreed?"- Amos 3:3. No. There can be no sweet communion, no comfortable fellowship between God and man, except they be agreed. See then, O soul, this fellowship is enjoyed by faith: for by faith we are brought into agreement with God. Consider, how the glorious THREE concur to make our souls thus happy. It pleased God the Father, that all fulness should dwell in his Son. He determined to display all his grace and glory in the MAN Jesus, for the sinner’s salvation-Hence he saith to us, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, HEAR YE HIM." But we are averse to agree with God and to hear Jesus. We had rather have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, and that the devil should rule over us; than that Jesus should have the whole glory of saving us by his grace. But the dear Spirit loves us with equally the same love as the Father and the Son doth. He takes the scales of ignorance from our eyes, and the veil of unbelief from our hearts; then we fall in love with Jesus’ precious person. He convinces us of our sin and misery. O, then we gladly hear and joyfully receive Jesus to be our Saviour, Then we come to the exact point where the Father meets us and embraces us, even IN his Son Jesus. He saith to us, O my blessed sons! All I have is yours. We say to him, O our loving Father! All we are is thine. And just as children of one family have sweet communion, loving intercourse, and agreeable fellowship with each other, and with their common parents; so have we with our heavenly Father, and our dear brother, JESUS, in our spirits. He speaks to us; we hear and obey. We pray to him; he hears and answers. We have fellowship in the Father’s everlasting love; in the Son’s everlasting righteousness, atonement, salvation, and intercession, through the Spirit’s everlasting consolation. O, what astonishing grace! O, what wonder of love is this! Sinners of a mortal race enjoy close fellowship and intimate communion with the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity. This is our highest felicity below. Here we admire, adore, and love. Angels behold with wonder and joy our conversion to it. But this fills with envy and fires with rage, the infernal spirits. They hate THE TRUTH, and oppose our knowledge and enjoyment of it. Though Satan is not acquainted with our sweet fellowship, yet he sees we are not delighted to have fellowship with him in unfruitful works of darkness. Hence he is our adversary. And all the world, who are under his influence, he stirs up with implacable enmity against us. But what of all this! Faith is our victory. And as this fellowship is begun in faith; so the Holy Spirit will maintain it in the soul by faith below, till we come to the fullest enjoyment of God a Lamb above.
Underneath are the everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33:27.
It is related of Anteus, that every time Hercules threw him to the ground, he rose up the stronger, for he received new strength, by touching his mother, the earth. This is true of the Christian. The more he is assaulted, and thrown down by the enemy, the more he falls into the Lord’s everlasting arms, and gets fresh strength. He cannot be thrown down lower than God permits: for “underneath are the everlasting arms.” His word is full of grace-his arms almighty-his love everlasting. Here is the wisdom, here the glory of the Lord’s people, to look for themselves, to go out of themselves, for safety and salvation. For they rest upon God’s word. They believe the Lord to be all that to them, which he has said. This is living by faith-honouring the Lord’s truth-glorifying the Saviour’s name. Why are we told? “Underneath are the everlasting arms.” Because we know and see ourselves deserving of hell, and liable to fall into the pit of destruction. Therefore the Lord would have our hearts strong in him, and in the power of his might, that we might not fear the face of any enemy, nor be dismayed under the sense of our own vileness, and insufficiency to stand. The spouse of Christ, thus sweetly expresses her comfort and safety. “His left hand is under my head: his right hand doth embrace me,” (Song of Solomon 2:6.) Signifying, that she was encircled in the arms of her loving Saviour. Both hands were engaged for her safety and support. O drooping believer! Why dost thou hang down thy head? Why those dejecting doubts, and distressing fears? Look back to the everlasting covenant. There almighty love presided. Then wast thou viewed, and thy case provided for. Look up, there sits a God of love on a throne of grace. There stands the blessed advocate, Jesus, ever pleading thy cause. Look underneath, there are the everlasting arms to sustain, and support thee. What power then shall prevail against thee? Neither sin, death, or hell, can snatch thee out of the everlasting arms of thy almighty God, thy reconciled Father: out of the loving arms of thy gracious Redeemer: out of the powerful arms of the Holy Ghost, thy Sanctifier. Everlasting safety is in everlasting arms. Here is a covenant declaration. Exercise the covenant grace of faith upon this text. (1st.) “The eternal God is thy refuge.” Flee to him in distress. (2d.) His everlasting arms are underneath. Rejoice in thy safety. (3d.) He will thrust out every enemy before thee, and speak destruction to them. Happy art thou, O believer! Who is like unto thee, saved by thy Lord!
O Lord, I bless thee for thy word,
To build my faith upon;
Which doth such daily strength afford,
My heavily race to run.
