May 29 – The Rich Treasures of Grace

Hope for Today: A Daily Devotion from Reasons for Hope*Jesus

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“Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all impurity with greediness.” Ephesians 4:18-19

If a man be naturally dead, though the sunshine in his face, he sees not its splendor, nor feels its warmth. Offer him rich presents; he receives them not; he has no eye to see them, no heart to desire them, no hand to grasp them. Thus it is with one that is spiritually dead; let the sunshine of the gospel blaze out ever so clearly, he sees it not because he is in darkness; though he live under plentiful means and rich dispensations — yet he is blind and poor; offer him the rich pearls of the gospel, the rich treasures of grace in Christ Jesus — yet he has no heart to them, no hand of faith to lay hold upon them; so blind, stupid, and senseless is he, that, though these rich treasures, these graces, these pearls of the gospel, be conveyed unto him in earthen vessels, in a plain and familiar manner — yet he does not, he cannot apprehend them; judgments do not affright him, and mercies cannot allure and persuade him. In the mean time, this creature is all life in the element of sin: he loves it; he pleads for it, he commits it with greediness. This is Paul’s account of the unconverted Gentiles, and how many such have we under a Christian name! O Lord, exert Your great power and quicken all that are thus dead in trespasses and sins. Carry on also Your work in my heart, that I may be holy in word and deed.

Devotion by Karl Heinrich von Bogatzky (1690—1774)