Thorns and Roses

You see, my dearly beloved brothers, that our way through the wilderness of this world to the heavenly Canaan is beset with thorns, and that there are sons of Anak to be grappled with before you can possess the rose, the Promised Land. But let not these, like so many false spies, discourage you from going up to fight the Lord's battles, but say with Caleb and Joshua, "No, we will go up , for we are able to conquer them." Jesus Christ, that great captain of our salvation, has in our stead, and as our representative, battled the grand enemy of mankind, and we have nothing to do, but manfully to fight under his banner, and to go on from conquering to conquer. Our glory does not consist in being exempted from, but in enduring temptation. "Blessed is the man, who endures temptation;" and again "Count it all joy" when you fall into various temptations. And in that perfect form our blessed Lord has prescribed to us, we are taught to pray, not so much to be delivered from all temptation, as from the evil of it. While we are on this side of eternity, it is necessary that temptations come; and, no doubt, "Satan has desired to have all of us, to sift us as wheat." Who should we fear? For he that is for us, is by far more powerful, than all that are against us. Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, is exalted to the right hand of God and sits there to make intercession for us, that our faith fail not.

George Whitefield Daily Readings, Randall J. Pederson, ed., Christian Focus Publications, 2010, September 4 reading.

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