Required reading
A treatise on Satan's temptations by Richard Gilpin (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Chapter 12 of Part 3.
My summary
This week Gilpin finishes his discussion of the temptation of Christ given in Matthew 4:3 'And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.'
He observes:
(xiv) that it is Satan's endeavour to make men proceed from a distrust of providence to a distrust of their spiritual sonship, or filial interest in God;
(xv) that the great design of Satan is to weaken the assurance and hopes of the children of God in their adoption.
What grabbed me
I appreciated Gilpin's advice at the end of the chapter: 'Those that are converted, though they may and ought to humble themselves deeply for their sinful miscarriage, and sincerely acknowledge that they deserve not to he called his children, yet must they be careful not to renounce their filial interest. They may say they are prodigal, yet keep to this, that they are sons ; though they are wandering sheep, yet must they stick here, that they are sheep still, and that God is still a Father, though a provoked Father, otherwise their folly will give more than all his fury could get, at least so quickly and easily.'
Although we don't deserve to be God's children, we are God's children!
Next week's reading
Read Chapter 13 and 14 of Part 3.
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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