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\ / Charles Spurgeon's MORNING & EVENING
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Wednesday, October 17, 2007
MORNING:
"And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by
the hand of Saul."
-- 1 Samuel 27:1
The thought of David's heart at this time was a false thought, because
he certainly had no ground for thinking that God's anointing him by
Samuel was intended to be left as an empty unmeaning act. On no one
occasion had the Lord deserted his servant; he had been placed in
perilous positions very often, but not one instance had occurred in
which divine interposition had not delivered him. The trials to which
he had been exposed had been varied; they had not assumed one form
only, but many-yet in every case he who sent the trial had also
graciously ordained a way of escape. David could not put his finger
upon any entry in his diary, and say of it, "Here is evidence that the
Lord will forsake me," for the entire tenor of his past life proved the
very reverse. He should have argued from what God had done for him,
that God would be his defender still. But is it not just in the same
way that we doubt God's help? Is it not mistrust without a cause? Have
we ever had the shadow of a reason to doubt our Father's goodness? Have
not his lovingkindnesses been marvellous? Has he once failed to justify
our trust? Ah, no! our God has not left us at any time. We have had
dark nights, but the star of love has shone forth amid the blackness;
we have been in stern conflicts, but over our head he has held aloft
the shield of our defence. We have gone through many trials, but never
to our detriment, always to our advantage; and the conclusion from our
past experience is, that he who has been with us in six troubles, will
not forsake us in the seventh. What we have known of our faithful God,
proves that he will keep us to the end. Let us not, then, reason
contrary to evidence. How can we ever be so ungenerous as to doubt our
God? Lord, throw down the Jezebel of our unbelief, and let the dogs
devour it.
EVENING:
"He shall gather the lambs with his arm."
-- Isaiah 40:11
Our good Shepherd has in his flock a variety of experiences, some are
strong in the Lord, and others are weak in faith, but he is impartial
in his care for all his sheep, and the weakest lamb is as dear to him
as the most advanced of the flock. Lambs are wont to lag behind, prone
to wander, and apt to grow weary, but from all the danger of these
infirmities the Shepherd protects them with his arm of power. He finds
new-born souls, like young lambs, ready to perish-he nourishes them
till life becomes vigorous; he finds weak minds ready to faint and
die-he consoles them and renews their strength. All the little ones he
gathers, for it is not the will of our heavenly Father that one of them
should perish. What a quick eye he must have to see them all! What a
tender heart to care for them all! What a far- reaching and potent arm,
to gather them all! In his lifetime on earth he was a great gatherer of
the weaker sort, and now that he dwells in heaven, his loving heart
yearns towards the meek and contrite, the timid and feeble, the fearful
and fainting here below. How gently did he gather me to himself, to his
truth, to his blood, to his love, to his church! With what effectual
grace did he compel me to come to himself! Since my first conversion,
how frequently has he restored me from my wanderings, and once again
folded me within the circle of his everlasting arm! The best of all is,
that he does it all himself personally, not delegating the task of
love, but condescending himself to rescue and preserve his most
unworthy servant. How shall I love him enough or serve him worthily? I
would fain make his name great unto the ends of the earth, but what can
my feebleness do for him? Great Shepherd, add to thy mercies this one
other, a heart to love thee more truly as I ought.
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Morning & Evening is the classic devotional by 19th-century writer
and preacher Charles Spurgeon. It's part of HEARTLIGHT Magazine,
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