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\ / Charles Spurgeon's MORNING & EVENING
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Sunday, October 14, 2007
MORNING:
"I count all things but loss for the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord."
-- Philippians 3:8
Spiritual knowledge of Christ will be a personal knowledge. I cannot
know Jesus through another person's acquaintance with him. No, I must
know him myself; I must know him on my own account. It will be an
intelligent knowledge-I must know him, not as the visionary dreams of
him, but as the Word reveals him. I must know his natures, divine and
human. I must know his offices-his attributes-his works-his shame-his
glory. I must meditate upon him until I "comprehend with all saints
what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and know the
love of Christ, which passeth knowledge." It will be an affectionate
knowledge of him; indeed, if I know him at all, I must love him. An
ounce of heart knowledge is worth a ton of head learning. Our knowledge
of him will be a satisfying knowledge. When I know my Saviour, my mind
will be full to the brim-I shall feel that I have that which my spirit
panted after. "This is that bread whereof if a man eat he shall never
hunger." At the same time it will be an exciting knowledge; the more I
know of my Beloved, the more I shall want to know. The higher I climb
the loftier will be the summits which invite my eager footsteps. I
shall want the more as I get the more. Like the miser's treasure, my
gold will make me covet more. To conclude; this knowledge of Christ
Jesus will be a most happy one; in fact, so elevating, that sometimes
it will completely bear me up above all trials, and doubts, and
sorrows; and it will, while I enjoy it, make me something more than
"Man that is born of woman, who is of few days, and full of trouble";
for it will fling about me the immortality of the ever living Saviour,
and gird me with the golden girdle of his eternal joy. Come, my soul,
sit at Jesus's feet and learn of him all this day.
EVENING:
"And be not conformed to this world."
-- Romans 12:2
If a Christian can by possibility be saved while he conforms to this
world, at any rate it must be so as by fire. Such a bare salvation is
almost as much to be dreaded as desired. Reader, would you wish to
leave this world in the darkness of a desponding death bed, and enter
heaven as a shipwrecked mariner climbs the rocks of his native country?
then be worldly; be mixed up with Mammonites, and refuse to go without
the camp bearing Christ's reproach. But would you have a heaven below
as well as a heaven above? Would you comprehend with all saints what
are the heights and depths, and know the love of Christ which passeth
knowledge? Would you receive an abundant entrance into the joy of your
Lord? Then come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, and touch
not the unclean thing. Would you attain the full assurance of faith?
you cannot gain it while you commune with sinners. Would you flame with
vehement love? Your love will be damped by the drenchings of godless
society. You cannot become a great Christian-you may be a babe in
grace, but you never can be a perfect man in Christ Jesus while you
yield yourself to the worldly maxims and modes of business of men of
the world. It is ill for an heir of heaven to be a great friend with
the heirs of hell. It has a bad look when a courtier is too intimate
with his king's enemies. Even small inconsistencies are dangerous.
Little thorns make great blisters, little moths destroy fine garments,
and little frivolities and little rogueries will rob religion of a
thousand joys. O professor, too little separated from sinners, you know
not what you lose by your conformity to the world. It cuts the tendons
of your strength, and makes you creep where you ought to run. Then, for
your own comfort's sake, and for the sake of your growth in grace, if
you be a Christian, be a Christian, and be a marked and distinct one.
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