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\ / Charles Spurgeon's MORNING & EVENING
http://www.heartlight.org/
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Thursday, November 29, 2007
MORNING:
"Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy
people ... Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and
not suffer sin upon him."
-- Leviticus 19:16,
Tale-bearing emits a threefold poison; for it injures the teller, the
hearer, and the person concerning whom the tale is told. Whether the
report be true or false, we are by this precept of God's Word forbidden
to spread it. The reputations of the Lord's people should be very
precious in our sight, and we should count it shame to help the devil
to dishonour the Church and the name of the Lord. Some tongues need a
bridle rather than a spur. Many glory in pulling down their brethren,
as if thereby they raised themselves. Noah's wise sons cast a mantle
over their father, and he who exposed him earned a fearful curse. We
may ourselves one of these dark days need forbearance and silence from
our brethren, let us render it cheerfully to those who require it now.
Be this our family rule, and our personal bond-SPEAK EVIL OF NO MAN.
The Holy Spirit, however, permits us to censure sin, and prescribes the
way in which we are to do it. It must be done by rebuking our brother
to his face, not by railing behind his back. This course is manly,
brotherly, Christlike, and under God's blessing will be useful. Does
the flesh shrink from it? Then we must lay the greater stress upon our
conscience, and keep ourselves to the work, lest by suffering sin upon
our friend we become ourselves partakers of it. Hundreds have been
saved from gross sins by the timely, wise, affectionate warnings of
faithful ministers and brethren. Our Lord Jesus has set us a gracious
example of how to deal with erring friends in his warning given to
Peter, the prayer with which he preceded it, and the gentle way in
which he bore with Peter's boastful denial that he needed such a
caution.
EVENING:
"Spices for anointing oil."
-- Exodus 35:8
Much use was made of this anointing oil under the law, and that which
it represents is of primary importance under the gospel. The Holy
Spirit, who anoints us for all holy service, is indispensable to us if
we would serve the Lord acceptably. Without his aid our religious
services are but a vain oblation, and our inward experience is a dead
thing. Whenever our ministry is without unction, what miserable stuff
it becomes! nor are the prayers, praises, meditations, and efforts of
private Christians one jot superior. A holy anointing is the soul and
life of piety, its absence the most grievous of all calamities. To go
before the Lord without anointing is as though some common Levite had
thrust himself into the priest's office-his ministrations would rather
have been sins than services. May we never venture upon hallowed
exercises without sacred anointings. They drop upon us from our
glorious Head; from his anointing we who are as the skirts of his
garments partake of a plenteous unction. Choice spices were compounded
with rarest art of the apothecary to form the anointing oil, to show
forth to us how rich are all the influences of the Holy Spirit. All
good things are found in the divine Comforter. Matchless consolation,
infallible instruction, immortal quickening, spiritual energy, and
divine sanctification all lie compounded with other excellencies in
that sacred eye-salve, the heavenly anointing oil of the Holy Spirit.
It imparts a delightful fragrance to the character and person of the
man upon whom it is poured. Nothing like it can be found in all the
treasuries of the rich, or the secrets of the wise. It is not to be
imitated. It comes alone from God, and it is freely given, through
Jesus Christ, to every waiting soul. Let us seek it, for we may have
it, may have it this very evening. O Lord, anoint thy servants.
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MORNING & EVENING from HEARTLIGHT /\/\
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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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