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\ / Charles Spurgeon's MORNING & EVENING
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Thursday, December 6, 2007
MORNING:
"As is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly."
-- 1 Corinthians 15:48
The head and members are of one nature, and not like that monstrous
image which Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream. The head was of fine gold,
but the belly and thighs were of brass, the legs of iron, and the feet,
part of iron and part of clay. Christ's mystical body is no absurd
combination of opposites; the members were mortal, and therefore Jesus
died; the glorified head is immortal, and therefore the body is
immortal too, for thus the record stands, "Because I live, ye shall
live also." As is our loving Head, such is the body, and every member
in particular. A chosen Head and chosen members; an accepted Head, and
accepted members; a living Head, and living members. If the head be
pure gold, all the parts of the body are of pure gold also. Thus is
there a double union of nature as a basis for the closest communion.
Pause here, devout reader, and see if thou canst without ecstatic
amazement, contemplate the infinite condescension of the Son of God in
thus exalting thy wretchedness into blessed union with his glory. Thou
art so mean that in remembrance of thy mortality, thou mayest say to
corruption, "Thou art my father," and to the worm, "Thou art my
sister"; and yet in Christ thou art so honoured that thou canst say to
the Almighty, "Abba, Father," and to the Incarnate God, "Thou art my
brother and my husband." Surely if relationships to ancient and noble
families make men think highly of themselves, we have whereof to glory
over the heads of them all. Let the poorest and most despised believer
lay hold upon this privilege; let not a senseless indolence make him
negligent to trace his pedigree, and let him suffer no foolish
attachment to present vanities to occupy his thoughts to the exclusion
of this glorious, this heavenly honour of union with Christ.
EVENING:
"Girt about the paps with a golden girdle."
-- Revelation 1:13
"One like unto the Son of Man" appeared to John in Patmos, and the
beloved disciple marked that he wore a girdle of gold. A girdle, for
Jesus never was ungirt while upon earth, but stood always ready for
service, and now before the eternal throne he stays not is holy
ministry, but as a priest is girt about with "the curious girdle of the
ephod." Well it is for us that he has not ceased to fulfil his offices
of love for us, since this is one of our choicest safeguards that he
ever liveth to make intercession for us. Jesus is never an idler; his
garments are never loose as though his offices were ended; he
diligently carries on the cause of his people. A golden girdle, to
manifest the superiority of his service, the royalty of his person, the
dignity of his state, the glory of his reward. No longer does he cry
out of the dust, but he pleads with authority, a King as well as a
Priest. Safe enough is our cause in the hands of our enthroned
Melchizedek.
Our Lord presents all his people with an example. We must never unbind
our girdles. This is not the time for lying down at ease, it is the
season of service and warfare. We need to bind the girdle of truth more
and more tightly around our loins. It is a golden girdle, and so will
be our richest ornament, and we greatly need it, for a heart that is
not well braced up with the truth as it is in Jesus, and with the
fidelity which is wrought of the Spirit, will be easily entangled with
the things of this life, and tripped up by the snares of temptation. It
is in vain that we possess the Scriptures unless we bind them around us
like a girdle, surrounding our entire nature, keeping each part of our
character in order, and giving compactness to our whole man. If in
heaven Jesus unbinds not the girdle, much less may we upon earth.
Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth.
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Morning & Evening is the classic devotional by 19th-century writer
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