-/\/\-----------------------------------------------------------------
\ / Charles Spurgeon's MORNING & EVENING
http://www.heartlight.org/
--\/------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, December 13, 2007
MORNING:
"Salt without prescribing how much."
-- Ezra 7:22
Salt was used in every offering made by fire unto the Lord, and from
its preserving and purifying properties it was the grateful emblem of
divine grace in the soul. It is worthy of our attentive regard that,
when Artaxerxes gave salt to Ezra the priest, he set no limit to the
quantity, and we may be quite certain that when the King of kings
distributes grace among his royal priesthood, the supply is not cut
short by him. Often are we straitened in ourselves, but never in the
Lord. He who chooses to gather much manna will find that he may have as
much as he desires. There is no such famine in Jerusalem that the
citizens should eat their bread by weight and drink their water by
measure. Some things in the economy of grace are measured; for instance
our vinegar and gall are given us with such exactness that we never
have a single drop too much, but of the salt of grace no stint is made,
"Ask what thou wilt and it shall be given unto thee." Parents need to
lock up the fruit cupboard, and the sweet jars, but there is no need to
keep the salt-box under lock and key, for few children will eat too
greedily from that. A man may have too much money, or too much honour,
but he cannot have too much grace. When Jeshurun waxed fat in the
flesh, he kicked against God, but there is no fear of a man's becoming
too full of grace: a plethora of grace is impossible. More wealth
brings more care, but more grace brings more joy. Increased wisdom is
increased sorrow, but abundance of the Spirit is fulness of joy.
Believer, go to the throne for a large supply of heavenly salt. It will
season thine afflictions, which are unsavoury without salt; it will
preserve thy heart which corrupts if salt be absent, and it will kill
thy sins even as salt kills reptiles. Thou needest much; seek much, and
have much.
EVENING:
"I will make thy windows of agates."
-- Isaiah 54:12
The church is most instructively symbolized by a building erected by
heavenly power, and designed by divine skill. Such a spiritual house
must not be dark, for the Israelites had light in their dwellings;
there must therefore be windows to let the light in and to allow the
inhabitants to gaze abroad. These windows are precious as agates: the
ways in which the church beholds her Lord and heaven, and spiritual
truth in general, are to be had in the highest esteem. Agates are not
the most transparent of gems, they are but semi-pellucid at the best:
"Our knowledge of that life is small,
Our eye of faith is dim."
Faith is one of these precious agate windows, but alas! it is often so
misty and beclouded, that we see but darkly, and mistake much that we
do see. Yet if we cannot gaze through windows of diamonds and know even
as we are known, it is a glorious thing to behold the altogether lovely
One, even though the glass be hazy as the agate. Experience is another
of these dim but precious windows, yielding to us a subdued religious
light, in which we see the sufferings of the Man of Sorrows, through
our own afflictions. Our weak eyes could not endure windows of
transparent glass to let in the Master's glory, but when they are
dimmed with weeping, the beams of the Sun of Righteousness are
tempered, and shine through the windows of agate with a soft radiance
inexpressibly soothing to tempted souls. Sanctification, as it conforms
us to our Lord, is another agate window. Only as we become heavenly can
we comprehend heavenly things. The pure in heart see a pure God. Those
who are like Jesus see him as he is. Because we are so little like him,
the window is but agate; because we are somewhat like him, it is agate.
We thank God for what we have, and long for more. When shall we see God
and Jesus, and heaven and truth, face to face?
/--- Sponsor a Child with Compassion -----------------------\
For less than a dollar a day, you can make a powerful
difference in the life of a needy child. Click on the
following link to learn more about sponsoring a child
through Compassion!
\--- http://ads.heartlight.org/email/31/ -------------------/
Content-type: text/html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
CURE FOR THE COMMON LIFE: LIVING IN YOUR SWEET SPOT, by Max Lucado
In Cure for the Common Life, Max Lucado offers practical tools for
exploring and identifying your own uniqueness, putting your strengths
to work, and living in your "sweet spot" for the rest of your life.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?256
Find more great books, CDs and videos at the Heartlight store! With
each purchase you make, you're helping to support Heartlight's
ministry. Thanks SO MUCH for your help!
MORNING & EVENING from HEARTLIGHT /\/\
===============================================================\ /===
http://www.heartlight.org/spurgeon
\/
Morning & Evening is the classic devotional by 19th-century writer
and preacher Charles Spurgeon. It's part of HEARTLIGHT Magazine,
the leading Christian living e-zine on the Web. Visit HEARTLIGHT
on the web for even more devotionals, plus music, articles and more
for your Christian walk!
ABOUT HEARTLIGHT:
Heartlight, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) religious non-profit organization.
Donations are needed and welcome (and tax-deductible)! Find out how
to help!
http://www.heartlight.org/support
EDITOR: Phil Ware, phil@heartlight.org
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE?
It's FREE! To subscribe send a blank email to:
join-spurgeon@maillists.heartlight.org
HOW DO I LEAVE?
Send a blank email to the unsubscribe address:
spurgeon-unsub@maillists.heartlight.org
STILL HAVING TROUBLE?
If our automated unsubscribe system isn't working for you,
send an email to mailmaster@heartlight.org and let us know
what list you would like to leave. We'll take care of you.
OTHER QUESTIONS?
Find answers to your frequently asked questions:
http://www.heartlight.org/help/faq/spurgeon.html
======================================================================
