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\ / Charles Spurgeon's MORNING & EVENING
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Tuesday, February 19, 2008
MORNING:
"Thus saith the Lord God; I will yet for this be enquired of
by the house of Israel, to do it for them."
-- Ezekiel 36:37
Prayer is the forerunner of mercy. Turn to sacred history, and you will
find that scarcely ever did a great mercy come to this world unheralded
by supplication. You have found this true in your own personal
experience. God has given you many an unsolicited favour, but still
great prayer has always been the prelude of great mercy with you. When
you first found peace through the blood of the cross, you had been
praying much, and earnestly interceding with God that he would remove
your doubts, and deliver you from your distresses. Your assurance was
the result of prayer. When at any time you have had high and rapturous
joys, you have been obliged to look upon them as answers to your
prayers. When you have had great deliverances out of sore troubles, and
mighty helps in great dangers, you have been able to say, "I sought the
Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." Prayer is
always the preface to blessing. It goes before the blessing as the
blessing's shadow. When the sunlight of God's mercies rises upon our
necessities, it casts the shadow of prayer far down upon the plain. Or,
to use another illustration, when God piles up a hill of mercies, he
himself shines behind them, and he casts on our spirits the shadow of
prayer, so that we may rest certain, if we are much in prayer, our
pleadings are the shadows of mercy. Prayer is thus connected with the
blessing to show us the value of it. If we had the blessings without
asking for them, we should think them common things; but prayer makes
our mercies more precious than diamonds. The things we ask for are
precious, but we do not realize their preciousness until we have sought
for them earnestly.
"Prayer makes the darken'd cloud withdraw;
Prayer climbs the ladder Jacob saw;
Gives exercise to faith and love;
Brings every blessing from above."
EVENING:
"He first findeth his own brother Simon."
-- John 1:41
This case is an excellent pattern of all cases where spiritual life is
vigorous. As soon as a man has found Christ, he begins to find others.
I will not believe that thou hast tasted of the honey of the gospel if
thou canst eat it all thyself. True grace puts an end to all spiritual
monopoly. Andrew first found his own brother Simon, and then others.
Relationship has a very strong demand upon our first individual
efforts. Andrew, thou didst well to begin with Simon. I doubt whether
there are not some Christians giving away tracts at other people's
houses who would do well to give away a tract at their own-whether
there are not some engaged in works of usefulness abroad who are
neglecting their special sphere of usefulness at home. Thou mayst or
thou mayst not be called to evangelize the people in any particular
locality, but certainly thou art called to see after thine own
servants, thine own kinsfolk and acquaintance. Let thy religion begin
at home. Many tradesmen export their best commodities-the Christian
should not. He should have all his conversation everywhere of the best
savour; but let him have a care to put forth the sweetest fruit of
spiritual life and testimony in his own family. When Andrew went to
find his brother, he little imagined how eminent Simon would become.
Simon Peter was worth ten Andrews so far as we can gather from sacred
history, and yet Andrew was instrumental in bringing him to Jesus. You
may be very deficient in talent yourself, and yet you may be the means
of drawing to Christ one who shall become eminent in grace and service.
Ah! dear friend, you little know the possibilities which are in you.
You may but speak a word to a child, and in that child there may be
slumbering a noble heart which shall stir the Christian church in years
to come. Andrew has only two talents, but he finds Peter. Go thou and
do likewise.
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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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