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\ / Charles Spurgeon's MORNING & EVENING
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Monday, March 17, 2008
MORNING:
"Remember the poor."
-- Galatians 2:10
Why does God allow so many of his children to be poor? He could make
them all rich if he pleased; he could lay bags of gold at their doors;
he could send them a large annual income; or he could scatter round
their houses abundance of provisions, as once he made the quails lie in
heaps round the camp of Israel, and rained bread out of heaven to feed
them. There is no necessity that they should be poor, except that he
sees it to be best. "The cattle upon a thousand hills are his"-he could
supply them; he could make the richest, the greatest, and the mightiest
bring all their power and riches to the feet of his children, for the
hearts of all men are in his control. But he does not choose to do so;
he allows them to suffer want, he allows them to pine in penury and
obscurity. Why is this? There are many reasons: one is, to give us, who
are favoured with enough, an opportunity of showing our love to Jesus.
We show our love to Christ when we sing of him and when we pray to him;
but if there were no sons of need in the world we should lose the sweet
privilege of evidencing our love, by ministering in alms-giving to his
poorer brethren; he has ordained that thus we should prove that our
love standeth not in word only, but in deed and in truth. If we truly
love Christ, we shall care for those who are loved by him. Those who
are dear to him will be dear to us. Let us then look upon it not as a
duty but as a privilege to relieve the poor of the Lord's
flock-remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, "Inasmuch as ye have
done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it
unto me." Surely this assurance is sweet enough, and this motive strong
enough to lead us to help others with a willing hand and a loving
heart-recollecting that all we do for his people is graciously accepted
by Christ as done to himself.
EVENING:
"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the
children of God."
-- Matthew 5:9
This is the seventh of the beatitudes: and seven was the number of
perfection among the Hebrews. It may be that the Saviour placed the
peacemaker the seventh upon the list because he most nearly approaches
the perfect man in Christ Jesus. He who would have perfect blessedness,
so far as it can be enjoyed on earth, must attain to this seventh
benediction, and become a peacemaker. There is a significance also in
the position of the text. The verse which precedes it speaks of the
blessedness of "the pure in heart: for they shall see God." It is well
to understand that we are to be "first pure, then peaceable." Our
peaceableness is never to be a compact with sin, or toleration of evil.
We must set our faces like flints against everything which is contrary
to God and his holiness: purity being in our souls a settled matter, we
can go on to peaceableness. Not less does the verse that follows seem
to have been put there on purpose. However peaceable we may be in this
world, yet we shall be misrepresented and misunderstood: and no marvel,
for even the Prince of Peace, by his very peacefulness, brought fire
upon the earth. He himself, though he loved mankind, and did no ill,
was "despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with
grief." Lest, therefore, the peaceable in heart should be surprised
when they meet with enemies, it is added in the following verse,
"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Thus, the peacemakers are not only
pronounced to be blessed, but they are compassed about with blessings.
Lord, give us grace to climb to this seventh beatitude! Purify our
minds that we may be "first pure, then peaceable," and fortify our
souls, that our peaceableness may not lead us into cowardice and
despair, when for thy sake we are persecuted.
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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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