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\ / Charles Spurgeon's MORNING & EVENING
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Monday, March 3, 2008
MORNING:
"I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction."
-- Isaiah 48:10
Comfort thyself, tried believer, with this thought: God saith, "I have
chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." Does not the word come like
a soft shower, assuaging the fury of the flame? Yea, is it not an
asbestos armour, against which the heat hath no power? Let affliction
come-God has chosen me. Poverty, thou mayst stride in at my door, but
God is in the house already, and he has chosen me. Sickness, thou mayst
intrude, but I have a balsam ready-God has chosen me. Whatever befalls
me in this vale of tears, I know that he has "chosen" me. If, believer,
thou requirest still greater comfort, remember that you have the Son of
Man with you in the furnace. In that silent chamber of yours, there
sitteth by your side One whom thou hast not seen, but whom thou lovest;
and ofttimes when thou knowest it not, he makes all thy bed in thy
affliction, and smooths thy pillow for thee. Thou art in poverty; but
in that lovely house of thine the Lord of life and glory is a frequent
visitor. He loves to come into these desolate places, that he may visit
thee. Thy friend sticks closely to thee. Thou canst not see him, but
thou mayst feel the pressure of his hands. Dost thou not hear his
voice? Even in the valley of the shadow of death he says, "Fear not, I
am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God." Remember that noble
speech of Caesar: "Fear not, thou carriest Caesar and all his fortune."
Fear not, Christian; Jesus is with thee. In all thy fiery trials, his
presence is both thy comfort and safety. He will never leave one whom
he has chosen for his own. "Fear not, for I am with thee," is his sure
word of promise to his chosen ones in the "furnace of affliction." Wilt
thou not, then, take fast hold of Christ, and say-
"Through floods and flames, if Jesus lead,
I'll follow where he goes."
EVENING:
"He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove."
-- Matthew 3:16
As the Spirit of God descended upon the Lord Jesus, the head, so he
also, in measure, descends upon the members of the mystical body. His
descent is to us after the same fashion as that in which it fell upon
our Lord. There is often a singular rapidity about it; or ever we are
aware, we are impelled onward and heavenward beyond all expectation.
Yet is there none of the hurry of earthly haste, for the wings of the
dove are as soft as they are swift. Quietness seems essential to many
spiritual operations; the Lord is in the still small voice, and like
the dew, his grace is distilled in silence. The dove has ever been the
chosen type of purity, and the Holy Spirit is holiness itself. Where he
cometh, everything that is pure and lovely, and of good report, is made
to abound, and sin and uncleanness depart. Peace reigns also where the
Holy Dove comes with power; he bears the olive branch which shows that
the waters of divine wrath are assuaged. Gentleness is a sure result of
the Sacred Dove's transforming power: hearts touched by his benign
influence are meek and lowly henceforth and for ever. Harmlessness
follows, as a matter of course; eagles and ravens may hunt their
prey-the turtledove can endure wrong, but cannot inflict it. We must be
harmless as doves. The dove is an apt picture of love, the voice of the
turtle is full of affection; and so, the soul visited by the blessed
Spirit, abounds in love to God, in love to the brethren, and in love to
sinners; and above all, in love to Jesus. The brooding of the Spirit of
God upon the face of the deep, first produced order and life, and in
our hearts, he causes and fosters new life and light. Blessed Spirit,
as thou didst rest upon our dear Redeemer, even so rest upon us from
this time forward and for ever.
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Morning & Evening is the classic devotional by 19th-century writer
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