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\ / Charles Spurgeon's MORNING & EVENING
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Sunday, April 6, 2008
MORNING:
"Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp."
-- Hebrews 13:13
Jesus, bearing his cross, went forth to suffer without the gate. The
Christian's reason for leaving the camp of the world's sin and religion
is not because he loves to be singular, but because Jesus did so; and
the disciple must follow his Master. Christ was "not of the world:" his
life and his testimony were a constant protest against conformity with
the world. Never was such overflowing affection for men as you find in
him; but still he was separate from sinners. In like manner Christ's
people must "go forth unto him." They must take their position "without
the camp," as witness-bearers for the truth. They must be prepared to
tread the straight and narrow path. They must have bold, unflinching,
lion-like hearts, loving Christ first, and his truth next, and Christ
and his truth beyond all the world. Jesus would have his people "go
forth without the camp" for their own sanctification. You cannot grow
in grace to any high degree while you are conformed to the world. The
life of separation may be a path of sorrow, but it is the highway of
safety; and though the separated life may cost you many pangs, and make
every day a battle, yet it is a happy life after all. No joy can excel
that of the soldier of Christ: Jesus reveals himself so graciously, and
gives such sweet refreshment, that the warrior feels more calm and
peace in his daily strife than others in their hours of rest. The
highway of holiness is the highway of communion. It is thus we shall
hope to win the crown if we are enabled by divine grace faithfully to
follow Christ "without the camp." The crown of glory will follow the
cross of separation. A moment's shame will be well recompensed by
eternal honour; a little while of witness-bearing will seem nothing
when we are "for ever with the Lord."
EVENING:
"In the name of the Lord I will destroy them."
-- Psalms 118:12
Our Lord Jesus, by his death, did not purchase a right to a part of us
only, but to the entire man. He contemplated in his passion the
sanctification of us wholly, spirit, soul, and body; that in this
triple kingdom he himself might reign supreme without a rival. It is
the business of the newborn nature which God has given to the
regenerate to assert the rights of the Lord Jesus Christ. My soul, so
far as thou art a child of God, thou must conquer all the rest of
thyself which yet remains unblest; thou must subdue all thy powers and
passions to the silver sceptre of Jesus' gracious reign, and thou must
never be satisfied till he who is King by purchase becomes also King by
gracious coronation, and reigns in thee supreme. Seeing, then, that sin
has no right to any part of us, we go about a good and lawful warfare
when we seek, in the name of God, to drive it out. O my body, thou art
a member of Christ: shall I tolerate thy subjection to the prince of
darkness? O my soul, Christ has suffered for thy sins, and redeemed
thee with his most precious blood: shall I suffer thy memory to become
a storehouse of evil, or thy passions to be firebrands of iniquity?
Shall I surrender my judgment to be perverted by error, or my will to
be led in fetters of iniquity? No, my soul, thou art Christ's, and sin
hath no right to thee.
Be courageous concerning this, O Christian! be not dispirited, as
though your spiritual enemies could never be destroyed. You are able to
overcome them-not in your own strength-the weakest of them would be too
much for you in that; but you can and shall overcome them through the
blood of the Lamb. Do not ask, "How shall I dispossess them, for they
are greater and mightier than I?" but go to the strong for strength,
wait humbly upon God, and the mighty God of Jacob will surely come to
the rescue, and you shall sing of victory through his grace.
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MORNING & EVENING from HEARTLIGHT /\/\
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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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