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\ / Charles Spurgeon's MORNING & EVENING
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Thursday, April 10, 2008
MORNING:
"The place which is called Calvary."
-- Luke 23:33
The hill of comfort is the hill of Calvary; the house of consolation is
built with the wood of the cross; the temple of heavenly blessing is
founded upon the riven rock-riven by the spear which pierced his side.
No scene in sacred history ever gladdens the soul like Calvary's
tragedy.
"Is it not strange, the darkest hour
That ever dawned on sinful earth,
Should touch the heart with softer power,
For comfort, than an angel's mirth?
That to the Cross the mourner's eye should turn,
Sooner than where the stars of Bethlehem burn?"
Light springs from the midday-midnight of Golgotha, and every herb of
the field blooms sweetly beneath the shadow of the once accursed tree.
In that place of thirst, grace hath dug a fountain which ever gusheth
with waters pure as crystal, each drop capable of alleviating the woes
of mankind. You who have had your seasons of conflict, will confess
that it was not at Olivet that you ever found comfort, not on the hill
of Sinai, nor on Tabor; but Gethsemane, Gabbatha, and Golgotha have
been a means of comfort to you. The bitter herbs of Gethsemane have
often taken away the bitters of your life; the scourge of Gabbatha has
often scourged away your cares, and the groans of Calvary yields us
comfort rare and rich. We never should have known Christ's love in all
its heights and depths if he had not died; nor could we guess the
Father's deep affection if he had not given his Son to die. The common
mercies we enjoy all sing of love, just as the sea-shell, when we put
it to our ears, whispers of the deep sea whence it came; but if we
desire to hear the ocean itself, we must not look at every-day
blessings, but at the transactions of the crucifixion. He who would
know love, let him retire to Calvary and see the Man of sorrows die.
EVENING:
"For there stood by me this night the angel of God."
-- Acts 27:23
Tempest and long darkness, coupled with imminent risk of shipwreck, had
brought the crew of the vessel into a sad case; one man alone among
them remained perfectly calm, and by his word the rest were reassured.
Paul was the only man who had heart enough to say, "Sirs, be of good
cheer." There were veteran Roman legionaries on board, and brave old
mariners, and yet their poor Jewish prisoner had more spirit than they
all. He had a secret Friend who kept his courage up. The Lord Jesus
despatched a heavenly messenger to whisper words of consolation in the
ear of his faithful servant, therefore he wore a shining countenance
and spake like a man at ease.
If we fear the Lord, we may look for timely interpositions when our
case is at its worst. Angels are not kept from us by storms, or
hindered by darkness. Seraphs think it no humiliation to visit the
poorest of the heavenly family. If angel's visits are few and far
between at ordinary times, they shall be frequent in our nights of
tempest and tossing. Friends may drop from us when we are under
pressure, but our intercourse with the inhabitants of the angelic world
shall be more abundant; and in the strength of love-words, brought to
us from the throne by the way of Jacob's ladder, we shall be strong to
do exploits. Dear reader, is this an hour of distress with you? then
ask for peculiar help. Jesus is the angel of the covenant, and if his
presence be now earnestly sought, it will not be denied. What that
presence brings in heart-cheer those remember who, like Paul, have had
the angel of God standing by them in a night of storm, when anchors
would no longer hold, and rocks were nigh.
"O angel of my God, be near,
Amid the darkness hush my fear;
Loud roars the wild tempestuous sea,
Thy presence, Lord, shall comfort me."
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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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