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\ / Charles Spurgeon's MORNING & EVENING http://www.heartlight.org/
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Sunday, July 20, 2008
MORNING:
"The earnest of our inheritance."
-- Ephesians 1:14
Oh! what enlightenment, what joys, what consolation, what delight of
heart is experienced by that man who has learned to feed on Jesus, and
on Jesus alone. Yet the realization which we have of Christ's
preciousness is, in this life, imperfect at the best. As an old writer
says, "'Tis but a taste!" We have tasted "that the Lord is gracious,"
but we do not yet know how good and gracious he is, although what we
know of his sweetness makes us long for more. We have enjoyed the
firstfruits of the Spirit, and they have set us hungering and thirsting
for the fulness of the heavenly vintage. We groan within ourselves,
waiting for the adoption. Here we are like Israel in the wilderness,
who had but one cluster from Eshcol, there we shall be in the vineyard.
Here we see the manna falling small, like coriander seed, but there
shall we eat the bread of heaven and the old corn of the kingdom. We
are but beginners now in spiritual education; for although we have
learned the first letters of the alphabet, we cannot read words yet,
much less can we put sentences together; but as one says, "He that has
been in heaven but five minutes, knows more than the general assembly
of divines on earth." We have many ungratified desires at present, but
soon every wish shall be satisfied; and all our powers shall find the
sweetest employment in that eternal world of joy. O Christian, antedate
heaven for a few years. Within a very little time thou shalt be rid of
all thy trials and thy troubles. Thine eyes now suffused with tears
shall weep no longer. Thou shalt gaze in ineffable rapture upon the
splendour of him who sits upon the throne. Nay, more, upon his throne
shalt thou sit. The triumph of his glory shall be shared by thee; his
crown, his joy, his paradise, these shall be thine, and thou shalt be
co-heir with him who is the heir of all things.
EVENING:
"And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink
the waters of Sihor?"
-- Jeremiah 2:18
By sundry miracles, by divers mercies, by strange deliverances Jehovah
had proved himself to be worthy of Israel's trust. Yet they broke down
the hedges with which God had enclosed them as a sacred garden; they
forsook their own true and living God, and followed after false gods.
Constantly did the Lord reprove them for this infatuation, and our text
contains one instance of God's expostulating with them, "What hast thou
to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of the muddy river?"-for
so it may be translated. "Why dost thou wander afar and leave thine own
cool stream from Lebanon? Why dost thou forsake Jerusalem to turn aside
to Noph and to Tahapanes? Why art thou so strangely set on mischief,
that thou canst not be content with the good and healthful, but wouldst
follow after that which is evil and deceitful?" Is there not here a
word of expostulation and warning to the Christian? O true believer,
called by grace and washed in the precious blood of Jesus, thou hast
tasted of better drink than the muddy river of this world's pleasure
can give thee; thou hast had fellowship with Christ; thou hast obtained
the joy of seeing Jesus, and leaning thine head upon his bosom. Do the
trifles, the songs, the honours, the merriment of this earth content
thee after that? Hast thou eaten the bread of angels, and canst thou
live on husks? Good Rutherford once said, "I have tasted of Christ's
own manna, and it hath put my mouth out of taste for the brown bread of
this world's joys." Methinks it should be so with thee. If thou art
wandering after the waters of Egypt, O return quickly to the one living
fountain: the waters of Sihor may be sweet to the Egyptians, but they
will prove only bitterness to thee. What hast thou to do with them?
Jesus asks thee this question this evening-what wilt thou answer him?
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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,
the leading Christian living e-zine on the Web. Visit HEARTLIGHT
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