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\ / Charles Spurgeon's MORNING & EVENING http://www.heartlight.org/
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Saturday, December 20, 2008
MORNING:
"Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love."
-- Jeremiah 31:3
Sometimes the Lord Jesus tells his Church his love thoughts. "He does
not think it enough behind her back to tell it, but in her very
presence he says, 'Thou art all fair, my love.' It is true, this is not
his ordinary method; he is a wise lover, and knows when to keep back
the intimation of love and when to let it out; but there are times when
he will make no secret of it; times when he will put it beyond all
dispute in the souls of his people" (R. Erskine's Sermons). The Holy
Spirit is often pleased, in a most gracious manner, to witness with our
spirits of the love of Jesus. He takes of the things of Christ and
reveals them unto us. No voice is heard from the clouds, and no vision
is seen in the night, but we have a testimony more sure than either of
these. If an angel should fly from heaven and inform the saint
personally of the Saviour's love to him, the evidence would not be one
whit more satisfactory than that which is borne in the heart by the
Holy Ghost. Ask those of the Lord's people who have lived the nearest
to the gates of heaven, and they will tell you that they have had
seasons when the love of Christ towards them has been a fact so clear
and sure, that they could no more doubt it than they could question
their own existence. Yes, beloved believer, you and I have had times of
refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and then our faith has
mounted to the topmost heights of assurance. We have had confidence to
lean our heads upon the bosom of our Lord, and we have no more
questioned our Master's affection to us than John did when in that
blessed posture; nay, nor so much: for the dark question, "Lord, is it
I that shall betray thee?" has been put far from us. He has kissed us
with the kisses of his mouth, and killed our doubts by the closeness of
his embrace. His love has been sweeter than wine to our souls.
EVENING:
"Call thy labourers, and give them their hire."
-- Matthew 20:8
God is a good paymaster; he pays his servants while at work as well as
when they have done it; and one of his payments is this: an easy
conscience. If you have spoken faithfully of Jesus to one person, when
you go to bed at night you feel happy in thinking, "I have this day
discharged my conscience of that man's blood." There is a great comfort
in doing something for Jesus. Oh, what a happiness to place jewels in
his crown, and give him to see of the travail of his soul! There is
also very great reward in watching the first buddings of conviction in
a soul! To say of that girl in the class, "She is tender of heart, I do
hope that there is the Lord's work within." To go home and pray over
that boy, who said something in the afternoon which made you think he
must know more of divine truth than you had feared! Oh, the joy of
hope! But as for the joy of success! it is unspeakable. This joy,
overwhelming as it is, is a hungry thing-you pine for more of it. To be
a soul-winner is the happiest thing in the world. With every soul you
bring to Christ, you get a new heaven upon earth. But who can conceive
the bliss which awaits us above! Oh, how sweet is that sentence, "Enter
thou into the joy of thy Lord!" Do you know what the joy of Christ is
over a saved sinner? This is the very joy which we are to possess in
heaven. Yes, when he mounts the throne, you shall mount with him. When
the heavens ring with "Well done, well done," you shall partake in the
reward; you have toiled with him, you have suffered with him, you shall
now reign with him; you have sown with him, you shall reap with him;
your face was covered with sweat like his, and your soul was grieved
for the sins of men as his soul was, now shall your face be bright with
heaven's splendour as is his countenance, and now shall your soul be
filled with beatific joys even as his soul is.
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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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