Evening and Morning
By Charles Haddon Spurgeon
October 25
Morning
"For the
truths sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with
us for ever."—2 John 2.
Once let the truth of God
obtain an entrance into the human heart and subdue the whole man unto itself, no power human or infernal can dislodge it. We
entertain it not as a guest but as the master of the house—this is a Christian
necessity, he is no Christian who doth not thus believe. Those who feel the
vital power of the gospel, and know the might of the Holy Ghost as He opens,
applies, and seals the Lord's Word, would sooner be torn to pieces than be rent
away from the gospel of their salvation. What a thousand mercies are wrapt up in the assurance that the truth will be with us
for ever; will be our living support, our dying comfort, our rising song, our
eternal glory; this is Christian privilege, without it our faith were
little worth. Some truths we outgrow and leave behind, for they are but
rudiments and lessons for beginners, but we cannot thus deal with Divine truth,
for though it is sweet food for babes, it is in the highest sense strong meat
for men. The truth that we are sinners is painfully with us to humble and make
us watchful; the more blessed truth that whosoever believeth on the Lord Jesus
shall be saved, abides with us as our hope and joy. Experience, so far from
loosening our hold of the doctrines of grace, has knit us to them more and more
firmly; our grounds and motives for believing are now more strong, more
numerous than ever, and we have reason to expect that it will be so till in
death we clasp the Saviour in our arms.
Wherever this abiding love
of truth can be discovered, we are bound to exercise our love. No narrow circle
can contain our gracious sympathies, wide as the
election of grace must be our communion of heart. Much of error may be mingled
with truth received, let us war with the error but still love the brother for
the measure of truth which we see in Him; above all let us love and spread the
truth ourselves.
Evening
"She gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to
light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech."—Ruth 2:3.
Her hap was. Yes, it
seemed nothing but an accident, but how divinely was it overruled! Ruth had
gone forth with her mother's blessing, under the care of her mother's God, to
humble but honourable toil, and the providence of God
was guiding her every step. Little did she know that amid the sheaves she would
find a husband, that he should make her the joint owner of all those broad
acres, and that she a poor foreigner should become one of the progenitors of
the great Messiah. God is very good to those who trust in Him, and often
surprises them with unlooked for blessings. Little do we know what may happen
to us to-morrow, but this sweet fact may cheer us, that no good thing shall be withheld. Chance is banished from the faith of Christians,
for they see the hand of God in everything. The trivial events of to-day or to-morrow may involve consequences of the highest
importance. O Lord, deal as graciously with Thy servants as Thou didst with
Ruth.
How blessed would it be,
if, in wandering in the field of meditation to-night,
our hap should be to light upon the place where our next Kinsman will reveal
Himself to us! O Spirit of God, guide us to Him. We would sooner glean in His
field than bear away the whole harvest from any other. O for the footsteps of
His flock, which may conduct us to the green pastures where He dwells! This is
a weary world when Jesus is away—we could better do without sun and moon
that without Him—but how divinely fair all things become in the glory of
His presence! Our souls know the virtue which dwells
in Jesus, and can never be content without Him. We will wait in prayer this
night until our hap shall be to light on a part of the field belonging to Jesus
wherein He will manifest Himself to us.