Evening and Morning
By Charles Haddon Spurgeon
March 12
MORNING
ÒThou shalt love thy neighbour.Ó — Matthew 5:43
ÒLove thy neighbour.Ó
Perhaps he rolls in riches, and thou art poor, and living in thy little cot
side-by-side with his lordly mansion; thou seest
every day his estates, his fine linen, and his sumptuous banquets; God has
given him these gifts, covet not his wealth, and think no hard thoughts concerning
him. Be content with thine own lot, if thou canst not
better it, but do not look upon thy neighbour, and
wish that he were as thyself. Love him, and then thou
wilt not envy him. Mayhap, on the other hand, thou art rich, and near thee
reside the poor. Do not scorn to call them neighbour.
Own that thou art bound to love them. The world calls them thy inferiors. In
what are they inferior? They are far more thine
equals than thine inferiors, for ÒGod hath made of
one blood all people that dwell upon the face of the earth.Ó It is thy coat which is better than theirs, but thou art by no means
better than they. They are men, and what art thou more than that? Take heed
that thou love thy neighbour even though he be in
rags, or sunken in the depths of poverty. But, perhaps, you say, ÒI cannot love
my neighbours, because for all I do they return
ingratitude and contempt.Ó So much the more room for the
heroism of love. Wouldst thou be a feather-bed warrior, instead of
bearing the rough fight of love? He who dares the most, shall win the most; and
if rough be thy path of love, tread it boldly, still loving thy neighbours through thick and thin. Heap coals of fire on
their heads, and if they be hard to please, seek not to please them, but to
please thy Master; and remember if they spurn thy love, thy Master hath not
spurned it, and thy deed is as acceptable to Him as if it had been acceptable
to them. Love thy neighbour, for in so doing thou art
following the footsteps of Christ.
EVENING
ÒTo whom belongest thou?Ó
— 1 Samuel 30:13
No neutralities can exist in religion. We are either
ranked under the banner of Prince Immanuel, to serve and fight His battles, or
we are vassals of the black prince, Satan. ÒTo whom belongest
thou?Ó Reader, let me assist you in your response.
Have you been Òborn againÓ? If you have, you belong to Christ, but without the
new birth you cannot be His. In whom do you trust? For those who believe in
Jesus are the sons of God. Whose work are you doing? You are sure to serve your
master, for he whom you serve is thereby owned to be your lord. What company do
you keep? If you belong to Jesus, you will fraternize with those who wear the
livery of the cross. ÒBirds of a feather flock together.Ó What is your
conversation? Is it heavenly or is it earthly? What
have you learned of your Master? — for servants
learn much from their masters to whom they are apprenticed. If you have served
your time with Jesus, it will be said of you, as it was of Peter and John,
ÒThey took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.Ó We press the
question, ÒTo whom belongest thou?Ó Answer honestly
before you give sleep to your eyes. If you are not ChristÕs you are in a hard
service — Run away from your cruel master! Enter into the service of the
Lord of Love, and you shall enjoy a life of blessedness. If you are ChristÕs
let me advise you to do four things. You belong to Jesus — obey him; let
His word be your law; let His wish be your will. You belong to the Beloved,
then love Him; let your heart embrace Him; let your whole soul be filled with
Him. You belong to the Son of God, then trust Him; rest nowhere but on Him. You
belong to the King of kings, then be decided for Him.
Thus, without your being branded upon the brow, all will know to whom you
belong.