Evening and Morning
By Charles
Haddon Spurgeon
August 10
Morning
"Christ,
who is our life."—Colossians 3:4.
PaulŐs marvellously
rich expression indicates, that Christ is the source of our life.
"You hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins." That same voice which brought Lazarus out of the tomb raised us
to newness of life. He is now the substance of our spiritual life. It is
by His life that we live; He is in us, the hope of glory, the spring of our
actions, the central thought which moves every other thought. Christ is the
sustenance of our life. What can the Christian feed upon but Jesus' flesh
and blood? "This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may
eat thereof, and not die." O wayworn pilgrims in
this wilderness of sin, you never get a morsel to satisfy the hunger of your
spirits, except ye find it in Him! Christ is the solace of our life. All
our true joys come from Him; and in times of trouble, His presence is our
consolation. There is nothing worth living for but Him; and His lovingkindness is better than life! Christ is the object
of our life. As speeds the ship towards the port, so hastes the believer
towards the haven of his Saviour's bosom. As flies
the arrow to its goal, so flies the Christian towards the perfecting of his
fellowship with Christ Jesus. As the soldier fights for his captain, and is
crowned in his captain's victory, so the believer contends for Christ, and gets
his triumph out of the triumphs of his Master. "For him to live is
Christ." Christ is the exemplar of our life. Where there is the
same life within, there will, there must be, to a great extent, the same
developments without; and if we live in near fellowship with the Lord Jesus we
shall grow like Him. We shall set Him before us as our Divine copy, and we
shall seek to tread in His footsteps, until He shall become the crown of our
life in glory. Oh! how safe, how honoured, how happy is the Christian, since Christ is our life!
Evening
"The Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive
sins."—Matthew 9:6.
Behold one of
the great Physician's mightiest arts: He has power to forgive sin! While here
He lived below, before the ransom had been paid, before the blood had been
literally sprinkled on the mercy-seat, He had power to
forgive sin. Hath He not power to do it now that He hath died? What power must
dwell in Him who to the utmost farthing has faithfully discharged the debts of
His people! He has boundless power now that He has finished transgression and
made an end of sin. If ye doubt it, see Him rising from the dead! behold Him in ascending splendour
raised to the right hand of God! Hear Him pleading before the eternal Father,
pointing to His wounds, urging the merit of His sacred passion! What power to
forgive is here! "He hath ascended on high, and received gifts for
men." "He is exalted on high to give repentance and remission of
sins." The most crimson sins are removed by the crimson of His blood. At
this moment, dear reader, whatever thy sinfulness, Christ has power to pardon,
power to pardon thee, and millions such as thou art. A word will speak
it. He has nothing more to do to win thy pardon; all the atoning work is done.
He can, in answer to thy tears, forgive thy sins today, and make thee know it.
He can breathe into thy soul at this very moment a peace with God which passeth all understanding, which shall spring from perfect
remission of thy manifold iniquities. Dost thou believe that? I trust thou believest it. Mayst thou
experience now the power of Jesus to forgive sin! Waste no time in applying to
the Physician of souls, but hasten to Him with words like these:—
"Jesus!
Master! hear my cry;
Save me, heal
me with a word;
Fainting at
Thy feet I lie,
Thou my whisper'd plaint hast heard."