Evening and Morning
By Charles Haddon Spurgeon
July 17
Morning
"Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of
God."—1
Thessalonians 1:4.
Many persons
want to know their election before they look to Christ, but they cannot learn
it thus, it is only to be discovered by "looking unto Jesus." If you
desire to ascertain your own election;—after the
following manner, shall you assure your heart before God. Do you feel yourself
to be a lost, guilty sinner? go straightway to the
cross of Christ, and tell Jesus so, and tell Him that you have read in the
Bible, "Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out." Tell
Him that He has said, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all
acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." Look
to Jesus and believe on Him, and you shall make proof of your election
directly, for so surely as thou believest, thou art
elect. If you will give yourself wholly up to Christ and trust Him, then you
are one of God's chosen ones; but if you stop and say, "I want to know
first whether I am elect," you ask you know not what. Go to Jesus, be you
never so guilty, just as you are. Leave all curious inquiry about election
alone. Go straight to Christ and hide in His wounds, and you shall know your
election. The assurance of the Holy Spirit shall be given to you, so that you
shall be able to say, "I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded
that he is able to keep that which I have committed to Him." Christ was at
the everlasting council: He can tell you whether you were chosen or not; but
you cannot find it out in any other way. Go and put your trust in Him, and His
answer will be—"I have loved thee with an everlasting love,
therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn
thee." There will be no doubt about His having chosen you, when you
have chosen Him.
"Sons we are through God's election,
Who in Jesus
Christ believe."
Evening
"Let not one of them escape."—1 Kings 18:40.
When the prophet Elijah had
received the answer to his prayer, and the fire from heaven had consumed the
sacrifice in the presence of all the people, he called upon the assembled
Israelites to take the priests of Baal, and sternly cried, "Let not one of
them escape." He took them all down to the brook Kishon,
and slew them there. So must it be with our sins—they are all doomed, not
one must be preserved. Our darling sin must die. Spare it not for its much
crying. Strike, though it be as dear as an Isaac.
Strike, for God struck at sin when it was laid upon His own Son. With stern
unflinching purpose must you condemn to death that sin which was once the idol
of your heart. Do you ask how you are to accomplish
this? Jesus will be your power. You have grace to overcome sin given you in the
covenant of grace; you have strength to win the victory in the crusade against
inward lusts, because Christ Jesus has promised to be with you even unto the
end. If you would triumph over darkness, set yourself in the presence of the
Sun of Righteousness. There is no place so well adapted for the discovery of
sin, and recovery from its power and guilt, as the immediate presence of God.
Job never knew how to get rid of sin half so well as he did when his eye of
faith rested upon God, and then he abhorred himself, and repented in dust and ashes.
The fine gold of the Christian is oft becoming dim. We need the sacred fire to
consume the dross. Let us fly to our God, He is a consuming fire; He will not
consume our spirit, but our sins. Let the goodness of God excite us to a sacred
jealousy, and to a holy revenge against those iniquities
which are hateful in His sight. Go forth to battle with Amalek in His strength, and utterly destroy the accursed
crew: let not one of them escape.