Evening and Morning
By Charles Haddon Spurgeon
August 4
Morning
"The
people that do know their God shall be strong."—Daniel 11:32.
"The
people that do know their God shall be strong."—Daniel 11:32.
Every believer understands
that to know God is the highest and best form of knowledge; and this spiritual
knowledge is a source of strength to the Christian. It strengthens his faith.
Believers are constantly spoken of in the Scriptures as being persons who are
enlightened and taught of the Lord; they are said to "have an unction from
the Holy One," and it is the Spirit's peculiar office to lead them into
all truth, and all this for the increase and the fostering of their faith.
Knowledge strengthens love, as well as faith. Knowledge opens the door,
and then through that door we see our Saviour. Or, to
use another similitude, knowledge paints the portrait of Jesus, and when we see
that portrait then we love Him, we cannot love a Christ whom we do not know, at
least, in some degree. If we know but little of the excellences of Jesus, what
He has done for us, and what He is doing now, we cannot love Him much; but the
more we know Him, the more we shall love Him. Knowledge also strengthens hope.
How can we hope for a thing if we do not know of its existence? Hope may be the
telescope, but till we receive instruction, our ignorance stands in the front
of the glass, and we can see nothing whatever; knowledge removes the
interposing object, and when we look through the bright optic glass we discern
the glory to be revealed, and anticipate it with joyous confidence. Knowledge
supplies us reasons for patience. How shall we have patience unless we
know something of the sympathy of Christ, and understand the good which is to
come out of the correction which our heavenly Father
sends us? Nor is there one single grace of the Christian
which, under God, will not be fostered and brought to perfection by holy
knowledge. How important, then, is it that we should grow not only in grace, but in the "knowledge" of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Evening
"I smote
you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours
of your hands."—Haggai 2:17.
How destructive is the hail
to the standing crops, beating out the precious grain upon the ground! How
grateful ought we to be when the corn is spared so terrible a ruin! Let us
offer unto the Lord thanksgiving. Even more to be dreaded are those mysterious
destroyers—smut, bunt, rust, and mildew. These turn the ear into a mass
of soot, or render it putrid, or dry up the grain, and all in a manner so
beyond all human control that the farmer is compelled to cry, "This is the
finger of God." Innumerable minute fungi cause the mischief, and were it
not for the goodness of God, the rider on the black horse would soon scatter
famine over the land. Infinite mercy spares the food of men, but in view of the
active agents which are ready to destroy the harvest, right wisely are we
taught to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." The curse is
abroad; we have constant need of the blessing. When blight and mildew come they
are chastisements from heaven, and men must learn to hear the rod, and Him that
hath appointed it.
Spiritually, mildew is no
uncommon evil. When our work is most promising this blight appears. We hoped
for many conversions, and lo! a general apathy, an
abounding worldliness, or a cruel hardness of heart! There may be no open sin
in those for whom we are labouring, but there is a
deficiency of sincerity and decision sadly disappointing our desires. We learn
from this our dependence upon the Lord, and the need of prayer that no blight
may fall upon our work. Spiritual pride or sloth will soon bring upon us the
dreadful evil, and only the Lord of the harvest can remove it. Mildew may even
attack our own hearts, and shrivel our prayers and religious exercises. May it
please the great Husbandman to avert so serious a calamity.
Shine, blessed Sun of Righteousness, and drive the blights away.