Evening and Morning
By Charles Haddon Spurgeon
September 8
Morning
"From Me
is thy fruit found."—Hosea 14:8.
Our fruit is found from our
God as to union. The fruit of the branch is directly traceable to the
root. Sever the connection, the branch dies, and no fruit is produced. By
virtue of our union with Christ we bring forth fruit. Every bunch of grapes
have been first in the root, it has passed through the stem, and flowed through
the sap vessels, and fashioned itself externally into fruit, but it was first
in the stem; so also every good work was first in Christ, and then is brought
forth in us. O Christian, prize this precious union to Christ; for it must be
the source of all the fruitfulness which thou canst
hope to know. If thou wert not joined to Jesus Christ, thou wouldst be a barren
bough indeed.
Our fruit comes from God as
to spiritual providence. When the dew-drops fall from heaven, when the
cloud looks down from on high, and is about to distil its liquid treasure, when
the bright sun swells the berries of the cluster, each heavenly boon may
whisper to the tree and say, "From me is thy fruit found." The fruit
owes much to the root—that is essential to fruitfulness—but it owes
very much also to external influences. How much we owe to God's
grace-providence! in which He provides us constantly
with quickening, teaching, consolation, strength, or whatever else we want. To
this we owe our all of usefulness or virtue.
Our fruit comes from God as
to wise husbandry. The gardener's sharp-edged knife promotes the
fruitfulness of the tree, by thinning the clusters, and by cutting off
superfluous shoots. So is it, Christian, with that pruning which the Lord gives
to thee. "My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me
that beareth not fruit He taketh
away; and every branch that beareth fruit He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." Since
our God is the author of our spiritual graces, let us give to Him all the glory
of our salvation.
Evening
"The
exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe according to the
working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him
from the dead."—Ephesians 1:19, 20.
In the resurrection of Christ, as in our salvation, there was put forth nothing short of a divine power. What shall we say of those who think that conversion is wrought by the free will of man, and is due to his own betterness of disposition? When we shall see the dead rise from the grave by their own power, then may we expect to see ungodly sinners of their own free will turning to Christ. It is not the word preached, nor the word read in itself; all quickening power proceeds from the Holy Ghost. This power was irresistible. All the soldiers and the high priests could not keep the body of Christ in the tomb; Death himself could not hold Jesus in his bonds: even thus irresistible is the power put forth in the believer when he is raised to newness of life. No sin, no corruption, no devils in hell nor sinners upon earth, can stay the hand of God's grace when it intends to convert a man. If God omnipotently says, "Thou shalt," man shall not say, "I will not." Observe that the power which raised Christ from the dead was glorious. It reflected honour upon God and wrought dismay in the hosts of evil. So there is great glory to God in the conversion of every sinner. It was everlasting power. "Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him." So we, being raised from the dead, go not back to our dead works nor to our old corruptions, but we live unto God. "Because He lives we live also." "For we are dead, and our life is hid with Christ in God." "Like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Lastly, in the text mark the union of the new life to Jesus. The same power which raised the Head works life in the members. What a blessing to be quickened together with Christ!