Morning and Evening: Daily Readings
by C. H. Spurgeon
Sunday Morning, January 1
They did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.
Joshua 5:12
Israel's weary wanderings were all over, and the promised rest was attained. No more moving tents, fiery serpents, fierce Amalekites, and howling wildernesses: they came to the land which flowed with milk and honey, and they ate the old corn of the land. Perhaps this year, beloved Christian reader, this may be thy case or mine. Joyful is the prospect, and if faith be in active exercise, it will yield unalloyed delight. To be with Jesus in the rest which remaineth for the people of God, is a cheering hope indeed, and to expect this glory so soon is a double bliss. Unbelief shudders at the Jordan which still rolls between us and the goodly land, but let us rest assured that we have already experienced more ills than death at its worst can cause us. Let us banish every fearful thought, and rejoice with exceeding great joy, in the prospect that this year we shall begin to be for ever with the Lord.
A part of the host will this year tarry on earth, to do service for their Lord. If this should fall to our lot, there is no reason why the New Year's text should not still be true. We who have believed do enter into rest. The Holy Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance; he gives us glory begun below. In heaven they are secure, and so are we preserve in Christ Jesus; there they triumph over their enemies, and we have victories too. Celestial spirits enjoy communion with their Lord, and this is not denied to us; they rest in his love, and we have perfect peace in him: they hymn his praise, and it is our privilege to bless him too. We will this year gather celestial fruits on earthly ground, where faith and hope have made the desert like the garden of the Lord. Man did eat angels' food of old, and why not now? O for grace to feed on Jesus, and so to eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan this year!
Evening, January 1
We will be glad and rejoice in thee.
Song of Solomon 1:4
We will be glad and rejoice in thee. We will not open the gates of the year to the dolorous notes of the sackbut, but to the sweet strains of the harp of joy, and the high sounding cymbals of gladness. O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise unto the rock of our salvation. We, the called and faithful and chosen, we will drive away our griefs, and set up our banners of confidence in the name of God. Let others lament over their troubles, we who have the sweetening tree to cast into Marah's bitter pool, with joy will magnify the Lord. Eternal Spirit, our effectual Comforter, we who are the temples in which thou dwellest, will never cease from adoring and blessing the name of Jesus. We will , we are resolved about it, Jesus must have the crown of our heart's delight; we will not dishonour our Bridegroom by mourning in his presence. We are ordained to be the minstrels of the skies, let us rehearse our everlasting anthem before we sing it in the halls of the New Jerusalem. We will be glad and rejoice : two words with one sense, double joy, blessedness upon blessedness. Need there be any limit to our rejoicing in the Lord even now? Do not men of grace find their Lord to be camphire and spikenard, calamus and cinnamon even now, and what better fragrance have they in heaven itself? We will be glad and rejoice in Thee . That last word is the meat in the dish, the kernel of the nut, the soul of the text. What heavens are laid up in Jesus! What rivers of infinite bliss have their source, aye, and every drop of their fulness in him! Since, O sweet Lord Jesus, thou art the present portion of thy people, favour us this year with such a sense of thy preciousness, that from its first to its last day we may be glad and rejoice in thee. Let January open with joy in the Lord, and December close with gladness in Jesus.
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"Watch Therefore...Your Lord Cometh..." The Holy Spirit inspired holy men of old to write concerning the Second Coming of Christ with such fullness that almost one twenty-fifth of the New Testament deals with the Redeemer's return. When Jesus wished to stress the vital importance of watchfulness and readiness He linked His admonitions with His speedy, lightning flash return. Faithful apostles grounded their converts in repentance, sobriety, truthfulness, holiness and heart purity, in brotherly love and holy conversation by using as a motive this great truth – that Christ is coming again.... No doctrine of the Bible is used to enforce holiness of conduct more than that of the Second Coming. Watchfulness. "Watch therefore...your Lord cometh...Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Matt. 24:42-44). Sobriety. "The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night...Let us watch and be sober" (1 Thes. 5:2-6). "Be sober, and set your hope perfectly on the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:13). Repentance. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out...and He shall send Jesus Christ...whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things" (Acts 3:19-21). Fidelity. "After a long time the Lord of those servants cometh...And he that had received five talents came and brought five other talents...His Lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things" (Matt. 25:19-21). Not to be ashamed of Christ. "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me...of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels" (Mark 8:38). Other-worldliness. "What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? For the Son of man shall come...then He shall reward every man according to his works" (Matt. 16:26-27). Moderation. "Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand" (Phil. 4:5). Mortification of fleshly lusts and desires. "When Christ...shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory. Mortify therefore your members ...fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness" (Col 3:4-5). Sincerity. "That ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ" (Phil. 1:10). Sanctification and holy living. "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thes. 5:23). Ministerial faithfulness. "I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ...at His appearing... Preach the word; be instant in season, and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort" (2 Tim. 4:1-2). Keeping the commandments. "Keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, unto the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Tim. 6:14). Pastoral diligence. "Feed the flock of God...being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away" (1 Pet. 5:2-4). Purity. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; ...And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure" (1 John 3:2-3). Abiding in Christ. "Abide in Him; that when He shall appear, we may have confidence" (1 John 2:28). Endure temptations and trials of faith. "That the trial of your faith... though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet.1:7). Holy conversation. "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God...think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you...but rejoice...that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad with exceeding joy" (1 Pet. 4:11-13). Brotherly love. "The Lord make you increase and abound in love one toward another and toward all men...to the end He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness...at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thes. 3:12-13). Fight the fight of faith. "I have fought a good fight...I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing" (2 Tim. 4:7-8). Keeping your crown. "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown" (Rev. 3:11). Denying ungodliness; living godly. "Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:12-13). Watchfulness for sudden coming. "For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in His day" (Luke 17:24). Judge not. "Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come" (1 Cor. 4:5). Assurance of a time of rejoicing. "Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain" (Phil. 2:16). A comfort while He is away. "I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:3). The event for which we await. "Wait for His Son from heaven" (1 Thes. 1:10). Time of judgment. "When the Son of man shall come in His glory...then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all nations" (Matt. 25:31-32). Resurrection of the saints. "In Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming" (1 Cor. 15:22-23). The manifestation of the saints. "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (Col. 3:4). Consolation for the dead in Christ. "I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep ...For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven...and the dead in Christ shall rise first...Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (1 Thes. 4:13-18). The time of the tribulation of unbelievers. "When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thes. 1:7-8). Proclaimed with the Lord's Supper. "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till He come" (1 Cor. 11:26). Oh, that the ministry of every church should preach such vitally soul-touching messages as this, which is so intricately bound up with all the fundamentals of Christian faith and holy living, and which is the keynote of deep piety and spirituality.... Robed in Wedding Garments Jesus and the apostles used the Second Coming to enforce many practical admonitions. We are to watch and be ready, robed in wedding garments – confess Him before depraved and sinful men. We are to be faithful – to repent completely – to stem the fierce tide of worldliness. We are warned to be moderate and patient – to mortify the deadly soul-blighting lusts of the flesh – to be sincere and godly and righteous in this present world. We are commanded to be holy and unblamable, unrebukeable and upright. We are admonished to obey the commandments – for Christ is coming! Our hearts, torn with inward battles, are to be established in holiness. We must be sober – set our hopes on the grace of God and be godly in conversation. As the branch in the vine so are we exhorted to abide in Christ – to have our lives hid, submerged, in Christ – to purify ourselves from the taints of evil. As good soldiers we are to bear scathing persecutions and fiery trials and the testings of our well-grounded faith. Following the example of Christ we are to increase in brotherly love – to stay our pure minds on the heavenly citizenship. As men dwelling in a world of crass materialism, we are asked to love and look for the Second Coming – for His coming draweth nigh! We are admonished to have complete confidence in Christ's power. As love-servants we are to hold fast our hope and let no man take our blood-bought crown. Looking for that better country on high, "the city whose builder and maker is God," we are to be separated from entangling lusts, wrapping their slimy cords about the soul, sinful practices and the delights from the deadly perfume of the flowers of passion's garden – to guard against hasty judgment – for He shall come with His holy angels! Fight, Labor and Love! Poor in worldly goods, a tent or a cottage, we are to hope and labor for a rich reward from the hand of the King of kings – to gain comfort from the thought of being resurrected with a glorified body – to be caught up during the rapture. We are addressed to be ready, with garments washed in the redeeming flow from Calvary. Saved to new heights divine, we are to be the sons of the Mighty God – to shine forth as beacon lights with luminous power and might. We are exhorted to abound in love and in the deep things of Christ – to look up, to gaze heavenward, to watch for the first gleams of the "Sun of Righteousness" – to take hope and unsheathing the sword of faith, to fight and to labor and love – for the Lord comes as a thief in the night! Let us preach it, and may our messages be rock-ribbed with its precious truth. May our songs herald it with sweet melodies of celestial strains! Behold He Cometh! Condensed from "Watch Therefore ...Your Lord Cometh" in Behold He Cometh by B. W. Miller and G. F. Owen. Copyright © 1924 by Nazarene Publishing House. Used by permission. ==========================================================================
By B. W. Miller and G. F. Owen
Morning and Evening: Daily Readings
by C. H. Spurgeon
Monday Morning, January 2
Continue in prayer.
Colossians 4:2
It is interesting to remark how large a portion of Sacred Writ is occupied with the subject of prayer, either in furnishing examples, enforcing precepts, or pronouncing promises. We scarcely open the Bible before we read, Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord; and just as we are about to close the volume, the Amen of an earnest supplication meets our ear. Instances are plentiful. Here we find a wrestling Jacob--there a Daniel who prayed three times a day--and a David who with all his heart called upon his God. On the mountain we see Elias; in the dungeon Paul and Silas. We have multitudes of commands, and myriads of promises. What does this teach us, but the sacred importance and necessity of prayer? We may be certain that whatever God has made prominent in his Word, he intended to be conspicuous in our lives. If he has said much about prayer, it is because he knows we have much need of it. So deep are our necessities, that until we are in heaven we must not cease to pray. Dost thou want nothing? Then, I fear thou dost not know thy poverty. Hast thou no mercy to ask of God? Then, may the Lord's mercy show thee thy misery! A prayerless soul is a Christless soul. Prayer is the lisping of the believing infant, the shout of the fighting believer, the requiem of the dying saint falling asleep in Jesus. It is the breath, the watchword, the comfort, the strength, the honour of a Christian. If thou be a child of God, thou wilt seek thy Father's face, and live in thy Father's love. Pray that this year thou mayst be holy, humble, zealous, and patient; have closer communion with Christ, and enter oftener into the banqueting-house of his love. Pray that thou mayst be an example and a blessing unto others, and that thou mayst live more to the glory of thy Master. The motto for this year must be, Continue in prayer.
Evening, January 2
Let the people renew their strength.
Isaiah 41:1
All things on earth need to be renewed. No created thing continueth by itself. Thou renewest the face of the year, was the Psalmist's utterance. Even the trees, which wear not themselves with care, nor shorten their lives with labour, must drink of the rain of heaven and suck from the hidden treasures of the soil. The cedars of Lebanon, which God has planted, only live because day by day they are full of sap fresh drawn from the earth. Neither can man's life be sustained without renewal from God. As it is necessary to repair the waste of the body by the frequent meal, so we must repair the waste of the soul by feeding upon the Book of God, or by listening to the preached Word, or by the soul-fattening table of the ordinances. How depressed are our graces when means are neglected! What poor starvelings some saints are who live without the diligent use of the Word of God and secret prayer! If our piety can live without God it is not of divine creating; it is but a dream; for if God had begotten it, it would wait upon him as the flowers wait upon the dew. Without constant restoration we are not ready for the perpetual assaults of hell, or the stern afflictions of heaven, or even for the strifes within. When the whirlwind shall be loosed, woe to the tree that hath not sucked up fresh sap, and grasped the rock with many intertwisted roots. When tempests arise, woe to the mariners that have not strengthened their mast, nor cast their anchor, nor sought the haven. If we suffer the good to grow weaker, the evil will surely gather strength and struggle desperately for the mastery over us; and so, perhaps, a painful desolation, and a lamentable disgrace may follow. Let us draw near to the footstool of divine mercy in humble entreaty, and we shall realize the fulfilment of the promise, They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.
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Calling All Saints!
By W. C. Moore
"Thus saith the Lord . . . Ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein ..." (Jer. 6:16).
The old paths that the saints have walked in down through the ages, holy paths – paths of simple, childlike trust in God, paths of humility, paths of faithfulness unto the Lord.
The old paths of holy violence (Matt. 11:12), where men cried out to God with such desperate faith and utter determination that God must answer! "I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me," cries Jacob (Gen. 32:26) – and not only does he get blessed, and get full deliverance from his offended brother, Esau, but Jacob's very name was changed to Israel, a prince who prevailed with God and with men (Gen. 32:27-28).
The old paths that Daniel followed, when he set his face unto the Lord God, "to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: and I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession...We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly" (Dan. 9:1-5).
And while Daniel was speaking, and praying, and confessing his own sin and the sin of his people, Israel – Gabriel was swiftly dispatched to his aid (Dan. 9:20-27).
The old paths of fervent prayer that Hannah followed, when she prayed and prayed that God would give her a man child; and finally she got to the place of unselfishness – and promised God that if He would grant her request, she would give the boy "unto the Lord all the days of his life" – and then God answered and gave her not only a man child, but a prophet – Samuel! (1 Sam. 1:5-28).
"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (Jas. 5:16).
Since the effectual fervent prayer of even one righteous person availeth MUCH, according to God's own Word, and "the Scripture cannot be broken," (John 10:35) – then MUCH remains undone if even one righteous person fails to pray effectually, fervently!
Pray Clear Through!
It is one thing to have pious wishes, to have high ideals, to "want" God to do things. It is quite another thing to pitch into the prayer battle with all our might, with all our resources – and pray clear through!
When we know that a thing is in God's will, sometimes we have to throw the "want" out the window – as "want" is too mild a word – and then PRESS our petition through the opposing forces of wickedness (Eph. 6:10-20).
Pray "more earnestly," as did our Lord (Luke 22:44), go "a little farther," as He did (Matt. 26:39), and fall on our face, and seek Him "till He come and rain righteousness" upon us! (Hos. 10:12).
When we know positively, from the Scriptures, and from the clear witness of the Holy Spirit to our own heart – that a thing is the will of God – then it is not presumption to press our petition clear through.
It is unbelief or downright laziness that prevents us from coming boldly unto the Throne of Grace (Heb. 4:16), and getting what God has provided for us at the tremendous cost of the Blood of His only begotten Son, and what He wants us to have! (Matt. 11:12; Luke 11:1-13; Luke 18:1-8).
God's Word says "Come boldly!" Are you going to listen to God, or are you "open for suggestions" from some hypocrite by your side who feels you are "going too far"? (Heb. 4:16).
"God is no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34). So when you find what God has done for someone else – either in the Bible record or out of it – that is a direct challenge to you to meet God's conditions and get what He has, in His love and wisdom, provided for you!
The powers of the devil may withstand your prayers for a while, as they did Daniel's (Dan. 10:12-13; Eph. 6:12). But there is such a thing as getting into a frame of mind in prayer where you simply will not be denied, but will hold right on in faith, with importunity (Luke 11:8), until God either answers manifestly or gives you such a clear assurance that your prayer is heard that you begin to praise God in advance for the answer!
God answers prayer! Brother, Sister, PRAY THROUGH!
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