Devos

Spurgeon's Morning & Evening Devotions

Morning, April 18

"Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods."
- Jeremiah 16:20


One great besetting sin of ancient Israel was idolatry, and the
spiritual Israel are vexed with a tendency to the same folly.
Remphan's star shines no longer, and the women weep no more for
Tammuz, but Mammon still intrudes his golden calf, and the
shrines of pride are not forsaken. Self in various forms
struggles to subdue the chosen ones under its dominion, and the
flesh sets up its altars wherever it can find space for them.

Favourite children are often the cause of much sin in believers;
the Lord is grieved when he sees us doting upon them above
measure; they will live to be as great a curse to us as Absalom
was to David, or they will be taken from us to leave our homes
desolate. If Christians desire to grow thorns to stuff their
sleepless pillows, let them dote on their dear ones.

It is truly said that "they are no gods," for the objects of our
foolish love are very doubtful blessings, the solace which they
yield us now is dangerous, and the help which they can give us in
the hour of trouble is little indeed. Why, then, are we so
bewitched with vanities? We pity the poor heathen who adore a god
of stone, and yet worship a god of gold. Where is the vast
superiority between a god of flesh and one of wood? The
principle, the sin, the folly is the same in either case, only
that in ours the crime is more aggravated because we have more
light, and sin in the face of it. The heathen bows to a false
deity, but the true God he has never known; we commit two evils,
inasmuch as we forsake the living God and turn unto idols. May
the Lord purge us all from this grievous iniquity!

"The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be;
Help me to tear it from thy throne,
And worship only thee."


Evening, April 18


"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of
incorruptible."
- 1 Peter 1:23


Peter most earnestly exhorted the scattered saints to love each
other "with a pure heart fervently" and he wisely fetched his
argument, not from the law, from nature, or from philosophy, but
from that high and divine nature which God hath implanted in his
people. Just as some judicious tutor of princes might labour to
beget and foster in them a kingly spirit and dignified behaviour,
finding arguments in their position and descent, so, looking upon
God's people as heirs of glory, princes of the blood royal,
descendants of the King of kings, earth's truest and oldest
aristocracy, Peter saith to them, "See that ye love one another,
because of your noble birth, being born of incorruptible seed;
because of your pedigree, being descended from God, the Creator
of all things; and because of your immortal destiny, for you
shall never pass away, though the glory of the flesh shall fade,
and even its existence shall cease." It would be well if, in the
spirit of humility, we recognized the true dignity of our
regenerated nature, and lived up to it.

What is a Christian? If you compare him with a king, he adds
priestly sanctity to royal dignity. The king's royalty often
lieth only in his crown, but with a Christian it is infused into
his inmost nature. He is as much above his fellows through his
new birth, as a man is above the beast that perisheth.

Surely he ought to carry himself, in all his dealings, as one who
is not of the multitude, but chosen out of the world,
distinguished by sovereign grace, written among "the peculiar
people" and who therefore cannot grovel in the dust as others,
nor live after the manner of the world's citizens. Let the
dignity of your nature, and the brightness of your prospects, O
believers in Christ, constrain you to cleave unto holiness, and
to avoid the very appearance of evil.

-----------
This daily devotional is published and distributed by
http://www.crosswalkmail.com/xzazziz_gsdskqq.html

Additional devotionals are available at
http://www.crosswalkmail.com/wdpddec_gsdskqq.html
-----------
For Copyright Terms visit
http://www.crosswalkmail.com/ewhwwtb_gsdskqq.html