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Spurgeon's Morning & Evening Devotions
Morning, March 16
"With his stripes we are healed." - Isaiah 53:5
Pilate delivered our Lord to the lictors to be scourged. The Roman scourge was
a most dreadful instrument of torture. It was made of the sinews of oxen, and
sharp bones were inter-twisted every here and there among the sinews; so that
every time the lash came down these pieces of bone inflicted fearful
laceration, and tore off the flesh from the bone.
The Saviour was, no doubt, bound to the column, and thus beaten.
He had been beaten before; but this of the Roman lictors was probably the most
severe of his flagellations. My soul, stand here and weep over his poor
stricken body.
Believer in Jesus, can you gaze upon him without tears, as he stands before you
the mirror of agonizing love? He is at once fair as the lily for innocence, and
red as the rose with the
crimson of his own blood. As we feel the sure and blessed healing which his
stripes have wrought in us, does not our heart melt at once with love and
grief? If ever we have loved our Lord Jesus, surely we must feel that affection
glowing now within our bosoms.
"See how the patient Jesus stands, Insulted in his lowest case!
Sinners have bound the Almighty's hands, And spit in their Creator's face.
With thorns his temples gor'd and gash'd Send streams of blood from every part;
His back's with knotted scourges lash'd. But sharper scourges tear his heart."
We would fain go to our chambers and weep; but since our business calls us
away, we will first pray our Beloved to print the image of his bleeding self
upon the tablets of our hearts all the day, and at nightfall we will return to
commune with him, and sorrow that our sin should have cost him so dear.
Evening, March 16
"And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the
rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of
heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor
the beasts of the field by night." - 2 Samuel 21:10
If the love of a woman to her slain sons could make her prolong her mournful
vigil for so long a period, shall we weary of considering the sufferings of our
blessed Lord? She drove away
the birds of prey, and shall not we chase from our meditations those worldly
and sinful thoughts which defile both our minds and the sacred themes upon
which we are occupied? Away, ye birds of evil wing! Leave ye the sacrifice
alone! She bore the heats of summer, the night dews and the rains, unsheltered
and alone.
Sleep was chased from her weeping eyes: her heart was too full for slumber.
Behold how she loved her children! Shall Rizpah thus endure, and shall we start
at the first little inconvenience or trial? Are we such cowards that we cannot
bear to suffer with our Lord? She chased away even the wild beasts, with
courage unusual in her sex, and will not we be ready to encounter every foe for
Jesus' sake? These her children were slain by other hands than hers, and yet
she wept and watched: what ought we to do who have by our sins crucified our
Lord? Our obligations are boundless, our love should be fervent and our
repentance thorough.
To watch with Jesus should be our business, to protect his honour our
occupation, to abide by his cross our solace. Those ghastly corpses might well
have affrighted Rizpah, especially by night, but in our Lord, at whose
cross-foot we are sitting, there is nothing revolting, but everything
attractive. Never was living beauty so enchanting as a dying Saviour. Jesus, we
will watch with thee yet awhile, and do thou graciously unveil thyself to us;
then shall we not sit beneath sackcloth, but in a royal pavilion.
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Daily devotions for 03-15-2005:
Devotion: Morning and Evening
Morning Title: Proud of Grace
Evening Title: Stay On Your Guard
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Morning: Proud of Grace
"Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." --1 Corinthians
10:12
It is a curious fact, that there is such a thing as being proud of grace. A man
says, "I have
great faith, I shall not fall; poor little faith may, but I never shall." "I
have fervent love," says another, "I can stand, there is no danger of my going
astray."
He who boasts of grace has little grace to boast of. Some who do this imagine
that their graces can keep them, knowing not that the stream must flow
constantly from the fountain head, or else the brook will soon be dry. If a
continuous stream of oil comes not to the lamp, though it burn brightly to-day,
it will smoke to-morrow, and noxious will be its scent. Take heed that thou
gloriest not in thy graces, but let all thy glorying and confidence be in
Christ and His strength, for only so canst thou be kept from falling. Be much
more in prayer. Spend longer time in holy adoration. Read the Scriptures more
earnestly and constantly. Watch your lives more carefully. Live nearer to God.
Take the best examples for your pattern. Let your conversation be redolent of
heaven. Let your hearts be perfumed with affection for men's souls. So live
that men may take knowledge of you that you have been with Jesus, and have
learned of Him; and when that happy day shall come, when He whom you love shall
say, "Come up higher," may it be your happiness to hear Him say, "Thou hast
fought a good fight, thou hast finished thy course, and henceforth there is
laid up for thee a crown of righteousness which fadeth not away."
On, Christian, with care and caution! On, with holy fear and trembling! On,
with faith and
confidence in Jesus alone, and let your constant petition be, "Uphold me
according to Thy word."
He is able, and He alone, "To keep you from falling, and to present you
faultless before the
presence of His glory with exceeding joy."
Evening: Stay On Your Guard
"I will take heed to my ways." --Psalm 39:1
Fellow-pilgrim, say not in your heart, "I will go hither and thither, and I
shall not sin;" for you
are never so out of danger of sinning as to boast of security. The road is very
miry, it will be
hard to pick your path so as not to soil your garments. This is a world of
pitch; you will need
to watch often, if in handling it you are to keep your hands clean. There is a
robber at every turn of the road to rob you of your jewels; there is a
temptation in every mercy; there is a snare in every joy; and if you ever reach
heaven, it will be a miracle of divine grace to be ascribed entirely to your
Father's power. Be on your guard. When a man carries a bomb-shell in his hand,
he should mind that he does not go near a candle; and you too must take care
that you enter not into temptation. Even your common actions are edged tools;
you must mind how you handle them.
There is nothing in this world to foster a Christian's piety, but everything to
destroy it.
How anxious should you be to look up to God, that He may keep you! Your prayer
should be, "Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe."
Having prayed, you must also watch; guarding every thought, word, and action,
with holy
jealousy. Do not expose yourselves unnecessarily; but if called to exposure, if
you are bidden to go where the darts are flying, never venture forth without
your shield; for if once the devil finds you without your buckler, he will
rejoice that his hour of triumph is come, and will soon
make you fall down wounded by his arrows. Though slain you cannot be; wounded
you may be. "Be sober; be vigilant, danger may be in an hour when all seemeth
securest to thee." Therefore, take heed to thy ways, and watch unto prayer. No
man ever fell into error through being too watchful.
May the Holy Spirit guide us in all our ways, so shall they always please the
Lord.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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