Morning & Evening for November 23rd - Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Morning, November 23
Fellowship
with him.
1 John 1:6
When
we were united by faith to Christ, we were brought
into such complete fellowship with him, that we
were made one with him, and his interests and ours
became mutual and identical. We have fellowship
with Christ in his
love.
What he loves we love. He loves the saints so do
we. He loves sinners so do we. He loves the poor
perishing race of man, and pants to see earths
deserts transformed into the garden of the Lord so
do we. We have fellowship with him in his
desires. He
desires the glory of God we also labour for the
same. He desires that the saints may be with him
where he is we desire to be with him there too. He
desires to drive out sin behold we fight under his
banner. He desires that his Fathers name may be
loved and adored by all his creatures we pray
daily, Let thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on
earth, even as it is in heaven. We have fellowship
with Christ in his
sufferings. We
are not nailed to the cross, nor do we die a cruel
death, but when he is reproached, we are
reproached; and a very sweet thing it is to be
blamed for his sake, to be despised for following
the Master, to have the world against us. The
disciple should not be above his Lord. In our
measure we commune with him in his /labours/,
ministering to men by the word of truth and by
deeds of love. Our meat and our drink, like his, is
to do the will of him who hath sent us and to
finish his work. We have also fellowship with
Christ in his
joys.
We are happy in his happiness, we rejoice in his
exaltation. Have you ever tasted that joy,
believer? There is no purer or more thrilling
delight to be known this side heaven than that of
having Christs joy fulfilled in us, that our joy
may be full. His
glory awaits
us to complete our fellowship, for his Church shall
sit with him upon his throne, as his well-beloved
bride and queen.
Evening, November 23
Get
thee up into the high mountain.
Isaiah 40:9
Each
believer should be thirsting for God, for the
living God, and longing to climb the hill of the
Lord, and see him face to face. We ought not to
rest content in the mists of the valley when the
summit of Tabor awaits us. My soul thirsteth to
drink deep of the cup which is reserved for those
who reach the mountains brow, and bathe their brows
in heaven. How pure are the dews of the hills, how
fresh is the mountain air, how rich the fare of the
dwellers aloft, whose windows look into the New
Jerusalem! Many saints are content to live like men
in coal mines, who see not the sun; they eat dust
like the serpent when they might taste the
ambrosial meat of angels; they are content to wear
the miners garb when they might put on kings robes;
tears mar their faces when they might anoint them
with celestial oil. Satisfied I am that many a
believer pines in a dungeon when he might walk on
the palace roof, and view the goodly land and
Lebanon. Rouse thee, O believer, from thy low
condition! Cast away thy sloth, thy lethargy, thy
coldness, or whatever interferes with thy chaste
and pure love to Christ, thy souls Husband. Make
him the source, the centre, and the circumference
of all thy souls range of delight. What enchants
thee into such folly as to remain in a pit when
thou mayst sit on a throne? Live not in the
lowlands of bondage now that mountain liberty is
conferred upon thee. Rest no longer satisfied with
thy dwarfish attainments, but press forward to
things more sublime and heavenly. Aspire to a
higher, a nobler, a fuller life. Upward to heaven!
Nearer to God!
When
wilt thou come unto me, Lord?
Oh come, my Lord most dear
Come near, come nearer, nearer still,
I’m blest when thou art near.