Morning & Evening for March 7th - Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Morning
Have
faith in God
Mark 11:22
Faith is the foot of the
soul by which it can march along the road of the
commandments. Love can make the feet move more
swiftly; but faith is the foot which carries the
soul. Faith is the oil enabling the wheels of holy
devotion and of earnest piety to move well; and
without faith the wheels are taken from the
chariot, and we drag heavily. With faith I can do
all things; without faith I shall neither have the
inclination nor the power to do anything in the
service of God. If you would find the men who serve
God the best, you must look for the men of the most
faith. Little faith will save a man, but little
faith cannot do great things for God. Poor
Little-faith could not have fought "Apollyon;" it
needed "Christian" to do that. Poor Little-faith
could not have slain "Giant Despair;" it required
"Great-heart's" arm to knock that monster down.
Little faith will go to heaven most certainly, but
it often has to hide itself in a nut-shell, and it
frequently loses all but its jewels. Little-faith
says, "It is a rough road, beset with sharp thorns,
and full of dangers; I am afraid to go;" but
Great-faith remembers the promise, "Thy shoes shall
be iron and brass; as thy days, so shall thy
strength be:" and so she boldly ventures.
Little-faith stands desponding, mingling her tears
with the flood; but Great-faith sings, "When thou
passest through the waters, I will be with thee;
and through the rivers, they shall not overflow
thee:" and she fords the stream at once. Would you
be comfortable and happy? Would you enjoy religion?
Would you have the religion of cheerfulness and not
that of gloom? Then "have faith in God." If you
love darkness, and are satisfied to dwell in gloom
and misery, then be content with little faith; but
if you love the sunshine, and would sing songs of
rejoicing, covet earnestly this best gift, "great
faith."
Evening
lt
is better to trust in the Lord, than to put
confidence in man
Psalm 118:8
Doubtless the reader
has been tried with the temptation to rely upon the
things which are seen, instead of resting alone
upon the invisible God. Christians often look to
man for help and counsel, and mar the noble
simplicity of their reliance upon their God. Does
this evening's portion meet the eye of a child of
God anxious about temporals, then would we reason
with him awhile. You trust in Jesus, and only in
Jesus, for your salvation, then why are you
troubled? "Because of my great
care." Is it not written,
"Cast thy burden upon the Lord"? "Be careful for
nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication make known your wants unto God."
Cannot you trust God for temporals?
"Ah! I wish I
could." If you cannot trust
God for temporals, how dare you trust Him for
spirituals? Can you trust Him for your soul's
redemption, and not rely upon Him for a few lesser
mercies? Is not God enough for thy need, or is His
all-sufficiency too narrow for thy wants? Dost thou
want another eye beside that of Him who sees every
secret thing? Is His heart faint? Is His arm weary?
If so, seek another God; but if He be infinite,
omnipotent, faithful, true, and all-wise, why
gaddest thou abroad so much to seek another
confidence? Why dost thou rake the earth to find
another foundation, when this is strong enough to
bear all the weight which thou canst ever build
thereon? Christian, mix not only thy wine with
water, do not alloy thy gold of faith with the
dross of human confidence. Wait thou only upon God,
and let thine expectation be from Him. Covet not
Jonah's gourd, but rest in Jonah's God. Let the
sandy foundations of terrestrial trust be the
choice of fools, but do thou, like one who foresees
the storm, build for thyself an abiding place upon
the Rock of Ages.