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Today's Devotion (Monday, Jun 02)

C. H. Spurgeon's Morning and Evening: Daily Readings (SME)

Morning, June 2


“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.”
Galatians 5:17

If the young man in the gospel used this title in speaking to our Lord, how much more fitly may I thus address him! He is indeed my Master in both senses, a ruling Master and a teaching Master. I delight to run upon his errands, and to sit at his feet. I am both his servant and his disciple, and count it my highest honour to own the double character. If he should ask me why I call him “good,” I should have a ready answer. It is true that “there is none good but one, that is, God,” but then he is God, and all the goodness of Deity shines forth in him. In my experience, I have found him good, so good, indeed, that all the good I have has come to me through him. He was good to me when I was dead in sin, for he raised me by his Spirit’s power; he has been good to me in all my needs, trials, struggles, and sorrows. Never could there be a better Master, for his service is freedom, his rule is love: I wish I were one thousandth part as good a servant. When he teaches me as my Rabbi, he is unspeakably good, his doctrine is divine, his manner is condescending, his spirit is gentleness itself. No error mingles with his instruction—pure is the golden truth which he brings forth, and all his teachings lead to goodness, sanctifying as well as edifying the disciple. Angels find him a good Master and delight to pay their homage at his footstool. The ancient saints proved him to be a good Master, and each of them rejoiced to sing, “I am thy servant, O Lord!” My own humble testimony must certainly be to the same effect. I will bear this witness before my friends and neighbours, for possibly they may be led by my testimony to seek my Lord Jesus as their Master. O that they would do so! They would never repent so wise a deed. If they would but take his easy yoke, they would find themselves in so royal a service that they would enlist in it for ever.

Evening, June 2

“Good Master.”
Matthew 19:16

In every believer’s heart there is a constant strugglebetween the old nature and the new. The old nature is veryactive, and loses no opportunity of plying all the weaponsof its deadly armoury against newborn grace; while on theother hand, the new nature is ever on the watch to resistand destroy its enemy. Grace within us will employ prayer,and faith, and hope, and love, to cast out the evil; ittakes unto it the “whole armour of God,” and wrestlesearnestly. These two opposing natures will never cease tostruggle so long as we are in this world. The battle of“Christian” with “Apollyon” lasted three hours, but thebattle of Christian with himself lasted all the way fromthe Wicket Gate in the river Jordan. The enemy is sosecurely entrenched within us that he can never be drivenout while we are in this body: but although we are closelybeset, and often in sore conflict, we have an Almightyhelper, even Jesus, the Captain of our salvation, who isever with us, and who assures us that we shall eventuallycome off more than conquerors through Him. With suchassistance the new-born nature is more than a match for itsfoes. Are you fighting with the adversary to-day? AreSatan, the world, and the flesh, all against you? Be notdiscouraged nor dismayed. Fight on! For God Himself is withyou; Jehovah Nissi is your banner, and Jehovah Rophi is thehealer of your wounds. Fear not, you shall overcome, forwho can defeat Omnipotence? Fight on, “looking unto Jesus”;and though long and stern be the conflict, sweet will bethe victory, and glorious the promised reward. “Fromstrength to strength go on; Wrestle, and fight, and pray,Tread all the powers of darkness down, And win thewell-fought day.”