Morning by Morning Copyright 2007 by Alistair Begg This book was formerly part of Morning and Evening, copyright 2003 by Alistair Begg. Published by Crossway Books a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers 1300 Crescent Street Wheaton, Illinois 60187 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided by USA copyright law. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Scripture quotations indicated KJV are taken from the King James Version. Cover design: Luke Daab First printing, 2007 Printed in Belgium Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Spurgeon, C. H. (Charles Haddon), 1834 1892. Morning by morning : a new edition of the classic devotional basedon the Holy Bible, English standard version / Charles H. Spurgeon ; revised and updated by Alistair Begg. p. cm. This book was formerly part of Morning and Evening, copyright 2003 by Alistair Begg. ISBN 978-1-58134-981-8 (trutone) 1. Devotional calendars Baptists. 2. Bible Meditations. I. Spurgeon, C. H. (Charles Haddon), 1834 1892. Morning and evening. II. Begg, Alistair. III. Title. BV4811.S6669 2007 242'.2 dc22 2007033105 SP 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Introduction Spurgeon s daily devotional readings have stood the test of time and are unrivaled as an example of deep theological insight and warm pastoral concern. They are so classic that one hesitates to tamper with them. In revising and updating the material, I have tried to make them more readable without spoiling the splendor of the language. Most of the changes are minor and will go largely undetected. On a few occasions, because of the difference between the King James Version and the English Standard Version, I was forced to take more liberty. My goal throughout has been to fashion the material in such a way that it will be accessible to a far wider audience than before. Spurgeon s vocabulary is so vast that the reader may still find himself reaching for a dictionary, but this will surely be an added benefit! Since I did not have the opportunity to ask Spurgeon s permission, when I meet him I will seek his forgiveness if in attempting to bring clarity I have clouded the issue. The reader must judge. My prayer is that another generation will emerge thankful to God for the work of Spurgeon, whose memory we revere and whose example of godly devotion we seek to follow. Alistair Begg 7
My hope is from him. PSALM 62:5 It is the believer s privilege to use this language. If he is looking for anything from the world, it is a poor hope indeed. But if he looks to God for the supply of his needs, whether temporal or spiritual blessings, his hope will not be in vain. He may constantly draw from the bank of faith and get his need supplied out of the riches of God s loving-kindness. I know this: I would rather have God for my banker than all the Rothschilds. My Lord never fails to honor His promises; and when we bring them to His throne, He never sends them back unanswered. Therefore I will wait only at His door, for He always opens it with the hand of abundant grace. At this hour I will turn to Him afresh. But we have hope beyond this life. We will die soon; and still our hope is from him. May we not expect that when we face illness He will send angels to carry us to His bosom? We believe that when the pulse is faint and the heart is weak, some angelic messenger shall stand and look with loving eyes upon us and whisper, Come away! As we approach the heavenly gate, we expect to hear the welcome invitation, Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 1 We are expecting harps of gold and crowns of glory; we are hoping soon to be among the company of shining ones before the throne; we are looking forward and longing for the time when we shall be like our glorious Lord for We shall see him as he is. 2 Then if these are your hopes, O my soul, live for God; live with the desire and resolve to glorify Him from whose grace in your election, redemption, and calling you safely hope for the coming glory. 1 Matthew 25:34 2 1 John 3:2 68
The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad. PSALM 126:3 Some Christians are sadly prone to look on the dark side of everything, and to dwell more upon what they have gone through than upon what God has done for them. Ask for their impression of the Christian life, and they will describe their continual conflicts, their deep afflictions, their sad adversities, and the sinfulness of their hearts, but with scarcely any reference to the mercy and help that God has provided them. But a Christian whose soul is in a healthy state will come forward joyously and say, I will not speak about myself, but to the honor of my God. He has brought me up out of a horrible pit and out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings; and He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God. The Lord has done great things for me I am glad. This summary of experience is the very best that any child of God can present. It is true that we endure trials, but it is just as true that we are delivered out of them. It is true that we have our corruptions, and sadly we acknowledge this, but it is just as true that we have an all-sufficient Savior who overcomes these corruptions and delivers us from their dominion. In looking back, it would be wrong to deny that we have been in the Slough of Despond and have crept along the Valley of Humiliation, but it would be equally wicked to forget that we have been through them safely and profitably; we have not remained in them, thanks to our Almighty Helper and Leader, who has brought us out to a place of abundance. 1 The deeper our troubles, the louder our thanks to God, who has led us through them all and preserved us until today. Our griefs cannot spoil the melody of our praise; we consider them to be the bass line of our life s song, The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad. 1 Psalm 66:12 173
Wait for the LORD. PSALM 27:14 I t may seem an easy thing to wait, but it is one of the postures that a Christian soldier cannot learn without years of teaching. Marching and quick-marching are much easier for God s warriors than standing still. There are hours of perplexity when the most willing spirit, anxiously desiring to serve the Lord, does not know what role to play. Then what shall it do? Vex itself by despair? Retreat back in cowardice, turn to the right hand in fear, or rush forward in presumption? No, simply wait. Wait in prayer, however. Call upon God, and spread the matter before Him; tell Him your difficulty, and plead His promise of help. In dilemmas between one duty and another, it is best to be humble as a child and wait with simplicity of soul upon the Lord. It is sure to be well with us when we feel and know our own folly and are genuinely willing to be guided by the will of God. But wait in faith. Express your unstaggering confidence in Him; for unfaithful, untrusting waiting is just an insult to the Lord. Believe that if He keeps you waiting even until midnight, He will still come at the right time; the vision will come and not delay. Wait in quiet patience, not rebelling because things are difficult, but blessing your God for the privilege of affliction. Never grumble against the second cause, as the children of Israel did against Moses; never wish you could go back to the world again, but accept the circumstance as it is, and put it as it stands, simply and with your whole heart, without any selfish agenda, into the hand of your covenant God, saying, Now, Lord, not my will, but Yours be done. I do not know what to do. I am at an end of myself, but I will wait until You part the floods or drive back my enemies. I will wait, even if You test me for a while, for my heart is fixed upon You alone, O God, and my spirit waits for You in the deep conviction that You will still be my joy and my salvation, my refuge and my strong tower. 256