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May 23

Morning

The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me. O LORD, Your loving devotion endures forever—do not abandon the works of Your hands. — Ps 138:8 BSB

It’s clear that the confidence expressed by the Psalmist here was a divine confidence. He didn’t say, “I have enough grace to perfect everything that concerns me—my faith is so strong that it won’t waver—my love is so deep that it will never grow cold—my determination is so firm that nothing can shake it.” No, his reliance was solely on the Lord. If we put any confidence in ourselves that isn’t grounded on the Rock of Ages, it’s worse than an illusion. It will collapse on us and leave us in sorrow and confusion. Everything that human nature tries to build will be unraveled by time, to the eternal shame of those who trust in it.

The Psalmist was wise; he trusted only in the work of the Lord. It is the Lord who began the good work in us; it is He who has carried it forward; and if He doesn’t finish it, it will never be completed. If we were responsible for even one stitch in the garment of righteousness, we would be lost. But this is our confidence—the Lord, who started the work, will finish it. He has done it all, must do it all, and will do it all. Our confidence must not rest in what we’ve done or what we plan to do, but in what the Lord will do!

Unbelief whispers, “You’ll never make it. Look at the evil in your heart! You can’t conquer sin! Remember the temptations of the world—you’ll surely be drawn in and led astray!” Yes, we would indeed be lost if we were left to our own strength. If we had to navigate the stormy seas of life by ourselves, we might as well abandon the journey now! But thank God—HE will perfect everything that concerns us, and He will bring us safely to our desired haven. We can never be too confident—when our confidence is in Him alone!


Evening

You have not bought Me sweet cane with your silver, nor satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened Me with your sins; you have wearied Me with your iniquities. — Isa 43:24 BSB

In the temple, worshipers would bring offerings of sweet perfumes to be burned on God’s altar. But when Israel strayed from God, they became stingy, offering very few gifts. This lack of generosity revealed their coldness of heart toward God and His house. Reader, could the same be said of you at times? Is it possible that this complaint from Scripture could be made against you, at least occasionally?

If you are poor in material wealth but rich in faith, the size of your gift doesn’t matter; God will still accept it. But poor believer, do you give in proportion to what you have, or do you withhold even the widow’s mite? If you are wealthy, be thankful for the resources entrusted to you, but remember that with greater blessings comes greater responsibility—much will be required of those to whom much is given. Wealthy reader, are you mindful of your responsibility to God? Are you giving in a way that reflects the blessings you’ve received?

Jesus gave His blood for us—what will we give to Him? We belong to Him, for He purchased us with His life. Can we live as though we still belong to ourselves? Oh, how we need more devotion! And to achieve that, we need more love!

Precious Jesus, how gracious You are to accept our small offerings of love! Nothing is too costly to give in response to Your incomparable love, and yet You gladly receive even our smallest tokens of affection! You accept them as if they were treasures, though in truth, they are as simple as a bunch of wildflowers a child brings to their mother. May we never be stingy with You again. From this moment on, may we always be generous in offering You the gifts of our love. We will give You the first fruits of all we have, acknowledging that everything we give comes from You in the first place.


Morning and Evening - May 23

Public domain content taken from Morning and Evening by Charles H. Spurgeon.


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