Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

August 11– Morning

 by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and edited by W. C. Neff

“Oh, if I were only like I was in the past.” 

—Job 29:2

Many Christians can view the past with pleasure but regard the present with dissatisfaction; they look back upon the days when they began to commune with the Lord as the sweetest they’ve ever known, but the present is filled with gloom and dreariness. Once they lived near to Jesus, but now they sense that they have wandered from him, and they say, “O, if I were only as I was months (or years) ago!” They complain that they have lost their fruit, their peace of mind, their loss of a tender conscience or zeal for God’s glory.

The causes of this sad condition are many. It is often the result of a neglect of prayer. Or it may be the result of idolatry. The heart has been occupied with something else more than with God. A jealous God will not be content with a divided heart. He will withdraw his presence from a cold, wandering heart. Or the problem may be found in self-confidence that takes us away from the foot of the cross.

Christian, if you aren’t now as you were in months or years past, don’t be satisfied to wish for a return to your former happiness, but go at once to seek your Master, and tell him your sad state. Humble yourself before him, and he will lift you up again to enjoy the light of his countenance. Don’t despair; while the beloved Physician lives, there is hope; no, more than that! There is certainty of recovery for even the worst cases. [M&E]