Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–
December 12– Evening
by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and edited by W. C. Neff
“[Israel] has dealt treacherously against the Lord.'”
—Hosea 5:7
Dear Believer, here is a sorrowful truth! You are greatly loved by the Lord, redeemed by his blood, called by his grace, preserved in Christ Jesus, and on your way to heaven; and yet you too often “have dealt treacherously” with God, your best friend; treacherously with Jesus, to whom you belong; treacherously with the Holy Spirit, by whom you have been awakened unto eternal life!
How treacherous you have been in the matter of vows and promises. Do you remember the time of your Adoption— that happy time, the springtime of your spiritual life? Oh, how closely you clung to your Master then! You said confidently, “He will never charge me with indifference; my feet will never grow lazy in the way of his service; I will not allow my heart to wander after other loves; in him is every inexpressible sweetness. I give everything up for my Lord Jesus’ sake.” But has this been true of you? Sadly, if conscience could speak, it would say, “He who promised much has done little.”
Our prayers are sloppy. They have been short but not sweet, brief but not fervent. Communion with Christ has been forgotten. Instead of a heavenly mind, there have been earthly worries, worldly vanities, and even thoughts of evil. Instead of service, there has been disobedience; instead of fervency, lukewarmness; instead of patience, irritability; instead of faith, confidence in the flesh. As a soldier of the cross, there has been cowardice, disobedience, and desertion to a very shameful degree.” “You have dealt treacherously.”
Imagine. Treachery to Jesus! What words can be used to denounce it? Words are of little help; let our penitent thoughts abhor the sin which is so surely in us. Treacherous to your wounds, O Jesus! Forgive us, and don’t let us sin any longer! How shameful to be treacherous to him who never forgets us but who stands today with our names engraved on his priestly breastplate before the eternal throne of God. [M&E]
