Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

December 17– Morning

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

“I will remember you.” 

—Jeremiah 2:2

Take just a moment to notice that Christ delights to think upon his Church and to look upon her beauty. As the bird returns often to its nest and as the traveler hurries to return home, even so the mind continually pursues the object of its choice. It’s impossible to look too often at that which we love; we always want to have our precious things within our sight, and the same is true with our Lord Jesus.

From all eternity he took delight in mankind; his thoughts rolled onward to the time when his chosen ones would be born into the world; he viewed them in the mirror of his foreknowledge. On many occasions before his incarnation, he visited his people in the likeness of a man. On the plains of Mamre (Gen. 18), by the brook of Jabbok (Gen. 32), beneath the walls of Jericho (Josh. 5:13), and in the fiery furnace of Babylon (Dan. 3:19, 25) the Son of Man visited his people. Because his soul delighted in them, he couldn’t stay away from them. His heart longed after them, and, in time, he engraved their names on his hands and side.

In the Old Testament, the High Priest’s breastplate (which contained the names of the 12 tribes of Israel) was the most brilliant ornament worn by him. In the same way, the names of Christ’s chosen ones were his most precious jewels and glittered on his heart. We may often forget to meditate upon the beauty of our Lord, but he never ceases to remember us. We ought to scold ourselves for our past forgetfulness and pray for grace to bear him in fondest remembrance.

Lord, paint upon the eyelids of my soul the image of your Son, Jesus Christ. [M&E]