Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

 January 28– Evening

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

“And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.” 

—Luke 2:20

What was the subject of the Shepherds’ praise? They praised God for what they had heard– for the good news of great joy that a Savior was born unto them. Let us copy them; let us also raise a song of thanksgiving that we have heard of Jesus and his salvation.

They also praised God for what they had seen. Music is sweetest music when we have experienced it within and have made it our own. It is not enough to hear about Jesus; mere hearing may tune the harp, but the fingers of living faith must create the music. If you have seen Jesus with the God-given sight of faith, then don’t allow any cobwebs to form among the harp strings, but render loud praise to his sovereign grace. Open up your hymn book, and start plucking the strings!

One point for which they praised God was the agreement between what they had heard and what they had seen. Observe the last part of the sentence: “As it was told unto them.” Have you not found the gospel to be in yourselves just what the Bible said it would be? Jesus said he would give you rest, and have you not enjoyed the sweetest peace in him? He said you would have joy and comfort and life through believing in him, and have you not received all these? Are not his ways pleasant and his pathways filled with peace? Surely you can say with the queen of Sheba, “The half has not been told me.” I have found Christ sweeter than his servants ever said he was. I looked upon his likeness as they painted it, but it was a mere splatter compared with himself; for the King in his beauty outshines all imaginable loveliness. Surely what we have “seen” keeps pace with—rather—far exceeds what we have “heard.” Let us, then, glorify and praise God for a Savior so precious and so satisfying. [M&E]