Morning & Evening Devotional Reading

 January 8– Evening

by C. H. Spurgeon, Revised and Edited by W. C. Neff

“Your love is better than wine.” 

—Song of Solomon 1:2

Nothing gives the believer so much joy as fellowship with Christ. The common things of life are enjoyed by all, and the believer can be glad both in God’s gifts and God’s works. But above them all—indeed, if all of them were added together– he does not find such substantial delight as in the matchless person of his Lord Jesus.

The believer has wine which no vineyard on earth ever yielded; he has bread which all the wheatfields of Egypt could never bring forth. Where can such sweetness be found as we have tasted in communion with the one we love? In our estimation, the joys of earth are little better than husks for swine compared with Jesus, the heavenly manna. We would rather have one mouthful of Christ’s love and a sip of his fellowship than a whole world full of carnal delights. What is the chaff to the wheat? What is a speck of glitter to a diamond? What is a dream to glorious reality? What is amusement at its best compared with our Lord Jesus at his worst?

If you know anything of the inner life, you will confess that our highest, purest, and most enduring joys come from the tree of life which stands at the center of Paradise. All earthly bliss is just that—earthly!  But the comforts of Christ’s presence are like himself—heavenly! If we think back on our times of communion with Jesus, we find no regrets of emptiness in them; There are no dregs in his wine, no dead flies in his healing ointment. The joy of the Lord is solid and enduring. It is far from empty! Discretion and prudence testify that it stands the test of time. In eternity we will consider our time with Jesus worthy of being called our “only true delight.” For nourishment, consolation, exhilaration, and refreshment, no wine can rival the love of Jesus. So, let us drink fully of him this evening. [M&E]