Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

July 15– Morning

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

“The fire should always be burning upon the altar; it should never go out.” .” 

—Leviticus 6:13

Keep the altar of your private prayer burning. This is the very center of all godly living. The fires of worship in the Church and in the family get their spark and fuel from it; therefore, let it burn well. Secret devotion is the very essence, evidence, and barometer of vital spirituality. On the altar of prayer burn the fat of your sacrifices. Let your times of prayer in the closet be, if possible, regular, frequent, and undisturbed. Effective prayer accomplishes much.

Don’t you have something to pray for? If not, let’s start with the Church, the ministry, your own soul, your children, your relations, your neighbors, your country, and the cause of God and truth throughout the world. Let’s examine our hearts to see if the fire of devotion is burning dimly there? Do the chariot wheels drag heavily? If so, let’s be alarmed at this sign of decay. Let’s weep and ask for the Spirit of grace to commune tenderly with God. Let’s set apart special seasons for extraordinary prayer. If we allow this fire to be smothered beneath the ashes of a worldly conformity, it will dim all other fires and lessen our influence in the Church and in the world.

Let’s seek God’s grace to keep the fire always burning. Many enemies will attempt to extinguish it, but if the Lord pours oil upon it will blaze higher and higher. Let the words of Scripture be like fuel in our hearts; let’s listen carefully to the preaching of his word. Above all let’s spend much time alone with Jesus. [M&E]