Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

June 24– Evening

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

“Let it be known unto you, O king, that we will not serve your gods.” 

—Daniel 3:16, 18

The story of these three men is one of courage and marvelous deliverance. These three holy young men were true champions of faith. And it ought to encourage believers in firmness and steadfastness to uphold the truth in the teeth of tyranny and in the very jaws of death.

Let young Christians especially learn from their example, both in terms of their worship of God and their uprightness in daily business, that they may never sacrifice their consciences. You can lose everything, but don’t lose your integrity. When all else is gone, you will be holding fast to a clear conscience which is the rarest jewel that can adorn the chest of any man. Don’t be guided by weather-vane policy which changes direction with the blowing wind, but follow the north star of divine authority. When you come to a hazard, do the right thing even if it is not convenient. When you see no present advantage, walk by faith and not by sight. Do God the honor of trusting him when it comes to matters of loss for the sake of principle. See whether he will be your debtor! See if he does not even in this life prove his word that “Godliness, with contentment, is great gain,” and that those who “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness will have all these things added unto them.”

Should it happen that, in the providence of God, you are not paid back with the silver of earthly prosperity, you will be compensated with the gold of spiritual joy. Remember that a man’s life consists not in the abundance of what he possesses. To wear an honest spirit, to have a heart free of offense, to have the favor and smile of God, is greater riches than gold mines could produce. “Better is a dinner of sparse vegetables where love is present than an ox roast where inward contentions abound.” An ounce of heart-contentment is worth a ton of gold. [M&E]