Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

May 23– Evening

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

“You have not purchased for me sweet perfumes with your money…” 

—Isaiah 43:24

Worshippers at the temple were accustomed to bringing presents of sweet perfumes to be burned upon the altar of God, but Israel, in her times of sinfulness, became ungenerous and made few vowed offerings to her Lord. This evidenced her coldness of heart towards God and his house.

Dear reader, does this ever happen with you? Might not the complaint of this text be occasionally, if not frequently, brought against you? Even if your pockets are poor and your gifts are small, do you give them? Do you give back to the Lord in proportion to what you have? Or do you hold back the widow’s mite? Your gifts, if given with richness of heart, will be accepted into the sacred treasury?

Dear friend, perhaps you have been given much. If so, be thankful for all that God has entrusted to you. And don’t forget the large responsibility given to you as well. To whom much has been given, much will be required. Are you rendering to the Lord according to the benefits you have received? Jesus gave his blood for us. What will we give to him? All we are and have belongs to him. Can we act as if we belong to ourselves? O for more consecration! O for more love!

Blessed Jesus, how good it is of you to accept the sweet perfumes we have bought for you! Nothing is too costly as a tribute to your unrivalled love. You receive our poor gifts as if they were intrinsically precious, like a mother receives a handful of wild flowers from her loving child. May we never be stingy toward you or hear you complain about us again for withholding the gifts of our love. We will give you the first portion of what we receive and pay you tithes of all we have. Our confession will be, “We have only given you what first was yours.” [M&E]