Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

October 22– Evening

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

“The Holy Spirit will receive from me and will show it unto you.”

—John 16:15

There are times when all the promises and doctrines of the Bible are of no avail unless a gracious hand applies them to us. The Holy Spirit is that hand. We are thirsty but too faint to crawl to the brook for water. The soldier wounded in battle must be taken to the hospital where his wounds can be bound and medicines can be applied to ease his pain.

It is like this with our souls, and to meet this need there is one– even the Spirit of truth– who takes the things of Jesus and applies them to us. Don’t think that Christ has placed his joys on heavenly shelves but then leaves it up to us to climb those shelves to seize them; instead, he draws near and distributes his peace abroad in our hearts.

O Christian, if you are laboring under deep distresses, your Father does not give you promises and then leave you to draw them up from the Word like buckets from a well, but he himself will write those promises freshly on your heart. The Spirit will bring his love to you.

Please know, O mourner, that God himself wipes away every tear from the eyes of his people. The good Samaritan did not say, “Here is the wine and oil; use it.” Instead, he himself poured the oil and wine on the wounds. In the same way, Jesus not only gives you the sweet wine of his promise, but the Holy Spirit holds the golden chalice to your lips. The poor, sick, road-worn pilgrim is not merely strengthened to walk but is carried on eagles’ wings.

This is the glorious gospel! God provides everything for the helpless! God draws us near to himself when we are unable to reach out for it; he brings us grace before we seek it! There is as much glory in the giving as in the gift. Happy are those who have the Holy Spirit to bring Jesus to them. [M&E]