Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

September 18– Morning

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

“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” 

—Galatians 5:25

Every Christian must have both the life of faith and the walk of faith. You will never find true faith unattended by true godliness; on the other hand, you will never discover a truly holy life that isn’t rooted in a living faith upon the righteousness of Christ.

What a curse it is to seek after the one without the other! There are some who cultivate faith and forget holiness; they may have a high level of right thinking, but they are very deep in condemnation for they hold the truth in unrighteousness. There are others who have strained after holiness of life, but have denied the faith like the Pharisees of old whom Jesus called “whitewashed tombs.”

We must have faith for this is the foundation. We must have holiness of life for this is the building. Of what service is the mere foundation of a building when it begins to storm? Can you hide yourself inside the foundation? No! You want a house to cover you as well as a foundation for the house. Even so we need the superstructure of spiritual life if we would have protection in the day of doubt.

But don’t seek a holy life without faith for that would be like building a house that can provide no permanent shelter. Let faith and life be put together; like light and heat streaming from the same sun, they are full of blessing. Like the two pillars of the temple, they are for glory and beauty. They are two streams from the fountain of grace.

O Lord, give us this day life within, and let it glow with holy living for Your glory. [M&E]