Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

September 30– Morning

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

“Sing forth the honor of his name, make his praise glorious.” 

—Psalm 66:2

It is not left to our own option whether we praise God or not. Praise is due to God, and every Christian, as the recipient of his grace, is bound to praise him from day to day. It is true that we have no authoritative form for daily praise; we have no commandment prescribing certain hours of song and thanksgiving, but the law written upon the heart teaches us that it’s right to praise God. And that unwritten mandate comes to us with as much force as if it had been recorded on the tables of stone or handed to us from the top of thundering Sinai. Yes, it is the Christian’s duty to praise God. It’s not only a pleasurable exercise, but it’s the absolute obligation of his life.

Don’t think that you who are sad are exempt from this duty. Don’t imagine that you can live the Christian life without singing songs of praise. You are bound by the bonds of his love to bless his name so long as you live, and his praise should continually be in your mouth. You have been blessed in order that you may bless him. The Scripture says, “This people have I formed for myself, (and) they will show forth my praise.” If you don’t praise God, then you aren’t bringing forth the fruit that he, as the Divine Gardener, has a right to expect at your hands.

Don’t let your harp hang upon the willows, but take it down, and strive with a grateful heart to bring forth its loudest music. Get up! And chant his praise. With every morning’s dawn, lift up your notes of thanksgiving, and let every setting sun be followed with your song. [M&E]