October 11 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Psalm 17:6–9

Devotional

When we give our hearts as we give to the poor, we give well. But we must often plead to falling short in this respect. Not so our Master and our Lord! He always performs his favours with all the love of his heart.

He doesn’t send us the cold leftovers from the table of his luxury. No, he takes our portion from his own dish. He seasons our provisions with the spices of his fragrant affections. When he puts the golden tokens of his grace into our palms, he accompanies the gift with such a warm pressure of our hand that the manner of his giving is as precious as the gift itself. When he comes into our homes on his errands of kindness, he won’t act as some prissy visitors do in a poor person’s home. No, he sits down right beside us, neither despising our poverty nor blaming our weakness. Beloved, with what smiles does he speak! What golden sentences drop from his gracious lips! What affectionate embraces does he bestow upon us! Even if he gave us just pennies, the way he gave them would make them as precious as gold. But as it is, he puts expensive into a golden basket by his pleasant deportment. It’s impossible to doubt the sincerity of his charity, for there’s a bleeding heart stamped on the face of each of his donations. He gives generously without finding fault (Jas 1:5). He does not give even a hint that we are burdensome to him. He does not give even one cold look for his poor dependants. But he rejoices in his mercy; he presses us to his heart the whole while that he is pouring out his life for us. There is a fragrance in his aromatic ointment that nothing but his heart could produce. There is a sweetness in his honey-comb which could never be there unless the very essence of his soul’s affection had been mingled with it.

Oh! the rare fellowship which such marvellous lovingkindness effects! May we continually taste and know the blessedness of it!

[May 20, morning]

Extracted from C. H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening (public domain), language modernized by Larry E. Wilson.