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Charles Spurgeon's Daily DevotionalThis morning devotional prepared for December, 6th.
"As is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly."--1 Corinthians 15:48
The head and members are of one nature, and not like that
monstrous image which Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream. The head
was of fine gold, but the belly and thighs were of brass, the
legs of iron, and the feet, part of iron and part of clay.
Christ's mystical body is no absurd combination of opposites;
the members were mortal, and therefore Jesus died; the glorified
head is immortal, and therefore the body is immortal too, for
thus the record stands, "Because I live, ye shall live also." As
is our loving Head, such is the body, and every member in
particular. A chosen Head and chosen members; an accepted Head,
and accepted members; a living Head, and living members. If the
head be pure gold, all the parts of the body are of pure gold
also. Thus is there a double union of nature as a basis for the
closest communion. Pause here, devout reader, and see if thou
canst without ecstatic amazement, contemplate the infinite
condescension of the Son of God in thus exalting thy
wretchedness into blessed union with His glory. Thou art so mean
that in remembrance of thy mortality, thou mayest say to
corruption, "Thou art my father," and to the worm, "Thou art my
sister"; and yet in Christ thou art so honoured that thou canst
say to the Almighty, "Abba, Father," and to the Incarnate God,
"Thou art my brother and my husband." Surely if relationships to
ancient and noble families make men think highly of themselves,
we have whereof to glory over the heads of them all. Let the
poorest and most despised believer lay hold upon this privilege;
let not a senseless indolence make him negligent to trace his
pedigree, and let him suffer no foolish attachment to present
vanities to occupy his thoughts to the exclusion of this
glorious, this heavenly honour of union with Christ.
This afternoon devotional prepared for December, 6th.
"Girt about the paps with a golden girdle."--Revelation 1:13
One like unto the Son of Man" appeared to John in Patmos, and
the beloved disciple marked that He wore a girdle of gold. _A
girdle_, for Jesus never was ungirt while upon earth, but stood
always ready for service, and now before the eternal throne He
stays not is holy ministry, but as a priest is girt about with
"the curious girdle of the ephod." Well it is for us that He has
not ceased to fulfil His offices of love for us, since this is
one of our choicest safeguards that He ever liveth to make
intercession for us. Jesus is never an idler; His garments are
never loose as though His offices were ended; He diligently
carries on the cause of His people. _A golden girdle_, to
manifest the superiority of His service, the royalty of His
person, the dignity of His state, the glory of His reward. No
longer does He cry out of the dust, but He pleads with
authority, a King as well as a Priest. Safe enough is our cause
in the hands of our enthroned Melchisedek.
Our Lord presents all His people with an example. We must
never unbind our girdles. This is not the time for lying down at
ease, it is the season of service and warfare. We need to bind
the girdle of truth more and more tightly around our loins. It
is a golden girdle, and so will be our richest ornament, and we
greatly need it, for a heart that is not well braced up with the
truth as it is in Jesus, and with the fidelity which is wrought
of the Spirit, will be easily entangled with the things of this
life, and tripped up by the snares of temptation. It is in vain
that we possess the Scriptures unless we bind them around us
like a girdle, surrounding our entire nature, keeping each part
of our character in order, and giving compactness to our whole
man. If in heaven Jesus unbinds not the girdle, much less may we
upon earth. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with
truth.
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