Spurgeon: February PM
* 02/11/PM
"Thou hast left thy first love."
--Revelation 2:4
Ever to be remembered is that best and brightest of hours,
when first we saw the Lord, lost our burden, received the roll
of promise, rejoiced in full salvation, and went on our way in
peace. It was spring time in the soul; the winter was past; the
mutterings of Sinai's thunders were hushed; the flashings of its
lightnings were no more perceived; God was beheld as reconciled;
the law threatened no vengeance, justice demanded no punishment.
Then the flowers appeared in our heart; hope, love, peace, and
patience sprung from the sod; the hyacinth of repentance, the
snowdrop of pure holiness, the crocus of golden faith, the
daffodil of early love, all decked the garden of the soul. The
time of the singing of birds was come, and we rejoiced with
thanksgiving; we magnified the holy name of our forgiving God,
and our resolve was, "Lord, I am Thine, wholly Thine; all I am,
and all I have, I would devote to Thee. Thou hast brought me
with Thy blood--let me spend myself and be spent in Thy service.
In life and in death let me be consecrated to Thee." How have
we kept this resolve ? Our espousal love burned with a holy
flame of devoutedness to Jesus--is it the same now ? Might not
Jesus well say to us, "I have somewhat against thee, because
thou hast left they first love"? Alas! it is but little we have
done for our Master's glory. Our winter has lasted all too long.
We are as cold as ice when we should feel a summer's glow and
bloom with sacred flowers. We give to God pence when He
deserveth pounds, nay, deserveth our heart's blood to be coined
in the service of His church and of His truth. But shall we
continue thus? O Lord, after Thou hast so richly blessed us,
shall we be ungrateful and become indifferent to Thy good cause
and work? O quicken us that we may return to our first love, and
do our first works! Send us a genial spring, O Sun of
Righteousness.