Evening, August 2

Charles Spurgeon · Morning and Evening: Daily Readings

"So she gleaned in the field until even."

  Ruth 2:17

   Let me learn from Ruth, the gleaner. As she went out to gather the ears
   of corn, so must I go forth into the fields of prayer, meditation, the
   ordinances, and hearing the word to gather spiritual food. The gleaner
   gathers her portion ear by ear; her gains are little by little: so must
   I be content to search for single truths, if there be no greater plenty
   of them. Every ear helps to make a bundle, and every gospel lesson
   assists in making us wise unto salvation. The gleaner keeps her eyes
   open: if she stumbled among the stubble in a dream, she would have no
   load to carry home rejoicingly at eventide. I must be watchful in
   religious exercises lest they become unprofitable to me; I fear I have
   lost much already--O that I may rightly estimate my opportunities, and
   glean with greater diligence. The gleaner stoops for all she finds, and
   so must I. High spirits criticize and object, but lowly minds glean and
   receive benefit. A humble heart is a great help towards profitably
   hearing the gospel. The engrafted soul-saving word is not received
   except with meekness. A stiff back makes a bad gleaner; down, master
   pride, thou art a vile robber, not to be endured for a moment. What the
   gleaner gathers she holds: if she dropped one ear to find another, the
   result of her day's work would be but scant; she is as careful to
   retain as to obtain, and so at last her gains are great. How often do I
   forget all that I hear; the second truth pushes the first out of my
   head, and so my reading and hearing end in much ado about nothing! Do I
   feel duly the importance of storing up the truth? A hungry belly makes
   the gleaner wise; if there be no corn in her hand, there will be no
   bread on her table; she labours under the sense of necessity, and hence
   her tread is nimble and her grasp is firm; I have even a greater
   necessity, Lord, help me to feel it, that it may urge me onward to
   glean in fields which yield so plenteous a reward to diligence.