Morning, January 22

Charles Spurgeon · Morning and Evening: Daily Readings

"Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch
   which is among the trees of the forest?"

  Ezekiel 15:2

   These words are for the humbling of God's people; they are called God's
   vine, but what are they by nature more than others? They, by God's
   goodness, have become fruitful, having been planted in a good soil; the
   Lord hath trained them upon the walls of the sanctuary, and they bring
   forth fruit to his glory; but what are they without their God? What are
   they without the continual influence of the Spirit, begetting
   fruitfulness in them? O believer, learn to reject pride, seeing that
   thou hast no ground for it. Whatever thou art, thou hast nothing to
   make thee proud. The more thou hast, the more thou art in debt to God;
   and thou shouldst not be proud of that which renders thee a debtor.
   Consider thine origin; look back to what thou wast. Consider what thou
   wouldst have been but for divine grace. Look upon thyself as thou art
   now. Doth not thy conscience reproach thee? Do not thy thousand
   wanderings stand before thee, and tell thee that thou art unworthy to
   be called his son? And if he hath made thee anything, art thou not
   taught thereby that it is grace which hath made thee to differ? Great
   believer, thou wouldst have been a great sinner if God had not made
   thee to differ. O thou who art valiant for truth, thou wouldst have
   been as valiant for error if grace had not laid hold upon thee.
   Therefore, be not proud, though thou hast a large estate--a wide domain
   of grace, thou hadst not once a single thing to call thine own except
   thy sin and misery. Oh! strange infatuation, that thou, who hast
   borrowed everything, shouldst think of exalting thyself; a poor
   dependent pensioner upon the bounty of thy Saviour, one who hath a life
   which dies without fresh streams of life from Jesus, and yet proud! Fie
   on thee, O silly heart!