Morning, October 5

Charles Spurgeon · Morning and Evening: Daily Readings

"He arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat
   forty days and forty nights."

  1 Kings 19:8

   All the strength supplied to us by our gracious God is meant for
   service, not for wantonness or boasting. When the prophet Elijah found
   the cake baked on the coals, and the cruse of water placed at his head,
   as he lay under the juniper tree, he was no gentleman to be gratified
   with dainty fare that he might stretch himself at his ease; far
   otherwise, he was commissioned to go forty days and forty nights in the
   strength of it, journeying towards Horeb, the mount of God. When the
   Master invited the disciples to "Come and dine" with him, after the
   feast was concluded he said to Peter, "Feed my sheep"; further adding,
   "Follow me." Even thus it is with us; we eat the bread of heaven, that
   we may expend our strength in the Master's service. We come to the
   passover, and eat of the paschal lamb with loins girt, and staff in
   hand, so as to start off at once when we have satisfied our hunger.
   Some Christians are for living on Christ, but are not so anxious to
   live for Christ. Earth should be a preparation for heaven; and heaven
   is the place where saints feast most and work most. They sit down at
   the table of our Lord, and they serve him day and night in his temple.
   They eat of heavenly food and render perfect service. Believer, in the
   strength you daily gain from Christ labour for him. Some of us have yet
   to learn much concerning the design of our Lord in giving us his grace.
   We are not to retain the precious grains of truth as the Egyptian mummy
   held the wheat for ages, without giving it an opportunity to grow: we
   must sow it and water it. Why does the Lord send down the rain upon the
   thirsty earth, and give the genial sunshine? Is it not that these may
   all help the fruits of the earth to yield food for man? Even so the
   Lord feeds and refreshes our souls that we may afterwards use our
   renewed strength in the promotion of his glory.