Morning, December 4
Charles Spurgeon · Morning and Evening: Daily Readings
Acts 18:10
"I have much people in this city."
Acts 18:10
This should be a great encouragement to try to do good, since God has
among the vilest of the vile, the most reprobate, the most debauched
and drunken, an elect people who must be saved. When you take the Word
to them, you do so because God has ordained you to be the messenger of
life to their souls, and they must receive it, for so the decree of
predestination runs. They are as much redeemed by blood as the saints
before the eternal throne. They are Christ's property, and yet perhaps
they are lovers of the ale-house, and haters of holiness; but if Jesus
Christ purchased them he will have them. God is not unfaithful to
forget the price which his Son has paid. He will not suffer his
substitution to be in any case an ineffectual, dead thing. Tens of
thousands of redeemed ones are not regenerated yet, but regenerated
they must be; and this is our comfort when we go forth to them with the
quickening Word of God.
Nay, more, these ungodly ones are prayed for by Christ before the
throne. "Neither pray I for these alone," saith the great Intercessor,
"but for them also which shall believe on me through their word." Poor,
ignorant souls, they know nothing about prayer for themselves, but
Jesus prays for them. Their names are on his breastplate, and ere long
they must bow their stubborn knee, breathing the penitential sigh
before the throne of grace. "The time of figs is not yet." The
predestinated moment has not struck; but, when it comes, they shall
obey, for God will have his own; they must, for the Spirit is not to be
withstood when he cometh forth with fulness of power--they must become
the willing servants of the living God. "My people shall be willing in
the day of my power." "He shall justify many." "He shall see of the
travail of his soul." "I will divide him a portion with the great, and
he shall divide the spoil with the strong."