Morning, December 23
Charles Spurgeon · Morning and Evening: Daily Readings
Luke 14:10
"Friend, go up higher."
Luke 14:10
When first the life of grace begins in the soul, we do indeed draw near
to God, but it is with great fear and trembling. The soul conscious of
guilt, and humbled thereby, is overawed with the solemnity of its
position; it is cast to the earth by a sense of the grandeur of
Jehovah, in whose presence it stands. With unfeigned bashfulness it
takes the lowest room.
But, in after life, as the Christian grows in grace, although he will
never forget the solemnity of his position, and will never lose that
holy awe which must encompass a gracious man when he is in the presence
of the God who can create or can destroy; yet his fear has all its
terror taken out of it; it becomes a holy reverence, and no more an
overshadowing dread. He is called up higher, to greater access to God
in Christ Jesus. Then the man of God, walking amid the splendours of
Deity, and veiling his face like the glorious cherubim, with those twin
wings, the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ, will, reverent and
bowed in spirit, approach the throne; and seeing there a God of love,
of goodness, and of mercy, he will realize rather the covenant
character of God than his absolute Deity. He will see in God rather his
goodness than his greatness, and more of his love than of his majesty.
Then will the soul, bowing still as humbly as aforetime, enjoy a more
sacred liberty of intercession; for while prostrate before the glory of
the Infinite God, it will be sustained by the refreshing consciousness
of being in the presence of boundless mercy and infinite love, and by
the realization of acceptance "in the Beloved." Thus the believer is
bidden to come up higher, and is enabled to exercise the privilege of
rejoicing in God, and drawing near to him in holy confidence, saying,
"Abba, Father."
"So may we go from strength to strength,
And daily grow in grace,
Till in thine image raised at length,
We see thee face to face."