Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
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Evening by Evening
T he De vot ions of
Ch a r les Spurgeon
JIM REIMANN
Editor of Updated Editions of Streams in the Desert,
My Utmost for His Highest, and
Morning by Morning: The Devotions of Charles Spurgeon
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ZONDERVAN
Evening by Evening: The Devotions of Charles Spurgeon
Copyright 2010 by James G. Reimann
This title is also available as a Zondervan ebook.
Visit www.zondervan.com/ebooks.
Charles Spurgeons original book is formerly published as Evening by Evening
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Spurgeon, C. H. (Charles Haddon), 18341892.
Evening by evening : the devotions of Charles Spurgeon / expanded, indexed, and updated in
todays language by Jim Reimann.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-310-28388-1 (softcover, gatefold)
1. Devotional calendarsBaptists. I. Reimann, James. II. Title.
BV4811.S665 2010
242'.2dc22
2010009000
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International
Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights
reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version. Copyright 2000, 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard
Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version.
Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations
marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission
of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked
Amplified are taken from The Amplified Bible, Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Abbreviations of translations used: Amplified: Amplified Bible; ASV: American Standard Version; ESV:
English Standard Version; KJV: King James Version; NASB: New American Standard Bible; NKJV: New
King James Version; NLT: New Living Translation
The italicized emphasis in Scripture verses has been added by the editor/author.
Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers printed in this book are offered
as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does
Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for
brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Cover design: Michelle Lenger
Cover photography: Veer
Interior design: Beth Shagene
Printed in the United States of America
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These are the words of the noted twentiethcentury German theologian Helmut Thielicke
(190886). Including Spurgeons 140 books and
25,000 sermons, he has some 25 million words
in print, more than any other Christian author,
living or dead.
Spurgeons conversion
Charles Haddon Spurgeon (June 19, 1834January
31, 1892) finished writing Morning by Morning
when he was only thirty-one years of age in 1865,
and followed it with Evening by Evening only
three years latertwo amazing works for such a
young man! By 1868, however, he had been a pastor faithfully expositing Gods Word for half of his
life, for he was called to the ministry at the early
age of seventeen. Ultimately, he would leave this
earth at the age of fifty-seven, having spent forty
years as a preacher, pastor, and author, as well as
a founder of a pastors college and an orphanage.
The Lord saved him at the age of fifteen on
January 6, 1850. The following is his salvation account in his own words:
It pleased God in my childhood to convict
me of my sin. I lived as a miserable creature,
finding no hope or comfort; thinking, surely
God would never save me. But I resolved to
visit every place of worship in town to find
the way of salvation. I was willing to do anything, and be anything, if God would only
forgive me.
I set off, going to all the places of worship, and though I dearly venerate the men
who occupy those pulpits now, and did
so then, I must honestly say I never heard
i
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Excerpt from
S purgeons Original
Preface, May 1868
When the noise and turmoil of the day are over, it
is a sweet blessing to commune with Godthe
cool and calm of evening delightfully agree with
prayer and praise. The hours of the declining sun
are so many quiet alleys in the garden of time
where we may find our Maker waiting to commune with us, even as in ages past the Lord God
walked with Adam in Paradise in the cool of the
day (Gen. 3:8).
Having had the seal of our Masters blessing
on the previous volume, Morning by Morning, I felt encouraged to focus my attention on
this present series of brief meditations, and
send them out with the persistent prayer that a
blessing will rest upon every reader. If they lead
one heart upward, which otherwise may have
drooped, or sow in a single mind a holy purpose
never before conceived, I will be grateful ... and
the Lord shall be praised.
The longer I live, the more deeply I am conscious that the Holy Spirit alone can make truth
profitable to the heart. Therefore, in earnest
prayer, I commit Evening by Evening and its
companion volume, Morning by Morning, to
His care.
Spurgeon has been called the greatest preacher since the apostle Paul and has come to be
known as the prince of preachers. My prayer is
that you, the reader, will gain insight into Gods
Word through Spurgeons work, expanded, indexed, and updated in Evening by Evening, and
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January
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J a n u a ry 1
We rejoice and delight in you.
Song of Songs 1:4
Eternal Spirit (Heb. 9:14) and our effective Comforter, we who are the temples in
whom You dwell will never cease from adoring and blessing the name of Jesus.
We rejoice and delight in you. We are resolved to do so. Jesus must be the crown of our
hearts delight, for we will not dishonor our
Bridegroom by mourning in His presence. We
who have been ordained ultimately to be the
chorus of the skies, let us rehearse our everlasting anthem here before we sing it in the halls of
the new Jerusalem (Rev.21:2).
We rejoice and delight in you. These two
words, rejoice and delight, have one sense: double
joy and blessedness upon blessedness. Thus,
does there need to be any limit to our rejoicing
in the Lord now? Dont people of grace find their
Lord to be henna and nard ... calamus and cinnamon (Song 4:1314) even now? What better
fragrance will they have in heaven itself?
We rejoice and delight in you. The last word,
Day 1
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J a n u a ry 2
Let the nations renew their strength!
Isaiah 41:1
then a time of painful desolation or a disgraceful sin may follow. Instead, may we draw near to
the footstool of divine mercy in humble prayer,
for only then will we realize the fulfillment of the
promise: Those who hope in the Lord will renew
their strength (Isa. 40:31).
Day 2
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J a n u a ry 3
A voice of one calling in the desert,
Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.
Luke 3:4
The rugged places [shall be] a plain. Stumbling blocks of sin must be removed, and thorns
and thistles (Heb. 6:8) of rebellion must be uprooted. Our great Visitor must not find muddy
paths and rock-covered roads when He comes to
honor His favored ones with His presence.
Oh, may the Lord find in my heart today a
highway made ready by His grace, one upon
which He may make triumphal progress to the
very limits of my soul from the beginning of this
year to its very last day!
Day 3
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J a n u a ry 4
Although Joseph recognized his brothers,
they did not recognize him.
Genesis 42:8
Day 4
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J a n u a ry 5
God saw that the light was good.
Genesis 1:4
Day 5
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J a n u a ry 6
Now the evening before the man arrived,
the hand of the Lord was upon me.
Ezekiel 33:22
Day 6
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... my sister, my bride.
Song of Songs 4:12
Day 7
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J a n u a ry 8
Your love is more delightful than wine.
Song of Songs 1:2
and enduring. Vanity will never consider His fellowship, but discretion and wisdom will testify
it endures the test of years, and that in the test
of time and eternity, it is worthy to be called the
only true delight.
When it comes to nourishment, comfort, exhilaration, and refreshment, no wine can rival
the love of Jesus. May we drink of His love to the
full today.
Day 8
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Serve the Lord with gladness.
Psalm 100:2 KJV
Day 9
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J a n u a ry 1 0
In my flesh I will see God.
Job 19:26
Day 10
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J a n u a ry 1 1
I have prayed for you.
Luke 22:32
Day 11
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J a n u a ry 1 2
There is more to be said in Gods behalf.
Job 36:2
Day 12
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J a n u a ry 1 3
Elisha cut a stick and threw it there,
and made the iron float.
2Kings 6:6
Day 13
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Beginning to sink, [Peter] cried out,
Lord, save me!
Matthew 14:30
Day 14
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But I am a man of prayer.
Psalm 109:4
Day 15
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The Anointed One will be cut off
and will have nothing.
Daniel 9:26
Day 16
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One evening David got up from his bed
and walked around on the roof of the palace.
2Samuel 11:2
Day 17
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J a n u a ry 1 8
He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures
concerning himself.
Luke 24:27
In the same way, we must rely on Gods sovereignty to enlighten our eyes to His truth, for Paul
prayed these words for the believers in Ephesus:
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to
which he has called you, the riches of his glorious
inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably
great power for us who believe (Eph. 1:1819).
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful
things in your law (Ps. 119:18).
Day 18
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Then he opened their minds
so they could understand the Scriptures.
Luke 24:45
Day 19
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Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to your word.
Psalm 119:37
can motivate us to zealous action but God Himself. Hence the desperate cry: Preserve my life.
The psalmist breathes his entire being into his
passionate pleading, uniting his body and soul
in prayer. His body prays, Turn my eyes away,
while his soul pleads, Preserve my life. What a
fitting prayer for every day of life.
O Lord, hear this prayer from me today.
Day 20
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Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the Lord,
You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst?
Judges 15:18
Day 21
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Does Job fear God for nothing?
Job 1:9
be weaned from earth and made ready for heaven; you will be delivered from clinging to the
present and made to yearn for eternal things that
will soon be revealed to you.
Thus, when you are tempted to complain that
you presently serve the Lord for nothing, remember that soon you will rejoice in the infinite reward of eternity.
Day 22
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We will remember your love more than wine.
Song of Songs 1:4 NKJV
Day 23
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Martha was distracted by all the preparations
that had to be made.
Luke 10:40
Day 24
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Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith?
Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
Romans 3:31
Day 25
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All who heard it were amazed
at what the shepherds said to them.
Luke 2:18
Day 26
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But Mary treasured up all these things
and pondered them in her heart.
Luke 2:19
Day 27
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The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God
for all the things they had heard and seen,
which were just as they had been told.
Luke 2:20
Day 28
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The dove returned to him in the evening.
Genesis 8:11
Day 29
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J a n u a ry 3 0
In Christ ... we have obtained an inheritance.
Ephesians 1:1011 KJV
Day 30
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J a n u a ry 3 1
Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain
and outran the Cushite.
2Samuel 18:23
If people compete with each other in the common matters of life, how much more important is
it to run well in spiritual matters? I should run in
solemn earnestness and run in such a way as to
get the prize (1Cor. 9:24).
Lord, help me prepare [my mind] for action (1Peter 1:13) to run well and to press
on toward the goal to win the prize for which
God has called me heavenward in Christ
Jesus (Phil. 3:14).
Day 31
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February
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F e br u a ry 1
Your love for me was wonderful.
2Samuel 1:26
Day 32
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F e br u a ry 2
These records are from ancient times.
1Chronicles 4:22
Day 33
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F e br u a ry 3
Tell me ... where you graze your flock
and where you rest your sheep at midday.
Song of Songs 1:7
Day 34
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Anyone ... may flee there and
find protection from the avenger of blood.
Joshua 20:3
Day 35
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F e br u a ry 5
At that time Jesus answered....
Matthew 11:25 KJV
Day 36
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F e br u a ry 6
Pray for each other.
James 5:16
Day 37
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F e br u a ry 7
Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them,
Come up here.
Revelation 11:12
Day 38
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He will save his people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21
Day 39
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F e br u a ry 9
Lead us not into temptation
[but deliver us from the evil one].
Luke 11:4 and NIV footnote
Day 40
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F e br u a ry 1 0
I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return to me, for I have redeemed you.
Isaiah 44:22
Day 41
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F e br u a ry 1 1
You have forsaken your first love.
Revelation 2:4
Day 42
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F e br u a ry 1 2
He will give you another Counselor
to be with you forever.
John 14:16
Day 43
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F e br u a ry 1 3
Therefore, there is now no condemnation.
Romans 8:1
Day 44
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The woman ... had been instantly healed.
Luke 8:47
Day 45
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They have made You glad.
Psalm 45:8 NKJV
Day 46
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You gave your good Spirit to instruct them.
Nehemiah 9:20
Day 47
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F e br u a ry 1 7
... even though I the Lord was there.
Ezekiel 35:10
things are still good, for our feet will stand upon
the Rock of Ages when time is slipping away.
Beloved saint, from the beginning of a Chris
tians life to its very end, the only reason you do
not perish isthe Lord is there. Not until the
God of everlasting love changes, leaving His elect
to perish, will His church be destroyed. Yet that
will happen then, and only then, because it is
written in His Word, Jehovah-Shammahthe
Lord is there.
Day 48
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Father, I have sinned.
Luke 15:18
Day 49
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F e br u a ry 1 9
The first thing Andrew did
was to find his brother Simon.
John 1:41
someone to Christ who will become quite prominent in Gods grace and service.
Dear friend, you know very little of the possibilities that lie within you. Perhaps you will only
speak a word to a child, but within that child may
be a slumbering, yet impressive, heart that may
stir Gods church in the years to come.
Andrew may have had only two talents
(Matt. 25:15), but he found Peter.
Go and do likewise (Luke 10:37).
Day 50
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F e br u a ry 2 0
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert
to be tempted by the devil.
Matthew 4:1
flame of love for Jesus, but the Devil will still attempt to bring you down to the lukewarmness of
Laodicea (see Rev.3:1416). There will never be
a time when God will allow Christians to lay their
armor aside until Satan ceases to tempt us. Thus,
in this life, like the knights of old in times of war,
we must sleep with our helmet of salvation
(Eph. 6:17) and breastplate of righteousness in
place (Eph. 6:14), for the archdeceiver will seize
our first unguarded moment to make us his prey.
Lord, keep me watchful at all times, and,
as You did for David, [deliver] me from the
paw of the lion and the paw of the bear
(1Sam. 17:37).
Day 51
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F e br u a ry 2 1
Do you understand what you are reading?
Philip asked.
Acts 8:30
In the same manner, you must use the hammer of diligence and employ the knees of prayer
in order to unlock Gods truth. There is no hard
doctrine of His revelation that is important for
you to understand that will not be shattered into
pieces by the exercise of prayer and faith. The
power of prayer allows you to force your way
through anything, for ideas and reason are like
steel wedges that give you a hold upon truth, but
prayer is the lever that forces the iron chest of sacred mystery wide open so you may discover its
hidden treasure.
Day 52
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F e br u a ry 2 2
The Lord is slow to anger
and great in power.
Nahum 1:3
Day 53
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F e br u a ry 2 3
Take up the cross,
and follow me.
Mark 10:21 KJV
Day 54
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F e br u a ry 2 4
Then the angel of the Lord said,
Lord Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem ...?
So the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.
Zechariah 1:1213
Day 55
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F e br u a ry 2 5
Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.
He went down to Joppa ... to flee from the Lord.
Jonah 1:3
Day 56
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F e br u a ry 2 6
If the disease has covered his whole body,
he shall pronounce that person clean.
Leviticus 13:13
to build a house is to dig out the dirt for the foundation. Thus, a thorough sense of sin is one of the
earliest works of Gods grace in the human heart.
Oh, poor leprous sinner, utterly devoid of
even one clean spot in your life, take heart from
todays verse, and then come as you are to Jesus.
For let our debts be what they may,
however great or small,
As soon as we have naught to pay,
our Lord forgives us all.
Tis perfect poverty alone
that sets the soul at peace:
While we can call one cent our own,
we have no full release.
Joseph Hart, 171268
Day 57
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Bethlehem Ephrathah,
... out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.
Micah 5:2
Day 58
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F e br u a ry 2 8
The jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry,
in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.
1Kings 17:16
Day 59
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F e br u a ry 2 9
We have ... received ... the Spirit who is from God,
that we may understand what God has freely given us.
1Corinthians 2:12
Day 60
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