Charles Haddon Spurgeon's Morning Devotional For Monday October 22, 2018 |
Morning Time: 6:57 AM PST
"I will love them freely." --Hosea 14:4
This sentence is a body of divinity in miniature. He who understands its
meaning is a theologian, and he who can dive into its fulness is a true master
in Israel. It is a condensation of the glorious message of salvation which was
delivered to us in Christ Jesus our Redeemer. The sense hinges upon the word
"freely." This is the glorious, the suitable, the divine way by which love
streams from heaven to earth, a spontaneous love flowing forth to those who
neither deserved it, purchased it, nor sought after it. It is, indeed, the only
way in which God can love such as we are. The text is a death-blow to all sorts
of fitness: "I will love them freely." Now, if there were any fitness
necessary in us, then He would not love us freely, at least, this would be a
mitigation and a drawback to the freeness of it. But it stands, "I will love you
freely."We complain, "Lord, my heart is so hard." "I will love you
freely." "But I do not feel my need of Christ as I could wish." "I will
not love you because you feel your need; I will love you freely." "But I do not
feel that softening of spirit which I could desire." Remember, the softening of
spirit is not a condition, for there are no conditions; the covenant of grace
has no conditionality whatever; so that we without any fitness may venture upon
the promise of God which was made to us in Christ Jesus, when He said, "He that
believeth on Him is not condemned." It is blessed to know that the grace of God
is free to us at all times, without preparation, without fitness, without money,
and without price! "I will love them freely." These words invite backsliders
to return: indeed, the text was specially written for such--"I will heal
their backsliding; I will love them freely." Backslider! surely the generosity
of the promise will at once break your heart, and you will return, and seek your
injured Father's face.
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