Morning and Evening Devotional with C. H. Spurgeon May 23, 2026

Morning

Scripture (ESV): “The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me.” — Psalm 138:8

Morning Devotional

Most manifestly the confidence which the Psalmist here expressed was a divine confidence. He did not say, “I have grace enough to perfect that which concerneth me—my faith is so steady that it will not stagger—my love is so warm that it will never grow cold—my resolution is so firm that nothing can move it”; no, his dependence was on the Lord alone. If we indulge in any confidence which is not grounded on the Rock of Ages, our confidence is worse than a dream, it will fall upon us, and cover us with its ruins, to our sorrow and confusion. All that Nature spins time will unravel, to the eternal confusion of all who are clothed therein. The Psalmist was wise, he rested upon nothing short of the Lord’s work. It is the Lord who has begun the good work within us; it is he who has carried it on; and if he does not finish it, it never will be complete. If there be one stitch in the celestial garment of our righteousness which we are to insert ourselves, then we are lost; but this is our confidence, the Lord who began will perfect. He has done it all, must do it all, and will do it all. Our confidence must not be in what we have done, nor in what we have resolved to do, but entirely in what the Lord will do. Unbelief insinuates—“You will never be able to stand. Look at the evil of your heart, you can never conquer sin; remember the sinful pleasures and temptations of the world that beset you, you will be certainly allured by them and led astray.” Ah! yes, we should indeed perish if left to our own strength. If we had alone to navigate our frail vessels over so rough a sea, we might well give up the voyage in despair; but, thanks be to God, he will perfect that which concerneth us, and bring us to the desired haven. We can never be too confident when we confide in him alone, and never too much concerned to have such a trust.

Morning Reflection

Spurgeon points us to a very important truth: our confidence must rest entirely on what the Lord will do, not on what we think we can do ourselves. The good work He began in us, He alone will finish. This frees us from the pressure of trying to perfect ourselves and invites us to rest in His faithfulness.

Morning Nectared Goad

Where have you been tempted to place your confidence in your own strength, resolve, or progress rather than in the Lord’s promise to perfect what concerns you?

Evening

Scripture (ESV): “You have not bought me sweet cane with money.” — Isaiah 43:24

Evening Devotional

Worshippers at the temple were wont to bring presents of sweet perfumes to be burned upon the altar of God: but Israel, in the time of her backsliding, became ungenerous, and made but few votive offerings to her Lord: this was an evidence of coldness of heart towards God and his house. Reader, does this never occur with you? Might not the complaint of the text be occasionally, if not frequently, brought against you? Those who are poor in pocket, if rich in faith, will be accepted none the less because their gifts are small; but, poor reader, do you give in fair proportion to the Lord, or is the widow’s mite kept back from the sacred treasury? The rich believer should be thankful for the talent entrusted to him, but should not forget his large responsibility, for where much is given much will be required; but, rich reader, are you mindful of your obligations, and rendering to the Lord according to the benefit received? Jesus gave his blood for us, what shall we give to him? We are his, and all that we have, for he has purchased us unto himself—can we act as if we were our own? O for more consecration! and to this end, O for more love! Blessed Jesus, how good it is of thee to accept our sweet cane bought with money! nothing is too costly as a tribute to thine unrivalled love, and yet thou dost receive with favour the smallest sincere token of affection! Thou dost receive our poor forget-me-nots and love-tokens as though they were intrinsically precious, though indeed they are but as the bunch of wild flowers which the child brings to its mother. Never may we grow niggardly towards thee, and from this hour never may we hear thee complain of us again for withholding the gifts of our love. We will give thee the first fruits of our increase, and pay thee tithes of all, and then we will confess “of thine own have we given thee.”

Evening Reflection

Spurgeon gently confronts us with the question of whether our giving to the Lord flows from a generous and loving heart. God does not need our gifts, but He delights in receiving them when they come from a heart that truly loves Him. The issue is not the size of the gift, but the condition of the heart behind it.

Evening Nectared Goad

Is there any area where you sense the Lord might be saying, “You have not bought me sweet cane with money”? What would it look like to give more freely and joyfully?

Tie-In

The morning assures us that the Lord will finish what He started in us. The evening calls us to respond with a generous and loving heart. Because we are confident that He will perfect us, we are freed to give ourselves and our resources more freely, knowing that we are not earning His favor — we are simply responding to the One who has already purchased us at great cost.