Morning & Evening – June 21 | Spurgeon Devotional

Morning

Scripture

You are the most handsome of the sons of men;
grace is poured upon your lips;
therefore God has blessed you forever.

— Psalm 45:2 (ESV)

Devotional

The entire person of Jesus is but as one gem, and his life is all along but one impression of the seal. He is altogether complete; not only in his several parts, but as a gracious all-glorious whole. His character is not a mass of fair colours mixed confusedly, nor a heap of precious stones laid carelessly one upon another; he is a picture of beauty and a breastplate of glory. In him, all the “things of good repute” are in their proper places, and assist in adorning each other. Not one feature in his glorious person attracts attention at the expense of others; but he is perfectly and altogether lovely.

Oh, Jesus! thy power, thy grace, thy justice, thy tenderness, thy truth, thy majesty, and thine immutability make up such a man, or rather such a God-man, as neither heaven nor earth hath seen elsewhere. Thy infancy, thy eternity, thy sufferings, thy triumphs, thy death, and thine immortality, are all woven in one gorgeous tapestry, without seam or rent. Thou art music without discord; thou art many, and yet not divided; thou art all things, and yet not diverse. As all the colours blend into one resplendent rainbow, so all the glories of heaven and earth meet in thee, and unite so wondrously, that there is none like thee in all things; nay, if all the virtues of the most excellent were bound in one bundle, they could not rival thee, thou mirror of all perfection. Thou hast been anointed with the holy oil of myrrh and cassia, which thy God hath reserved for thee alone; and as for thy fragrance, it is as the holy perfume, the like of which none other can ever mingle, even with the art of the apothecary; each spice is fragrant, but the compound is divine.

“Oh, sacred symmetry! oh, rare connection Of many perfects, to make one perfection!

Oh, heavenly music, where all parts do meet In one sweet strain, to make one perfect sweet!”

Reflection

Spurgeon presents Jesus not as a collection of admirable qualities but as a perfectly harmonious whole. Every attribute—power and tenderness, majesty and meekness, justice and grace—fits together without conflict or imbalance. His life, from the manger to the cross to his eternal reign, forms one seamless tapestry of glory. The believer is meant to see him as the one in whom all that is truly lovely and excellent is gathered and perfected beyond anything else in heaven or earth.

What we might miss is that this “altogether lovely” character is not abstract theology. It is the ground of our worship and the reason our hearts can rest in him completely. Because nothing in him is out of place or lacking, he is worthy of our total affection and trust. The fragrance of his person is unique, reserved by God for him alone, and it draws the soul to adoration.

Goad

Am I thus beholding Christ as altogether lovely and the one in whom all perfections meet, or am I still looking for beauty and satisfaction in fragmented things that cannot compare? What would it look like to let the fairness of Jesus reorder my affections today?

Evening

Scripture

But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

— 2 Timothy 2:19 (ESV)

Devotional

The foundation upon which our faith rests is this, that “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.” The great fact on which genuine faith relies is, that “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us,” and that “Christ also hath suffered for sin, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God”; “Who himself bare our sins in his own body on the tree”; “For the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed.” In one word, the great pillar of the Christian’s hope is substitution. The vicarious sacrifice of Christ for the guilty, Christ being made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him, Christ offering up a true and proper expiatory and substitutionary sacrifice in the room, place, and stead of as many as the Father gave him, who are known to God by name, and are recognized in their own hearts by their trusting in Jesus—this is the cardinal fact of the gospel. If this foundation were removed, what could we do? But it standeth firm as the throne of God. We know it; we rest on it; we rejoice in it; and our delight is to hold it, to meditate upon it, and to proclaim it, while we desire to be actuated and moved by gratitude for it in every part of our life and conversation. In these days a direct attack is made upon the doctrine of the atonement. Men cannot bear substitution. They gnash their teeth at the thought of the Lamb of God bearing the sin of man. But we, who know by experience the preciousness of this truth, will proclaim it in defiance of them confidently and unceasingly. We will neither dilute it nor change it, nor fritter it away in any shape or fashion. It shall still be Christ, a positive substitute, bearing human guilt and suffering in the stead of men. We cannot, dare not, give it up, for it is our life, and despite every controversy we feel that “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure.”

Reflection

Spurgeon insists that the foundation of the Christian’s hope is substitution—Christ taking the place of sinners, bearing their guilt, and reconciling them to God. This is not a secondary doctrine but the central pillar. Attacks on the atonement often come because people resist the idea that the innocent must suffer in the place of the guilty. Yet for those who have experienced its power, it is life itself. We rest on it, rejoice in it, and must proclaim it without dilution.

What we might miss is that this foundation is not fragile or open to negotiation. It stands as firm as the throne of God. Our hope is not in our own righteousness or efforts but in the finished, vicarious work of Christ. To move away from substitution is to remove the only ground on which guilty sinners can stand before a holy God.

Goad

Am I thus resting my entire hope on the sure foundation of Christ’s substitutionary atonement, or am I subtly trying to add something of my own to make it more acceptable? What would it look like to proclaim and live from this foundation without compromise or dilution?

Tie-In

The morning’s vision of Christ as altogether lovely and the evening’s insistence on the sure foundation of substitution together show us the full glory of our Redeemer. He is fairer than the children of men precisely because he is the one who bore our sins in his own body on the tree. This is the Milk that sustains the simplest believer. For those ready for Solid Food and Meat, these truths open into deeper study of the person of Christ (as in Edwards’ Religious Affections or Calvin’s Institutes) and the centrality of the atonement in the whole counsel of God. Resources on the site in the deeper tables explore how the beauty of Jesus and the certainty of his finished work shape both worship and daily obedience.

Closing

Spurgeon’s classic text with AI-assisted reflection and formatting to maintain daily consistency and reach.

If these words have stirred something in your heart today, we invite you to sit with it. Share how God met you in the comments or reach out to us.

As we build out the deeper tables of Milk, Solid Food, and Meat for every stage of the journey, know that you are welcome here.

NewGrapes Ministries
Making disciples, not pew-fillers.
Soli Deo Gloria.