Evening, September 20, edited from Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

“Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening.” — Ecclesiastes 11:6

In the evening of the day opportunities are plentiful; men return from their labor, and the enthusiastic soul-winner finds time to tell everywhere the love of Jesus. Don’t I have work to do for Jesus in the evening? If I’m not working, let me start, let me no longer withhold my hand from a service which requires abundant labor. Sinners are perishing for lack of knowledge; he who dawdles may find his clothing stained crimson with the blood of souls. Jesus gave both his hands to the nails; how can I keep back one of mine from his blessed work? Night and day he toiled and prayed for me;  how can I give a single hour to the pampering of myself with comfortable ease? Up, idle heart; stretch out your hand to work, or to lift up prayer; heaven and hell are a serious matter; let me be so serious, and this evening sow good seed for the Lord my God.

The evening of life has also its calls. Life is so short that a morning of a person’s vigor, and an evening of his decay, make the whole of it. To some it seems long, but a few dollers is a great sum of money to a poor man. Life is so brief that no man can afford to lose a day. It has been well said that if a great king should bring us a great heap of gold, and call us to take as much as we could count in a day, we should make a long day of it; we should begin early in the morning, and in the evening we should not stop; but to win souls is far nobler work, how is it that we so soon withdraw from it? Some are spared to a long evening, a long life, of green old age; if such is my case, let me use such talents as I still retain, and to the last hour serve my blessed and faithful Lord. By his grace I will die with my hand to the plow, and lay down my calling only when I lay down my body. One of old age may instruct the young, cheer the feeble, and encourage the despondent; if the evening of life has less of vigorous heat, it should have more of calm wisdom; therefore in the evening I will not withhold my hand from work.