Evening, December 6, edited from Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

 ‘Girded across His chest with a golden sash.” — Revelation 1:13

“One like the Son of Man” appeared to John in Patmos, and the beloved disciple marked that he wore a sash of gold. A sash, for Jesus never was unadorned while upon earth, but stood always ready for service, and now before the eternal throne he does not relax His holy ministry, but as a priest is girt about with “the curious girdle of the ephod.” It is well for us that he has not ceased to fulfill his responsibility of love for us, since this is one of our choicest safeguards, that he ever lives to make intercession for us. Jesus is never a shirker; his garments are never undone as though his responsibilities were ended; he diligently carries on the cause of his people. A golden sash, to manifest the superiority of his service, the royalty of his person, the dignity of his state, the glory of his reward. No longer does he cry out of the dust, but he pleads with authority, a King as well as a Priest. Safe enough is our cause in the hands of our enthroned Melchizedek.

Our Lord presents all his people with an example. We must never unbind our sashes. This is not the time for lying down at ease, it is the season of service and warfare. We need to bind the sash of truth more and more tightly around our haunches. It is a golden sash, and so will be our richest adornment, and we greatly need it, for a heart that is not well braced up with the truth as it is in Jesus, and with the fidelity which is fashioned by the Spirit, will be easily entangled with the things of this life, and tripped up by the snares of temptation. It is in vain that we possess the Scriptures unless we bind them around us like a sash, surrounding our entire nature, keeping each part of our character in order, and giving solidity to our whole man. If in heaven Jesus unbinds not the sash, much less may we upon earth. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth.