Morning, April 23, edited from Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” — Romans 8:37

We go to Christ for forgiveness, and then too often look to the law for power to fight our sins. Paul therefore rebukes us, “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” Take your sins to Christ’s cross, for your old self can only be crucified there; we are crucified with him. The only weapon to fight sin with is the spear which pierced the side of Jesus. To give an illustration—you want to overcome an angry temper; how do you go to work on it? It is very possible you have never tried the right way of going to Jesus with it. How did I get salvation? I came to Jesus just as I was, and I trusted him to save me. I must kill my angry temper in the same way. It is the only way in which I can ever kill it. I must go to the cross with it, and say to Jesus, “Lord, I trust you to deliver me from it.” This is the only way to give it a deathblow. Are you covetous? Do you feel the world entangle you? You may struggle against this evil as long as you please, but if it is your besetting sin, you will never be delivered from it in any way but by the blood of Jesus. Take it to Christ. Tell him, “Lord, I have trusted you, and your name is Jesus, for you save your people from their sins: Lord, this is one of my sins; save me from it!” Regulations are nothing without Christ as a means of killing sin. Your prayers, and your repentances, and your tears—the whole of them put together—are worth nothing apart from him. “None but Jesus can do helpless sinners good;” or helpless saints either. You must be conquerors through him who has loved you, if conquerors at all. Our laurel trees must grow among his olives in Gethsemane.