May 6, Evening

C. H. Spurgeon · Modern retelling

"All the days of my appointed time will I wait." — Job 14:14 · KJV

A little stay on earth will make heaven more heavenly. Nothing makes rest so sweet as hard work; nothing makes safety so pleasant as having been exposed to alarms. The bitter cups of earth will give a relish to the new wine that sparkles in the golden bowls of glory. Our battered armor and scarred faces will make our victory above more splendid, when we are welcomed to the seats of those who have overcome the world. We would not have full fellowship with Christ if we did not live for a while here below, for He passed through a baptism of suffering among men, and we must pass through the same if we are to share His kingdom. Fellowship with Christ is so great an honor that the sharpest sorrow is a light price to pay for it. Another reason for our lingering here is the good of others. We would not wish to enter heaven before our work is done, and it may be that we are still appointed to bring light to souls lost in the wilderness of sin. Our extended stay here is surely for God's glory too. A tested saint, like a well-cut diamond, sparkles brightly in the King's crown. Nothing brings a craftsman more honor than a long and severe trial of his work that endures the ordeal triumphantly without failing at any point. We are God's workmanship, and He will be glorified in us through our afflictions. It is for the honor of Jesus that we bear the testing of our faith with holy joy. Let each of us surrender our own longings to the glory of Jesus, and feel: if my lying in the dust would lift up my Lord by so much as an inch, let me lie among the potsherds still; if living on earth forever would make my Lord more glorious, then being shut out of heaven would be my heaven. Our time is fixed and settled by eternal decree. Let us not be anxious about it, but wait patiently until the gates of pearl open.