1/22 Spurgeon Today

“Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch
which is among the trees of the forest?” — Ezekiel 15:2

These words are for the humbling of God’s people; they are called God’s
vine, but what are they by nature more than others? They, by God’s
goodness, have become fruitful, having been planted in a good soil; the
Lord hath trained them upon the walls of the sanctuary, and they bring
forth fruit to His glory; but what are they without their God? What are
they without the continual influence of the Spirit, begetting fruitfulness in
them? O believer, learn to reject pride, seeing that thou hast no ground for
it. Whatever thou art, thou hast nothing to make thee proud. The more
thou hast, the more thou art in debt to God; and thou shouldst not be
proud of that which renders thee a debtor. Consider thine origin; look back
to what thou wast. Consider what thou wouldst have been but for divine
grace. Look upon thyself as thou art now. Doth not thy conscience
reproach thee? Do not thy thousand wanderings stand before thee, and tell
thee that thou art unworthy to be called His son? And if He hath made
thee anything, art thou not taught thereby that it is grace which hath made
thee to differ? Great believer, thou wouldst have been a great sinner if God
had not made thee to differ. O thou who art valiant for truth, thou wouldst
have been as valiant for error if grace had not laid hold upon thee.
Therefore, be not proud, though thou hast a large estate — a wide domain
of grace, thou hadst not once a single thing to call thine own except thy sin
and misery. Oh! strange infatuation, that thou, who hast borrowed
everything, shouldst think of exalting thyself; a poor dependent pensioner
upon the bounty of thy Saviour, one who hath a life which dies without
fresh streams of life from Jesus, and yet proud! Fie on thee, O silly heart!