Fire Up Your Spiritual Growth—in a Few Minutes a Day

Devotional books are excellent tools to fire up your spiritual growth. Whether you’re a longtime Christian, a new believer, or just investigating, devotionals offer biblical insights in short readings to refresh your soul.

This excerpt has been adapted from C.H. Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening: Daily Readings. In each devotion, Spurgeon offers two short meditations on Scripture—one to read each morning and another at the end of the day. In today’s morning reading, Spurgeon reminds believers how Christ’s presence in our lives brings hope and joy in the midst of trials.

As Speeds the Ship Toward the Port

Morning, August 10
“Christ, who is our life.” — Colossians 3:4

Paul’s marvellously rich expression indicates that Christ is the source of our life. “You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.” That same voice which brought Lazarus out of the tomb raised us to newness of life. He is now the substance of our spiritual life. It is by his life that we live; he is in us, the hope of glory, the spring of our actions, the central thought which moves every other thought. Christ is the sustenance of our life. What can the Christian feed upon but Jesus’ flesh and blood? “This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.”

O wayworn pilgrims in this wilderness of sin, you never get a morsel to satisfy the hunger of your spirits, except ye find it in him! Christ is the solace of our life. All our true joys come from him; and in times of trouble, his presence is our consolation. There is nothing worth living for but him; and his lovingkindness is better than life! Christ is the object of our life.

As speeds the ship towards the port, so hastes the believer towards the haven of his Saviour’s bosom. As flies the arrow to its goal, so flies the Christian towards the perfecting of his fellowship with Christ Jesus. As the soldier fights for his captain, and is crowned in his captain’s victory, so the believer contends for Christ, and gets his triumph out of the triumphs of his Master. “For him to live is Christ.”

Christ is the exemplar of our life. Where there is the same life within, there will, there must be, to a great extent, the same developments without; and if we live in near fellowship with the Lord Jesus we shall grow like him. We shall set him before us as our Divine copy, and we shall seek to tread in his footsteps, until he shall become the crown of our life in glory. Oh! how safe, how honoured, how happy is the Christian, since Christ is our life!

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For its rich, biblical insights and honesty about the Christian life, Morning and Evening has been one of the most popular daily devotionals for over 150 years. Take a look at Morning and Evening and other devotionals on Faithlife Ebooks in these categories:

Daily Devotionals

The One Year Unlocking the Bible Devotional by Colin Smith
The One Year Unlocking the Bible Devotional guides readers through the Bible story throughout the year. It is the perfect devotional for highlighting the significance of the Bible’s story for our everyday lives.

Classic Devotionals

Devotions for a Deeper Life by Oswald Chambers
In Devotions for a Deeper Life by Oswald Chambers—author of the beloved devotion My Utmost for His Highest—you’ll be inspired to live out your faith in dynamic and compelling ways.

Devotionals for Women

Awaken by Priscilla Shirer
Prioritize time with the Lord as you read Awaken by Priscilla Shirer, one of the leading teachers of Christian women. In these 90 daily readings, you’ll be encouraged to spend time alone with God, hear from him, and grow in your faith.
When you add these—or any other devotionals—to your Faithlife Ebooks library, you can read the devotional and follow along in the Bible, right from the app. That way, your devotionals go where you do.

Explore these and other daily devotionals to encourage your walk with Christ.

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