The Morning Watch in the Life of Obedience
The morning watch is a vital connection between obedience and our relationship with God, enabling us to secure a blessing for all work and maintain a life of obedience.
Andrew Murray emphasizes the significance of the first day of the week as a holy day, not merely for rest but as a means to sanctify the entire week. He highlights the importance of dedicating the morning hours to God, which can bless our daily work and help us resist temptation. Murray explains that this morning watch strengthens our bond with God, allowing us to maintain purity and obedience throughout our busy lives. He asserts that the desire for a life of obedience enhances the value of the morning watch, while the morning watch provides the strength needed for obedience. This intimate connection between obedience and the morning watch is vital for spiritual growth.
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How wonderful and blessed is the divine appointment of the first day of the week as a holy day of rest. Not, (as some think), that we might have at least one day of rest and spiritual refreshment amid the weariness of life, but that that one holy day, at the opening of the week, might sanctify the whole, might help and fit us to carry God's holy presence into all the week and its work. With the first-fruit holy, the whole lump is holy; with the root holy, all the branches are holy too.
How gracious, too, the provision suggested by so many types and examples of the Old Testament, by which a morning hour at the opening of the day can enable us to secure a blessing for all its work, and give us the assurance of over every temptation. How unspeakably gracious, that in the morning hour the bond that unites us with God can be so firmly tied that during hours when we have to move amid the rush of men or duties, and can scarce think of God, the soul can be kept safe and pure; that the soul can so give itself away, in the time of secret worship, into His keeping, that temptation shall only help us to unite it closer with Him.
What cause for praise and joy, that the morning watch can so each day renew and strengthen the surrender to Jesus and the faith in Him, that the life of obedience can not only be maintained in fresh vigor, but can indeed go on from strength to strength. I would fain point out how intimate and vital the connection between obedience and the morning watch is. The desire for a life of entire obedience will give new meaning and value to the morning watch, even as this again can alone give the strength and courage needed for the former.
Sermon Outline
- The Significance of the Morning Watch
- The Provision of the Morning Watch
- The Bond with God in the Morning Watch
- The Renewal of Surrender and Faith
- Maintaining a life of obedience
- Going on from strength to strength
Key Quotes
“With the first-fruit holy, the whole lump is holy; with the root holy, all the branches are holy too.” — Andrew Murray
“What cause for praise and joy, that the morning watch can so each day renew and strengthen the surrender to Jesus and the faith in Him, that the life of obedience can not only be maintained in fresh vigor, but can indeed go on from strength to strength.” — Andrew Murray
“The desire for a life of entire obedience will give new meaning and value to the morning watch, even as this again can alone give the strength and courage needed for the former.” — Andrew Murray
Application Points
- Make the morning watch a priority in your daily routine to secure a blessing for all work and maintain a life of obedience.
- Desire for a life of entire obedience will give new meaning and value to the morning watch, giving you the strength and courage needed to carry out your duties.
- Give yourself away to God's keeping in the morning watch, keeping your soul safe and pure even in times of temptation.