AP

By James Jeffery

Author: Charles H. Spurgeon

Publisher: Crossway

Year: 2025

Written by Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) — the Prince of Preachers — Morning and Evening is well-known as a devotional classic for Christians of all walks for the past 150 years. In a nutshell, Morning and Evening is a 365-day devotional that provides a short Bible reading followed by an explanation and exhortation. Each page contains two devotions; one for the morning, and one for the evening, as the title would suggest.

In my judgment, an excellent devotional is one that is Christ-exalting, gospel-centred, comforting and yet challenging, and not too arduous to read (yet not too hasty). This updated edition of Morning and Evening ticks all of these boxes and much more! Popular pastor and writer Alistair Begg revised the language of Spurgeon’s original to make it accessible to modern readers. The major changes have to do with Begg’s replacing antiquated vocabulary with contemporary equivalents, and changing the KJV to the ESV at certain points.

Begg articulates in the introduction:

“My goal throughout has been to fashion the material in such a way that it will be accessible to a far wider audience than before.”

In my judgment, there are two reasons to consider purchasing this devotional.

1. Gospel-Centred

Every devotion contained within Morning and Evening points readers to the person and work of Christ, setting Him forth as our object of delight and worship. Like a man who is captivated by the many facets of a glistening diamond, Spurgeon excites readers with the beauty and magnificence of Christ as He is set forth in God’s Word. He does in such a way that the specifics of each text are honoured, whilst always drawing a beeline to Christ.

C.H. Spurgeon had the almost unique capacity to squeeze a text of Scripture until he had drawn every drop of nectar out of the passage. He was second to none in his use of word pictures, which he frequently drew from nature, science, and the Christian life. This made Spurgeon’s sermons, and his other works, accessible to the masses, and powerful in their ability to pierce the heart. Just reading Spurgeon makes it clear that he was a man saturated in Scripture. Indeed, Spurgeon quipped:

“Read many good books but live in the Bible.”

In the devotions, Spurgeon often shifts gears from exposition to exaltation. This is manifest in the way he embeds the lyrics of popular hymns, often at the end of the devotions, to lead readers to praise God. For instance, the June 8 devotion on 1 Chronicles 5:22 (“For many fell, for the war was of God”) ends with victorious war cry of ‘Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus’:

“Stand up! stand up for Jesus!

The strife will not be long;

This day the noise of battle,

The next the victor’s song:

To him that overcometh,

A crown of life shall be;

He with the King of glory

Shall reign eternally.”

This serves the dual purpose of engaging the hearts of readers whilst pointing them to faithful and God-glorifying hymns. For those using the material for family devotions, this also provides a natural bridge to singing together at the conclusion of each reading.

2. God-Glorifying Aesthetics

When it comes to devotionals, I judge a book by its cover. If we are honest, when a book is enjoyable to pick up, it makes it a delight to read. Conversely, handling a paperback devotional that has a lacklustre cover has a somewhat dampening effect.

A picture tells a thousand words; therefore, I don’t need to convince you that this devotional has been thoughtfully designed. With a beautiful, gold-trimmed cover, this hardback edition of Morning and Evening is sturdy to hold and has a sleek red ribbon to track your progress.

In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, this devotional is formatted in a manner that is easy on the eyes. It’s nothing like reading the dual column, size 8 font in The Works of Jonathan Edwards 2 Volume Set!.

Rather than using multiple pages for each devotional, each day of the year is given a single page. The morning devotion is above, and the evening below. The text for each devotional is clearly printed above each exposition, and footnotes are provided for additional Scriptures cited.

At the close of the book, an index of Scriptures is provided. This makes it easy for readers to navigate to particular expositions of texts, or to find Spurgeon’s quotes on specific Scriptures.

The Bottom Line

Spurgeon had the almost unique ability to squeeze every drop of nectar out of a Bible passage and apply it incisively to the hearts of readers. Within each devotional, Spurgeon illustrates the Word of God with word pictures drawn from nature, science, and the ordinary experiences of the Christian life. There is no question he was a remarkable wordsmith who used his gift to edify God’s saints. 

Whether you are a seasoned saint or a fresh believer, a young mother or an empty nester, Morning and Evening is a treasure that belongs in every Christian home. Spurgeon had the ability to reach both the poor and the rich, the healthy and the sick.

Though Spurgeon went to be with the Lord in 1892, he still proclaims Christ through the many writings he left behind. My prayer is that Christians of all walks of life will consider reading this devotional and savouring the truths contained within.