Reverence and Awe

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Morning:"My expectation is from Him." - Psalm 62:5

Evening:"The barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which He spake by Elijah." - 1 Kings 17:16

From Colorado: My head is pounding - high altitude? My sweet wife is asleep, and I'm not long behind her! Yet I am so grateful that it is my turn to write in the Morning and Evening Blog. It's been a long travel day, and it's the first moment I've spent in the word.

God is so good to woo me to His word tonight, and remind me of His goodness, and His provision. Lately I've been reflecting on His kindness in my life. It is always there, but of late I've really been feeling it in an overwhelming way. I see His loving hand in my life, both in easy times, and while in the winepress or on the threshing floor. Most of all in my every-good-gift-is-from-above wife Karen, as we are about to celebrate seven years that have raced past.

My expectation is from Him.

It is a delight to be at rest in Him. I'm not always there, but by His grace I always return to His rest. When our hope is in Him, we can rest in Him, confident not in the outcome, but in the Provider, El Shaddai. We can meditate on His promises, and let them nurse us to health. And He who promises is faithful.

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

Good Morning

What a great promise we have in our unchanging God. That he is the same from eternity past to eternity future. We have nothing to compare this to for our minds eye as everything we have in life will change and wither over time. But not is so with our God. Though our busy, ever changing, Kaleidoscope lives leave us in times of distress and in times of delight our God is constant and never moved from His foundation of righteousness and justice. Like Spurgeons example of the Israelites in the desert,

"Yet, though we are always changing, Lord, thou has been our dwelling-place throughout all generations."

This great truth is applied to all aspects of our relationship with our God. His love for us, His grace, His mercy, His salvation. Though we are a wavering and unfaithful people we have a covenant with an unchangeable ever faithful God. Rather I should say He has made a covenant with us his fallible people.

In pondering His changeless love, I love how Spurgeon closes the day with these great thoughts about our eternal security in Him:

"...has He been so long about thy salvation, and will not He accomplish it? Has he from everlasting been going forth to save me, and will He lose me now? What! has He carried me in His hand , as His precious jewel, and will He now let me slip from between His fingers? Did He choose me before the mountains were brought forth, or the channels of the deep were digged, and will He reject me now?"

Let us rejoice this day knowing that we are His everlasting, and may everlasting love be the pillow for our heads this night.

-jeff paisano

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

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I have enjoyed this day's devotion more than all others in Morning and Evening. This is what it is to be Christ-Centered. I pray that we would learn to talk like this...to even pray like this! My entire salvation is of the Lord. From beginning to end...He is the Cause...He is the Source...He is the Initiator...He is the Sustainer...He is our Redeemer...He is our Preserver...He is our Finisher! He makes me want to pray...He makes me know grace...He makes me desire His Word...He is the source of all my goodness...He weans me from the world...He enables me to fight the enemy! The God-Centered man views His salvation and gives all the glory to God. The God-Centered man trusts God for every aspect of life. And the God-Centered man depends fully upon God for every detail of Christian living. May we be God-Centered!

It is impossible for us to be truly God-Centered, if we fail to understand our own inability. May we recognize that we have no righteousness of our own...that we may plead to be clothed with the robes of righteousness that Christ has freely given to us. A true understanding of my own inability, my own depravity (an understanding that comes from God alone), this is the source of passionate praises for God's grace! As I think of my utter inability to have a righteousness of my own, it is for that reason, that I love resting in a God-Centered life and salvation! I am thankful for today's devotion! Pastor Kevin

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

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MORNING
"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God!" To think that "God's tempest is gathering its dread artillery. So far the water-floods are dammed up by mercy, but the floodgates will soon be opened: The thunderbolts of God are still in His storehouse, the tempest is coming, and how awful will that moment be when God robed in vengeance, shall march forth in fury!"

Sounds a bit like Jonathan Edwards', Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. May the commentaries of Spurgeon and Edwards encourage us to share the gospel with our unsaved loved ones and friends, to encourage them to flee from the wrath of an angry God into the arms of a loving God who gave His only begotten Son to save us from the wrath to come.

EVENING
During the Sunday call to worship we read from Psalm 37 that we are to trust, delight, commit, and rest in the Lord. This evening we see what happens when we choose to follow our flesh and disobey God. We lose the presence and comfortable enjoyment of God's love. We lose our peace of mind and sin destroys our comfort. We lose everything upon which we might draw comfort. We can't plead the promise of divine protection because we are out of the will of God. We reap what we sow. Spurgeon gives us a stern warning, "Christian, do not play the Jonah unless you wish to have all the waves and billows rolling over your head. You will find in the long run that it is far harder to shun the work and will of God than to at once yield yourself to it!"

Just as Joshua had to choose, so do we. "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!"

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

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As I pondered on the morning reading I looked for similar places in Scripture where God's mercy was said to be showered upon us. The Hebrew word, geshem which is translated in Ezekiel 34:26 as shower is translated as rain in this wonderful corollary passage in Psalm 68:8-10.

The earth shook; The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel. You, O God, sent a plentiful rain, Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance, When it was weary. Your congregation dwelt in it; You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor.

This passage displays to us God's abundant providence, mercy and grace. Three things blessed me from this corollary passage.

1. God's rain was plentiful, because He provides bountifully.


2. The reference to God's inheritance is a reference in context to Israel, in the wilderness. But we are grafted in to this inheritance as well (Romans 11:13-19). We are God's inheritance (Ephesians 1:18; Deuteronomy 32:8-9).


3. It says God's congregation dwelt in it. O' that we would dwell daily and fully in God's grace and mercy. He offers His grace to His people freely.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.—Hebrews 4:16 NKJV

As the writer of Hebrews exhorts us, let us all come to God's glorious throne of grace to find the power to live for His glory this day!

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

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"I will never leave thee." — Hebrews 13:5

The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever, and yet that is not what we find in our experience all the time. To enjoy God and thereby glorify Him He must be adored in our minds and felt with our hearts. The reason I bring this up is because it is verses like this and thoughts like this that make my heart sing for joy. To know that almighty God, perfect and loving is with me for all time and will never leave me causes me to be full of joy. It is from this place of joy that I glorify God. As christians we need to come to verses like these and specifically this verse here often to remind our souls of the graces that we have been given. How good is it to know, in all our sin and future sin, that God will never leave us but instead cause all things to be for our good. It is this joyful knowledge that leads us as Christians through the darkness of nights and coldest of seasons.

"Take up the cross, and follow Me." — Mark 10:21

What a high calling we have been called to. This verse almost immediately causes fear and trepidation in my mind. I think on the good things Jesus did and also the horrible things he endured all the while never sinning or even having a cross thought. This is what I am to do? I am so far from that and so incapable of following Jesus. It is only when I start to think upon the verse before us that God will never leave me nor forsake me that I find any hope. I must depend upon Christ at all times to follow Him in any sense of the calling. It must be a moment by moment and step by step depending upon and looking unto Him that gives power and grace. I am convinced that this is given to us so that we can see our inefficiency and fall upon His mercy every second of the day. Lord help us do so!

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

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My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Please forgive the tardiness of this entry as God is showing me patience with my sweet daughter Sienna. The night was long as she was up every hour, or so it seems, as my mind drifted back to sleep she would be calling again. Oh there are so many to whom I write that have the same experiences. Please pray for Cindy and me that we shall have some sleepful nights before us. And if we don't I am encouraged, by you who have gone before us, that will someday end.

What an encouraging devotion this evening reading from the Book of Nahum, a book I personally don't think I have ever read, but what a powerful verse:

The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord has his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.

I love the description here as the writer describes the clouds are the dust of His feet. Indeed they are, the thought is mind blowing to say the least. He is so magnificent. Spurgeon writes, "The Lord is slow to anger, because He is GREAT IN POWER. He is truly great in power who hath power over himself." What a blessing because if He were less divine, Spurgeon continues, "he would long ere this have sent forth the whole of His thunders, and emptied the magazines of heaven; He would long ere ths have blasted the earth with the wondrous fires of its lower regions and man would have been utterly destroyed." We deserve this wrath that God has for us, but praise him brothers, Jesus is our saving Grace. I am so thankful that God is slow to anger and that he has given us mercy that we do not deserve.

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Reverence, Spurgeon

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Morning: "He hath said." - Hebrews 13:5

"I will never leave you nor forsake you".     I would imagine that many of us have been comforted by these words of scripture in Hebrews 13:5. What trial would we want to face without God? And what trial need we fear with God?

Let us have compassion of those that are going through trials without the knowledge of scripture, and without knowledge of the loving Lord who wants to comfort us and them with the goodness of their salvation in Christ.

This is Spurgeon's point - to exhort us to a knowledge of scripture, that we might be able to bring comfort and encouragement to those in need.

And remember Paul's exhortation to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:6

The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.

Or, as Paul exhorts in 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.

If we are to comfort others in God's word, we must as well dig deep at the fount of living water.

Evening: "Understandest thou what thou readest?" - Acts 8:30

Spurgeon continues along the lines of the morning devotion, exhorting that the understanding of God's word is opened by prayer - supplication to our teacher, the Holy Spirit, to bring comfort and understanding of His word.

But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 14:26

I'm reminded of Lilias Trotter's pamphlet, entitled Vibrations, written in the early 1900s in Algiers, where Ms Trotter had been serving as a missionary since 1888.

A bang and a crash, and a cloud of dust that when it cleared showed a picture of ruin. One of the pillars that support the gallery of our old Arab house had fallen down into the court and lay shattered on the pavement, carrying with it a block of masonry and a shower of bricks and blue and white tiles from the arch above it.

Down below, alongside of us, a native baker had installed himself six or seven years ago. This means that for hours every night two men had swung on the huge see-saw which in some mysterious way kneads their bread, and every blow backwards and forwards had vibrated through our house, and now at last the result was seen in the shattering of masonry that had looked as if it would last as long as the world.

But God had meanwhile given an object lesson concerning a truth which had glimmered out before in thinking of the strange power of vibrations--once more "the invisible things being understood by the things that are made."

For there is a vibrating power going on down in the darkness and dust of this world that can make itself visible in starting results in the upper air and sunlight of the invisible world, "mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God." Each prayer-beat down here vibrates up to the very throne of God, and does its work through that throne on the principalities and powers around us, just as each one of the repeated throbs from below told on the structure of our house, though it was only the last one that produced the visible effect. We can never tell which prayer will liberate the answer, but we can tell that each one will do its work: we know that "if we ask anything according to His will He heareth us, and if we know that He hear us we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him."

Let us pray to the loving Lord, that He would use the 'vibrations' from our prayers to break down any walls keeping us from understanding His goodness, love, and calling on our lives.

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

Sunday's sermon at church was entitled Not Guilty! Pastor Kevin took a break from our series in 1 Corinthians and did a quick survey of the first few chapters of Romans. One of the things that struck me was the wonderful words, "But now". Kevin was talking about the phrase as used in Romans 3:21:

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets—Romans 3:21 NKJV

But now was the segue from our sinful state prior to regeneration by the Holy Spirit as evidenced by the words in Romans 3:10-18 to our righteous position in Christ through faith (Romans 3:21-22).

As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one." Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit; The poison of asps is under their lips; Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans 3:10-18 NKJV)

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; (Romans 3:21-22 NKJV)

Let's take a look at a couple of other "but now" phrases in Romans:

But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.—Romans 6:22 NKJV

Now we have been set free from the slavery of sin, and in exchange we have everlasting life.

But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.—Romans 7:6 NKJV

We were previously subject to the Law. The Law was a law of stone, but God has now written His Law upon our heart, in newness of the Spirit. To live according to the power of the Spirit. See Jeremiah 31:31-34.

But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.—Romans 7:17 NKJV

Previously we were slaves (in bondage) to sin. It was our master. But now the LORD Jesus Christ is our Master. If we have been regenerated (born-again), we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us. When we sin, it is not the prior bondage of the unregenerate person. But the flesh we still exist in, flesh that is subject to our previous fallen nature. BUT NOW, we have access to power to not sin. That power is now available by calling upon the Holy Spirit for strength.

Praise God for the "But now" phrases Paul has written to us here, by the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Follow this link if you want to see all of Paul's "but now" references.

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This morning's devotion was a blessing to me. It encourages me to seek my God for comfort in time of need. So often, in dealing with heartache or despair, I look around me for comfort or encouragement. Yet, God's Word is filled with all the comforting promises I could ever ask for. Nothing and nobody can comfort us like Almighty God. His Spirit guides and comforts and directs us to His Word... we will find all that we need there.

Spurgeon also exhorts us to never get lazy in the christian life. It's a good exhortation for us, because it's very easy to get comfortable and think that we're above certains temptations and sins.

Like the old knights in war time, we must sleep with helmet and breastplate buckled on, for the arch-deceiver will seize our first unguarded hour to make us his prey.

Resting in God's grace doesn't mean that we lay down the armor He has girded us with. What does this practically mean for us? It means that we stay fervent in our prayers and passionate in our study of Scripture. It means we fight for joy when life doesn't seem joyous. But it all must be rooted and grounded in His Word. And what we find there are promises and truths that can and will sustain us... by His grace!

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Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

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Good Day

It is our first nature to seek the will of self with the things in our lives. And only when we find fear and impossibility do we often then and then only fall to our knees. It is an important reminder that prayer opens the door to the blessings of God. If we are seeking his hand in our lives our every deliverance will be a joyful realization of his blessing in mercy and grace. If we only knew the great storehouses of blessings that belong to our Lord we would make our request and earnest desires known to Him daily as 1 Thessalonians instructs -

"16)Rejoice always, 17)pray without ceasing, 18)in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV)

The same is true for this evening's thoughts. If we truly see the equipping for His ministry that God has placed upon us through the gifting of His gospel message and His ability to make His name known to His children, our first prayers would be for our family, those whom we so dearly love. Often we are stumped by our own doubts of God's ability to deliver those we know closely or fear the mockery of their judgements. But God has equipped us with His gospel, as well as with the people we are surrounded with. Don't miss the mission field he has placed you in that you might seek the mission field that fit's your comforts.

May our first mission trip be to our backyards.

-jeff paisano

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

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In this Morning and Evening we are reminded of the joy of living before God. God always sees us and He is always there, in our presence. We never are alone; we don't ever have to rely on our own power; we can never be separated from His love; we are always in His presence. In the popular movie "Cast Away", Tom Hanks plays a role where he is all alone on an island. He creates a make-believe friend, "Wilson", from a volleyball he finds. As I watched that movie, I was so thankful for God's redeeming love and the fact that I would never be in such a pathetic state where I was all alone. I would always be with Christ. I could always pray and know that I was in the presence of God. We know that God always sees our every situation, and He is sovereign over our every move. If I were a cast away on a deserted island, I would know that Christ was with me. I would know that a good and gracious God could hear my every word and know my every thought. I would be certain that I was there for my own good and for God's glory according to His sovereign purposes.

How much more comforting is it to know that we are always in His presence today? We live in fellowship with Almighty God. I pray that we would constantly be acknowledging His presence and thankful for the sweet joy of living before the face of God. Rest in His presence...Our God is there and He sees! Pastor Kevin

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

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MORNING
Contentment? Everyday we are bombarded by messages from the world telling us we can find contentment by buying this or that product or service, seeking this or that remedy, meeting this or that person, traveling to this or that destination, and on and on it goes! Sales and marketing to make you feel dissatisfied so you will buy from the marketplace. But what is really being sold is discontentment!

This world is not our home and the stuff of this world can never satisfy the deeper longings of the human heart. If it cost the Apostle Paul some pain to learn to be content it is no surprise that we too must struggle to learn in whatever state we are in to be content. As Spurgeon puts it,

"it is not a power that may be exercised naturally but a science to be acquired gradually".

But how? I don't know for sure for I am a pupil in the College of Contentment like you. Romans 12:1-2 is one of those powerful passages that helps me understand the process to contentment. It tells me to present my body a living sacrifice as a reasonable act of worship; to not be conformed to the things of this world but be transformed by the renewing of my mind. When I do I find the joy of the Lord, the peace that passes all understanding and the sweet simplicity that comes from abiding in Christ. When I don't, I'm restless till I find my peace again in Him. I pray that one day, I too will be able to say with Paul, I've learned in whatever state I'm in to be content!

EVENING
Imagine, the third person of the Trinity lives in us, sinners saved by grace, willingly to abide in us in spite of our sin nature, our heart that wanders, and our moment to moment choices that grieve Him! When I consider His unmixed purity, truth, grace, and benevolence, I'm humbled and overwhelmed. Further that "there is no spiritual good in all the world of which He is not the author and sustainer, and heaven itself will owe the perfect character of its redeemed inhabitants to His work" makes me shudder to think what the world will be like when God removes the Holy Spirit along with the church.

Like Spurgeon suggests,

"let us revere His person and adore Him as God over all, blessed forever".

So much of this is a mystery! We see through the glass dimly. May we, the recipients of such love, grace, devotion and mercy be attentive to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit who reveals Christ and leads us into all truth.

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

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When I read texts like 2 Peter 3:18 that speak of us glorifying God, I tend to remember the stanza from Amazing Grace that goes:

When we've been here ten thousand years...
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise...
then when we've first begun.

All of eternity we will be singing the praises of God, to God. I don't think this means that we'll just be sitting around singing. But that all that we do will be to the glory of God and that with our flesh totally redeemed we will be able to truly sing praises with all that is in us.

I also think of two other verses:

And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth [is] full of His glory!"—Isaiah 6:3 NKJV

The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!"—Revelation 4:8 NKJV

Since we will be spending all of eternity speaking words like this, why don't we start today to praise our God and recognize His glory!

Follow this link for some other verses that declare God's glory.

If you want to study this subject a little more, here is a link to Torrey's New Topical Textbook entry for this subject.

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

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"Fear not, it is neither your graces or feelings on which you are to live: you must live simply by faith on Christ."

Simply put, but how hard sometimes to carry through. This can be applied to so many areas of our life, but in today's devotion, Spurgeon is referring to the text found in 1 John 3.

"1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."

Spurgeon challenges us to consider who we were. Who were we? We were sinners destined to be thrown into the pits of Hell. He also asks who do we feel we are? And though we still sin and have corruption in our hearts, we are no longer considered by God to be that person. We are His sons. Praise HIM!! Through Christ we have great privileges and a relationship with Him. So yes, it is easy to read that "We are sons of God", but very hard to feel sometimes when we feel that we have failed Him, or disappointed Him. How absurd to think these things. Loved ones, we are washed white as snow and cleansed of all of our sins and He sees us as perfect.

In verse 2 we read, "it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."

The Holy Spirit shall purify our minds, and divine power shall refine our bodies, then shall we see Him as he is. Amen.

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

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Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

Today Spurgeon exhorts us to live so that people might say we "have been with Jesus". He also encourages us to return to our first love, Jesus.

Forgiveness is a powerful thing and I believe it's one of those responses that truly sets us apart from the unregenerate. But, it also seems to be the most difficult. (For more on loving & praying for your enemies, read Pastor Jim Milligan's blog on 02/06). There are many things that Spurgeon points to that can cause someone to say, "he has been with Jesus." But I do believe that kindness, forgiveness and love for one another seem to shout the loudest.

I think both devotions for today go together well. If we are enjoying close communion with Christ and seeking to be like Him, we will not be "leaving our first love." But if we have left, there is only one solution: return to Him and return to His word. Being with Christ changes us. But we will constantly struggle with the ups and downs of the Christian life if our roots are not deep in His word. We become more like Him as we spend time with Him in His word and in prayer. We fight against "leaving our first love" by spending time with Him in His word and in prayer.

O Lord, thank You for never leaving nor forsaking Your children. Cause us to remain close to You, our Savior. Keep us steadfast in Your word and fervent in our prayers. Glorify Your name through Your people. For Christ's sake, Amen.

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

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Morning: "I know how to abound." - Philippians 4:12

Paul encountered many trials, many stripes, in his walk with the Lord after meeting Him on the road to Damascus. But in this passage in Philippians, right before he exhorts us: "I can do all things through Him/Christ who strengthens me", he shares:

I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

Spurgeon would ask us to be careful in our walk, especially when 'abounding' - that is, when we find ourselves in a state of plenty, where we are in danger of forgetting the Lord, in the midst of physical comfort.

This is a wise exhortation. We learn that the persecuted Church in China, for instance, is praying for the body of Christ in America, that their love of Christ would not be choked out of their lives by the comforts of the world - God has given them wisdom to know how to pray for them/us!

Yet there is opportunity for a good witness to our brothers and sisters in afflicted regions as well - they know that we have much wealth, much comfort, many possessions, conveniences, gadgets, fancies, frippery, and gewgaws. Much to 'give up', even for a short time. Thus when we visit them, they see the love of Christ in us, that we would come to share that love with them, and they see the deed along with the Word, and they believe the truth of God.

So there is both a warning to us, and great promise of usefulness to the Lord in the midst of plenty - rest in Him!

It needs more than human skill to carry the brimming cup of mortal joy with a steady hand, yet Paul had learned that skill, for he declares, "In all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry."

We are taught by Isaiah in 64:6 that our righteousness is but filthy rags. May we look at our possessions in the same way, compared to the treasure of Christ imparted to a lost world.

Definition:

fining-pot:      n. A vessel in which metals are refined. [Webster 1828]  .

Evening: "I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto Me; for I have redeemed thee." - Isaiah 44:22

Spurgeon has the heart of a preacher, a man, like David, after the Lord's own heart. Spurgeon desires that we recognize the devastation of unchecked sin in our lives, while we see the hope and promise of the Father, who blots out the sin of all who place their trust, their very lives, in the hands of His Messiah. And once more, to encourage us to draw near to the Lord, in faith, that He is able, and willing, through Christ's propitiation of our sin, to open the floodgates of His love toward us, holding back no good from us, as the Holy Spirit has placed us in Christ.

I am reminded of Hosea 2:14

"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Will bring her into the wilderness, And speak comfort to her.

And what was His people's actions, that 'deserved' this 'wooing', this 'alluring', this 'comfort'? Harlotry with other gods, even while the one true God gave her grain, new wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold! [Hosea 2:7].

How deep the Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure! He responds to the cloud of sin in us by drawing us to Him, through His Son, that He may blot out our sin.

Not "reluctantly due to my sin". Not "in spite of my sin". Just a loving "therefore, I will allure her".

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

Good Morning -

This morning Spurgeon brings us to a picture of David resting in God's direction for his life as if God were his compass. This could be a picture of us each morning, I say could because it is not always what we do. In fact I think it seems harder to each of us to trust in the providence of an all knowing God rather than "going with our gut" or making our own way apart from seeking His guidance in our lives. But like Spurgeon here, let me encourage you to realize what great a storehouse of rest and peace lies within the trusting upon an almighty and sovereign God. Some might think "well I do with the big stuff". Truth is, when we learn to rely on Him with the small things also, we are able to enjoy further the riches of peace and joy in our lives amidst the smallest or largest decisions and trials.

We get some hints that Spurgeon might have been a sailor or has somehow come to a knowledge of maritime slang and vocabulary. Esteeming us to "Take God for thy compass" and to "put the tiller into the hand of the Almighty". A tiller is a long wood stick that is connected to the rudder on a sailboat and steers a ship. So his metaphor here is pointing to us giving God the reins or the stirring wheel of the car and let him steer our lives. He adds emphasis by saying "through the dark billows..." There are no headlights on a sailboat. So at night with no moonlight is the hardest circumstances for navigating in the open seas. Though we are unable to see the path before us God knows the path we are on and the best route to take. Then he takes the thought even farther by saying "Many a rock might be escaped if we would let our father take the helm." The helm makes reference to the cockpit and steerage of a ship. So Spurgeon is saying don't just let God steer, get out of the drivers seat completely! This take faith.

If we have little faith or a small view of the ability of our God it would be very hard to let Him steer the ship in darkness, we would have little trust in His ability. This makes me think of Ephesians 3:20 "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us."

He is able beyond anything we may think. Trust him with your lives, give Him the helm though we may not be able to see where the ship is going, he knows the path and will navigate life's course.


Good Evening -

We are so quick to think that we are strong enough to handle certain temptations in our lives thinking that it is only the sin itself that we need to avoid only. I love how Spurgeon directs our thoughts not so much at the sin but at the seriousness of the temptations in our lives which lead to sin. This makes me think of areas in my life where sin is able to creep in. Those open doors or unlatched gates are the temptations that I need to avoid.

Just as a recovered alcoholic doesn't make good practice of entering a bar so should we know the areas of sin that we deal with that we should walk in a way as to avoid such temptations that can result in the sins we struggle with.

Yet without His strength and the guidance of the Holy Spirit who lives in us, we would be unable to avoid temptations or sin at all. Therefore Spurgeon directs us to our knees to pray that we might not be tempted for "prevention is better than a cure...".

May our eyes be so fixed upon Him that they would not wonder and be led astray by the temptations in this life.

-jeff paisano

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

MORNING
Jesus, how I love that name! I had major surgery a week ago. Preparation for surgery is a physical, emotional and spiritual process. Physically and emotionally I was ready but I was overwhelmed by the presence of the Lord as I neared the moment where the anesthesiologist comes in to put you to sleep. At that moment my wife Bev was singing "Oh the Deep, Deep Love." "Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free. Rolling as a mighty ocean, in it's fullness over me. Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Your love. Leading onward, leading homeward, to your glorious rest above...". I cannot remember a more peaceful moment in my life. Nothing mattered, I knew the outcome was in the hand of my Jesus, the Great Physician. He would accomplish His purpose. Hallelujah, He did!!

EVENING

"Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written 'For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.' Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors, through Him that hath loved us" (Romans 8:35-37)

Jonathan Edwards in Pursuing Holiness in the Lord challenges us by saying "May not this make us ashamed of our cold dead hearts that we hear so often of Christ, of His glorious excellencies and His wonderful love, with so little emotion, our hearts being very commonly frozen up like a clod of earth by worldy affections? And it may be that now and then with much difficulty we persuade ourselves to do a little or expend a little for the advancement of Christ's kingdom and then are ready to boast of it, that we have done so nobly. Such superior examples as we have (Jesus, the apostles, Edwards himself and other great Christians) are enough to make us ever blush for our own attainments in the love of Christ, and to rouse us earnestly to follow after those who have gone so far beyond us".

Holy Spirit quicken us this evening! Make sure Christ is Master of our hearts, and mortify sin in us. "Christ saves His people not in their sins but from them". Lord, save us now from all evil, and enable us to honor our Savior." In Jesus name we pray.

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

When we are preparing to head out for a vacation, it seems like the workload, the stress, and the weight of everything necessary to leave for a week or more can overwhelm us. The excitement of getting to our joyful destination causes us to endure to the end. This Morning and Evening is filled with such joyful anticipation of departing to be with the Lord. We are called to meditate on heaven, to contemplate eternity in the presence of Christ, and to forget the toil of our journey here on earth. I am excited to enter into the joy of the Lord! I look forward to eternity without sin, seeing God in all His glory, in joyful union with all of the saints.

We are also called to be equally well pleased to be here on earth as we are to anticipate eternity with Christ. God knows and determines the number of our days. May we give thanks for another day of serving Christ, preaching the gospel, bearing fruit for the sake of the glory of God. I pray that we all use our time here on earth to the glory of God and to our highest joy...in Him. This is the day that the Lord has made, I will be glad and rejoice in it!

Pastor Kevin Otsuji

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» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

I ran across this somewhat chilling quote from C.S. Lewis, written in April 1940:

The practical problem about charity (in one's prayer) is very hard work, isn't it? When you pray for Hitler and Stalin how do you actually teach yourself to make the prayer real? (Letters of C.S. Lewis, [16 April 1940], para. 4, pg 183)

It seems very strange to read those words, to think of someone praying for two men whom we now know were responsible for the murder of tens of millions of people. Some might look strangely at Clive Jack (Following my post, I was informed that Lewis did not care for his given name and preferred Jack.) But, Lewis was clearly following a Biblical admonition:

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you—Matthew 5:44 NKJV

Of course, this was before the world knew of the atrocities these two men committed or commanded to be committed, or would yet commit in the future. Yet, I have to ask myself, would it have changed Jesus' admonition in Matthew 5:44. For the description there would have certainly fit, “enemies...those who curse you...those who hate you...those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”

Spurgeon's devotions for today were on prayer, including intercessory prayer. It sure is much easier to intercede in prayer for someone you love, someone you like, someone who is not my enemy. How would I score myself on the criteria in Matthew 5:44. I must admit I would fail miserably. All around us the world is attacking that which we hold dear. I think in the age we live in and are quickly moving into, we will have much opportunity to follow our LORD's command in Matthew 5:44.

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

Morning: "The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world." - 1 John 4:14

Spurgeon asks us to meditate on the glory due the Father, Holy Spirit, and Son, for our salvation.

How appropriate that our mid-week Bible study last night, led by Pastor Bill [get the tape!], was on Titus 3:4-7

4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

How wonderfully clearly and compactly, we can see our gift of salvation as the workings of all three persons of the Trinity.

Let us always remember to glorify each!

The God of mercy be adored,
Who calls our souls from death,
Who saves by His redeeming word,
And new-creating breath.

To praise the Father and the Son,
And Spirit all divine,
The One in Three, and Three in One,
Let saints and angels join.
[Isaac Watts Hymn 30]

Evening: "At that time Jesus answered." - Matthew 11:25

Jesus 'answered' a question. So, Who asked the question? It was Jesus's constant communion with the Father, not even 'remarkable' enough to be recorded in Scripture, or perhaps rather unfathomable, and a secret hidden to those with blinded eyes. Yet, it pleases the Father in the perfection of His loving nature to gift to us, as He changes us from glory to glory by the power of the resurrection, with that same communion. Is that not wonderfully amazing that we, His creatures, can commune with the Creator?!

In the midst of all our trials, hurts, fears, and tempests, let us be like Elijah and wrap ourselves in our mantel, and hear His still, small voice. He calls to us!

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God [must] love his brother also. (1 John 4:16-21 NKJV)

The Holy Spirit tells us in 1 John 4:18 that perfect love casts out fear. Since God is love (1 John 5:8), He then is perfect love. If we truly apply this to our life, then fear will be cast out of our lives. And as Romans 8:37-39 tells us that nothing can separate us from the His love, therefore, nothing can separate His people from Him!

Such should cause us to joyously praise our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ!

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

» Today's reading at Blue Letter BibleGenesis 1:1
Psalm 18:30
Leviticus 11:45
Zechariah 12:10
Isaiah 12:2
Psalm 139:23

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

Morning:
Let us sit, this morning, and meditate on Christ's work on the cross. Let's meditate on the truth that we have been reconciled to God because Christ's blood was shed and atoned for our sins. Let's rejoice that all our sins are forgiven us for Christ's sake and for His glory!

May we be humbled today because of Christ's work to bring us to Himself. Humbled when we think of our atonement, our redemption, our reconciliation. I pray that no religious pride would be present as we rejoice and worship Him for the great things he has done.... for they are great and so is He!

My soul, sit down, and behold the justice of God as bound to punish sin; see that punishment all executed upon thy Lord Jesus, and fall down in humble joy, and kiss the dear feet of Him whose blood has made atonement for thee.

I love that quote from Spurgeon. I don't know that we "behold the justice of God" enough. We should though... it's a wonderful truth to behold. Reminds me of a verse in a song we just sang last Sunday.

Let us wonder grace and justice
Join and point to mercy’s store
When through grace in Christ our trust is
Justice smiles and asks no more
He, Who washed us with His blood
Has secured our way to God

Evening:
I really don't know where to start with this evening's devotion. I should just copy and paste Spurgeon's devotion and put a big smiley face at the end!

God's sovereignty in our election, our redemption and our glorification.

Let us for a moment recount them, telling them over as misers count their gold.

Spurgeon's thoughts this evening fill me with joy! We can take no credit for His everlasting love, His eternal purpose nor the everlasting covenant He has made with us. I am driven to humble worship this evening. I can do nothing else in light of these immutable truths.

Let us not neglect meditating on these things. I pray these topics are discussed often at our church. I encourage us all to read tonight's devotion multiple times..... and worship!!

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

Morning: "They shall sing in the ways of the Lord." - Psalm 138:5

Spurgeon talks of his joy at first surrendering his burdens at the foot of the cross. I still remember the very day I surrendered my life to Messiah (at least by lips if not in whole). I don't think my joy was very great that day back in 1984, concomitant with my degree of understanding of what Christ had accomplished for me on the cross.

Yet I don't envy (even in my flesh) Spurgeon's joy, because I have received in full measure from the Father since that day 24 years ago. The Psalmist says in Psalm 45:1 "My heart overflows with a goodly theme", and I can attest to joy aplenty as the Holy Spirit has quickened me to understand, at least in part, what He has accomplished in the New Covenant.

To experience that joy anew, and revel in it, we need look no farther than Psalm 138:2, a few lines up from Spurgeon's morning devotional:

I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.

What more need we to obtain joy, than to remember God's perfect, loving nature, and the truth of His precepts and promises!

And this is Spurgeon's point: as His mercies are new every morning, so is the joyful experience of His goodness:

"I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth." [Psalm 34:1] See to it, brother, that thou magnifiest the Lord this day.

Evening: "Thy love to me was wonderful." - 2 Samuel 1:26

Spurgeon desires for us to meditate on the love of Jesus toward us, and to start the ball rolling quotes from a scripture in 2nd Samuel that records David's mourning for Jonathan when he first learned of his death, and Jonathan's love for David. I'm a bit surprised that Spurgeon chose this scripture for his exhortation on God's love, since there is no shortage in the Bible of good ones, in context, that display God's love for us (John 3:16, Psalm 138:2, etc). Yet we can enjoy Spurgeon's exhortation in full:

Thy love to me, O Jesus, was wonderful when I was a stranger wandering far from Thee, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. Thy love restrained me from committing the sin which is unto death, and withheld me from self-destruction. Thy love held back the axe when Justice said, "Cut it down! why cumbereth it the ground?" Thy love drew me into the wilderness, stripped me there, and made me feel the guilt of my sin, and the burden of mine iniquity. Thy love spake thus comfortably to me when, I was sore dismayed--"Come unto Me, and I will give thee rest." Oh, how matchless Thy love when, in a moment, Thou didst wash my sins away, and make my polluted soul, which was crimson with the blood of my nativity, and black with the grime of my transgressions, to be white as the driven snow, and pure as the finest wool.

Thank you Jesus!

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon