Sunday, May 24, 2009
Morning and Evening: 5/24
Sunday, May 24, 2009—posted by Tom E
» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible
MORNING:
"Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer."—Psalm 66:20
Here again we see that we are corrupt even unto our prayers. I love Spurgeon for the fact that he cuts quickly to the chase and reminds us of who we really are. Answered prayer is as anything else we receive from God; it is a tremendous act of grace in spite of the fallen state we find ourselves in.
“There may be some who think their prayers worthy of acceptance—as the Pharisee did; but the true Christian, in a more enlightened retrospect, weeps over his prayers, and if he could retrace his steps he would desire to pray more earnestly.”
Let this serve as a reminder for us so that we approach God in our prayers with the proper attitude of humility so that we do not take on the role of the Pharisee.
Spurgeon does not mince words here when he refers to our sessions of prayer as “Intermittent spasms of importunity which come and go with our necessities.”
I don’t know why but I find a certain amount of solace when I see a man of Spurgeon’s caliber being honest and baring his soul to the point where it’s apparent that he struggles with the same issues as I.
Once again Spurgeon seems to have a window into my soul but in fact, the truth of the matter is, that he is a man with a deep understanding of the heart of man and how we stand only by God’s Grace.
“What a God is He thus to hear the prayers of those who come to Him when they have pressing wants, but neglect Him when they have received a mercy; who approach Him when they are forced to come, but who almost forget to address Him when mercies are plentiful and sorrows are few.”
As I consider the above paragraph I once again find myself in a place of awe. As a result I will resign myself to being more fervent in my prayer life knowing all the while that it is only by God’s grace that they are heard and answered. Thanks be to God!
_______________________________________________________________________
Evening:
"Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ."—Philippians 1:27
“The word "conversation" does not merely mean our talk and converse with one another, but the whole course of our life and behavior in the world. The Greek word signifies the actions and the privileges of citizenship: and thus we are commanded to let our actions, as citizens of the New Jerusalem, be such as becometh the Gospel of Christ.”
Spurgeon is pointing out the reality that we need to do more than “talk the talk” but we must “walk the walk” as well. And did he point out that the Greek word indicates that our actions become the Gospel of Christ? Yes, I believe that he did! That thought of our actions becoming the Gospel is a sobering one to say the least.
Spurgeon sums it up quickly by pointing out the Gospel is simple, loving and gentle, yet fearless. He exhorts us to share the Gospel, not only through word, but through our entire life. Will we fall short? Of course, but God will fill in those gaps with His grace.
“Some professors are sharper than a thorn-hedge; such men are not like Jesus.” Ouch; Spurgeon really got my attention with that one. Not much room for debate there. “Not like Jesus?”
Once again I find myself in a position of having to rely on God’s grace and pray that He will assist me with walking in a way that is representative of the Gospel. We are changed through His Word…as we understand more of who we are and who He is, our lives will become a more accurate representation of the Gospel.
MORNING:
"Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer."—Psalm 66:20
Here again we see that we are corrupt even unto our prayers. I love Spurgeon for the fact that he cuts quickly to the chase and reminds us of who we really are. Answered prayer is as anything else we receive from God; it is a tremendous act of grace in spite of the fallen state we find ourselves in.
“There may be some who think their prayers worthy of acceptance—as the Pharisee did; but the true Christian, in a more enlightened retrospect, weeps over his prayers, and if he could retrace his steps he would desire to pray more earnestly.”
Let this serve as a reminder for us so that we approach God in our prayers with the proper attitude of humility so that we do not take on the role of the Pharisee.
Spurgeon does not mince words here when he refers to our sessions of prayer as “Intermittent spasms of importunity which come and go with our necessities.”
I don’t know why but I find a certain amount of solace when I see a man of Spurgeon’s caliber being honest and baring his soul to the point where it’s apparent that he struggles with the same issues as I.
Once again Spurgeon seems to have a window into my soul but in fact, the truth of the matter is, that he is a man with a deep understanding of the heart of man and how we stand only by God’s Grace.
“What a God is He thus to hear the prayers of those who come to Him when they have pressing wants, but neglect Him when they have received a mercy; who approach Him when they are forced to come, but who almost forget to address Him when mercies are plentiful and sorrows are few.”
As I consider the above paragraph I once again find myself in a place of awe. As a result I will resign myself to being more fervent in my prayer life knowing all the while that it is only by God’s grace that they are heard and answered. Thanks be to God!
_______________________________________________________________________
Evening:
"Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ."—Philippians 1:27
“The word "conversation" does not merely mean our talk and converse with one another, but the whole course of our life and behavior in the world. The Greek word signifies the actions and the privileges of citizenship: and thus we are commanded to let our actions, as citizens of the New Jerusalem, be such as becometh the Gospel of Christ.”
Spurgeon is pointing out the reality that we need to do more than “talk the talk” but we must “walk the walk” as well. And did he point out that the Greek word indicates that our actions become the Gospel of Christ? Yes, I believe that he did! That thought of our actions becoming the Gospel is a sobering one to say the least.
Spurgeon sums it up quickly by pointing out the Gospel is simple, loving and gentle, yet fearless. He exhorts us to share the Gospel, not only through word, but through our entire life. Will we fall short? Of course, but God will fill in those gaps with His grace.
“Some professors are sharper than a thorn-hedge; such men are not like Jesus.” Ouch; Spurgeon really got my attention with that one. Not much room for debate there. “Not like Jesus?”
Once again I find myself in a position of having to rely on God’s grace and pray that He will assist me with walking in a way that is representative of the Gospel. We are changed through His Word…as we understand more of who we are and who He is, our lives will become a more accurate representation of the Gospel.
Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon
posted by Tom E|
1 Comments
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1 Comments:
Thank you for this, Tom!
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