Reverence and Awe

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

Nothing should comfort the weary Christian quite like the promises of his God. We rejoice today that we serve a God who keeps his promises!

Here are just a few promises to reflect on today...

"'I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." (John 10:28)

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

"'It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.'" (Deut. 31:8)

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Cor. 12:9)

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.*" (Rom 8:1)

"'Come now, let us reason* together, says the Lord : though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." (Isaiah 1:18)

In tonight's evening devotion... Spurgeon writes with incredible imagery. Our God is good and deserves heart-felt gratitude and praise. And I'm encouraged by the obvious and outward passion of Spurgeon's heart.

Surely these crowning mercies call for crowning thanksgiving! Let us render it by the inward emotions of gratitude. Let our hearts be warmed; let our spirits remember, meditate, and think upon this goodness of the Lord. Then let us praise Him with our lips, and laud and magnify His name from whose bounty all this goodness flows. Let us glorify God by yielding our gifts to His cause.

Those are good words... !!

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

The seventeenth chapter of the Gospel of John is one that we as Christians ought to re-read on a regular basis. Jesus' prayer for you and me is to be one as he is one with the Father. Throughout the prayer Jesus pours out his heart to God ready to die in accordance to the will of the Father resulting in salvation for the elect. His prayer is that we would be in Christ and he would be in us. 

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

Morning: "And when he thought thereon, he wept." — Mark 14:72

How long has it been since you have wept over your sin and how often do the tears well up in your eyes? Spurgeon’s desire in this mornings devotional for each and every one of us is to not have a hard heart toward sin but to truly be sorrowful of it and too radically amputate it from our lives. Repentance is a tool the Christ uses to draw us closer to Him. It is only when one repents that they see the need for a Savior and it is through the confession of sin that we admit our guilt and shame to the Lord and ask for His forgiveness so that we may walk with Him and that He may clothe us in robes of righteousness.

We must all come broken before the Lord and must realize the vileness in our hearts. Only by the power of God are we able to do this and it is a gift from God alone. Only He can reveal to us our original and actual sin, that we have nothing good within ourselves at all. Only He can cause us to be sorrowful and saddened with the sins we have committed against Christ. Only He will bring each of us to a place of confession and crying out to the Lord for mercy for what we have done. Only He will produce in us a great hatred for sin and disgust for it. Only He will produce a turning away of sin and rebuking of it so that we will not want to return to its evil ways. Only He will guard us against it and arm each one of us for battle when Satan is on the attack.

His grace, love and righteousness are never failing and will always be perfect in every way toward each and every believer, even if we are undeserving of it.

Lord, smite our rocky hearts, and make the waters flow.

Evening: "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." — John 6:37

A glorious doctrine it is and such a comfort it should be to the believer that we can be sure that He who has started a good work in us will be faithful to finish it until the end. The perseverance of the saints should bring us to a position of thanking Him everyday that we will not be cast out.

Christ will by no means cast out anyone who comes to Him by faith that believes on His complete and perfect sacrifice on the cross and knows with confidence that his sins have been washed cleaned. We are covenant breakers but He is a covenant keeper. Can you imagine where you would be right now in your life if God was only able to keep His promises how were able to keep them with Him? I will not do “such and such” says the believer but we find ourselves falling, although we hate it and desire to live for His glory, we break our promises. But the Lord says he gives His children "eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand."

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Morning: The foolish and the Faithful

We can go away from this mornings blog with a feeling of foolishness. Foolishness, because our willful sin provides pleasures that are fleeting at best, and yet we fall. But, we can also go away from this mornings blog full of faith in the work of the Faithful Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. We may fall, and therefore make manifest our foolishness, but God stays faithful. We can say, confinently with David

Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel.

SO, SEEK COUNSEL!


Evening: Blessed are those who do His word

I'm a visual kind of guy. For example, if you tell me how to do something you'll end up coming back to check on things, and find me ruining whatever you told me to do. You're going to have to show me, and then you'll see that I won't be needing it explained further. I love that our Lord Jesus Christ didn't just tell us how to live...but showed us. He is our great example that we can live by. I praise God for showing me how to go out and do good, to die to myself daily, so that His name might be glorified. Jesus' love was personal, and therefore, we are to be personal with one another. There is no greater whitness than this, because it is a direct view into the heart of our savior. So when sharing Christ share Him, the truth, with a personal love.

Morning:

FLEE! Clearly this is one piece of advice that I wish I had always listened to and acted upon faithfully. Paul uses the word exclusively to tell us to flee from immorality.

1 Cor 6:18 NKJV - Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

1 Cor 10:14 NKJV - Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

1Ti 6:11 NKJV - But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.

2Ti 2:22 NKJV - Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Is there anything today that you should be fleeing from? I would pray that the LORD would give you and I the strength and wisdom to do such. Clearly it isn't always easy. And sometimes it still has consequences,as it did in Joseph's life. But clearly, it is always God's will in our life, as He has told us to do so, over and over again!

EVENING:

Jesus indicated that the good shepherd will leave the flock to go and get the one lost sheep. I fully believe that the overall teaching of Scripture tells us that if we are His sheep, He will bring us back to the flock. In the case of Paul, God pursued Him to the point of knocking him off a horse and temporarily blinding him, on the road to Damascus. The context of Hosea 5:15, the text for this Evening's reading, is that the LORD will also remove the perception of His presence. In this case it is referring to Israel. And by doing so, it will cause them to seek the LORD and return to Him.

I thank our gracious God for the fact that He continues to work out in our lives what is necessary for us to turn to Him. Of course, if I consistently applied Spurgeon's lesson from the morning reading, i.e., flee from the lust of the flesh, I am sure that I wouldn't have to go the the painful experiences that are necessary to bring me back to Him. If I would only learn!

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

Morning: "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord." — Exodus 14:13

In this era of high speed life we sometimes seem to think “it must have been much easier in the past. The people of forgotten generations must have not had to deal with the everyday trials that we 21st century Christians have to face”. But we can see that this is not the case. Spurgeon clearly calls out that the enemy has in time past and always is constantly trying to pull us away from intimate communion with Christ using things as Despair and Cowardice. When we are stressed at work and cannot get finances off our minds, we must look upward to Christ. When we feel that things are not going our way it is God who we must hand it over to. When we are faced with trials that test our faith we are to pray for the Holy Spirit for divine wisdom and strength. He will never steer us in the wrong direction and if we take the time to listen and stand still we will see His perfect providence each of our lives. It is in the quite times that we come near to God.

Friends, do not let the busyness of our days get in the way of our time with Christ. Stand still is His command for it is there we listen to His guidance, we can ponder His wonderful creation, think upon His perfect sacrifice and can gather our daily strength to go forward as children of light.

Evening: "His camp is very great." — Joel 2:11

Complete and perfect providence is what first came to my mind.

"Space is His camping ground, light is His banner, and flame is His sword."

Every star that shines is in His control and every wave that crashes upon the shore is within His plan. He is the overseer of all and His power is endless and incomparable to anything else on this earth. We are so blessed to know that we serve a God who is in control of everything at all times.

I think of what Os Hillman wrote when speaking about Gideon and how his army originally consisted of 10,000 men but was dwindled away to 300 against the enemies 100,000. “He would not allow Gideon to fight with this many soldiers, because the temptation would still remain to believe that it was the strength of his army that won the victory. God told Gideon to pare down his army to a mere 300. This would ensure that God would receive total credit for the victory. This is a law in the Kingdom of God. All glory must go to Him.”

It is a frightful thing to not be on the Lord’s side and to not be a solider of grace and truth. We children of God can be confident that His is the larger and greater camp and He will and always has been victorious.

"for to war against Him is madness, and to serve Him is glory."

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

Even thou wast as one of them- Obadiah 1:11

How often can we say this of ourselves? This is a battle daily that I fight in my own life, oh how sweet it is to be delivered from my sins. When we sin as Christians, Spurgeon points out that "we sin with an emphasis; ours is a crying offence, because we are so peculiarly indulged." Peculiarly indeed. We should know better, right? "Much forgiven, much delivered, much blessed, much instructed, much enriched, much blessed," by our Savior Jesus Christ, so then, "shall we dare to put forth our hand unto evil? God Forbid!"

Ah yes, easier said than done, isn't it? Praise Him for his mercy upon our souls. Just because we are Christians doesn't make us exempt from these peculiar indulgences. But if we strive to love Him with all of our souls and all of our might and lean upon His strength and not upon ours, this indulgence will certainly become less and less, or at least we will become more conscious of our behavior, through our understanding of how Great our God is.

"Be honest with thine own soul, and make sure that thou art a new creature in Christ Jesus..." We don't want anyone to say that we are as one of them. We are saved by His grace and are destined to spend eternity with Him. We don't want to share in the unbelievers fate, so why do we act like them here, in this life? My prayer for all of us today is that we side with eachother and lift one another up and not fall on the side of the world. Have a blessed day!

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

Morning:

The first thing that I thought of after reading this morning’s devotion was this quote from George Whitefield: "We are immortal until our work on earth is done." That means that until God calls us home we aren't going anywhere, and that when He does call us home it won’t matter because we will be in eternal bliss. If God has work for us to do on earth then He will not call us home prematurely, for we were created in Christ Jesus to do those good works. We need not fear, nor have anxiety about what the next step should bring, because we have God, a mighty, and eternal King who loves us and cares for us.

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" - Rom. 8:31


Evening:

As I read this evenings devotion I couldn't help but imagine how many times these truths have helped those going through the rough seasons of life. I'm almost brought to tears imagining how beautiful these words are to the mother who has lost a child, to the child who has lost a parent, to those whose loved ones are sick, and to those experiencing various kinds of depression and despair. Take heart this evening child of God, for you have all spiritual blessings through your Lord Jesus Christ, and will experience infinite ecstasies as you gaze into His face forevermore. This is our hope, this is our joy, and this is our God.

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

Nay, more, upon His throne shalt thou sit.

In my recent study through Ephesians, I have been amazed at the relationship between the Father, Christ and His church. In Chapter 1, Paul explains in a prayer that Christ has been "seated [at God's] right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things under His feet..." Christ is the supremely exalted One. Take two minutes to feel the weight of these words. If you need a starting place, try reading it with extra emphasis on each word "all."

Right after this glorious statement, Paul says that God

"gave Him as head
over all things
to the church."

The church

"is His body,
the fullness of him
who fills all in all."

Christ has been exalted above everything and all things are under his feet... under his feet. Christ is the head of the body, right? So what does that mean about us, who being His body share His feet?

Church, God Almighty has subjected all things under Christ, and you are in Christ. You have everything to rejoice over, for in Him the whole universe is subjected underfoot. Don't forget today that you are a co-heir with Christ. And don't just think about it; feel it.

Grace be with you, and my love.

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible
God's Glory is the theme of the morning segment of our daily devotion. We see it in the heavens; we see it in the natural wonders in our world; we see it in the intricacies of the cell; we see it in the birth of a child and we see it in the pages of Scripture. We are moved with reverence and awe and it's in these moments that wonder and amazement fill our consciousness and He is pleased. He increases and we decrease!

The opposite is true when we exalt ourselves or focus on our troubles. We are frustrated, petulant, complaining and down right miserable. It's almost as though God allows us to be in those places to remind us that only in Him can we find joy and peace of mind. "Among the huge waves of bereavement, poverty, temptation, and reproach, we learn the power of Jehovah, because we feel the littleness of man".

The evening segment reminds us that when we are weak, He is strong. "He has a few mighties who are lionlike men, but the majority of His people are a timid, tremblindg race." Yet weak as we are, the promise is sure: "A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not quench." God's grace and graciousness, His love and loving-kindness are so reassuring!

I like the corollary aspects of this Morning's and Evening's Readings. Spurgeon calls us to consider our election by God, our belief in God, and our sanctification by the power of God. All the glory goes to God (as it should), because He is the initiator and power behind our salvation.

In one of Spurgeon's sermons, he spoke the following that is related to today's readings:

Examine yourselves, dear friends, then, by this. I do not ask you whether your hearts are perfect-they are not; I do not ask you whether your hearts never go astray, for they are prone to wander; but I do ask you: Is your heart resting upon Jesus Christ? Is it a believing heart? Does your heart meditate upon divine things? Does it find its best solace there? Is your heart a humble heart? Are you constrained to ascribe all to sovereign grace? Is your heart a holy heart? Do you desire holiness? Do you find your pleasure in it? Is your heart bold for God? Does your heart ascribe praises to God? Is it a grateful heart? and is it a heart that is wholly fixed upon God, desiring never to go astray? If it be, then you have marks of election. (Sermon 638, July 9, 1865)

The question Spurgeon asked 144 years ago are still valid questions today. Let's give the LORD thanks for His election of us, for the gift of faith to believe in Him and for the power of the Holy Spirit to walk day-by-day in His power.

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

I really enjoyed this excerpt from the Evening Reading:

But notice how Christ revealed Himself to this sorrowing one—by a word, "Mary." It needed but one word in His voice, and at once she knew Him, and her heart owned allegiance by another word, her heart was too full to say more. That one word would naturally be the most fitting for the occasion. It implies obedience. She said, "Master."

Imagine, Jesus saying my name. The manner in which a name is said can speak volumes. When my mother spoke "James Patrick," well I knew what was coming was generally NOT going to be good. When her voice said "Jimmy" (don't get any ideas), well that was totally different, since it was an invitation for communication—not rebuke.

I can only imagine what it will be like when my Master speaks my name. Not of condemnation, nor rebuke, for He already paid the price for my sins. But rather a name spoken to a loved servant from a loving Master, to a friend from the Friend, and to an adopted brother from the only Begotten One.

Not only will He call me by name, but He promises to confess my name before the Father.

He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. (Rev 3:5 NKJV)

Not only will He confess my name before the Father, but He promises to give me my own special new name, that only the LORD and myself will know.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives [it]. (Rev 2:17 NKJV)

What's in a name? So very much!

And all of this should lead me to the private effectual prayer of a worshipping heart that Spurgeon speaks of in the Morning Reading. As I continually realize, that all of salvation, all that salvation will provide in the future (which is still unimaginable), all of that is mine solely based upon the grace of God.

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible


Morning:"If thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it." - Exodus 20:25

The Lord alone must be exalted in the work of atonement, and not a single mark of man's chisel or hammer will be endured.

This is Spurgeon's exhortation to us this morning, asking that we not add to the finished work of Christ on the cross, in the same way that the Father exhorts us not to try to chisel, or dress, the stones on the alter to the Lord.

Would we try to take Christ, the chief cornerstone, and chisel Him to our own designs? We, the clay, would we try to fashion the potter into some concept of our own making?

you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." Therefore, to you who believe, [He is] precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone," and "A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. - [1 Peter 2:5-8 NKJV]

Christ was scourged already for us during His earthly life - Let us not attempt to scourge Him again to make an easier or more convenient doctrine.

This is the saddest of strivings, when we attempt to fashion our own little gods.

Isaiah warns us against this in Isaiah 44:

Who would form a god or mold an image that profits him nothing? - [Isaiah 44:10 NKJV]

This section of Isaiah tells the story of a blacksmith that strives to make a god of his own imagining.

The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals, Fashions it with hammers, And works it with the strength of his arms. Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails; He drinks no water and is faint. - [Isaiah 44:12 NKJV]

When we strive in our own vain labors, we are striving against God's Holy Spirit. Even if our strivings produce some fruit, it is not the fruit that comes from abiding in Christ:

Those who make an image, all of them [are] useless, And their precious things shall not profit; They [are] their own witnesses; They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed. - [Isaiah 44:9 NKJV]

Our only witness is of ourselves! How terrible to be successful in this endeavor! Far better for us to fail at any enterprise in which we are striving in our own strength.

This is in direct contrast to the encouraging exhortation at the beginning of Isaiah 44:

For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring; ... One will say, 'I [am] the LORD's'; Another will call [himself] by the name of Jacob; Another will write [with] his hand, 'The LORD's,' And name [himself] by the name of Israel. - [Isaiah 44:3-5 NKJV]

Let all our fruit be fashioned through abiding in Christ, and none of our own making.

We labor not in vain in the Lord!

Evening:"As it began to dawn, came Magdalene, to see the sepulchre." - Matthew 28:1

A good exhortation from the life of Mary Magdalene: seek Him patiently, eagerly, hungrily, boldly, faithfully, earnestly. And seek Him only!

Mary Magdalene sought thus because she loved much. Let us arouse ourselves to the same intensity of affection; let our heart, like Mary's, be full of Christ, and our love, like hers, will be satisfied with nothing short of Himself. O Lord, reveal Thyself to us this evening!

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

"God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry?" - Jonah 4:9

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

Is it possible to be angry and not sin? Spurgeon asks this question and points out that it can be done but it is difficult. It is okay to be angry but losing your temper can lead to a dangerous place. He points out that even God is angry with the wicked every day. Anger must be checked at every level. It can quickly grow from a legitimate emotion to an emotion raging out of control where things happen quickly and without rational thought.

But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.
—Nehemiah 9:17

Once again God is the perfect model for us and sets the standard in that He himself is ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Let us emulate Him in these things; and when we fail to do so and perhaps lose our temper, remember that there is a place for it at the foot of the cross.

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible
The Trinity! What a glorious, incomprehensible, complex and wonderful reality. God the Father loving us; God the Son atoning for our sins; God the Holy Spirit living in us to fulfill the will of the Father and the Son, to sanctify and cleanse us by the washing of His Word. "In works of grace none of the persons of the Trinity act separately from the rest". It is His work both to will and to do according to His pleasure. As His workmanship, out of the abundance of His love, grace and mercy we are compelled to walk in His ways; value the blood of Jesus Christ; and surrender to the leading by the Spirit who brings alive the living Word to guide us in all truth.

Spurgeon says "this day let us live in such a way as to manifest the work of the Triune God in us". How? By presenting ourselves as living sacrifices; not my will but thine; trusting in His promises and practicing His presence every moment of the day. No, I'm not there yet but I press on for I know in whom I believed and I am confident that He who began a good work in me will continue it until the day of Christ Jesus. I trust Him to do the same in all of our lives.

When at last we leave this world and enter His heavenly kingdom we will enter into our eternal home where we will serve the Lord, free from the cares of this world. "Victory realized". Satan under our feet and finding ourselves more than conquerors through Him who loves us; no more pain; no more suffering; no more tears. Secure in the full assurance of our faith. Wow, what a day that will be!

"After that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." — 1 Peter 5:10

As christians we are told that we will be well acquainted with trials, tribulations and suffering. Jesus was known as a man of sorrows and we too participate in the sorrows and trials that came upon Jesus. There is great hope in this because it was God the Father who brought every trial, tribulation and suffering upon Christ and all were done with deep and grand purpose. We must know and trust that when we go though hard trials and deep sufferings that it is designed by the Father to make us more like Jesus and refine us so that our lives and character are strong and established like Christ's. I think the best prayer in a time like this is asking the Lord to show us what He might want to refine in us and to give us the grace to do so. Take heart in all trials knowing that it is done by a loving and caring God who has promised to make us like Jeusus.

"Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation." — Joel 1:3

I do not yet have children but I do know that there is great importance and need to teach them the ways of the Lord. We have a promise that says if we teach them the things of God and live out the grace of God and display it in our children's lives then they will not depart from Him. I am learning that one of the most important things that we could teach our children about is the heart of the Father towards us. The younger generations need to know the God of grace and how immeasurable his grace is. Where sin abounds grace abounds MUCH MORE! In our sinful nature we do not understand that God could be gracious and as loving as He is. If the youth of our generations could grasp the grace of our Father we would have a revolution in our society.

"Fellow Citizens with the saints" Ephesians 2:19

We are blessed with the implications listed this morning of our citizenship in heaven.

• We are already sons of God
• We are already princes in God's royal family
• We are already clothed with Christ's robes of righteousness
• We already have angels ministering to us
• We already have saints for our companions
• We are found in Christ
• We have a perfect heavenly Father
• We have a crown of immortality
• We have all of the honors as citizens of heaven

Spurgeon asks, "Do they there rejoice over sinners that repent--prodigals that have returned?" Already, we share the same thoughts here on earth as we rejoice when sinners come to repentance...joining those in heaven as we praise God for going after the sheep that went astray. Over the past few days our college ministry studied the Prodigal Son on their beach retreat. It is a great joy to see the heart of our Father running towards us as we come to repentance. And as citizens in heaven, we rejoice now, performing the some acts as countless in heaven.

Praise God for our position as citizens of heaven!

This evenings devotion goes right along with the morning devotion.

"Can I be a child of God while there is so much darkness in me?"
"Yes!" is the answer. We are positionally in a place, through faith in Christ, of having the very righteousness of Christ. Our sins are forgiven...and we hold a place, by God's grace, as children of God. Although we sin, Christ has made us forgiven and we rest in His holiness.

We are children of God, citizens of heaven, children of light...ALL BY GOD'S GRACE!

And God divided the light from the darkness. - Genesis 1:4

While reading this devotion, I think of my struggles daily as sinner, and I praise Him for letting the light into my heart. Spurgeon writes that a believer must contend with two principles. Before God let the light in, we were only filled with darkness. Because of the light coming in it is now in disagreement with the darkness of our hearts. It doesn't mix. It is that battle between good and evil that is tugging at our hearts, at our minds and rips at us any chance it gets.

Paul writes in Romans 7:21 and 22, "I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members."

So then, we are all wretched sinners and who then will deliver us from our sins? Praise God- Jesus Christ will deliver us and has delivered us from our sins.

I look at oil and water, two liquids that do not mix very well. If you start with a glass of water and take some oil and pour it in, the water around it will want to push the oil to the surface. God is the water, the light. Our sins are the oil, the darkness, that try and mix into the light. Without God and Jesus as our savior, the sin would just sit there and continue to take us into the depths of darkness.

Spurgeon writes that if there be a division within the individual Christian, there is certain to be division without. Let us pray that we will desire the things above and that God will continue to separate the light from the dark within us. May we separate ourselves from the things of this world and be satisfied in the gospel of Christ.

"He was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners; and, as He was, so we are to be nonconformists to the world, dissenting from all sin, and distinguished from the rest of mankind by our likeness to our Master."

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

What an exhortation for us this morning... "Brethren, pray for us." — 1 Thessalonians 5:25
Do we pray enough for the elders of our church? How often do we find ourselves criticizing (even if just in our hearts) the work of the leaders in the church... grumbling about how things should be done? The exhortation this morning is simple and clear... pray, pray, pray for your pastors, elders, leaders.

Miserable men are we if we miss the aid of your prayers, but happy are we if we live in your supplications. You do not look to us but to our Master for spiritual blessings, and yet how many times has He given those blessings through His ministers; ask then, again and again, that we may be the earthen vessels into which the Lord may put the treasure of the gospel.

I think we'd all agree that life is a good thing, especially when contrasted with death. Tonight we meditate on the glories of this one word that Christ spoke to us when he opened our eyes to His manifold grace.... Live! We were dead in our trespasses and sins... Christ intervened and gave us life. The change that took place in our eternal position (from death to life) should also cause a change in the way we live here on earth. When we understand what took place in the Almighty washing our sins away and adopting us into His family... it will have a profound affect on our daily activities. My prayer for myself tonight is just that... to have my daily life affected by God freely giving me life... more and more and more each day.
I leave you with this last quote from Spurgeon... this is a great exhortation!

When sinners are saved, it is only and solely because God will do it to magnify His free, unpurchased, unsought grace. Christians, see your position, debtors to grace; show your gratitude by earnest, Christlike lives, and as God has bidden you live, see to it that you live in earnest.

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

Morning:"Whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil." - Proverbs 1:33

Spurgeon's exhortation to us this morning is to dwell on the character of God, rather than on our circumstances. And His character is of love.

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. - [1 John 4:16 NKJV]

We see His character exhibited in so many ways, none more so than Christ dying on the cross for us. We see His love demonstrated as well, in the way He desires fellowship with us, and draws us to Him. A few examples from scripture - cherish your own favorites:

'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.' - [Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV]

Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find [Me], when you search for Me with all your heart. - [Jeremiah 29:12-13 NKJV]

But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find [Him] if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul...(for the LORD your God [is] a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them. - [Deuteronomy 4:29,31 NKJV]

Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me." - [Psalms 50:15 NKJV]

The LORD [is] near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. - [Psalms 145:18 NKJV]

Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. - [Isaiah 55:6 NKJV]

"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. - [Luke 11:9-10 NKJV]

Can we doubt the character of God, His love for us, when we see how He desires us to come to Him? Be comforted!

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

What an awesome thought that we share the same status as these biblical Hall of Famers. Our human nature is to place our Christian leaders on pedestals; I am grateful to Spurgeon for his reminders that we share equal standing in the eyes of God. There has not been a man who has walked on this earth (save Christ) that has deserved the place reserved for them in eternity. We are so quick to rate sin on our self constructed human scale and in doing so are quick to label some sins as acceptable and others as unforgivable. God does not have a sin scale...all sin is sin and capable of condemning us to an eternity of suffering out of God's presence. Let's check our hearts today for even a particle of self righteousness for if it is there it must be wiped away and placed at the foot of the cross.

John 15:15 - I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

The exhortation this morning is to feast upon and with the Lord. With fervency and enthusiasm, pray, worship, serve, and live. I encourage you this morning to pray with your whole heart, joyfully spending time with the Lord. May we all worship the Lord today with hearts overflowing with joyful praise. God help us to serve Him as we go about our day and find joy in being faithful to all that the Lord has called us to today. So we approach this day praying, "O Lord, keep far from me the curse of leanness of soul."

Do you find yourself in a place of suffering today? Praise the Lord that we look ahead to reigning with Christ in the joyful presence of God for all eternity. No wonder God tells us that the present sufferings are a "light affliction" in comparison to the glories that lie ahead. We are encouraged through this evenings devotion to find ourselves happy in this present hour regardless of our circumstances. Look ahead to eternity with Christ and find joy in the future glory of eternity with Christ.

Morning:

Psalm 33:21 “Our heart shall rejoice in Him.”

This is not an option for a Christian, it’s a guarantee from the Spirit that we have saving faith—we shall rejoice in Him (i.e. it’s a promise). There is nothing else that a Christian can find more joy in than coming to know God, and knowing that glorious supernatural reality in contrast to the fallen natural reality we experience here on earth. Here on earth we are, as Spurgeon points out, a kind of creature in a cage. Once we were at home in this cage, but now we have been given a new nature and cannot wait to live forever in our natural habitat. And we can live in hope of that future grace when, finally, we will enjoy the glory of God face to face forever. This causes new songs to spring forth into new ecstasies of rejoicing as we draw closer to that glorious day. And, as mentioned, all of this in spite of the fallen reality we experience every day here on earth. We, as Christians, will not be immune to sickness, death, hate, evil desires, anger, greed, lust, pride, physical abuse, mental abuse, pain, idolatry or any other kind of present evil. We may be the victims of such sin, or we may be the active agent in bringing those sins forth. Being a Christian does not save us from these evils; being a Christian saves us from wasting an opportunity to glorify God in spite of them. When we fall into sin, let us not waste an opportunity to rejoice in the joy of our salvation for “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities” Psalm 103:10. And when we are the victims of such sin let us remember that we believe, like Paul, that “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” Romans 8:18.

Truly, the presence of Jesus is all the heaven we desire. He is at
once

The glory of our brightest days;
The comfort of our
nights.

Rejoice this morning in the joy of your salvation, and the glory that is set before you, in doing so you will magnify God to a sinful and fallen world.

Evening:

Psalm 28:1 “Unto thee will I cry O Lord my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.”

In times of war communication is vital. If a soldier signals a distress call to his commanding officer and that officer does not respond to the call, then the soldier has the right to be a little worried. He may start pleading over his communication device for a response, and if the danger gets to an extreme, to the point where his life is in jeopardy, he may even start screaming into the device. He is desperate for an answer, and feels completely helpless without that which his life depends on communicating back to him. John piper makes the point that this life is war and our communication to our commanding king is prayer. At times our life may even depend upon that communication. As Christians when we pray we desire some kind of answer from God, but often there is silence, this silence should move us to a state of pleading before the throne of God, for we depend upon his word. We cry out to God because we know to whom we call: a loving Father, a compassionate friend, a forgiving savior, and the commanding king of kings. We do not call upon one whom we cannot place our trust, for He has proven his perfections over and over again.

Ours is an urgent case of dire necessity; surely the Lord will speak peace to
our agitated minds, for He never can find it in His heart to permit His own
elect to perish.

Psalm 69:13 “But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.”