Reverence and Awe

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

Morning:"The Lord looketh from heaven; He beholdeth all the sons of men." - Psalm 33:13

Before I start reading Spurgeon's devotional for the day, I like to start with the scripture, and imagine what Spurgeon might say, and then be amazed as he gleans things from it that I never saw. Today was no different. When I meditated on

He beholdeth all the sons of men.

I was think of God's sovereignty over us - His friends (believers) and foes alike. A few month's back my wife and I were reading in Judges about Gideon and his fleeces, and his meekness as a leader. We were struck as we read Judges 7:13, that the Lord could encourage Gideon even by putting dreams into the mind of his enemies. Where is it that the Lord cannot reach?

If I ascend up into the heavens thou art there; or if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou art there [Psalm 139:8 NKJV]

We cannot hide from the hand of Almighty God!

Well, that was my take, but Spurgeon's thoughts are sweeter - we cannot hide even from the grace of God!

Though leagues of distance lie between the finite creature and the infinite Creator, yet there are links uniting both. When a tear is wept by thee, think not that God doth not behold; for, "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him." Thy sigh is able to move the heart of Jehovah; thy whisper can incline His ear unto thee; thy prayer can stay His hand; thy faith can move His arm.

Even when we are in disobedience to the Lord - He pursues us lovingly, full of love and grace. I remember being deeply impressed with God's grace when reading Hosea Chapter 2, talking about His wayward people:

She decked herself with her earrings and jewelry, And went after her lovers; But Me she forgot," says the LORD. [Hosea 2:13 NKJV]

And what comes next from God? Vengeance? Wrath?

"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Will bring her into the wilderness, And speak comfort to her. [Hosea 2:14 NKJV]

No! God pursues them, wooing them back to Him. He draws His disobedient sons and daughters back to His loving arms. That is our God of grace and mercy, and we love and worship Him!

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Morning: "Just, and the justifier of him which believeth." — Romans 3:26

A single excerpt from Spurgeon this morning had really caught my attention and I found myself reading it several times over.

God must change His nature before one soul, for whom Jesus was a substitute, can ever by any possibility suffer the lash of the law.

The immutability of God is an awesome truth, for His mind, plan and characteristics have been constant since the beginning. We can have complete assurance that we the elect, the chosen, the predestined will never feel the sting of death and darkness of hell but instead having been justified by faith in Jesus Christ will be received into heavenly paradise. The only way God’s children would suffer His wrath is He would have to suddenly change His mind. Impossible! For scripture declares that the Lord will never change. Christ has died for us to completely wash the crimson stain away and He is the rock in which we can stand. It has been finished and we the once depraved sinner has been justified by the Justifier.

For in that "God hath made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin," justice has full satisfaction; and in that "we are made the righteousness of God in Him," mercy has her heart's delight!

Evening: "Who of God is made unto us wisdom." — 1 Corinthians 1:30

This evenings reading brings to our attention a major tool that Satan has used and is using even today among the church to take the simplicity of the cross away and infuse it with philosophy and higher intellectual knowledge. One of my favorite excerpts from a Spurgeon sermon is:

My friend the philosopher, says it may be very well for me to urge people to read the Bible; but he thinks there are a great many sciences far more interesting and useful than theology. Extremely obliged to you for your opinion, sir. What science do you mean? The science of dissecting beetles and arranging butterflies? “No,” you say, “certainly not.” The science, then, of arranging stones, and telling us of the strata of the earth? “No, not exactly that.” Which science then? “Oh, all sciences,” say you, “are better than the science of the Bible.” Ah! Sir, that is your opinion; and it is because you are far from God, that you say so. But the science of Jesus Christ is the most excellent of sciences. Let no one turn away from the Bible because it is not a book of learning and wisdom. It is. Would ye know astronomy? It is here; it tells you of the Sun of Righteousness and the star of Bethlehem. Would you know botany? It is here; it tells you of the plant of renown – the Lily of the Valley, and the Rose of Sharon. Would you know geology and mineralogy? You shall learn it here; for you may read of the Rock of Ages, and the White Stone with the name engraven thereon, which no man knoweth saving he receiveth it.

Do not let culture tell you that there is more powerful knowledge in other places or to be an intellectual is to be closer to God. We Christians have the real knowledge, the knowledge of God which preaches the gospel and saves souls. Do not let anything pull you away from the simplicity of the cross for all we have to know is Christ and Him crucified is the way unto salvation.

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As I read the Morning's Reading about trusting in the Lord for our needs, I was reminded of the verse in Hebrews:

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.—Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)

That is a pretty strong statement! It is IMPOSSIBLE to please God without faith. Each and every day we are to seek Him and recognize that He is the One Who rewards us, even I believe with the parts of life that we take for granted. Even if King Artaxerxes had assigned a large army to accompany the people of Israel back to their land, if their faith had been in the army and not in the LORD, He would have been displeased with them. Whether there was or was not any army was not the issue. What their faith was resting in, was the issue.

The only battle that Joshua lost in taking Canaan, was when Joshua did not inquire of the LORD as to what to do. Joshua attempted to act upon his own wisdom rather than inquire of God and rely upon Him. Let us not make that mistake today. Let us walk in the power of the Spirit and seek Him diligently.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.—Romans 8:1 (NKJV)

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible


A fitting sequel to this weekend's "Men's retreat" where we studied the person of Peter. Even as Peter rebuked Christ for revealing that he would deny Him three times then followed it up with that very denial, Christ poured out His grace and mercy on him. God, in spite of Peter's failures, went on to use Peter in an instrumental role when establishing the early church. Peter, no doubt, felt like complete failure as he denied Christ for the third time then immediately heard the rooster crow. At that particular point I'm sure that he felt that his usefulness in ministry was over.

In his commentary Spurgeon reminds us that God delights in His saints...and it's not because of our faithfulness or our righteousness. He tells us that we cannot even take delight in ourselves, that, "we often have to groan, being burdened; conscious of our sinfulness, and deploring our unfaithfulness."

If we groan at our own shortcomings how much more would God groan at our antics, that is, if he didn't see us without blemish. Instead of groaning He is, "rejoicing of thee with joy, He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing."

Why, because even though we are, "poor fallen creatures, like ourselves, debased and depraved by sin, we have been saved, exalted, and glorified by His grace." And as with Peter, God has a plan for us.

"I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation"

Amen

"The liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free." — Galatians 5: 1

In this chapter the Apostle Paul presents the doctrine of Christian liberty in a final effort to persuade the Galatians to give up the nefarious doctrine of the false apostles. To accomplish his purpose he adduces threats and promises, trying in every way possible to keep them in the liberty which Christ purchased for them. -commentary on the Epistle to the Galations by Martin Luther http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/luther/gal/web/gal5-01.html

What a great passage that we can find so much comfort in. Christ is our Messiah, our redeemer and yes he has really set us free. It is because of Him we are no longer in bondage to the legalistic rituals of the past. Our works do not set us free. Christ is our saviour and we are justified by Him alone. More importantly we are saved by the wrath of God. Christ's liberty is given to us not by the Law, and certainly not by our rightousness, but freely by Christ's sake.

Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
-John 8:36

Indeed this is a liberty worth falling down on our knees and worshiping Him for. The Lord our God is our Friend and He is merciful and He has welcomed us as a "guest at the table of promises."

We should find comfort that no matter what, God will not depart from us. Whether our lives are falling apart, or we are having struggles with our wives, our children, our jobs, or falling into sin, we can look to the promises that God has bestowed upon us. Spurgeon writes, "Come in faith and you are welcome to all covenant blessings. There is not a promise in the Word which shall be withheld." It is not a superficial freedom, but a freedom that we can count on. We are free to access it at all times, through scripture, through prayer, whenever, wherever. Praise God.

How awesome is it that we are free to call upon our God for anything and I could quote the whole last part of Spurgeon's writing, but in sum, I will finish with this quote from our devotion.

"It matters not what thy need is, for there is fulness of supply in Christ, and it is there for thee. O what a "freedom" is thine! freedom from condemnation, freedom to the promises, freedom to the throne of grace, and at last freedom to enter heaven!" Amen

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

Morning:

How can you glorify God if you play the coward? Saints have often sung God's high praises in the fires, but will your doubting and desponding, as if you had none to help you, magnify the most High? Then take courage, and relying in sure confidence upon the faithfulness of your covenant God, "let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

The kingdom that we belong to as children of God is not of this world, and therefore we are not yet in our permanent dwelling place--heaven. With our position as sinners behind us and the reality of sin still in our lives we look forward to the hope which is heaven and all that is within it. What have we to fear? To live is Christ and to die is gain. And this supernatural courage isn't just that which we need in times of mortal danger, but in times of uncertainty and doubt in respect to our financial situations, education, family life, friendships, work life, etc... All these carry with them at some point an aspect of fear, and as Christians we are to seek how to glorify God most high. We have a mighty God and if we truly believe upon Him then the dark fears and anxieties in our life will soon be wash away in the presence of His comforting light.


Evening:

Who are we to draw near to the Most High? In the old covenant we were closer to God than we deserved, and the new leaves us speechless in view of Gods great mercy and grace. I, a sinner, a covenant breaker, am now not only being asked to draw near, but I am commanded and compelled to draw near. This is true grace, because even if the offer was placed before me in my sin I would reject it. But God shows His love for me not in that I loved Him, but that He loved me and died for me so that I might spend all of eternity with Him. We love Him because He first loved us. The Almighty has called us to draw near, and He has provided the means to do so: His Son Jesus Christ, crucified for the sin of the world. We have been washed by His blood and are now grafted into the family of God. What can wash away my sin? NOTHING but the blood of Jesus. Don't waste this night, draw near to your heavenly Father.

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MORNING
I can't express how powerful this devotion was today! Bev and I just returned from Hawaii where we chose to do some scuba diving on the North Shore of Oahu in a place called Sharks Cove. We started our shore dive with moderate waves that started picking up as we ventured out. Over the next thirty minutes or so they just got bigger and bigger! We were caught in the underwater ebb and flow and starting to be pulled out to sea.

The dive master recognized our situation and brought us to the surface with one admonition, start kicking and conserve your air for the final kick to the beach!! We were kicking for what seemed like an hour and making no progress. We started praying for our lives. "When every attempt to ride it out proved useless", the Savior rose and with a word transformed the tempest into a more reasonable set of waves that allowed us to make some progress. We were exhausted but made it back safely. You can imagine how relieved we were.

As Spurgeon points out we could easily say that Jesus is "our anchor, our rudder, our lighthouse, our lifeboat and our safe harbor". "By faith we will raise our anchor for another day's cruise and sail with Jesus into a sea of tribulation". Interestingly Bev's favorite verse is "In this world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world". If God be for us, who can be against us? Thanks be to God for His Amazing Grace and Mercy!

EVENING
This evening Spurgeon asks the question: "Do you see the value of this grace-led confession of sin?" I don't think it possible to see the value until, like David, we experience the depravity of our souls and as pointed out three weeks ago from our study of Genesis recognize that our thoughts are evil continually.

When God reveals our hearts for what they are, wicked and deceitful, we realize there is no hope unless He intercedes on our behalf. We deserve Hell but for Christ's sake we receive mercy. "May God be praised, there is always healing for the broken heart; the fountain is ever flowing to cleanse us from our sins. Truly, O Lord, You are a God ready to forgive." "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse us of those sins". Brings to mind the lyrics of that old hymn, "Oh how I love Jesus, oh how I love Jesus, oh how I love Jesus, because He first love me!" May we ever see the value of this grace-led confession of sin!

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Morning: "Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well, the rain also filleth the pools." – Psalm 86:4

Although we must trust Christ to supply us with our daily needs, we Christians must also realize we have the responsibility not to just stay idle and wait for something to happen. We must put our hope in Christ and know with complete assurance that He works everything into His perfect plan but we too must take action.

The pilgrims dig the well, but, strange enough, it fills from the top instead of the bottom.

We can see that although the child of God does his due diligence and labors over the digging of this hole, it is heavens blessings that are poured out on it to make the pilgrims work complete. It is God shinning down upon His chosen and filling it full from the top. Work hard dear Christian, glorify God in everything you do, labor daily for Christ and know that all blessings come from Him!

Evening: "This man receiveth sinners." – Luke 15:2

People were mocking Christ and saying “look who this man associates himself with.” This was confusing the minds of the religious Pharisees and they could not see how the man who was claiming to be God would envelope himself with such a vile crown. But I love Jesus’ response to their prideful tongues:

So He spoke a parable to them, saying: "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found [it], he lays [it] on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together [his] friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:3-7

I do not expect while I am still here on earth to ever come close to fully comprehending this about God. Why He would take the time in all of His perfection to bring Himself a little lower than the angels and allow His son to be punished for our sins when we had done nothing that was pleasing to Him or deserving of His salvation.

It is the vile, the wicked, the cheats and liars that he pardons, forgives and receives as His own. Praise the Lord for His mercy.

This fact is still most sure this evening, He is still receiving sinners

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Our readings for today give us two distinct views of God (among many others in Scripture) First, God is jealous (Nahum 1:2) and second, God is merciful (Psalm 116:5). In my life I have given God many opportunities to be jealous. The times I have put other things above God is too numerous to dwell upon. But thankfully, I can easily dwell on the fact that God is also full of mercy, compassion and grace. As with the Psalmists, let us declare the mercy of the Lord forever. I pray for you and for myself, that this day we would give God His rightful due!

He is glorious.

He is gracious.

He is loving.

He is sitting at the right hand of the Father, interceding for you and me this very moment.

He is jealous even of our own salvation. We cannot save ourselves, it is a gift that He provides to us.

C.S. Lewis wrote in his book Mere Christianity,

[Salvation] is the change from being confident about our own efforts to the state in which we despair of doing anything for ourselves and leave it to God.

I know the words "leave it to God" can be misunderstood, but they must stay for the moment. The sense in which a Christian leaves it to God is that he puts all his trust in Christ; trusts that Christ will somehow share with him the perfect human obedience which He carried out from His birth to His crucifixion: that Christ will make the man more like Himself and, in a sense, make good his deficiencies. In Christian language, He will share His "sonship" with us..."

Let us give praise to the Lord that we have been saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9).

Let us give praise to the Lord that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:35-39).

AMEN!

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

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Wholly separate or set apart... that is what we are as sons and daughters of the King. What a great encouragement this morning to stop and ponder the realities of this. To live set apart here on earth though we know we are citizens of heaven and long to be there.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you (1 Peter 1:3-4)

Therefore, keep thyself unspotted from the world. Soil not the fingers which are soon to sweep celestial strings; let not these eyes become the windows of lust which are soon to see the King in His beauty—let not those feet be defiled in miry places, which are soon to walk the golden streets—let not those hearts be filled with pride and bitterness which are ere long to be filled with heaven, and to overflow with ecstatic joy.

May we trust Christ today to accomplish this in our life today. May we rely on Him to give us the strength, wisdom and grace to live wholly unto Him and before His face!

How true and relative are Spurgeon's words this evening?! Some things don't change. We still live in a world that is looking for reasons why our God is not who we say He is. There were a couple of sentences that stood out to me in this evening's devotion.

The cross of Christ is in itself an offence to the world; let us take heed that we add no offence of our own. It is "to the Jews a stumblingblock": let us mind that we put no stumblingblocks where there are enough already. "To the Greeks it is foolishness": let us not add our folly to give point to the scorn with which the worldly-wise deride the gospel.

It saddens me to see so much of the church, in an effort to draw the world in, actually try to take the "offense" of the cross away. By trying to "modernize" the Gospel... we have, in essence, added our own stumbling block. I'm encouraged freshly, this evening, to proclaim the truth of the gospel without apologies. May we look unto our savior Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, to lead us in righteousness for His name's sake and for His glory alone!

Good Morning & Evening
(click to hear this mornings devo)
(click to hear this evenings devo)

May we read this mornings devotion in preparation of this evenings. The call to spend time with God. To desire his presence. This does not point to just the reaping of the benefits of being with Him but rather the simple desire of being with him. It is a position of the heart. A position that I pray the holy spirit would grant us this day.

How many of us can tell when we have not spent much time in His presence. We can tell when we have been away from his word or fellowship. Our speech changes, our responses issues and stress change, we begin to revert back to our old ways and our old man.

But now you yourselves are to put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. (Col 3:8-11)

May we put off the ways of our old man and press on in the ways of the new. But unless we die to these temptations and areas of sin in our lives daily we will surely fall to them quickly. We need his presence in our lives to give us the strength to fight out sin daily. To prepare us with his fitting to walk and serve in this world.

All of this is so that we might be prepared for what Spurgeon addresses in this evenings devotion. That we might be guarded with his holy covering against the wolves that lurk around us. But further more that we might reach out to those and pray for those wolves and enemies daily. Knowing that even for them the only way they will ever come to faith is by hearing and the hearing of the word.

I pray that when God provides such an opportunity for you to be used that you would stand ready and willing to serve just as he that reached out to you with the gospel.

May we rejoice in our salvation today and may that lead us to joy in his everlasting gift of grace.

God bless,
-jeff paisano

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Morning

Jeremiah 33:3 - "Call unto me, I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not."

Immediately upon reading this passage and Spurgeon's subsequent commentary I ask myself why "calling unto Him" is such a chore for me.

In one respect I know its pride that keeps me from calling unto Him. Prayer is an acknowledgment that I am not in control; it is a struggle because it is me affirming my dependence on Him.

In his book the weapon of prayer, E.M. Bounds wrote, "Prayer is the language of a man burdened with a sense of need. It is the voice of a beggar, conscious of his poverty, asking of another the things he needs. Not to pray is not only to declare that there is nothing needed, but to admit to a nonrealization of that need."

I am not in control of my destiny...Prayer is an acknowledgement of that; a holy unwillingness to not accept things as they are. God wants to show us great things and as Spurgeon so eloquently describes it, "Prayer is the chariot that takes us there.”

For me there is an obvious adversary who does not want me to pray (or be in God's word for that matter). When I go to pray it is a battle; interruptions and daydreaming come hard and heavy. Prayer makes a difference and the battle must be confronted with all the force that we can muster. It is one component of the full armor of God.

May God strengthen each and every one of us today and put us in a place where we are driven to our knees in prayer.

As a young boy, we were blessed with a plum tree that produced more fruit than we knew what to do with. We would pick dozens and dozens of plums every week and give them away daily to neighbors and friends. The tree received water and sun light, and the fruit poured forth.

I pray that my life, and yours, would overflow with the fruit of the Spirit that is sourced in God alone. I can find myself according to God's will for my life, sitting under the "Son" and "watered by the water of the Word", but I depend upon God alone to cause the fruit to come forth.

I am certain that your hope and prayer is that your life would produce much fruit...according to God's enabling. Pray, and pray, and pray; feast on God's Word; find yourself in fellowship with other believers through church...and depend upon God to cause fruit to come forth from you by the dozens. He is faithful, He also will do it!

This evening's devotion causes my heart to overflow with thanksgiving! I was dead in my sins, unable to do anything to quicken myself to follow Christ. While still dead in my sins, the Holy Spirit quickened me by His almighty power to bring me to faith in Christ Jesus. As Spurgeon says, "all quickening power proceeds from the Holy Ghost." I thank God that He saved my solely because of His sovereign love and grace. All the glory goes to Christ; He has called me; He has saved me; He will keep me to the end. With the same power that raised Christ from the dead...I am made alive in Christ. As a believer in Christ, please join me today in responding with heartfelt thanksgiving and adoration.

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Morning:"Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar." - Psalm 120:5

Well, its early in the morning, and I'm a bit late starting my blog-day, and it seems like I've never seen these Scriptures before! Kind of scary. But then I realized - Hey! If I'm clueless as to what these mean, then I'll have to pray to God, and He will get the glory, and I'll learn something and be blessed! So here goes! Pray...pray...pray...pray!!

I really love this:

Let your goodness be the only fault they can discover in you. Like Daniel, compel them to say of you, "We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God."

I don't think people can say this about me, for two reasons:

1) I have plenty of faults! Today I was screaming at other drivers so much, that my sweet wife wanted to go home on the way to breakfast! She was willing to give up Bacon and French Toast because my whining was so bad! Then this evening, one of my daughters fined me $20 for my impatient outbursts at other drivers ($5 per infraction is the going rate in my household).

2) I tend to hang out around (only) other Christians, so it is hard to find people around me that don't like "the law of my God".

Fortunately, both faults can be remedied throught the grace of God! I have repented (again!) of my bad whiny/impatient character, and I am asking the Lord to help me overcome this!

Secondly, this exhortation from Spurgeon is making me realize how insulated my life has become, and I praise Him that He will help bring me into contact with unbelievers that I may witness to, with my NEW non-whiny personality!

Evening:"Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea?" - Job 38:16

When I was five years old I told my Dad that I knew most everything, and was ready to figure out everything else on my own. I've been unlearning everything I thought I knew ever since. The older I get, the less I seem to know, and that's a very good thing. I'm finally figuring out how unreliable my tired old brain is. It is good to be humbled!

Our world is being humbled as well. The more Science learns, the less it knows. The number of stars in the universe varies year-by-year (by so-called scientific knowledge) up and down, a thousand-fold, or a billion-fold, and Science doesn't even blink an eye and say "pardon me".

The same is true in the Social Sciences. If man can so easily obtain World Peace, on his own, as many claim, then why are there so many dozens of Organizations For World Peace? I mean, if they can't even agree amongst themselves as to how to organize and strive, what hope do they have for the rest of us?

Paul Krugman, a recent Nobel Prize winner in Economics, stated a few days ago in the New York Times that the field of Economics is in a state of complete disarray, having mistaken beautiful theories for Truth, full of schisms between Universities, where the various sides on theoretical issues disrespect each other completely. And now both sides have been proven wrong by the recent economic decline.

Spurgeon hits the nail on the head:

Let me not strive to understand the infinite, but spend my strength in love. What I cannot gain by intellect I can possess by affection, and let that suffice me.

Spurgeon was a brilliant man, and he never left his brains at the door of any building he entered. Yet he labored not in vain, in Christ (1 Cor 15:18).

May we, like Spurgeon, possess by affection, by the grace of God, that which HE wishes to edify us with - growing in knowledge of Him!

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him [be] the glory both now and forever. Amen. - [2 Peter 3:18 NKJV]

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

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I am reminded this morning that "the tender heart of Jesus waits to hear our griefs, let us pour them into His patient ear." When we are sick... how often do we seek the Lord in prayer as more of a "last resort" after our "normal" remedies have failed? And when we do finally lay our current burdens at His feet... do we trust in His sovereign, providential hand? The truth is... God can and does heal!
And nobody heals quite like our God...

Have you any sickness in the house this morning? You will find Jesus by far the best physician, go to Him at once and tell Him all about the matter. Immediately lay the case before Him. It concerns one of His people, and therefore will not be trivial to Him. Observe, that at once the Saviour restored the sick woman; none can heal as He does.

It sounds silly, but I believe that one reason we wait to go before our God in prayer is because of our pride. We believe we have the answer to our problem and want to take a shot at it before we "give up" and ask the Lord for help. Now we may not say that out load... but we think it. Humility is at the heart of prayer... especially when we are in need.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7)

For tonight's evening devotion I feel like copying the entire thing and pasting it here. What he said so long ago... applies so perfectly now. Unfortunately, it not only applies to the world but the church as well. People want to be visually and emotionally "wowed" by God. But I agree with Spurgeon when he says, "Is not the gospel its own sign and wonder?"

I pray that God would graciously never allow RBC to be known as a church that seeks "signs and wonders". I pray that we would be known as a gospel, Christ centered church. One that views Jesus Christ and his gospel as glorious and worthy of all praise!! A church that never finds gospel truth as anything short of amazing and miraculous!
Spurgeon's exhortation and rebuke is timely...

A truthful Saviour ought to be believed. He is truth itself. Why will you ask proof of the veracity of One who cannot lie? The devils themselves declared Him to be the Son of God; will you mistrust Him?

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Morning:"Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory." – Psalm 73:24

Read! I must say to thee, read! It is such an easy task to take up, but yet for so many it is a daily struggle.

What were the mariner without his compass? And what were the Christian without the Bible? This is the unerring chart, the map in which every shoal is described

How must the children of God be guided by His perfect grace? It is in His word that He has given us so that we may walk in His paths of righteousness. It is a plot of the enemy to keep us from this because without the word of God close to our hearts we tend to start looking to our inward selves for guidance and God help us that depravity and wickedness would be our guide, it will fail us every time. If you are struggling to find the strength within yourself or the motivation to grow in His word just pray that the Holy Spirit would give you the desire. Pray that He would fasten your heart to His word and that He would give you the strength to pick up His holy book and come to know His promises.

We must also remember that it is not just our minds that should be guided by His counsel but every member of our bodies should be consecrated to Him. Our eyes, ears, hand and feet should seek His guidance and pray that the Holy Spirit would take charge of them and lead them into glory. Daily seek His face with studying His word, receive His guidance by searching the scriptures and know that He will not lead you astray and will receive you into His glory.

Evening: "Trust in Him at all times.” – Psalm 62:8

We are to simply rely entirely upon the Lord at all times.

He is our strength and shield who will protect us daily.

He [is] a shield to all who trust in Him. – 2 Samuel 22:31

The world will wash away like the tides of day and its idols will be blown into nothing with the slightest breeze but Jesus Christ will reward us with eternal life.

Let him not trust in futile [things], deceiving himself, For futility will be his reward. – Job 15:31

The Lord knows those who trust in Him and He who started a good work in you will be faithful to keep it.

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. – Psalm 9:10

Even in all of our daily events, may them seem small to us we must trust upon the Lord for them just as Paul trusted that Timothy would make it safely by the hand of God.

But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. – Philippians 2:19

It must be in the fore front of our minds to know that without Him we can accomplish nothing so we must put our trust and faith fully upon the cross and believe that He works everything together for good. Our family, career, safety and salvation must all be put into His hands by faith and trust in His unchanging word.