Reverence and Awe

Good Morning everyone. I am sure right about now we are all back to the grind of our daily lives, working off all the calories that all the good food left behind. I pray that all of you had a great Thanksgiving, a time to reflect on the great things that our Lord has blessed us with, our family, our homes, our church and most of all for our salvation through our savior Jesus Christ. As this time of reflection passes us by, my prayers are that you will continue to thank Him for all that He has done. This morning's devotion is another reminder for us that He is our Provider and all things come through Him. All of the blessings of material wealth that He has bestowed upon us can be lost and repayed a thousand fold.



This verse is a very important lesson in our finances and also a testimony of our faith. Spurgeon notes, that it is never pleasant to lose money even when it involves principle the flesh is not always ready to make the sacrifice. How true is this? I am reminded of a couple years ago when we were discussing the addition of our loft. It has been one of the best investments that we have made, but at the time we were so concerned about spending the money. Should we do this? Is it the best thing for our family? What if we spend the money on the loft and then we have an emergency happen? These are all questions of doubt that we were faced with? How little faith we had, not remembering that He will provide. Now with one child and one on the way, we, more importantly God, wouldn't have it any other way. He knows what we need even before we do.

For those times when we don't have money it is important to follow Spurgeons next point, "All these things and a thousand more would tempt the Christian to put forth his hand to unrighteous gain, or stay himself from carrying out his conscientious convictions, when they involve serious loss." Plainly put, don't do anything stupid. Even for the Christian, not having money can bring out the worst and desperation in people. We can start putting aside our "conscientious convictions" and doing whatever it takes, trying to do it in our strength and not relying upon God, who is our Provider. Oh, how we so easily forget that He is our portion, our strength, He gives and takes away, all things come through Him and by Him and they are all for His glory. These words are easier written than lived out, I assure you, I am thankful for God has saved me numerous times from my desperation. I will save these stories for another time.

"God's smile and a dungeon are enough for a true heart; His frown and a palace would be hell to a gracious spirit." Our treasure is in heaven loved ones, and Spurgeon closes with this, "Meanwhile, even now, the Lord maketh the meek to inherit the earth, and no good thing doth He withhold from them that walk uprightly."

And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The Lord is able to give thee much more than this. - 2 Chronicles 25:9

Evening

It is not us but He who works in us and sees to it that His children will yield fruit filled with righteousness and truth.

“The plummet is in good hands.” We can rest assured that it is not from our own efforts, knowledge or hard work that Christ work is accomplished through our lives but it is His invisible hand that is guiding us and working through us to accomplish His will.

“The master's hand carried a good instrument.” It is not our hands of sin, pride and selfishness but it is in the hands of grace, love and perfect judgment. We can be sure that it will fully blossom at the perfect time.

“The plummet was in active use.” Overtime we become weak, frail and tired but not the Holy Spirit. His might and strength are everlasting seeing His work to the end. Making sure that every weakness is turned into strength and that every failure in our eyes is turned into His glory.

Be of good cheer Christian for the hand, instrument and action in our Lord Jesus Christ. Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

I pray that this morning's devotion will always bring a smile to our faces and sweet joy to our souls. I pray that we will never read of our redemption by the sufficient blood of Christ and not be moved to praise His name!

None but Jesus can give deliverance to captives. Real liberty cometh from Him only. It is a liberty righteously bestowed; for the Son, who is Heir of all things, has a right to make men free. The saints honour the justice of God, which now secures their salvation. It is a liberty which has been dearly purchased. Christ speaks it by His power, but He bought it by His blood. He makes thee free, but it is by His own bonds.

We are free in spite of us... certainly not because of us. We are purchased, bought at a price... the cost for us to go free was the shed blood of the perfect Lamb of God.

Jesus asks nothing of us as a preparation for this liberty. He finds us sitting in sackcloth and ashes, and bids us put on the beautiful array of freedom; He saves us just as we are, and all without our help or merit.

Even more, we can rest this morning that the grace that saved us is the grace that sustains us and will ultimately be the grace that glorifies us and allows us to spend an eternity magnifying the glorious riches of the God of Grace!

When Jesus sets free, the liberty is perpetually entailed; no chains can bind again. Let the Master say to me, "Captive, I have delivered thee," and it is done for ever. Satan may plot to enslave us, but if the Lord be on our side, whom shall we fear? The world, with its temptations, may seek to ensnare us, but mightier is He who is for us than all they who be against us.

In his typical short but sweet manner... this evening Spurgeon makes some good points in regards to the doctrine of election and the un-biblical notion that it is somehow unfair.

Men by their sins have forfeited all claim upon God; they deserve to perish for their sins—and if they all do so, they have no ground for complaint. If the Lord steps in to save any, He may do so if the ends of justice are not thwarted; but if He judges it best to leave the condemned to suffer the righteous sentence, none may arraign Him at their bar.

I rejoice this evening because of the grace portrayed and magnified in the doctrine of election!! I don't believe I'll ever unfold all of it's greatness. One thing is sure... the understanding of election must be followed by humble worship. There is no other response worthy of a God who says, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy...".

How shall those who are the subjects of divine election sufficiently adore the grace of God? They have no room for boasting, for sovereignty most effectually excludes it. The Lord's will alone is glorified, and the very notion of human merit is cast out to everlasting contempt. There is no more humbling doctrine in Scripture than that of election, none more promotive of gratitude, and, consequently, none more sanctifying. Believers should not be afraid of it, but adoringly rejoice in it.

Rejoicing with you today and for all eternity because of the great things He has done!

Pastor Matt

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

MORNING
Abundance, celestial business, fellowship, and security all flow from the Lord in majesty. We are created in His image. We are redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb. We are heirs with Christ. What security we have in Him! As this Thanksgiving week unfolds let us give ourselves to praise. We have so much to be thankful for! "It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High. To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness every night." - Psalm 92:1, 2

EVENING (11/23)
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled." "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:6&8. It is a promise that as we hunger and thirst for His righteousness we will be filled and being pure of heart we shall see God. I think that's what Spurgeon is trying to tell us in this devotion. How many of us "pines in a dungeon when he might walk on the palace roof and view the goodly land?" Laziness, lethargy, coldness keep us in the pit when our destiny is to sit on a throne! May we heed the call to a higher plane and "press forward to things more sublime and heavenly." "Aspire to a higher, nobler, fuller life. Upward to heaven! Nearer to God!"

My sister sent this to me... she was blessed when she found it under "Pastor's Notes" on the website of a church she works with at her job.

I was also blessed by this puritan prayer... it is worth the read.

Pastor's Notes 2009-08-30

O Lord God,
Teach me to know grace precedes, accompanies and follows my salvation,
that it sustains the redeemed soul,
that not one link of its chain can ever break.

From Calvary’s cross wave upon wave of grace reaches me,
deals with my sin,
washes me clean,
renews my heart,
draws out my affection,
kindles a flame in my soul,
consecrates my every thought, word, work,
teaches me thy immeasurable love.

How great are my privileges in Christ Jesus!

Without Him I stand far off, a stranger, an outcast;
in Him I draw near and touch His kingly scepter.

Without Him I dare not lift my guilty eyes;
in Him I gaze upon my Father-God and friend.

Without Him I hide my lips in trembling shame;
in Him I open my mouth in petition and praise.

Without Him all is wrath and consuming fire;
in Him all is love, and the repose of my soul.

Without Him is gaping hell below me, and eternal anguish;
in Him its gates are barred to me by His precious blood.

Without Him darkness spreads its horrors in front;
in Him an eternity of glory is my boundless horizon.

Without Him all within me is terror and dismay;
in Him every accusation is charmed into joy and peace.

Without Him all things external call for my condemnation;
in Him they minister to my comfort,
and are to be enjoyed with thanksgiving.

Praise be to Thee for grace,
and for the unspeakable gift of Jesus.

The Valley of Vision

I realized this morning as I was reading through Morning and Evening that I inadvertently posted today's blog addressing the 11/23 morning and the 11/24 evening reading. Sorry about that! I'll post the 11/24 morning and 11/23 evening blog tonight and we'll be back on track.

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

MORNING
Fellowship with Him! In His Love; in His Desires; in His Sufferings; in His Labors; In His Joys (happiness, exaltation); and one day in His Glory. Spurgeon gives examples in this morning's devotion of each aspect. As I sat with the text and thought about God's Love that made it possible for a wretch like me to enjoy this fellowship I am overwhelmed! Words cannot express the depth of gratitude that springs from my heart. I know who I am. I know my depravity. Yet in His Sovereign plan He called me into this glorious fellowship. "There is no purer or more thrilling delight to be known this side of heaven than that of having Christ's joy fulfilled in us, that our joy may be full." Hallelujah. I long for that, don't you?

EVENING
The soberness of this passage impacted me this weekend, the occasion of my birthday. As the calendar turns over another year, I find myself reflecting on past years, present activities and pondering the years ahead. I can see how the sin of procrastination has robbed me of "seasons of grace" like little foxes that spoil the vine. Forgive me Lord, I repent!! The cares of this world and the tyranny of the urgent press in to drive me like Martha to more activity and away from the sweet fellowship enjoyed by Mary and the sweet fellowship I contemplated in the morning devotion. As the Day of the Lord approaches I don't want to be slumbering, I want to be awake! I want to know Him and the power of His resurrection! "Yet in my flesh dwells no good thing, for to will is ever present with me!" "There is still time for faith and holy decision. May we obtain them tonight." Holy Spirit,fan the flame of faith, create in me a hunger and thirst for righteousness and renew a right Spirit in me for Jesus sake I pray!

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

Morning

The devotional this morning I must admit, was difficult for me to grasp at first. I understood what Spurgeon was speaking about, but it was one which put a writer’s block in front of me. I then read it again and a scripture faintly came into memory, I then searched the Word of God and it was John 10:16.

And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring and they will hear my voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

I love this verse as it clearly shows that there are those not within the people of Judaism alone that belong to Him and He will bring them unto Himself. “I have” meaning that these sheep already belong to Him. It is not as if God goes day by day and picks up the one that looks good in the morning, but He has perfectly predestined everything from the beginning. Jesus toiled for us in the garden, His blood was shed for are sins and all was done in love for His flock that He will keep safe.

Evening

One of the cornerstones of our faith and a doctrine that is so incredibly moving that you could rest upon it day and night without fully appreciating what it means for us, that our Lord and Saviour has risen from the dead. It is not a dead or idol God we serve but it is a God who is living and working in each of our lives. The power of this event is so moving for the child of God that it gives us a daily sustenance to march ahead which a non-believer would never have. The world hates this truth and does everything in its power to suppress it and put it out of sight. “Someone rose from the dead? Impossible”! But we say no, it is true. Read the scriptures and see for yourself, believe on this, put your faith in Christ and be saved ye sinner.

It would take a volume to set forth all the streams of living water which flow from this one sacred source, the resurrection of our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

Good Evening Everyone. I pray that you had a blessed day as I did and am praising Him for all He has done.

If your day didn't go as planned or you are battling sin, my prayer is that you will find comfort in tonight's reading.

Spurgeon writes "we rejoice in Him whose faithful word is sweeter than honey or the honeycomb. In every trouble we should first seek to realize God's presence with us." We see throughout the book of Job the trials and tribulations that he faced. Spurgeon points out that in Job's extremity he cried out after the Lord. I am so blessed by Spurgeon's next comment. "The longing desire of an afflicted child of God is once more to see his Father's face."

I was reading tonight's prayer update regarding our team in Vietnam, and was blessed to hear that things were going so well and excited to hear how God is blessing the people. They have and are experiencing grave trials yet have found comfort and refuge in Him. But how easy is it to run the other way from God? It is our sinful nature to run from His affliction, yet I am thankful that as a believer I find shelter in Him. As Spurgeon puts it, "God's children run home when the storm comes on. Have you ever been so boastful when things are going great? We get all puffed up sometimes and think we are doing it. We don't need anyone else's help. We are doing just fine. Nothing can stop us. And then bam!!! Out of nowhere our whole world is picked up and shaken upside down. Oh what a blessing that I can cry out to my Lord and savior.

Oh that I might know where to find Him that I might come to His seat. - Job 23:3

Amen

Labels: Morning and Evening, Reverence, Spurgeon

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

Morning: "The Lord is my portion, saith my soul." - Lamentations 3:24

A sweet devotional. I really like the hymn that Spurgeon uses:

"Lov'd of my God for Him again
With love intense I burn;
Chosen of Him ere time began,
I choose Him in return."

Spurgeon quotes from Psalm 16, my favorite Psalm, where David also describes the Lord as his portion.

5 O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.
7 I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
8 I have set the Lord always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.

And hence Spurgeon's exhortation to us:

Let us rejoice in the Lord always; let us show to the world that we are a happy and a blessed people, and thus induce them to exclaim, "We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."

Lord God, please help us walk with You, and delight in You, and witness You to a world that needs You. Please use us to drawn near to You all that You have chosen.

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

Morning:

My soul, search thyself this morning, and see whether thou art guilty of double-dealing. Thou professest to be a follower of Jesus—dost thou truly love him? Is thy heart right with God? Art thou of the family of old Father Honest, or art thou a relative of Mr. By-ends? A name to live is of little value if I be indeed dead in trespasses and sins. To have one foot on the land of truth, and another on the sea of falsehood, will involve a terrible fall and a total ruin. Christ will be all or nothing.

I've been thinking more and more about what it means, and what it looks like to truly follow what Jesus said and "seek first the Kingdom of God". I think this mornings reading gives us the admonition to put Christ first, because if you don't you'll be letting someone or something else share the throne of your heart. Thus making Christ not too highly esteemed, but quite ordinary; and also making your heart one that is divided in it's loyalty. Search yourself this morning, and pray against your inclination to put things before the Kingdom of God.

Evening:

The cross must be carried before the crown can be worn. We must follow our Lord in his humiliation, or we shall never rest with him in glory. My soul, what sayest thou, art thou so vain as to hope to break through the heavenly rule? Dost thou hope for reward without labour, or honour without toil? Dismiss the idle expectation, and be content to take the ill-favoured things for the sake of the sweet love of Jesus, which will recompense thee for all.

We must take on not only the wonderful and all satisfying blessings that come with faith in Christ, but we also must deal with the hard negatives preached by Christ, such as: you must die to yourself, and take up your cross daily. We must always remember that God works all things together for good, for those who believe and are called according to His purpose. But also remember that that doesn't mean that everything that happens to that end will be "good". But let us never lose faith in our God of hope. He is faithful, and He will do it.

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible


"... the branch cannot bear fruit of itself..." John 15:4

How did you begin to bear fruit? It was when you came to Jesus and cast yourselves on His great atonement, and rested on His finished righteousness.

These words feed my soul more than I think I understand. I cannot hear them enough... this morning in particular. These past couple of months have been unusually difficult in ways not altogether familiar to me. It's not that I can't identify the causes of these trials... they're actually quite common in my life. My struggles rest more in understanding the motivations of my heart as Christ, by His Spirit, leads me through them. It's a funny thing being a sinful human being... it's seems all to easy to confuse understanding truth with practicing truth. Perceiving what is right and good and true... and at times, deceiving myself into believing that my actions replicate my knowledge. This is why God's Word and Spurgeon's devotion this morning feeds my soul. Is there anyone reading this post that has a better solution to their sin and lack of fruitfulness than casting themselves "on His great atonement"?! Anyone want to rest in their own determination and hard work... rather than resting "on His finished righteousness"?!

As I type this post... I am becoming increasingly grateful for my redemption. And I am confident in His Word when he says "you did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain..." John 15:16
Our God keeps his promises... so I will strive to live today for His glory knowing that whatever fruit He produces and I bear... will remain!

... the more simply we depend upon the grace of God in Christ, and wait upon the Holy Spirit, the more we shall bring forth fruit unto God. Oh! to trust Jesus for fruit as well as for life.

Soli Deo Gloria!!

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

Morning

The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan is a book that has had a huge impact in my life and if you ever get a chance to read through Spurgeon’s sermons he often mentions it as well. In this book we see the main character, Christian go through life in this dream he had and is constantly confronted with life’s trials and tribulations. Through his walk of faith he meets Obstinate, Slough of Despond, Worldly Wiseman, Sloth and Presumption, Appolyon, Giant Despair and many more. Through this journey he also passes through difficult times such as City of Destruction, Hill Difficult and Valley of the Shadow. But as Christian is faced with each one of these and then overcomes them by the power of Christ we see his character become stronger and his faith strengthened. This is precisely what Peter is saying to us, that through our trials our faith will become more solid. Tried faith brings us closer to our Lord and makes us realize that much more, how weak and feeble we can be and how much we need to rest on the promises of God. Without any trials to test our faith there would be no growth, but it is through the difficult times that we are lifted up by the hand of Christ and grow in our love for Him.

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. – Rom 5:3-4.

Evening

I really loved this devotion because Spurgeon broke it down into the simplest format. We should pray because our Lord did it and we constantly need to be walking more and more into His footstep. A friend of mine who has fallen away from the faith in the past couple of years just said recently “Why should I even pray if God is in control of all things? If He is in control of all things then my prayers do not matter at all.”

What a dim view of prayer I thought. Yes it is absolutely true that we serve a perfect and Omnipotent God but we are also called as Christians to constantly be in prayer. It is the means that God had ordained to accomplish his will.

Such was His love to His Father, that He loved much to be in communion with Him.

Even Christ the Son of the living God, almighty and all-powerful creator of the universe prayed because of the love for His Father. We should pray because it brings us into close communion with Him, it allows us to praise Him for our blessing, to bring our desires and trials to Him and to refresh ourselves in Him. Believers do not have a dim perspective on prayer and do not let the enemy get in the way. May we all ask “Lord Jesus, teach us to pray.”

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

The text for this Morning's Reading, comes again from Deuteronomy 33:27. A different phrase from Deuteronomy 33:27 was used for the text for yesterday's Morning Reading as well.

Let's take a look at the verse in a greater Scriptural context.

There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you, And in His excellency on the clouds. The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, 'Destroy!' Then Israel shall dwell in safety, The fountain of Jacob alone, In a land of grain and new wine; His heavens shall also drop dew. Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, The shield of your help And the sword of your majesty! Your enemies shall submit to you, And you shall tread down their high places.—(Deu 33:26-29 NKJV)

We are in the everlasting arms of the LORD. He is our Security! He is our Refuge! He is our Protector! He is our Avenger! He is our Strength! He is our Fountain of Living Water! He is our Savior! He is our Shield! He is our Help! Praise God for all the He is!

And then let us consider this section of Scripture from Romans 8:35-39:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Whatever we are going through today, whatever the circumstances of our life today, the above promise is true and alive. Nothing can separate us from the love of our Savior!

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

I really enjoyed the imagery that Spurgeon gave us with respect to the word refuge in this Morning's reading. That provoked me to go to the BLB and look up the root word for refuge in Gesenius's Lexicon. And the result made me chuckle. Gesenius also, specifically for Deuteronomy 33:27, uses the word asylum. Now Asylum has many meanings, one of them flew into my head. But, I thought I should take this a step further.

So I looked at Merriam-Webster for the definition of the word asylum. Here was their definition:

1 : an inviolable place of refuge and protection giving shelter to criminals and debtors: sanctuary
...
4 : an institution for the care of the destitute or sick and especially the insane

Now this I knew related to me. "For all have sinned..." (Romans 3:23). Prior to justification by faith, I was a debtor, a criminal according to God's Law. But now, after justification, He is my refuge. He has paid my debt. He has imputed His righteousness to me! Jesus is not a refuge for the perfect...He's a refuge for sinners, who come to Him by faith.

And apart from Christ I am destitute. Apart from Christ, I am nothing (maybe less than nothing), and can do nothing of eternal good.

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."—John 15:5 NKJV

Thank You Jesus for being my refuge! Thank you for Your everlasting arms that shield me, protect me and keep me.

Labels: Devotional, Morning and Evening, Spurgeon

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

As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.

What a brilliantly appropriate thought for our morning devotions. Walk in Him. But not just according to our understanding that we should. But rather according to our understanding that we have received Christ Jesus the Lord. Surely this walking will be different. Paul's encouragement here in Colossians is rich in our ears as well. We are called to reflex Christ in our lives, to portray the image of Godly righteous living. But this is not a call into duty but rather an acknowledgement that a life that is filled with Christ will resonate with these attributes. Spurgeon points out that this walking implies action. Yes great action. For what good is a muted symphony? He continues -

Our religion is not to be confined to our closet.

Dear christian do not hide your light as you have been illuminated by His word. Rather shine to the world that great pure brightness that is only found in his dwelling. Know that your lantern was set ablaze to be a light in a dark place - a light to the world.

...I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (John 8:12)

All of this for this morning is set against the backdrop he illustrates for us in this evenings devotion - That we walk not with false hope or empty promise but rather with the ever standing promises of our God and King. Never will his storehouses fail, never will his promises, the many they are for us, go unfulfilled. We can rejoice and WALK in him assured of his greatness in all the world and majestic reign over all things including our very lives.

So Walk. In Him for you have received Him into your life as a gift by the amazing grace of God.

May all that we say, think, and do each day resonate of the greatness of the one who has indwelt our very hearts by his grace.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:10)

God bless,
jeff paisano

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

Between today's "Morning" and "Evening" devotions Spurgeon seems to be explaining his view as it relates to pre-election.

He acknowledges in the morning session that the believer must receive Christ: "to accept His free gift and to realize Him as mine."

In the Morning writing he explains, "When I receive Jesus, He becomes my Saviour, so mine that neither life nor death shall be able to rob me of Him. All this is to receive Christ—to take Him as God's free gift; to realize Him in my heart, and to appropriate Him as mine."

In the evening devotion he comes full circle and completes his thoughts when he writes, "for when the gospel comes to some, they fight against it, and will not have it, but where men receive it, welcoming it, this is a sure indication that there is a secret work going on in the soul, and that God has chosen them unto eternal life."

This is a reminder that we are not even capable of performing the act without Him performing the "secret work in our soul" without which we would have "fought against it and not had it;" essentially running away from God.

This day I will contemplate this as I stand in awe of His Grace. I will thank Him that I had absolutely nothing to do with my salvation; for if I did I would have surely fouled it up. It was God who took hold of me and and moved in me.; because he chose me before the foundations of the earth were in place.

"I will pour water upon him that is thirsty" Isaiah 44:3

I often forget to water the plants in our yard, and for that reason we have shifted to drought tolerant vegetation in as many places as possible. But if you are like me, you can picture those wilting flowers in your yard, on the brink of death, and without the strength to keep a leaf from shriveling up. That is how many of us feel at times in our Christian lives.

We can also picture those same wilting flowers, completely revived a few hours after a good watering. As Christians, when we feel fruitless, lukewarm, and without joy...how should we respond? My prayer is that this devotion and the above verse, will exhort us to plead with God to pour water upon us.

He is the source of all joy. He alone can strengthen the faint-hearted. He alone can cause our lives to overflow with fruit.

God help us to believe God's faithfulness to His promises. Pray that God will pour water upon you. Pray that He causes you to overflow with joy and praise. He alone has the water to pour on us that quenches our deepest thirst.


Our evening devotion focuses on the power of the blood of Christ. "When we rise to contemplate the blood of the Son of God, our awe is yet more increased."

Please do not stop thinking upon the precious blood of Christ that was shed for our sins until your awe for Christ is increased.

His blood was shed, that we would no longer have to face the wrath of Almighty God. We are washed by His blood, redeemed by His blood, and have been brought into His family as the result of the the blood of Christ.

Just as the angel past over God's people who had blood on their doorposts, likewise He passes over the sins of His people.

I am in awe of Him. I am brought to worship and adoration. We just scratched the surface. Contemplate the blood of Christ and be brought to a state of awe.

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible

Today Charles Spurgeon sets aside the morning to celebrate two significant events in the history of Protestantism in England. It is heart breaking to read Spurgeon's declaration that his homeland was "the home of the gospel" and yet look across the pond and examine their state these days. He could proclaim that God shielded England from her foes because of the exaltation of the gospel. Today he shields her only by grace. And yet we're no better here in America. If the UK has totally departed from the gospel, then we are packing our bags here. Still by grace God has granted protection for us in these United States, our home. Truly, "no weapon formed against us shall prosper!" By grace God continues to provide for our needs and grant many of our desires. I know I'm grateful! By grace the gospel was once brought to America through the Protestant saints from England, the "home of the gospel." I know I'm thankful!

In two and a half weeks or so you will be with your family remembering the feast that the Pilgrims shared with the original Americans. That meal, the first Thanksgiving, was intended to honor God in thanks for the bountiful provision necessary to survive an impending harsh New England winter ahead. And then they shared with those who taught them to hunt, fish and farm in a foreign land with strange weather and soil. I don't bring this up to compare or contrast our comfortable lives with their strivings for survival but rather to hi-light their thoughts about Christ. These were people persecuted in England because of a high regard for Christ and God's Word. They rejected an authoritative parity between the Pope and the Bible. They were examples of "people rich in high and happy thoughts concerning [Jesus Christ]." Today and every day "Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name." (Ps 100:4) "Consider what the blood-washed think of Him, as day without night they sing His well deserved praises. High thoughts of Christ will enable us to act consistently with our relations towards Him." And thereby show him your thankfulness for "the mighty love which drew Him from His throne to die upon the cross!"

“Behold, he prayeth.“

I find it so comforting to think on the fact and be reminded that are prayers are heard instantly by the almighty God. When we are broken and hurting our tendency is to think that God is not listening. I think of Sarai and Abram as they were waiting for children from the Lord for all those years. I am sure she felt like God had left her alone and was not interested in her prayers and so she had Abram go into Hagar. The grace in this story is that God had planned all along to bring Isaac to them through Sarai. Had they been patient and trusted in God they would have never sinned to the degree that they did. We need to be reminded to trust in God and be patient with the timing of His answering of our prayers. Be anxious about nothing but with everything prayer and supplication.

“Their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, even unto heaven.”

Not only is prayer essential it is often times the first spiritual practices that we fail on. I agree that we need to be in prayer always and be quick to bring our needs, desires and wants before the Lord. Prayer is such a big deal because and only because the God we pray to is sovereign and able to all that He desires. I love that picture that John Piper said about prayer being a war time walkie talkie. I can not think of any one I would want to have on my side in a battle than the most powerful sovereign in all the world. It should bring us great comfort and ease when we think about the God that we get to pray to.

» Today's reading at Blue Letter Bible


I'm reminded this morning of the importance of having our houses in order. I am all too often reminded of my sinfulness and pride when I ponder the Christ-like example I fail to portray so often in my house. It can be easier to live out the commandments of God and His word at our local church than in our own homes. I'm not exactly sure why that is... but I'm convicted this morning that it ought not to be. But how can I suddenly change the way my household is run and the example that I set to my family?

As a Church let us now draw nigh to the great head of the one Church universal, and let us beseech Him to give us grace to shine before men to the glory of His name.

Whether at church or at home... we desperately need grace... grace that is greater than our sin... grace that can cause us to glorify His great name.