02
May '20
Saturday with Spurgeon
02
May '20
THE BIBLE’S SUPREME PLACE
“Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them” Ps. 119:165
Yes, a true love for the great Book will bring us great peace from the great God, and be a great protection to us. Let us live constantly in the society of the law of the Lord, and it will breed in our hearts a restfulness such as nothing else can. The Holy Spirit acts as a Comforter through the Word, and sheds abroad those benign influences which calm the tempests of the soul.
Nothing is a stumblingblock to the man who has the Word of God dwelling in him richly. He takes up his daily cross and it becomes a delight. For the fiery trial he is prepared, and counts it not strange, so as to be utterly cast down by it. He is neither stumbled by prosperity, as so many are, nor crushed by adversity, as others have been; for he lives beyond the changing circumstances of external life. When his Lord puts before him some great mystery of the faith which makes others cry, “This is an hard saying; who can hear it?” the believer accepts it without question; for his intellectual difficulties are overcome by his reverent awe of the law of the Lord, which is to him the supreme authority to which he joyfully bows. Lord, work in us this love, this peace, this rest, this day.
Read more...
01
May '20
Where Are You Looking?
01
May '20
Psalm 141:8, “But mine eyes are unto thee, O GOD the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.”
Frightened children look for their parents, because they trust mommy and daddy to shield them from danger. When it comes to the circumstances of this life look to God the Father, not to the raging waves and winds of today. Look to God the Father above all others because He is worthy of your trust. He will not fail you. Quoting Spurgeon yet again: “To be destitute in circumstances is bad, but to be destitute in soul is far worse; to be left of friends is a calamity, but to be left of God would be destruction. The comfort is that God hath said, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.”
Read more...
30
Apr '20
Walk with the Lord and Never Walk Alone
30
Apr '20
Psalm 48:14, “For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.”
God may be trusted because God always keeps His promises. God has promised to never leave or forsake His people (Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5). Those who walk with the Lord never walk alone. Trust Christ and He will be your guide not only in the pilgrimage through this world but into the world yet to come. Commenting on this verse C.H. Spurgeon wrote, “Farewell, fear. Come hither, gratitude and faith, and sing right joyously.” That kind of confidence is available to all who will trust the Lord to walk with them throughout this life and right into eternity. The Lord Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Whoever trusts Him, though he die, yet shall he live. Have you trusted Jesus?
Read more...
28
Apr '20
Doubt Your Doubts and Trust God
28
Apr '20
James 1:8, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
In the classic Pilgrim’s Progress author John Bunyan allegorizes such a person as “Mister Facing Both Ways.” Trying to face both ways simultaneously only leads to ruin. A double-minded person is one with a divided allegiance. Loyalty cannot be divided if it is to be worth anything. The greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all out heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength (Deuteronomy 6:5; Mark 12:30). Obedience to that command always brings blessing, but obedience to that command is impossible if one is double-minded. Doubt your doubts and trust God with a single-minded focus and whole-hearted intensity. That is the only way to have sure footing in an unstable world.
Read more...
27
Apr '20
God’s Glory, Human Dignity
27
Apr '20
Psalm 8:4-5, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor.”
This verse asks the fundamental question of our existence. Mankind’s answer has it all backwards, because we more often than not think big thoughts about ourselves and small thoughts about God. But God is mindful of us! He is not watching us from a distance, but is personally involved. We do not exist by our own power or as the result of cosmic chance. The equation “nothing + chance + time = us” IS FALSE. Everything that exists has been created by God, and mankind is God’s special creation. Man is created with dignity, being made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26). Man is also marked by tragedy, being marred by sin (Genesis 3:1-7). But God has given man an opportunity to be reconciled to Him! There is only One way, and His name is Jesus. That One way is available to all men and women (1 John 4:9-10). Trust Him today!
Find the time to read all of Psalm 8. That will only take a minute. So, go ahead and spend five. Then you will declare with David, “O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth!”
Read more...
25
Apr '20
Saturday with Spurgeon
25
Apr '20
PRESERVED TO WORKS END
“The Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome” Acts 23:11
Are you a witness for the Lord, and are you just now in danger? Then remember that you are immortal till your work is done. If the Lord has more witness for you to bear, you will live to bear it. Who is he that can break the vessel which the Lord intends again to use?
If there is no more work for you to do for your Master, it cannot distress you that He is about to take you home, and put you where you will be beyond the reach of adversaries. Your witness-bearing for Jesus is your chief concern, and you cannot be stopped in it till it is finished: therefore be at peace. Cruel slander, wicked misrepresentation, desertion of friends, betrayal by the most trusted one, and whatever else may come, cannot hinder the Lord’s purpose concerning you. The Lord stands by you in the night of your sorrow, and He says, “Thou must yet bear witness for me.” Be calm, be filled with joy in the Lord.
If you do not need this promise just now, you may very soon. Treasure it up. Remember also to pray for missionaries, and all persecuted ones, that the Lord would preserve them even to the completion of their life work.
Read more...
24
Apr '20
Refuge
24
Apr '20
Nahum 1:7, “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.”
The prophet Jonah had preached the urgent need of repentance in Nineveh. Revival broke out. The people and the city were saved. But a new generation returned to old patterns. The prophet Nahum was sent to proclaim God’s righteous judgment against this new generation of Ninevites who had rebelled against God. While God is angry at and will judge sin, He is also a good God who cares for His people. That had already been proven to this city, and is reiterated in today’s verse. Nahum preached here what Paul would later (Romans 11:22) “behold therefore the goodness and severity of God.” God is love and His love is a holy love. While He is a refuge for those who trust Him, there is no refuge for those who do not.
Read more...
23
Apr '20
When Broken is Better
23
Apr '20
Psalm 34:17-18, “The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”
Today’s devotional passage calls to mind Mark 2:17 where Jesus taught that those who are well have no need of a physician, only those who are sick. He was not teaching that there are some who are independently righteous and have no need of Him. He taught that only those who recognize their condition will seek the cure. Jesus promises that when a humble heart cries out to God, He will hear and deliver. Which is why I love to sing Rock of Ages:
“Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.”
Broken before Jesus is better, because only He can – and will – make you whole.
Read more...
21
Apr '20
Are You a “We”?
21
Apr '20
1 John 3:22, “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”
This has to be one of the most remarkable prayer passages in scripture, but we must understand that this promise is not made to every professing believer. Reread the verse, and ask yourself if you are one of the “we’s.” There are four:
- we ask…
- we receive…because – do not fail to notice this promise’s condition
- we keep…and
- [we] do. (This one is understood.)
So then, trust God’s Word, seek to keep His Word by the power of His Spirit, and endeavor to please Him in every aspect of your life. This enables our prayers to be confidently offered to God through Christ in the Spirit. This glorifies God. What glorifies God is always best for us.
Ask yourself. Is “we” me?
Read more...
18
Apr '20
Saturday with Spurgeon
18
Apr '20
“I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” Joshua 1:5.
This word to Joshua is often quoted; it is the basis of that New Testament word, “He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
Beloved, a life of warfare is before us, but the Lord of Hosts is with us. Are we called to lead a great but fickle people? This promise guarantees us all the wisdom and prudence that we shall need. Have we to contend with cunning and powerful enemies? Here is strength and valor, prowess and victory. Have we a vast heritage to win? By this sign we shall achieve our purpose; the Lord Himself is with us.
It would be woe to us indeed if Jehovah could fail us; but, as this can never be, the winds of disquietude are laid to sleep in the caverns of divine faithfulness. On no one Occasion will the Lord desert us. Happen what may, He will be at our side. Friends drop from us, their help is but an April shower; but God is faithful, Jesus is the same for ever, and the Holy Spirit abideth in us.
Come, my heart, be calm and hopeful today. Clouds may gather, but the Lord can blow them away. Since God will not fail me, my faith shall not fail; and, as He will not forsake me, neither will I forsake Him. Oh for a restful faith!
Read more...
