January 30, Morning
2 Samuel 5:24
When thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, then thou shalt bestir thyself.
The members of Christ's Church should be very prayerful, always seeking the unction of the Holy One to rest upon their hearts, that the kingdom of Christ may come, and that His "will be done on earth, even as it is in heaven;" but there are times when God seems especially to favour Zion, such seasons ought to be to them like "the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees." We ought then to be doubly prayerful, doubly earnest, wrestling more at the throne than we have been wont to do. Action should then be prompt and vigorous. The tide is flowing-now let us pull manfully for the shore. O for Pentecostal outpourings and Pentecostal labours. Christian, in yourself there are times "when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees." You have a peculiar power in prayer; the Spirit of God gives you joy and gladness; the Scripture is open to you; the promises are applied; you walk in the light of God's countenance; you have peculiar freedom and liberty in devotion, and more closeness of communion with Christ than was your wont. Now, at such joyous periods when you hear the "sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees," is the time to bestir yourself; now is the time to get rid of any evil habit, while God the Spirit helpeth your infirmities. Spread your sail; but remember what you sometimes sing-
"I can only spread the sail;
Thou! Thou! must breathe the auspicious gale."
Only be sure you have the sail up. Do not miss the gale for want of preparation for it. Seek help of God, that you may be more earnest in duty when made more strong in faith; that you may be more constant in prayer when you have more liberty at the throne; that you may be more holy in your conversation whilst you live more closely with Christ.
C.H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, Hendrickson Publishers, 1997.
Whoa. I read this this morning, and felt as though Charles Haddon Spurgeon was telling me to "wake up!" I've seriously been scanning it just now to see if those words are really there, because I thought they were! (maybe it was the "now... is the time to bestir yourself"). See a recent post I wrote about, well, being lazy. Not good! I cannot waste one moment of being nearer to Christ than I have ever been. Not one. For it is only through His Grace that I am in this place. Thank You.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Leaped for Joy
John Piper does it again: The Baby in My Womb Leaped for Joy. Here is an excerpt:
"So I pray that this message will awaken and intensify your joyful, grateful reverence for the gift of human life from conception to eternity. The beginning of human life is a magnificent thing—it is the only newly originating life in the universe that is in the image of God. It is the only newly originating life in the universe that lasts forever. O what amazed and happy reverence we should feel for the beginning of every human life!"
Scripture:
Luke 1:39-45 (NIV)
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,
40where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth.
41When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!
43But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"
"So I pray that this message will awaken and intensify your joyful, grateful reverence for the gift of human life from conception to eternity. The beginning of human life is a magnificent thing—it is the only newly originating life in the universe that is in the image of God. It is the only newly originating life in the universe that lasts forever. O what amazed and happy reverence we should feel for the beginning of every human life!"
Scripture:
Luke 1:39-45 (NIV)
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,
40where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth.
41When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!
43But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"
Keep in mind, the pregancies of both Mary and Elizabeth were both seen as impossible. Just read the Piper post to learn more about that, and more; such as the author of this book (Luke) recognized these in utero babies as people.
...
I just can't comprehend calling abortion "women's health." It certainly is an attempt to "pretty up" abortion, make it sound compassionate. It's actually offensive to me; as a woman and as a Christian. What many call a mistake, God blesses with as a gift.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Quiet Time : Trust
By God's amazing mercy, the three Psalms I read this morning reminded me about trusting Him.
Psalm 31 (KJV)
Psalm 31:6 (KVJ)
I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.
Reminded me of...
Jonah 2:8 (KJV)
8They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
Back to trusting God...
Psalm 31:7 (KJV)
I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;
and
Psalm 31:19-20 (KJV)
19Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!
20Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
Psalm 32 (KJV)
Psalm 32:5-6 (KJV)
5I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
6For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
Psalm 32:11 (KJV)
11Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
Psalm 33 (KJV)
Psalm 33:15 (KJV)
15He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.
Psalm 33:18 (KJV)
18Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
Psalm 33:21-22
21For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.
22Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.
The last two verses and 31:7 reminded me of this...
Psalm 90:14 (KJV)
O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
I pray that I will perservere in being faithful to reading God's Word, and that He will keep revealing Himself to me through it.
Psalm 31 (KJV)
Psalm 31:6 (KVJ)
I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.
Reminded me of...
Jonah 2:8 (KJV)
8They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
Back to trusting God...
Psalm 31:7 (KJV)
I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;
and
Psalm 31:19-20 (KJV)
19Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!
20Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
Psalm 32 (KJV)
Psalm 32:5-6 (KJV)
5I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
6For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
Psalm 32:11 (KJV)
11Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
Psalm 33 (KJV)
Psalm 33:15 (KJV)
15He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.
Psalm 33:18 (KJV)
18Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
Psalm 33:21-22
21For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.
22Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.
The last two verses and 31:7 reminded me of this...
Psalm 90:14 (KJV)
O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
I pray that I will perservere in being faithful to reading God's Word, and that He will keep revealing Himself to me through it.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Prayer : and so it begins
God, I pray that You will soften our President's heart to the reality of abortion. That LIFE isn't something that we can just throw away. That it is YOU that opens the womb, for YOUR purpose and by YOUR will. That a child is a blessing from You, not just some mistake that can be wiped away. I pray that President Obama will see that lifting abortion bans is not the solution for reducing abortions, and that to recognize abortion as a solution to a problem is tantamount to murder. The only way to end abortion is for people to recognize Your Son as their Sovereign Saviour. For it is by Him that one can learn about You, and can appreciate Your creation. I pray that despite the sins of this world, Your Will be done. In Jesus' name, AMEN.
Ecclesiastes 11:5 (NIV)
5 As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed* in a mother's womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things.
*Footnote: Or know how life (or the spirit ) / enters the body being formed
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Quiet Time : LIFE : Secret Signature
Psalm 22:9-10 (KJV)
9But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.
10I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.
Of course brings to mind:
Psalm 139:13-15 (KJV)
13For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
14I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
My sister-in-law is pregnant with her third child, and when I pray for her, I marvel at the miracle that is taking place in her belly. No, not just a simple biological happenstance, but a miracle; a human being, being formed to be placed on this earth by God. A part of His ultimate plan. That is truly amazing.
Here is one of my most favorite quotes from C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain:
“Beyond all possibility of doubt you would say ‘Here at last is the thing I was made for.’ We cannot tell each other about it. It is the secret signature of each soul, the incommunicable and unappeasable want, the thing we desired before we met our wives or made our friends or chose our work, and which we shall still desire on our deathbeds, when the mind no longer knows wife or friend or work. While we are, this is. If we lose this, we lose all.
This signature on each soul may be a product of heredity and environment, but that only means that heredity and environment are among the instruments whereby God creates a soul. I am considering not how, but why, He makes each soul unique. If He had no use for all these differences, I do not see why He should have created more souls than one. Be sure that the ins and outs of your individuality are no mystery to Him; and one day they will no longer be a mystery to you. The mould in which a key is made would be strange thing, if you had never seen a key: and the key itself a strange thing if you had never seen a lock. Your soul has a curious shape because it is a hollow made to fit a particular swelling in the infinite contours of the Divine substance, or a key to unlock one of the doors in the house with many mansions. For it is not humanity in the abstract that is to be saved, but you- you, the individual reader, John Stubbs or Janet Smith. Blessed and fortunate creature, your eyes shall behold Him and not another's. All that you are, sins apart, is destined, if you will let God have His good way, to utter satisfaction. The Brocken spectre 'looked to every man like his first love', because she was a cheat. But God will look to every soul like its first love because He is its first love. Your place in heaven will seem to be made for you and you alone, because you were made for it- made for it stitch by stitch as a glove is made for a hand.” (emphasis mine)
Check the latest posts on theologica.blogspot.com. This is why this is such an urgent topic. Another good read is John Piper's post, Lincoln's Logic on Slavery Applied to Abortion where I found the above blog posts. And most importantly, PRAY.
9But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.
10I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.
Of course brings to mind:
Psalm 139:13-15 (KJV)
13For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
14I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
My sister-in-law is pregnant with her third child, and when I pray for her, I marvel at the miracle that is taking place in her belly. No, not just a simple biological happenstance, but a miracle; a human being, being formed to be placed on this earth by God. A part of His ultimate plan. That is truly amazing.
Here is one of my most favorite quotes from C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain:
“Beyond all possibility of doubt you would say ‘Here at last is the thing I was made for.’ We cannot tell each other about it. It is the secret signature of each soul, the incommunicable and unappeasable want, the thing we desired before we met our wives or made our friends or chose our work, and which we shall still desire on our deathbeds, when the mind no longer knows wife or friend or work. While we are, this is. If we lose this, we lose all.
This signature on each soul may be a product of heredity and environment, but that only means that heredity and environment are among the instruments whereby God creates a soul. I am considering not how, but why, He makes each soul unique. If He had no use for all these differences, I do not see why He should have created more souls than one. Be sure that the ins and outs of your individuality are no mystery to Him; and one day they will no longer be a mystery to you. The mould in which a key is made would be strange thing, if you had never seen a key: and the key itself a strange thing if you had never seen a lock. Your soul has a curious shape because it is a hollow made to fit a particular swelling in the infinite contours of the Divine substance, or a key to unlock one of the doors in the house with many mansions. For it is not humanity in the abstract that is to be saved, but you- you, the individual reader, John Stubbs or Janet Smith. Blessed and fortunate creature, your eyes shall behold Him and not another's. All that you are, sins apart, is destined, if you will let God have His good way, to utter satisfaction. The Brocken spectre 'looked to every man like his first love', because she was a cheat. But God will look to every soul like its first love because He is its first love. Your place in heaven will seem to be made for you and you alone, because you were made for it- made for it stitch by stitch as a glove is made for a hand.” (emphasis mine)
Check the latest posts on theologica.blogspot.com. This is why this is such an urgent topic. Another good read is John Piper's post, Lincoln's Logic on Slavery Applied to Abortion where I found the above blog posts. And most importantly, PRAY.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Quiet Time : Continuing on in the Psalms
So, I woke up earlier than normal (see yesterday's post) to make sure I had a quiet time. Yay!
Psalm 18:25 (KJV)
25With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;
adj. Stubbornly contrary and disobedient; obstinate.
fro'ward·ly adv., fro'ward·ness n.
froward
O.E. fromweard "turned from or away," from from + -weard. Opposite of toward, it renders L. pervertus in early translations of the Psalms, and also meant "about to depart, departing," and "doomed to die."
Froward
Fro"ward\, a. [Fro + -ward. See Fro, and cf. Fromward.] Not willing to yield or compIy with what is required or is reasonable; perverse; disobedient; peevish; as, a froward child.
A froward man soweth strife. --Prov. xvi. 28.
A froward retention of custom is as turbulent a thing as innovation. --Bacon.
Syn: Untoward; wayward; unyielding; ungovernable: refractory; obstinate; petulant; cross; peevish. See Perverse. -- Fro"ward*ly, adv. -- Fro"ward*ness, n.
+++++
Also a very cool thing happened this morning. Yesterday morning, I woke up with the words to Mighty to Save in my head. I even made part of the song my Facebook status yesterday, it stuck with me so much. Well, today, I heard the song on the radio while I was getting ready. Yes indeed, HE IS MIGHTY TO SAVE! :)
Oh yeah, and one more cool thing that happened this morning. C.H. Spurgeon's devotional was really awesome this morning; which is normal, but this morning he afforded me with a great reminder of how much I can trust God for help!
Psalm 18:25 (KJV)
25With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;
As I read that verse this morning, it reminded me of the Sermon on the Mount, so I turned to Matthew 5:
Matthew 5:7 (KJV)
7Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Also worth noting was the note in my study Bible about Psalm 18:26
26With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.
Footnote: "With the froward (perverse) God shows Himself froward (lit., twisted), i.e. He is at cross-purposes with those who are at cross-purposes with Him."
So I went on trusty dictionary.com, and found these definitions:
fro⋅ward /ˈfroʊwərd, ˈfroʊərd/ [froh-werd, froh-erd]
–adjective
willfully contrary; not easily managed: to be worried about one's froward, intractable child.
adj. Stubbornly contrary and disobedient; obstinate.
fro'ward·ly adv., fro'ward·ness n.
froward
O.E. fromweard "turned from or away," from from + -weard. Opposite of toward, it renders L. pervertus in early translations of the Psalms, and also meant "about to depart, departing," and "doomed to die."
Froward
Fro"ward\, a. [Fro + -ward. See Fro, and cf. Fromward.] Not willing to yield or compIy with what is required or is reasonable; perverse; disobedient; peevish; as, a froward child.
A froward man soweth strife. --Prov. xvi. 28.
A froward retention of custom is as turbulent a thing as innovation. --Bacon.
Syn: Untoward; wayward; unyielding; ungovernable: refractory; obstinate; petulant; cross; peevish. See Perverse. -- Fro"ward*ly, adv. -- Fro"ward*ness, n.
+++++
Also a very cool thing happened this morning. Yesterday morning, I woke up with the words to Mighty to Save in my head. I even made part of the song my Facebook status yesterday, it stuck with me so much. Well, today, I heard the song on the radio while I was getting ready. Yes indeed, HE IS MIGHTY TO SAVE! :)
Oh yeah, and one more cool thing that happened this morning. C.H. Spurgeon's devotional was really awesome this morning; which is normal, but this morning he afforded me with a great reminder of how much I can trust God for help!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
slug bug / love bug
No, not this kind, but...
... more like this kind ...
I'm going for laziness, here people! Sloooooooow to act, and such.
Okay, so I had the thought last night about just how difficult it is for me to get up early. It all starts with my being a complete night owl, even though I know that is the result of a complete lack of discipline on my part (blogged about that last year, "Holding On To Today").
It's funny how the Holy Spirit can convict a person, and I'm so grateful for His patience! Because I know that my day would be better if I just woke up early. Quiet time, good breakfast, exercise; all could be done, and what a great way to start my day that would be. Alas, it is difficult for me. And yesterday, after browsing through Girl Talk, I came upon this post "The 5:00 Club", and this quote:
"Waking up late means your quiet time is probably the first to go."
D'oh! Yes, waking up late means that, and yes I do wake up late, but whose fault is that... MINE! Grrrrr!
But it's funny, because I'm reading The Enemy Within, by Kris Lundgaard, and came upon a few MORE gems the other night while discussing it:
"The flesh resists with its last breath anything that smacks of communion with God, because it suffocates in his presence....
The first claw aims at your weakness. When they were under attack and under great danger of temptation, just when they should have been praying, Jesus' disciples were fast asleep. "The spirit is willing, but the body is weak," he said (Matthew 26:41). The spiritual flesh takes advantage of the weakness of the natural flesh (the body). "You can't pray now, you need your rest. If you don't get some sleep, you won't be any use to God." This, in effect, is what Satan hit Jesus with when his body was weakened by forty days of fasting: "You've done enough fasting-you're being downright fanatical. Turn those stones to bread. If you don't eat, you'll die, and then how will you save the world!" (Matthew 4:1-3).
If you don't imbed it in your mind that prayer and meditation are indispensable, and seek God's grace every day to resist the sluggishness of your body, you will hit the snooze button all morning rather than kneel before the throne. And if you snooze, you lose." (emphasis mine)
Yes, please just call me a slug bug. I can be pretty good about waking up in time for a quiet time, but if I get off track just a little bit, then it all goes awry.
It all boils down to how I want to be, which first and foremost means how can my life glorify God. And allowing my lazy flesh to control my quiet times just will not cut it. So I'm praying and trying to be better about this. I'm so glad that God shows me these things, through Scripture, sermons, etc.
+++++++++++++++
Now on to the love bug...
Oh yeahhhhh... he he!
Complete nerd that I am, my Christmas list consisted mostly of all things C.S. Lewis. Either books by him or about him. One that I received was Jack's Life, by Douglas Gresham. Gresham is Lewis' stepson, and basically summed up The Four Loves for me (I posted some quotes from this book, "With This All Things Are Possible") ... well, at least Lewis' opinion about how the four loves all work together. I'd like to think that this is exactly how Lewis explained this to his stepson:
"Jack [Lewis] believed that one of the failings of the English language is the fact that we have only one word for love. The ancient Greeks used four. Agape was their word for the love of God, which flows through one person to another. This is also called "charity," and it should be the basis of any relationship between people. Then there is their word for the love of friendship, and that is philia. This is the sort of love that one has for a dear friend that makes you like to be with them and spend time doing things together. Third is what the Greeks called storge. Storge is the sort of love you feel for someone who has been a part of your life for a long time, and if they go away, you miss them far more than you ever thought you would. They leave a hole in your emotional life that no one else can fill. Fourth is the love that girls and boys start to be affected by when they grow-up; the Greeks called it eros, and it is also called "romance." Now in today's world people are always rabitting on about "falling in love," and all they mean is a romantic attraction. Romance doesn't last and soon passes away, and if that is all that two people have to base their relationship on, they are in trouble. Jack was determined that the right way to form a relationship was to start with agape, wait a while to see if philia develops, then wait some more to find out if storge is becoming a part of what is happening, and then finally to wait for eros to show up. If all of these things happened, Jack would have considered that he was "in love."
Of course, Lewis did find this love, with Gresham's mother. It's a very sweet and sad story. Two books that chronicle this are: A Grief Observed, by C.S. Lewis (which is on my reading list), and one of the books I'm reading now, which was a surprise Christmas present from my roommate Anne, A Severe Mercy, by Sheldon Vanauken.
So, when I say that I Kissed Dating Goodbye, I really mean it. Sayonara, thanks but no thanks. (what do ya say, I've blogged about that one, too, "Play on Playa/Why I Kissed Dating Goodbye"). I've had enough flattery in my short life to know it for what it truly is - superficial and temporal. My heart is ready, and is being ever readied for much much more.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Quiet Time : Reminder
Psalm 17:8-13 (KJV)
8Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
9From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about.
10They are inclosed in their own fat: with their mouth they speak proudly.
11They have now compassed us in our steps: they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth; 12Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.
13Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:
...kind of sounds like ...
II Chronicles 18:31 (KJV)
31 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God moved them to depart from him.
...which reminded me of this quiet time...
+++++
Also, today's new discovery! The Treasury of David, by C.H. Spurgeon, which contains Spurgeon's study on the Psalms.
In searching further in this sight, I came upon Spurgeon To Go, where you can install Spurgeon's devotionals, and they call it Daily Dose of Spurgeon! I swear, I didn't steal that line!!! :)
+++++
I would like to share the Spurgeon sermon that I read today; Sermon for New Year's Day. Below is an excerpt:
"I want to say to such, if you have been all your lifetime in bondage, you need not remain there any longer; for there is in Jesus the power to make all things new, and to lift you into new delights. It will seem to be a dead lift to you; but it is within the power of that pierced hand to lift you right out of doubt, and fear, and despondency, and spiritual lethargy, and weakness, and just to make you now, from this day forward, "strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might."
8Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
9From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about.
10They are inclosed in their own fat: with their mouth they speak proudly.
11They have now compassed us in our steps: they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth; 12Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.
13Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:
...kind of sounds like ...
II Chronicles 18:31 (KJV)
31 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God moved them to depart from him.
...which reminded me of this quiet time...
+++++
Also, today's new discovery! The Treasury of David, by C.H. Spurgeon, which contains Spurgeon's study on the Psalms.
In searching further in this sight, I came upon Spurgeon To Go, where you can install Spurgeon's devotionals, and they call it Daily Dose of Spurgeon! I swear, I didn't steal that line!!! :)
+++++
I would like to share the Spurgeon sermon that I read today; Sermon for New Year's Day. Below is an excerpt:
"I want to say to such, if you have been all your lifetime in bondage, you need not remain there any longer; for there is in Jesus the power to make all things new, and to lift you into new delights. It will seem to be a dead lift to you; but it is within the power of that pierced hand to lift you right out of doubt, and fear, and despondency, and spiritual lethargy, and weakness, and just to make you now, from this day forward, "strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might."
Daily Dose of Spurgeon : "to live is Christ"
December 7, Morning
Philippians 1:21
For me to live is Christ.
The believer did not always live to Christ. He began to do so when God the Holy Spirit convinced him of sin, and when by grace he was brought to see the dying Saviour making a propitiation for his guilt. From the moment of the new and celestial birth the man begins to live to Christ. Jesus is to believers the one pearl of great price, for whom we are willing to part with all that we have. He has so completely won our love, that it beats alone for Him; to His glory we would live, and in defence of His gospel we would die; He is the pattern of our life, and the model after which we would sculpture our character. Paul's words mean more than most men think; they imply that the aim and end of his life was Christ-nay, his life itself was Jesus. In the words of an ancient saint, he did eat, and drink, and sleep eternal life. Jesus was his very breath, the soul of his soul, the heart of his heart, the life of his life.
Can you say, as a professing Christian, that you live up to this idea? Can you honestly say that for you to live is Christ? Your business-are you doing it for Christ? Is it not done for self-aggrandizement and for family advantage? Do you ask, "Is that a mean reason?" For the Christian it is. He professes to live for Christ; how can he live for another object without committing a spiritual adultery? Many there are who carry out this principle in some measure; but who is there that dare say that he hath lived wholly for Christ as the apostle did? Yet,this alone is the true life of a Christian-its source, its sustenance, its fashion, its end, all gathered up in one word-Christ Jesus. Lord, accept me; I here present myself, praying to live only in Thee and to Thee. Let me be as the bullock which stands between the plough and the altar, to work or to be sacrificed; and let my motto be, "Ready for either."
C.H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, Hendrickson Publishers, 1997.
Philippians 1:21
For me to live is Christ.
The believer did not always live to Christ. He began to do so when God the Holy Spirit convinced him of sin, and when by grace he was brought to see the dying Saviour making a propitiation for his guilt. From the moment of the new and celestial birth the man begins to live to Christ. Jesus is to believers the one pearl of great price, for whom we are willing to part with all that we have. He has so completely won our love, that it beats alone for Him; to His glory we would live, and in defence of His gospel we would die; He is the pattern of our life, and the model after which we would sculpture our character. Paul's words mean more than most men think; they imply that the aim and end of his life was Christ-nay, his life itself was Jesus. In the words of an ancient saint, he did eat, and drink, and sleep eternal life. Jesus was his very breath, the soul of his soul, the heart of his heart, the life of his life.
Can you say, as a professing Christian, that you live up to this idea? Can you honestly say that for you to live is Christ? Your business-are you doing it for Christ? Is it not done for self-aggrandizement and for family advantage? Do you ask, "Is that a mean reason?" For the Christian it is. He professes to live for Christ; how can he live for another object without committing a spiritual adultery? Many there are who carry out this principle in some measure; but who is there that dare say that he hath lived wholly for Christ as the apostle did? Yet,this alone is the true life of a Christian-its source, its sustenance, its fashion, its end, all gathered up in one word-Christ Jesus. Lord, accept me; I here present myself, praying to live only in Thee and to Thee. Let me be as the bullock which stands between the plough and the altar, to work or to be sacrificed; and let my motto be, "Ready for either."
C.H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, Hendrickson Publishers, 1997.
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