Friday, June 17, 2011
"Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it."
"Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it."Numbers 21:17
Famous was the well of Beer in the wilderness, because it was the subject of a promise: "That is the well whereof the Lord spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water." The people needed water, and it was promised by their gracious God. We need fresh supplies of heavenly grace, and in the covenant the Lord has pledged himself to give all we require.
The well next became the cause of a song. Before the water gushed forth, cheerful faith prompted the people to sing; and as they saw the crystal fount bubbling up, the music grew yet more joyous. In like manner, we who believe the promise of God should rejoice in the prospect of divine revivals in our souls, and as we experience them our holy joy should overflow.
Are we thirsting? Let us not murmur, but sing. Spiritual thirst is bitter to bear, but we need not bear it--the promise indicates a well; let us be of good heart, and look for it. Moreover, the well was the centre of prayer. "Spring up, O well." What God has engaged to give, we must enquire after, or we manifest that we have neither desire nor faith. This evening let us ask that the Scripture we have read, and our devotional exercises, may not be an empty formality, but a channel of grace to our souls.
O that God the Holy Spirit would work in us with all his mighty power, filling us with all the fulness of God. Lastly, the well was the object of effort. "The nobles of the people digged it with their staves." The Lord would have us active in obtaining grace. Our staves are ill adapted for digging in the sand, but we must use them to the utmost of our ability.
Prayer must not be neglected; the assembling of ourselves together must not be forsaken; ordinances must not be slighted.
The Lord will give us his peace most plenteously, but not in a way of idleness.
Let us, then, bestir ourselves to seek him in whom are all our fresh springs.
Today's reading taken from Charles Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening."
Thursday, June 16, 2011
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"
"The Lord is my light and my salvation."
Here is personal interest,
"my light,"
"my salvation;"
the soul is assured of it, and therefore declares it boldly. Into the soul at the new birth divine light is poured as the precursor of salvation; where there is not enough light to reveal our own darkness and to make us long for the Lord Jesus, there is no evidence of salvation.
After conversion our God is our joy, comfort, guide, teacher, and in every sense our light: he is light within, light around, light reflected from us, and light to be revealed to us. Note, it is not said merely that the Lord gives light, but that he is light; nor that he gives salvation, but that he is salvation; he, then, who by faith has laid hold upon God, has all covenant blessings in his possession.
This being made sure as a fact, the argument drawn from it is put in the form of a question, "Whom shall I fear?" A question which is its own answer.
The powers of darkness are not to be feared, for the Lord, our light, destroys them; and the damnation of hell is not to be dreaded by us, for the Lord is our salvation. This is a very different challenge from that of boastful Goliath, for it rests, not upon the conceited vigour of an arm of flesh, but upon the real power of
the omnipotent I AM.
"The Lord is the strength of my life."
Here is a third glowing epithet, to show that the writer's hope was fastened with a threefold cord which could not be broken. We may well accumulate terms of praise where the Lord lavishes deeds of grace. Our life derives all its strength from God; and if he deigns to make us strong, we cannot be weakened by all the machinations of the adversary.
"Of whom shall I be afraid?"
The bold question looks into the future as well as the present.
"If God be for us,"
who can be against us, either now or in time to come?
Today's reading taken from Charles Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening."
MY PROVIDER !!!
Psalm 145:15-17
New Living Translation (NLT)
The eyes of all look to you in hope; you give them their food as they need it. When you open your hand, you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness. 
Psalm 145:15-17
New Living Translation (NLT)
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
"He openeth, and no man shutteth."
"He openeth, and no man shutteth."
Jesus is the keeper of the gates of paradise and before every believing soul he setteth an open door, which no man or devil shall be able to close against it. What joy it will be to find that faith in him is the golden key to the everlasting doors. My soul, dost thou carry this key in thy bosom, or art thou trusting to some deceitful pick-lock, which will fail thee at last? Hear this parable of the preacher, and remember it.
The great King has made a banquet, and he has proclaimed to all the world that none shall enter but those who bring with them the fairest flower that blooms. The spirits of men advance to the gate by thousands, and they bring each one the flower which he esteems the queen of the garden; but in crowds they are driven from the royal presence, and enter not into the festive halls.
Some bear in their hand the deadly nightshade of superstition, or the flaunting poppies of Rome, or the hemlock of self- righteousness, but these are not dear to the King, the bearers are shut out of the pearly gates. My soul, hast thou gathered the rose of Sharon? Dost thou wear the lily of the valley in thy bosom constantly? If so, when thou comest up to the gates of heaven thou wilt know its value, for thou hast only to show this choicest of flowers, and the Porter will open: not for a moment will he deny thee admission, for to that rose the Porter openeth ever.
Thou shalt find thy way with the rose of Sharon in thy hand up to the throne of God himself, for heaven itself possesses nothing that excels its radiant beauty, and of all the flowers that bloom in paradise there is none that can rival the lily of the valley. My soul, get Calvary's blood-red rose into thy hand by faith, by love wear it, by communion preserve it, by daily watchfulness make it thine all in all, and thou shalt be blessed beyond all bliss, happy beyond a dream.
Jesus, be mine forever, my God, my heaven, my all.
Jesus, be mine forever, my God, my heaven, my all.
Today's reading taken from Charles Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening."
To encourage each other !!!
Hebrews 10:24,25 (NIV).
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.......
Thoughts on This Verse...
We need each other.
We cannot make it on our own.
God calls us to get together regularly to encourage and to motivate each other to live vibrant lives of service and faith.
With the day of Jesus' return and our ultimate victory on the horizon, we should be motivated even more to help and to encourage each other.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face ... because we have sinned against thee.
"O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face ... because we have sinned against thee."
A deep sense and clear sight of sin, its heinousness, and the punishment which it deserves, should make us lie low before the throne. We have sinned as Christians. Alas! that it should be so. Favoured as we have been, we have yet been ungrateful: privileged beyond most, we have not brought forth fruit in proportion. Who is there, although he may long have been engaged in the Christian warfare, that will not blush when he looks back upon the past? As for our days before we were regenerated, may they be forgiven and forgotten; but since then, though we have not sinned as before, yet we have sinned against light and against love--light which has really penetrated our minds, and love in which we have rejoiced. Oh, the atrocity of the sin of a pardoned soul! An unpardoned sinner sins cheaply compared with the sin of one of God's own elect ones, who has had communion with Christ and leaned his head upon Jesus' bosom. Look at David! Many will talk of his sin, but I pray you look at his repentance, and hear his broken bones, as each one of them moans out its dolorous confession! Mark his tears, as they fall upon the ground, and the deep sighs with which he accompanies the softened music of his harp! We have erred: let us, therefore, seek the spirit of penitence. Look, again, at Peter! We speak much of Peter's denying his Master. Remember, it is written, "He wept bitterly." Have we no denials of our Lord to be lamented with tears? Alas! these sins of ours, before and after conversion, would consign us to the place of inextinguishable fire if it were not for the sovereign mercy which has made us to differ, snatching us like brands from the burning.
My soul, bow down under a sense of thy natural sinfulness, and worship thy God.
Admire the grace
which saves thee--
the mercy which spares thee--
the love which pardons thee!
Today's reading taken from Charles Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening."
Monday, June 13, 2011
What to deprecate and what to supplicate !!!
"Remove far from me vanity and lies."
"O my God, be not far from me."
--Psalm 38:21
Here we have two great lessons--
what to deprecate and what to supplicate.
The happiest state of a Christian is the holiest state.
As there is the most heat nearest to the sun, so there is the most happiness nearest to Christ.
No Christian enjoys comfort when his eyes are fixed on vanity--he finds no satisfaction unless his soul is quickened in the ways of God.
The world may win happiness elsewhere, but he cannot.
I do not blame ungodly men for rushing to their pleasures. Why should I? Let them have their fill. That is all they have to enjoy. A converted wife who despaired of her husband was always very kind to him, for she said, "I fear that this is the only world in which he will be happy,
and therefore I have made up my mind to make him as happy as I can in it."
Christians must seek their delights in a higher sphere than the insipid frivolities or sinful enjoyments of the world. Vain pursuits are dangerous to renewed souls. We have heard of a philosopher who, while he looked up to the stars, fell into a pit; but how deeply do they fall who look down. Their fall is fatal. No Christian is safe when his soul is slothful, and his God is far from him. Every Christian is always safe as to the great matter of his standing in Christ, but he is not safe as regards his experience in holiness, and communion with Jesus in this life.
satan does not often attack a Christian who is living near to God. It is when the Christian departs from his God, becomes spiritually starved, and endeavours to feed on vanities, that the devil discovers his vantage hour. He may sometimes stand foot to foot with the child of God who is active in his Master's service, but the battle is generally short: he who slips as he goes down into the Valley of Humiliation, every time he takes a false step invites Apollyon to assail him.
O for grace to walk humbly with our God!
Today's reading taken from Charles Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening."
Sunday, June 12, 2011
"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling."
"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling."2 Timothy 1:9
The apostle uses the perfect tense and says,
"Who hath saved us."
Believers in Christ Jesus are saved.
They are not looked upon as persons who are in a hopeful state, and may ultimately be saved, but they are already saved.
Salvation is not a blessing to be enjoyed upon the dying bed, and to be sung of in a future state above, but a matter to be obtained, received, promised, and enjoyed now.
The Christian is perfectly saved in God's purpose;
God has ordained him unto salvation,
and that purpose is complete.
He is saved also as to the price which has been paid for him: "It is finished" was the cry of the Saviour ere he died.
The believer is also perfectly saved in his covenant head, for as he fell in Adam, so he lives in Christ.
This complete salvation is accompanied by a holy calling. Those whom the Saviour saved upon the cross are in due time effectually called by the power of God the Holy Spirit unto holiness: they leave their sins; they endeavour to be like Christ; they choose holiness, not out of any compulsion, but from the stress of a new nature, which leads them to rejoice in holiness just as naturally as aforetime they delighted in sin.
God neither chose them nor called them because they were holy, but he called them that they might be holy, and holiness is the beauty produced by his workmanship in them. The excellencies which we see in a believer are as much the work of God as the atonement itself. Thus is brought out very sweetly the fulness of the grace of God.
Salvation must be of grace, because the Lord is the author of it: and what motive but grace could move him to save the guilty? Salvation must be of grace, because the Lord works in such a manner that our righteousness is forever excluded.
Such is the believer's privilege--a present salvation; such is the evidence that he is called to it--a holy life.
Today's reading taken from Charles Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening."
Our Redeemer's glorious cry of "It is finished,"
"There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle."
Our Redeemer's glorious cry of "It is finished,"
was the death-knell of all the adversaries
of his people, the breaking of
"the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle."
Behold the hero of Golgotha using his cross
as an anvil,
and his woes as a hammer, dashing to shivers bundle after bundle of our sins, those poisoned "arrows of the bow;" trampling on every indictment, and destroying every accusation.
What glorious blows the mighty Breaker gives with a hammer far more ponderous than the fabled weapon of Thor! How the diabolical darts fly to fragments, and the infernal bucklers are broken like potters' vessels!
Behold, he draws from its sheath of hellish workmanship the dread sword of Satanic power! He snaps it across his knee, as a man breaks the dry wood of a fagot, and casts it into the fire. Beloved, no sin of a believer can now be an arrow mortally to wound him, no condemnation can now be a sword to kill him, for the punishment of our sin was borne by Christ, a full atonement was made for all our iniquities by our blessed Substitute and Surety.
Who now accuseth?
Who now condemneth?
Christ hath died, yea rather, hath risen again.
Jesus has emptied the quivers of hell, has quenched every fiery dart, and broken off the head of every arrow of wrath; the ground is strewn with the splinters and relics of the weapons of hell's warfare, which are only visible to us to remind us of our former danger, and of our great deliverance. Sin hath no more dominion over us.
Jesus has made an end of it, and put it away forever.
O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end. Talk ye of all the wondrous works of the Lord, ye who make mention of his name, keep not silence, neither by day, nor when the sun goeth to his rest.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Today's reading taken from Charles Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening."