thoughts by Charles Spurgeon Archives - Page 5 of 7

Published December 26, 2017

Praise God for Answered Prayer

“I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart“ Psalm 9:1

Praise should always follow answered prayer, just like the mist of earth’s gratitude rises when the sun of heaven’s love warms the ground. Has the Lord been gracious to you, and heard your voice as your earnestly pray? Then praise Him as long as you live! Don’t deny a song to Him who has answered your prayer and given you the desire of your heart.

To be silent over God’s mercies is to incur the guilt of ingratitude. It is to act as ungratefully as the nine lepers. After they were cured of their leprosy, they did not even bother to return to give thanks to the Lord who healed them. (Luke 17:11-19)

To forget to praise God is to refuse to benefit ourselves. Praise, like prayer, is one great means of growing our spiritual life. It helps to remove our burdens, to excite our hope, and to increase our faith. It is a healthy and invigorating exercise which quickens the pulse of the believer, and nerves us for fresh enterprises in our Master’s service.

To bless God for His mercy is also a way to benefit our fellow brothers and sisters:

“My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.” (Psalm 34:2)

Others who have been in similar circumstances will take comfort if we say,

“Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:3-4)

Weak hearts will be strengthened, and weak souls will be revived as they listen to our “songs of deliverance.” Their doubts and fears will be assuaged, as we teach and encourage one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Then they too will “sing in the ways of the Lord” when they hear us praising His holy name.

Praise is the most heavenly of Christian duties. The angels do not pray, but they never cease to praise both day and night. And we the redeemed, clothed in white robes, with palm-branches in our hands, should never grow tired of singing the new song, “Worthy is the Lamb.”

Question: Has your prayer been answered lately? Please share your story with someone about how God has answered your prayer now and in the past.

By Charles H. Spurgeon
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2008

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Behold the Lord Jesus

Published September 13, 2017

Behold the Lord Jesus

“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” Colossians 2:9-10

All the attributes of Christ, as God and man, are at our disposal. All the fullness of the Godhead, whatever that marvelous term may comprehend, is ours to make us complete. He cannot endow us with the attributes of Deity; but He has done all that can be done, for He has made even His divine power and Godhead subservient to our salvation. His omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, immutability and infallibility, are all combined for our defense.

Arise, believer, and behold the Lord Jesus yoking the whole of His divine Godhead to the chariot of salvation! How vast His grace, how firm His faithfulness, how unswerving His immutability, how infinite His power, how limitless His knowledge! All these are by the Lord Jesus made the pillars of the temple of salvation; and all, without diminution of their infinity, are covenanted to us as our perpetual inheritance. The fathomless love of the Savior’s heart is every drop of it ours; every sinew in the arm of might, every jewel in the crown of majesty, the immensity of divine knowledge, and the sternness of divine justice, all are ours, and shall be employed for us. The whole of Christ, in His adorable character as the Son of God, is by Himself made over to us most richly to enjoy.

His wisdom is our direction, His knowledge our instruction, His power our protection, His justice our surety, His love our comfort, His mercy our solace, and His immutability our trust. He makes no reserve, but opens the recesses of the Mount of God and bids us dig in its mines for the hidden treasures. “All, all, all are yours,” saith He, “be ye satisfied with favor and full of the goodness of the Lord.” Oh! how sweet thus to behold Jesus, and to call upon Him with the certain confidence that in seeking the interposition of His love or power, we are but asking for that which He has already faithfully promised.

Question: Which of God’s glorious attributes will you hold fast to today?

By Charles Spurgeon
Used by Permission

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God’s Grace through Trials

Acts 14:22 “We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”

Published August 11, 2017

God’s Grace through Trials

“We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”
Acts 14:22

God’s people have their trials. It was never designed by God, when He chose His people, that they should be an untried people. They were chosen in the furnace of affliction; they were never chosen to worldly peace and earthly joy. Freedom from sickness and the pains of mortality was never promised them; but when their Lord drew up the charter of privileges, He included chastisements amongst the things to which they should inevitably be heirs. Trials are a part of our lot; they were predestinated for us in Christ’s last legacy.

So surely as the stars are fashioned by His hands, and their orbits fixed by Him, so surely are our trials allotted to us: He has ordained their season and their place, their intensity and the effect they shall have upon us. Good men must never expect to escape troubles; if they do, they will be disappointed, for none of their predecessors have been without them. Mark the patience of Job; remember Abraham, for he had his trials, and by his faith under them, he became the “Father of the faithful.” Note well the biographies of all the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and you shall discover none of those whom God made vessels of mercy, who were not made to pass through the fire of affliction.

It is ordained of old that the cross of trouble should be engraved on every vessel of mercy, as the royal mark whereby the King’s vessels of honor are distinguished. But although tribulation is thus the path of God’s children, they have the comfort of knowing that their Master has traversed it before them; they have His presence and sympathy to cheer them, His grace to support them, and His example to teach them how to endure; and when they reach “the kingdom,” it will more than make amends for the “much tribulation” through which they passed to enter it.

Question: Even when we don’t know why we are facing trails, how should we respond to them, in the way God wants us to?

by Charles Spurgeon
Originally published in Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening devotionals

Used by Permission

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Commit Your Spirit

Published May 5, 2017

Commit Your Spirit

(KJV)”Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.“ Psalm 31:5

These words have frequently been uttered by faithful people in their hour of departure. The object of a person’s main concern in life and death should not be their body, or their wealth, but their spirit. This is your most precious treasure, and if it is safe, all is well. How can your current physical maladies compare with your eternal soul?

A believer will commit their soul to the hand of God. We came from Him, are His own. He has sustained us, and He is able to keep us. And so it is appropriate that He should receive us back to Him.

All things are safe in God’s hands. What we entrust to the Lord will be secure, both now and until the end of days towards which we are fast approaching. It is peaceful living, and glorious dying, resting in the care of heaven. At all times we should commit all we have to Jesus’ faithful hand. Then, even when life hangs on a thread, and adversities multiply as the sands of the sea, our soul will dwell at ease, and delight itself in quiet resting places.

“Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.” God’s redemption is solid ground for having confidence. David didn’t know about Jesus’ death and resurrection as we do, but even his imperfect knowledge cheered him. And won’t eternal redemption even more sweetly console us? Past deliverances assure us of present assistance. What the Lord has done, He will do again. He never changes. He is faithful to His promises, and gracious to His saints. He will not turn away from His people.

“Though Thou slay me I will trust, Praise Thee even from the dust, Prove, and tell it as I prove, Thine unutterable love.

Thou mayst chasten and correct, But Thou never canst neglect; Since the ransom price is paid, On Thy love my hope is stay’d.”

Question: Have you committed your life to God?

Originally written by Charles S Spurgeon
updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2009
Used by Permission

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Fix Your Eyes on the Future

2 Corinthians 4:18 Devotional. Fix your eyes.

Published March 29, 2017

Fix Your Eyes on the Future

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:18

In our Christian journey it is good and proper, at most times and in most circumstances, to be looking forward. Forward lies the crown, and onward is the goal. Whether it be for hope, for joy, for consolation, or for the inspiring of our love, the future must, after all, be the grand object of the eye of faith.

Looking into the future we see sin cast out, the body of sin and death destroyed. The soul will be made perfect, and fit to partake in the inheritance promised to God’s saints.

Looking further yet, the believer’s enlightened eye can see death’s river passed, the gloomy stream bridged, and the hills of light attained on which stands the celestial city. We perceive ourselves entering within the pearly gates, hailed as more than conquerors, crowned by the hand of Christ, embraced in the arms of Jesus, glorified with Him, and made to sit together with him, even as he has overcome and has sat down with the Father on his throne.

The thought of this future can relieve the darkness of the past and the gloom of the present. The joys of heaven will surely compensate for the sorrows of Earth. Hush, hush, my doubts! Death is but a narrow stream, and you will soon have crossed it. Time, how short! Eternity, how long! Death, how brief! Immortality, how endless! The road is so, so short! I shall soon be there.

“When the world my heart is rending
With its heaviest storm of care,
My glad thoughts to heaven ascending,
Find a refuge from despair.
Faith’s bright vision shall sustain me
Till life’s pilgrimage is past;
Fears may vex and troubles pain me,
I shall reach my home at last.”

Question: How does looking forward to the future help us in the present?

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon.

Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2011.
Used by Permission

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Remember the Promises in His Word

Published January 20, 2017

Remember the Promises in His Word

“Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope.” Psalm 119:49

Whatever your specific need is, you will likely find a promise about it in the Bible.

Are you feeling wearied and weak because your life has been troubling and tiring? Here is the promise: “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” (Isaiah 40:29) When you read such a promise, take it back to our great God who promised it, and ask Him to fulfill His own word.

Are you seeking after Christ, and yearning for closer relationship with Him? This promise shines like a star upon you: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6) Take that promise to God’s throne continually. Do not plead anything else, but go to God over and over again, praying “Lord, You have said it, I humbly ask that You do as You have said.”

Are you distressed because of sin, and burdened with the heavy load of your wrongdoings? Listen to these words: “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” (Isaiah 43:25) You have no worth of your own to deserve God’s pardon, but plead His written promises and He will perform them.

Are you afraid that you won’t be able to persevere to the end? Do you fear that, after having thought yourself to be a child of God, you might instead be a ‘castaway’? Take this word of grace to God’s throne and plead it: “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed.” (Isaiah 54:10)

If you have lost the sweet sense of the Savior’s presence, and are seeking Him with a sorrowful heart, remember these promises: “Return to me, and I will return to you” (Malachi 3:7) and “For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back.” (Isaiah 54:7) Rest your faith upon God’s own word, and whatever your fears or desires, look to God’s “Bank of Faith” in your Father’s written word, saying, “Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope.”

Question: Which of God’s promises that you just read resonated most powerfully with you, and why?

by Charles H. Spurgeon
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2008.

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Strength Comes from God

Isaiah 40:31 They that wait on the Lord will renew their strength.

Published October 30, 2016

Strength Comes from God

“Let the people renew their strength.” Isaiah 41:1 (KJV)

All things on earth need to be renewed. No created thing sustains itself. “Thou renewest the face of the earth,” was the Psalmist’s cry. (Psalm 104:30) Even the trees, which do not themselves clamor for care, and do not shorten their lives with labor, must drink of the rain of heaven and absorb the hidden treasures of the soil. The cedars of Lebanon which God has planted only live because day by day they are filled with sap freshly drawn from the earth. (Isaiah 14:8)

In the same way, a man’s life cannot be sustained without constant renewal from God. As it is necessary to repair the waste of the body by frequent meals, so we must repair the waste of the soul by feeding on the Book of God, or by listening to the preached Word, or by the soul-quenching table of communion.

How depressed will our souls become when God’s provisions are neglected! What unfortunate Christians are those who live without the diligent use of the Word of God and secret prayer! If our piety can live without God, then it is not of divine origin. It is only a dream. If God had begotten it, it would wait on Him as the flowers wait on the dew. Without constant restoration we are not ready for the perpetual assaults of hell, or the stern afflictions of heaven, or even for the strifes within.

When the whirlwind is loosed, woe to the tree that has not absorbed the fresh sap, and grasped the rock with many intertwisted roots.

When fearsome storms arise, woe to the mariners who have not strengthened their mast, nor cast their anchor, nor sought refuge. If we despise what is good and grow weaker, the evil will gather strength, and struggle desperately for the mastery over us. And so a painful desolation and a lamentable disgrace will follow.

Let us draw near to the feet of divine mercy in humble supplication, and we will realize the fulfillment of the promise: “They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.” (Isaiah 40:31, KJV)

Question: Where do you draw renewal from God? Are there additional resources that God has provided but you currently are not using?

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon.
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2010.

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The Unsearchable Riches of Christ

Published September 1, 2016

The Unsearchable Riches of Christ

“Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9) and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.” Ephesians 3:8-9

Our God has riches beyond the count of arithmetic, the measurement of reason, the dream of imagination, or the eloquence of words. They are unsearchable! You may look, and study, and weigh, but Jesus is a greater Savior than you imagine Him to be even on your best day!

Our Lord is more ready to forgive your sin than you are able to transgress.

Our Master is more willing to supply your wants than you are to confess them.

Our Master has riches of happiness to give you now. He can make you to lie down in green pastures, and lead you beside still waters. There is no music like His music. He is the Shepherd and you are the sheep when you lie down at His feet. There is no love like His, and neither Earth nor Heaven can match it. To know Christ and to be found in Him, oh what a life, what a joy! This is everything that is good and wonderful in life.

Never tolerate low thoughts of our Lord Jesus. If you do, you will end up only crowning Him with a silver crown when He deserves the finest gold.

Our Lord does not treat His servants ungraciously; He gives to them as a king gives to a king. He gives them two heavens: A heaven below where we may serve Him, and a heaven above where we may delight in Him forever. His unsearchable riches will be best known in eternity. He will give you on the way to heaven all you need. Your place of defense will be the ammunition of rocks, and your bread and water will be provided; but it is there, THERE in His presence, where you will hear the song of His people that triumph, the shout of the feast, and shall have a face-to-face view of the glorious and beloved One.

The unsearchable riches of Christ! This is the tune for the musicians of Earth, and the song for the harpers of Heaven. Lord, teach us more and more of Jesus, and we will tell the good news to others.

Question: How has God revealed the riches of Christ in your life lately?

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon. Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2008

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Liberty

Published August 26, 2016

Liberty

“… to preach deliverance to the captives …” Luke 4:18 (KJV)

No one but Jesus can give deliverance to captives. Real liberty comes from Him alone.

It is a liberty righteously bestowed. The Son, who is Heir of all things, has a right to set people free. The saints honor the justice of God, which 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 you free, but it is by His own bonds. You are free and clear, because He bore your burden for you. You have liberty because He has suffered in your place. But, though dearly purchased, He freely gives it. Jesus asks nothing of us as a preparation for this liberty. He finds us sitting in sackcloth and ashes, and encourages us to put on the beautiful array of freedom. He saves us just as we are, and all without our help or merit.

When Jesus sets free, the liberty is perpetually entailed. No chains can bind us again. Let the Master say to me, “Captive, I have delivered you,” and it is done for ever. Satan may plot to enslave us, but if the Lord is 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 are against us. The machinations of our own deceitful hearts may harass and annoy us, but He who has begun the good work in us will carry it on and perfect it to the end. The foes of God and the enemies of man may gather their forces together, and come with concentrated fury against us, but if God acquits, who is he that condemns? Not more free is the eagle which mounts to his rocky nest and out soars the clouds than the soul Christ has delivered.

If we are no longer under the law, but free from its curse, let our liberty be practically exhibited in our serving God with gratitude and delight. “O LORD, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains.” (Psalm 116:16) Ask: “Lord, what would You have me do?”

Question: If true freedom is not total lack of restraint, but the divine enabling of being all we were meant to be, why does the Christian life sometimes feel restrictive?

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon. Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer 2010.

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Guiltless in God’s Eyes

devotional on being guiltless before God

Published August 4, 2016

Guiltless in God’s Eyes

“I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.” Acts 13:38-39

Believers in Christ are justified, meaning we’re pardoned of our sin. God’s grace, received through faith, does not produce this fruit over time, but right now! Justification is the result of faith, and it is given to a person in the moment when they choose Christ and to follow Him with their heart, soul, strength, and mind.

All those who put their trust in Christ who have died stand before His throne entirely justified. And so will we when we put our trust in Him. The thief on the cross was justified the moment that he put his faith in Jesus. And Paul, after earning many gray hairs through years of constant service, was not any more justified than the thief who had performed no service at all.

We are today accepted by God, today freed from the guilt of sin, today acquitted before the throne of God. There are some grapes which we will not be able to gather until we enter heaven, but God’s acceptance is the ladder which He has lowered down, letting us into the vineyard. We are pardoned! Even now are our sins are remembered no longer. (Hebrews 8:12) Even now we stand in the sight of God accepted, as though we were never guilty: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

There is not a sin written in the Book of God, even now, against any one of His people. There is no speck, spot, wrinkle, or any such thing on any believer in the sight of the Judge of all the Earth. Let this privilege awaken us to our duty, and every day for as long as we live let us praise, worship, and serve wholeheartedly our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Question: Since when we put our faith (trust) in God He remembers our sin no longer, how should we as believers react when we do sin now?

By Charles Spurgeon

Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2008

. . . . . . .

Do you want to experience God’s love and forgiveness?

Action point: On a piece of paper, ask God to show you all the sins He wants you to confess. As they come to your mind, write them down. When no more sins come to mind, write 1 John 1:9 across them. Then know for sure that ALL your sins are forgiven. If you start feeling guilty about them again, know that it is the Enemy harassing you. God won’t convict you of those sins again.

Then ask Jesus to come into your life and be the director of your life from now on.

“Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.”

If you sin again, confess that sin and claim His forgiveness. You may find the article, “Spiritual Oxygen” helpful.

Thoughts by All thoughts by Charles Spurgeon Thoughts by Men

Published July 18, 2016

God the Covenant-Keeper

“I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.” Genesis 9:15

Notice the form of the promise. God does not say, “And when you remember and follow My covenant, then I will not destroy the earth.” What God actually said was “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” (Genesis 9:12-13) The covenant depends not on our memory, which is fickle and frail, but on God’s memory, which is infinite and unchangeable.

It is not my remembering God, it is God’s remembering me which forms the foundation of my security. It is not my laying hold of His covenant, but His covenant’s laying hold on me. Glory be to God! Our salvation is secured by divine power, and even the minor aspects, which we may imagine might have been left to us, are guarded by His almighty strength.

Even the remembrance of the covenant is not left to our memories, for we might forget! But our Lord cannot forget the saints, whose names He has written on the palms of His hands. He is with us as He was with Israel in Egypt; the blood was on the door frames, but the Lord did not say, “When you see the blood I will pass over you,” but “When I see the blood I will pass over you.” (Exodus 12:13)

Looking to Jesus brings me joy and peace, but it is God’s looking to Jesus which secures my salvation and that of all His children. It is impossible for God to look at Christ (our bleeding Savior) and then to be angry with us for sins already punished in Him. No, it is not left with us to be saved by remembering the covenant. It is not upheld by our own effort, but of the Lord alone.

We should remember the covenant, and so we resolve do it through divine grace instead of our own power. But the hinge of our safety does not hang there. It is God’s remembering us, and hence the covenant is a beautiful and everlasting covenant.

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon, Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2011.

Photo credit: John McSporran; https://www.flickr.com/photos/127130111@N06/ Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

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Praise God for All He has Done

Published November 26, 2015

Praise God for All He has Done

“Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” Psalm 103:2

It is delightful and profitable to observe how the hand of God was upon the lives of ancient saints, to see His goodness deliver them, see His mercy pardon them, and see His faithfulness keep His covenant with them.

But isn’t it even more delightful and profitable for us to remember the hand of God working in our own lives? We should look back at our own history as being at least as full of God, as full of His goodness and of His truth, as the lives of any of the saints who have gone before. We do our Lord an injustice when we presume that He performed all His mighty acts for those in the past, but doesn’t perform wonders for us today.

Let’s review our own lives. Surely we will discover some happy incidents which are both refreshing to ourselves and glorifying to God.

Has God delivered you from trouble? Have you passed safely through rivers, supported by the divine presence? Have you walked through proverbial fires unharmed?

Remember, this is the God who gave Solomon the desire of his heart. Hasn’t He also often heard and answered your requests? This is the God of beautiful outpourings about whom David sang, “Who satisfies your desires with good things.” Has He never satiated you with blessing? Have you never been made to lie down in green pastures? Have you never been led by the still waters?

Surely the goodness of God has been the same to us as to the saints of the past. Let us then weave His mercies into a song. Let us take the pure gold of thankfulness, and the jewels of praise and make them into another crown for the head of Jesus. Let our souls make sweet music, music that is as exhilarating as that which came from David’s harp, while we praise the Lord whose mercy endures forever!

Question: How has God delivered you, personally?

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2008.

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Hard Hearted

Published September 23, 2015

Hard Hearted

“All the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.” Ezekiel 3:7 (KJV)

Are there any exceptions to being “impudent and hardhearted“? No, not even one. Even God’s chosen people are described this way.

If the “best” are this bad, then what about the “worst”? My friend, consider how you share in this universal accusation, and when you examine yourself, be ready to honestly assess your own guilt.

The first charge is impudence, or being “stubborn” (NLT). Before my conversion, I could sin and feel no conviction, hear of my guilt and remain unhumbled, and even freely admit my evil and feel no humiliation. When an unrepentant sinner goes to God’s house and pretends to pray to Him and praise Him, that’s hypocrisy of the worst kind!

Even after the day I was reborn, I have doubted my Lord to His face, murmured unashamed in His presence, worshiped before Him in an unworthy manner, and even sinned without repenting. If I weren’t so impudent and stubborn, I would have much more holy fear, and much deeper conviction of my spirit. I admit I am just like those in the impudent house of ancient Israel.

The second charge is “hardheartedness“, and I can’t plead innocence here either. Once I had nothing but a heart of stone, and although through grace I now have a new heart, much of my former obstinacy remains. I’m not moved by the death of Jesus as I ought to be. And I’m also not moved enough by the sin of my fellow human beings, the wickedness of our world, the attacks of doubters against my heavenly Father, and my own failures.

I wish I were rid of this ball and chain of hardheartedness within me, and I pray that my heart would melt at the recital of my Savior’s sufferings and death. This is why I must gladly proclaim

“Blessed be the name of the Lord“, because this disease of the heart is not incurable. The Savior’s precious blood can render you clean, and even me it will effectually soften, until my heart is fully modest and entirely compassionate, like that of our Savior Himself.

Question: What is a favorite verse or passage of the Bible that gives you comfort when you feel the (very real) conviction of your own sin?

By Charles H Spurgeon
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2009

Thoughts by All thoughts by Charles Spurgeon Thoughts by Men

Made Blameless

Published April 14, 2015

Made Blameless

“Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?” Romans 8:33

What a wonderful challenge! It’s wonderful because it’s totally unanswerable. Every sin of those whom God has chosen was laid upon Jesus, the great Champion of our salvation, and by His atonement carried away.

There is no sin in God’s book against His people. He sees no sin in Jacob, and no immorality in Israel, because they are wiped clean of their sin forever through in Christ. When the guilt of sin was taken away, the punishment for sin was also removed. For the Christian there will be no angry rebuke from God’s hand; no, not so much as a single frown of vengeful justice. The believer may be scolded by his Father, but God as Judge has nothing to say to the Christian, except ‘I have absolved you: you are acquitted.’

For the Christian there will be no ‘capital punishment’ from God in this world, much less any second death. A follower of Christ is completely freed from all punishment as well as the guilt and power of sin.

Sin may stand in our way, and frustrate us with its constant warfare, but sin is a conquered foe for every soul who walks with Jesus. A Christian can overcome any and every sin if they rely upon God to do it. Those who wear a white robe in heaven overcame through the blood of the Lamb, and we may do the same.

No lust is too mighty, no tempting sin too strongly entrenched. We can overcome it through the power of Christ. Your sin is a condemned thing. It may kick and struggle, but it is doomed to die. God has written condemnation across its brow and Christ has crucified it, ‘nailing it to His cross.’ Go now and renounce it, and the will Lord help you to live to His praise, for sin with all its guilt, shame, and fear, is gone.

Question: How do our sometimes valid feelings of guilt relate to our being made

By Charles H Spurgeon
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2008.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2015/04/14/cs_made-blameless/

Thoughts by All thoughts by Charles Spurgeon Thoughts by Men

Perseverance in the Evening

Published October 11, 2014

Perseverance in the Evening

“And there was evening, and there was morning – the first day.” Genesis 1:5

Even in the beginning, did light and darkness divide the realm of time in the first day? From today’s scripture reading we can see that it did. Therefore it’s little wonder that we also have changes in our circumstances, wavering from the sunshine of prosperity to the midnight of adversity. My world will not always blaze brightly like the sun of noon. I must expect, at times, to mourn the absence of my former joys, and seek my Beloved God in the night.

I am not alone in this, for all the Lord’s beloved ones have had to sing the blended song of judgment and of mercy, of trial and deliverance, of sadness and of delight. It is God’s foresight that day and night will not disappear, either in the spiritual or natural creation, until we reach the land of which it is written, “there is no night there.” What our heavenly Father prepares for us is wise and good.

What, my friend, is it best for you to do? First learn to be content with God’s providence, and be willing, with Job, to receive from the hand of the Lord as He choose, both in the morning and the evening.

Next, study God’s Word and train yourself to make both the morning and the evening opportunities to rejoice. Praise the Lord for the sun of joy when it rises, and for the gloom of evening as it falls, because there is beauty both in sunrise and sunset. Sing of it like the nightingale, and glorify the Lord at all hours. Believe that the night is as useful as the day.

The dews of grace fall heavily in the night of sorrow. The stars of promise shine gloriously amid the darkness of grief. Continue your service in all situations. If in the day you work, at night instead work at quiet contemplation and meditation on God’s Word. Every hour has its purpose, so continue in your calling as the Lord’s servant until He suddenly appears in His glory.

My friend, even if your evening of old age and death is drawing near, do not dread it in the least, for it is part of the day, and the Lord has promised to protect and love you all the day long.

Question: Are you going through an “evening” right now? Where will you turn for support and comfort?

By Charles H. Spurgeon
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2008

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2014/10/11/cs_perseverance-in-the-evening/

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Share with a Friend

Would you take just a moment to prayerfully consider sending this to two friends who might be blessed by what we’ve shared today? If you received this issue from a friend, you can join our list at www.thoughts-about-god.com/blog/

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Would you take just a moment to prayerfully consider sending this to two friends who might be blessed by what we’ve shared today? If you received this issue from a friend, you can join our list at www.thoughts-about-god.com/blog/

Brought to you by www.thoughts-about-god.com

Would you take just a moment to prayerfully consider sending this to two friends who might be blessed by what we’ve shared today?
If you received this issue from a friend, you can join our list at www.thoughts-about-god.com/blog/

Would you take just a moment to prayerfully consider sending this to two friends who might be blessed by what we’ve shared today?
If you received this issue from a friend, you can join our list at www.thoughts-about-god.com/blog/