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Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

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Morning  “A spring shut up, a fountain sealed.” / Song of Solomon 4:12

In this metaphor, which has reference to the inner life of a believer, we have

very plainly the idea of secrecy. It is a spring shut up: just as there were

springs in the East, over which an edifice was built, so that none could reach

them save those who knew the secret entrance; so is the heart of a believer

when it is renewed by grace: there is a mysterious life within which no human

skill can touch. It is a secret which no other man knoweth; nay, which the

very man who is the possessor of it cannot tell to his neighbour. The text

includes not only secrecy, but separation. It is not the common spring, of

which every passer-by may drink, it is one kept and preserved from all others;

it is a fountain bearing a particular mark–a king’s royal seal, so that all

can perceive that it is not a common fountain, but a fountain owned by a

proprietor, and placed specially by itself alone. So is it with the spiritual

life. The chosen of God were separated in the eternal decree; they were

separated by God in the day of redemption; and they are separated by the

possession of a life which others have not; and it is impossible for them to

feel at home with the world, or to delight in its pleasures. There is also the

idea of sacredness. The spring shut up is preserved for the use of some

special person: and such is the Christian’s heart. It is a spring kept for

Jesus. Every Christian should feel that he has God’s seal upon him–and he

should be able to say with Paul, “From henceforth let no man trouble me, for I

bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” Another idea is prominent–it is

that of security. Oh! how sure and safe is the inner life of the believer! If

all the powers of earth and hell could combine against it, that immortal

principle must still exist, for he who gave it pledged his life for its

preservation. And who “is he that shall harm you,” when God is your protector?

 

Evening  “Thou art from everlasting.” / Psalm 93:2

Christ is Everlasting. Of him we may sing with David, “Thy throne, O God, is

forever and ever.” Rejoice, believer, in Jesus Christ, the same yesterday,

today, and forever. Jesus always was. The Babe born in Bethlehem was united to

the Word, which was in the beginning, by whom all things were made. The title

by which Christ revealed himself to John in Patmos was, “Him which is, and

which was, and which is to come.” If he were not God from everlasting, we

could not so devoutly love him; we could not feel that he had any share in the

eternal love which is the fountain of all covenant blessings; but since he was

from all eternity with the Father, we trace the stream of divine love to

himself equally with his Father and the blessed Spirit. As our Lord always

was, so also he is for evermore. Jesus is not dead; “He ever liveth to make

intercession for us.” Resort to him in all your times of need, for he is

waiting to bless you still. Moreover, Jesus our Lord ever shall be. If God

should spare your life to fulfil your full day of threescore years and ten,

you will find that his cleansing fountain is still opened, and his precious

blood has not lost its power; you shall find that the Priest who filled the

healing fount with his own blood, lives to purge you from all iniquity. When

only your last battle remains to be fought, you shall find that the hand of

your conquering Captain has not grown feeble–the living Saviour shall cheer

the dying saint. When you enter heaven you shall find him there bearing the

dew of his youth; and through eternity the Lord Jesus shall still remain the

perennial spring of joy, and life, and glory to his people. Living waters may

you draw from this sacred well! Jesus always was, he always is, he always

shall be. He is eternal in all his attributes, in all his offices, in all his

might, and willingness to bless, comfort, guard, and crown his chosen people.

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The Problem of Unmet Needs

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Psalm 84:11-12

If the Lord has promised to provide and is able, why doesn’t He always meet our needs when we ask? Since He’s completely faithful to His Word, the problem is obviously with us, not Him. In today’s passage, His promise of provision has a condition–it’s given to “those who walk uprightly” (v. 11). So if God isn’t providing for our needs as we think He should, He may have a different plan for us. But we should also examine our lives for possible hindrances.

Sin. One reason our prayers may not be answered is because we’ve allowed sin in our lives and are not walking uprightly. If the Lord ignored disobedience and granted our requests, He’d be affirming a sinful lifestyle.

Laziness. Another possible explanation for unmet needs is that we haven’t done our part. Although God is the ultimate source of all we have, He’s given us the responsibility to work in order to provide basic necessities (2 Thess. 3:10-11). If you’re an able-bodied person who’s unwilling to work and wants something for nothing, the Lord is not going to reinforce your laziness.

Desires. Perhaps God hasn’t provided as you expected because your “needs” are really desires. If He knows that what you want won’t fulfill His plans for your life, He will withhold it in order to provide something better.

To avoid disappointment with God, understand that His actions and character always align. He won’t reward rebellion or laziness, and His answers to prayer fit with His goal of conforming us to Christ’s image. If He’s withholding something you deem essential, He’s working something even better for you.

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The Value of Discernment

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Proverbs 2:1-11

If you made a list of the things you want most in life, would a discerning spirit be one of them? The Lord places a high value on this attribute and wants all of us to have it. If we don’t, we’ll make wrong choices because we won’t understand situations clearly.

Discernment is the ability to make sound judgments by perceiving what is not readily obvious. For example, can you tell the difference between legalism and liberty? God calls each of us to live according to our personal convictions, but not all of them are moral mandates for every believer. We should be able to determine the difference between the two.

Another area that requires discernment is distinguishing good from best. God has the perfect plan for each of us; however, there are a multitude of good options before us. For instance, suppose you’re offered two different jobs. They both look promising, but only one of them is God’s best for you. Do you know how to determine His will?

It’s obvious from these two examples that our most basic need for discernment involves being able to understand what God is saying to us. When you’re faced with a decision, how do you know if you’re hearing from the Lord or simply listening to your own desires or reasoning?

The time to develop discernment is now. Don’t wait until a critical decision comes. Begin today to fill your mind with God’s Word so you can think His thoughts and understand His ways. Spend time with Him in intimate fellowship. The more you know Him, the better you can discern His voice.

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Stepping out in Faith

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“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Heb. 11:8).

Abraham is the classic example of the life of faith. As the father of the Jewish nation, he was the most strategic example of faith available to the writer of Hebrews. But the people to whom Hebrews was written needed to understand that Abraham was more than the father of their race; he also was, by example, the father of everyone who lives by faith in God (Rom. 4:11).

Contrary to popular first-century Jewish thought, God didn’t choose Abraham because he was righteous in himself. When called by God, Abraham was a sinful man living in an idolatrous society. His home was in the Chaldean city of Ur, which was located in ancient Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

God’s call to Abraham is recorded in Genesis 12:1-3: “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Note Abraham’s response: “So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him” (v. 4). He listened, trusted, and obeyed. His pilgrimage of faith began when he separated himself from the pleasures of a pagan land to pursue God’s plan for his life.

So it is with you if you’re a man or woman of true faith. You’ve forsaken sinful pleasures to follow Christ. And as your love for Christ increases, there’s a corresponding decrease in worldly desires.

I pray your focus will continually be on fulfilling God’s will for your life, and that you’ll always know the joy and assurance that comes from following Him.

Suggestions for Prayer:  Ask God for the grace and spiritual fortitude to walk by faith today.

For Further Study: Memorize 1 John 2:15 as a reminder to remain separate from the world.

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Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

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Morning “The Lord is my portion, saith my soul.” / Lamentations 3:24

It is not “The Lord is partly my portion,” nor “The Lord is in my portion”;

but he himself makes up the sum total of my soul’s inheritance. Within the

circumference of that circle lies all that we possess or desire. The Lord is

my portion. Not his grace merely, nor his love, nor his covenant, but Jehovah

himself. He has chosen us for his portion, and we have chosen him for ours. It

is true that the Lord must first choose our inheritance for us, or else we

shall never choose it for ourselves; but if we are really called according to

the purpose of electing love, we can sing–

 

“Lov’d of my God for him again

With love intense I burn;

Chosen of him ere time began,

I choose him in return.”

 

The Lord is our all-sufficient portion. God fills himself; and if God is

all-sufficient in himself, he must be all- sufficient for us. It is not easy

to satisfy man’s desires. When he dreams that he is satisfied, anon he wakes

to the perception that there is somewhat yet beyond, and straightway the

horse-leech in his heart cries, “Give, give.” But all that we can wish for is

to be found in our divine portion, so that we ask, “Whom have I in heaven but

thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.” Well may we

“delight ourselves in the Lord” who makes us to drink of the river of his

pleasures. Our faith stretches her wings and mounts like an eagle into the

heaven of divine love as to her proper dwelling-place. “The lines have fallen

to us in pleasant places; yea, we have a goodly heritage.” Let us rejoice in

the Lord always; let us show to the world that we are a happy and a blessed

people, and thus induce them to exclaim, “We will go with you, for we have

heard that God is with you.”

 

Evening   “Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty.” / Isaiah 33:17

The more you know about Christ the less will you be satisfied with superficial

views of him; and the more deeply you study his transactions in the eternal

covenant, his engagements on your behalf as the eternal Surety, and the

fulness of his grace which shines in all his offices, the more truly will you

see the King in his beauty. Be much in such outlooks. Long more and more to

see Jesus. Meditation and contemplation are often like windows of agate, and

gates of carbuncle, through which we behold the Redeemer. Meditation puts the

telescope to the eye, and enables us to see Jesus after a better sort than we

could have seen him if we had lived in the days of his flesh. Would that our

conversation were more in heaven, and that we were more taken up with the

person, the work, the beauty of our incarnate Lord. More meditation, and the

beauty of the King would flash upon us with more resplendence. Beloved, it is

very probable that we shall have such a sight of our glorious King as we never

had before, when we come to die. Many saints in dying have looked up from

amidst the stormy waters, and have seen Jesus walking on the waves of the sea,

and heard him say, “It is I, be not afraid.” Ah, yes! when the tenement begins

to shake, and the clay falls away, we see Christ through the rifts, and

between the rafters the sunlight of heaven comes streaming in. But if we want

to see face to face the “King in his beauty” we must go to heaven for the

sight, or the King must come here in person. O that he would come on the wings

of the wind! He is our Husband, and we are widowed by his absence; he is our

Brother dear and fair, and we are lonely without him. Thick veils and clouds

hang between our souls and their true life: when shall the day break and the

shadows flee away? Oh, long-expected day, begin!

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That Long-Expected Day

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Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty.    Isaiah 33:17

The more you know about Christ, the less will you be satisfied with superficial views of Him; and the more deeply you study His transactions in the eternal covenant, His engagements on your behalf as the eternal Security, and the fullness of His grace that shines in all His offices, the more truly will you see the King in His beauty. Learn to look at Him this way. Long increasingly to see Jesus.

Meditation and contemplation are often like windows of gold and gates of silver through which we behold the Redeemer. Meditation puts the telescope to the eye and enables us to see Jesus in a better fashion than we could have seen Him if we had lived in the days of His earthly sojourn. Our conversation ought to be more in heaven, and we should be more taken up with the person, the work, the beauty of our incarnate Lord. More meditation, and the beauty of the King would flash upon us with more splendor.

Beloved, it is very probable that we will have such a sight of our glorious King as we never had before when we come to die. Many saints in dying have looked up from amidst the stormy waters and have seen Jesus walking on the waves of the sea and heard Him say, “It is I—do not be afraid.” Yes, when the building begins to shake, and the mortar falls away, we will see Christ through the studs, and between the rafters the sunlight of heaven will come streaming in. But if we want to see the King face to face in all His beauty, we must go to heaven for the sight or the King must come here in person.

If only He would come on the wings of the wind! He is our Husband, and we are widowed by His absence; He is our fair and faithful Brother, and we are lonely without Him. Thick veils and clouds hang between our souls and their true life: When will the day break and the shadows run away? Let the long-expected day begin!

Family Reading Plan       Amos 5        Luke 1:1-38

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The Power of a Discerning Spirit

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Hebrews 5:11-14

In a world filled with endless sources of information and opinions, believers need to develop a discerning spirit. Otherwise, how will we know what is true? Much of what we see and hear is based on a worldly perspective that is influenced by Satan, the Father of Lies. Deception is found even in the religious realm: cults mix lies with enough truth to make some people consider them legitimate Christian institutions.

The only way believers can guard against deception is to ground themselves in God’s Word. The more time you spend filling your mind with the Lord’s thoughts, the more discerning you will be. However, just knowing biblical truth isn’t enough. You must put what you learn into practice so that it becomes more than head knowledge.

The goal is to let God’s Word become such an integral part of your thinking that it guides all your decisions. Even if the situation you’re facing isn’t specifically addressed in the Bible, scriptural principles provide the needed wisdom for every choice. In addition, the Holy Spirit was given to each believer as a Helper, whose job is to guide you into all the truth (John 14:26; 16:13). However, your responsibility is to put God’s Word into your mind so that He can bring it to your remembrance. If you neglect the Word, you’ll lack discernment.

What are you allowing into your mind? Is Scripture high in your priorities? Unless you’re careful, worldly thinking will overpower spiritual discernment. It’s difficult to keep God’s perspective in the forefront if you spend two or three hours in front of the television and only ten minutes in the Bible.

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Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

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Morning  “The Lord’s portion is his people.” / Deuteronomy 32:9

How are they his? By his own sovereign choice. He chose them, and set his love

upon them. This he did altogether apart from any goodness in them at the time,

or any goodness which he foresaw in them. He had mercy on whom he would have

mercy, and ordained a chosen company unto eternal life; thus, therefore, are

they his by his unconstrained election.

They are not only his by choice, but by purchase. He has bought and paid for

them to the utmost farthing, hence about his title there can be no dispute.

Not with corruptible things, as with silver and gold, but with the precious

blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord’s portion has been fully redeemed.

There is no mortgage on his estate; no suits can be raised by opposing

claimants, the price was paid in open court, and the Church is the Lord’s

freehold forever. See the blood-mark upon all the chosen, invisible to human

eye, but known to Christ, for “the Lord knoweth them that are his”; he

forgetteth none of those whom he has redeemed from among men; he counts the

sheep for whom he laid down his life, and remembers well the Church for which

he gave himself.

They are also his by conquest. What a battle he had in us before we would be

won! How long he laid siege to our hearts! How often he sent us terms of

capitulation! but we barred our gates, and fenced our walls against him. Do we

not remember that glorious hour when he carried our hearts by storm? When he

placed his cross against the wall, and scaled our ramparts, planting on our

strongholds the blood-red flag of his omnipotent mercy? Yes, we are, indeed,

the conquered captives of his omnipotent love. Thus chosen, purchased, and

subdued, the rights of our divine possessor are inalienable: we rejoice that

we never can be our own; and we desire, day by day, to do his will, and to

show forth his glory.

 

Evening  “Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.” / Psalm 68:28

It is our wisdom, as well as our necessity, to beseech God continually to

strengthen that which he has wrought in us. It is because of their neglect in

this, that many Christians may blame themselves for those trials and

afflictions of spirit which arise from unbelief. It is true that Satan seeks

to flood the fair garden of the heart and make it a scene of desolation, but

it is also true that many Christians leave open the sluice-gates themselves,

and let in the dreadful deluge through carelessness and want of prayer to

their strong Helper. We often forget that the Author of our faith must be the

Preserver of it also. The lamp which was burning in the temple was never

allowed to go out, but it had to be daily replenished with fresh oil; in like

manner, our faith can only live by being sustained with the oil of grace, and

we can only obtain this from God himself. Foolish virgins we shall prove, if

we do not secure the needed sustenance for our lamps. He who built the world

upholds it, or it would fall in one tremendous crash; he who made us

Christians must maintain us by his Spirit, or our ruin will be speedy and

final. Let us, then, evening by evening, go to our Lord for the grace and

strength we need. We have a strong argument to plead, for it is his own work

of grace which we ask him to strengthen–“that which thou hast wrought for

us.” Think you he will fail to protect and sustain that? Only let your faith

take hold of his strength, and all the powers of darkness, led on by the

master fiend of hell, cannot cast a cloud or shadow over your joy and peace.

Why faint when you may be strong? Why suffer defeat when you may conquer? Oh!

take your wavering faith and drooping graces to him who can revive and

replenish them, and earnestly pray, “Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast

wrought for us.”

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Victory Over Guilt

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John 3:16-17

At times, people are bound by guilt long after the feeling should have been resolved. Some rightly live with it because they refuse to give up the sin that brought it on. Meanwhile, others suffer the weight of false guilt because they harbor shame that doesn’t belong to them. Whatever the root cause of your condemnation, the battle plan remains the same.

Victory over guilt begins with understanding that Jesus took our shame to the cross and paid our penalty. There is no way that we can pay for our own sin. But we do need to honestly identify the source of our guilt and confess before God. That means we agree with His perspective on what we’ve done. In other words, we admit when we’re wrong. Repentance goes a step further: we turn away from the wrong and choose to do right.

Confronting guilt in this way replaces the weight of shame in our heart with peace and joy, which are far lighter and more freeing. And an amazing side effect is that we have wisdom to share. Openness about our past mistakes, resulting consequences, guilt burdens, and forgiveness can reveal the Lord to those in our sphere of influence. Through our witness, God may reach others who need their guilt chains broken.

The battle to overcome guilt is one that should not be delayed. The feeling won’t just go away. Whether your condemnation is true or false, it needs to be dealt with quickly. Stop running, and face the source of your guilt. It’s time to end your captivity and start walking in the joy of God’s blessing.

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Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

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Morning  “I will cut off them that worship and that swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham.” / Zephaniah 1:5

Such persons thought themselves safe because they were with both parties: they

went with the followers of Jehovah, and bowed at the same time to Malcham. But

duplicity is abominable with God, and hypocrisy his soul hateth. The idolater

who distinctly gives himself to his false god, has one sin less than he who

brings his polluted and detestable sacrifice unto the temple of the Lord,

while his heart is with the world and the sins thereof. To hold with the hare

and run with the hounds, is a dastard’s policy. In the common matters of daily

life, a double- minded man is despised, but in religion he is loathsome to the

last degree. The penalty pronounced in the verse before us is terrible, but it

is well deserved; for how should divine justice spare the sinner, who knows

the right, approves it, and professes to follow it, and all the while loves

the evil, and gives it dominion in his heart?

 

My soul, search thyself this morning, and see whether thou art guilty of

double-dealing. Thou professest to be a follower of Jesus–dost thou truly

love him? Is thy heart right with God? Art thou of the family of old Father

Honest, or art thou a relative of Mr. By-ends? A name to live is of little

value if I be indeed dead in trespasses and sins. To have one foot on the land

of truth, and another on the sea of falsehood, will involve a terrible fall

and a total ruin. Christ will be all or nothing. God fills the whole universe,

and hence there is no room for another god; if, then, he reigns in my heart,

there will be no space for another reigning power. Do I rest alone on Jesus

crucified, and live alone for him? Is it my desire to do so? Is my heart set

upon so doing? If so, blessed be the mighty grace which has led me to

salvation; and if not so, O Lord, pardon my sad offence, and unite my heart to

fear thy name.

 

Evening   “And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger

before the firstborn.” / Genesis 29:26

 

We do not excuse Laban for his dishonesty, but we scruple not to learn from

the custom which he quoted as his excuse. There are some things which must be

taken in order, and if we would win the second we must secure the first. The

second may be the more lovely in our eyes, but the rule of the heavenly

country must stand, and the elder must be married first. For instance, many

men desire the beautiful and well-favoured Rachel of joy and peace in

believing, but they must first be wedded to the tender-eyed Leah of

repentance. Every one falls in love with happiness, and many would cheerfully

serve twice seven years to enjoy it, but according to the rule of the Lord’s

kingdom, the Leah of real holiness must be beloved of our soul before the

Rachel of true happiness can be attained. Heaven stands not first but second,

and only by persevering to the end can we win a portion in it. The cross must

be carried before the crown can be worn. We must follow our Lord in his

humiliation, or we shall never rest with him in glory.

 

My soul, what sayest thou, art thou so vain as to hope to break through the

heavenly rule? Dost thou hope for reward without labour, or honour without

toil? Dismiss the idle expectation, and be content to take the ill-favoured

things for the sake of the sweet love of Jesus, which will recompense thee for

all. In such a spirit, labouring and suffering, thou wilt find bitters grow

sweet, and hard things easy. Like Jacob, thy years of service will seem unto

thee but a few days for the love thou hast to Jesus; and when the dear hour of

the wedding feast shall come, all thy toils shall be as though they had never

been–an hour with Jesus will make up for ages of pain and labour.

 

Jesus, to win thyself so fair,

 

Thy cross I will with gladness bear:

 

Since so the rules of heaven ordain,

 

The first I’ll wed the next to gain.

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The Heavenly Rule

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Laban said, ‘It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.’

Genesis 29:26

We do not excuse Laban for his dishonesty, but we are wrong not to learn from the custom that he quoted as his excuse. There are some things that must be taken in order, and if we would win the second we must secure the first. The second may be the more lovely in our eyes, but the rule of the heavenly country must stand, and the elder must be married first. For instance, many men desire the beautiful and well-favored Rachel of joy and peace in believing, but they must first be married to the tender-eyed Leah of repentance. Everyone falls in love with happiness, and many would cheerfully work for fourteen years to enjoy it; but according to the rule of the Lord’s kingdom, the Leah of real holiness must be loved in our soul before the Rachel of true happiness can be attained. Heaven stands not first but second, and only by persevering to the end can we win a portion in it. The cross must be carried before the crown can be worn. We must follow our Lord in His humiliation or we will never rest with Him in glory.

My soul, what do you say—are you so vain as to hope to be an exception to the heavenly rule? Do you hope for reward without work, or honor without endeavor? Dismiss the idle expectation, and be content with the despised things for the sake of the sweet love of Jesus, which will more than repay you. In such a spirit, working and suffering, you will find afflictions grow sweet and hard things easy. Like Jacob, your years of service will seem like only a few days on account of the love you have for Jesus; and when the dear hour of the wedding feast shall come, all your toils will be as though they never happened—an hour with Jesus will make up for years of pain and toil.

 

Jesus, to win Thyself so fair,

Thy cross I will with gladness bear:

Since so the rules of heaven ordain,

The first I’ll wed the next to gain.

Family Reading Plan       Amos 3      Psalm 147

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Understanding Guilt

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John 8:1-11

Guilt over doing something that violates the conscience is a normal emotion. However, living under a cloud of remorse for no discernible reason is not. The Lord designed feelings of culpability and regret to serve as a reminder that a person has done wrong and needs to repent. But Satan twists those emotions to imprison men and women: those living in shame are uncertain of God’s love and often lack self-confidence.

Good guilt–the Lord’s effective tool for prompting repentance–is a gift that helps us find the right path. However, the Devil encourages false guilt, which involves taking responsibility for things outside our control and then suffering self-condemnation for not changing the outcome. This unhealthy type of guilt is also a widespread problem for those in legalistic churches or lifestyles–certain behaviors or thoughts are labeled as wrong, and then people feel ashamed for doing or thinking those things.

Self-condemnation stunts a relationship with Jesus. Instead of enjoying the peace of God, people who are trapped by shame fear His rejection and feel driven to prove their worth. Trust is nearly impossible because they are waiting for God’s judgment to rain down. Their guilt even colors how they see themselves: rather than saying, “My action is wrong,” they say, “I am bad.”

Jesus did not come to accuse or condemn us. Christ restored our souls and made us righteous before God so that our guilt is removed. If our Savior forgave the woman caught in an adulterous relationship, just imagine how ready He is to take your shame away too (John 8:11).

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Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

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Morning   “The branch cannot bear fruit of itself.” / John 15:4

How did you begin to bear fruit? It was when you came to Jesus and cast

yourselves on his great atonement, and rested on his finished righteousness.

Ah! what fruit you had then! Do you remember those early days? Then indeed the

vine flourished, the tender grape appeared, the pomegranates budded forth, and

the beds of spices gave forth their smell. Have you declined since then? If

you have, we charge you to remember that time of love, and repent, and do thy

first works. Be most in those engagements which you have experimentally proved

to draw you nearest to Christ, because it is from him that all your fruits

proceed. Any holy exercise which will bring you to him will help you to bear

fruit. The sun is, no doubt, a great worker in fruit-creating among the trees

of the orchard: and Jesus is still more so among the trees of his garden of

grace. When have you been the most fruitless? Has not it been when you have

lived farthest from the Lord Jesus Christ, when you have slackened in prayer,

when you have departed from the simplicity of your faith, when your graces

have engrossed your attention instead of your Lord, when you have said, “My

mountain standeth firm, I shall never be moved”; and have forgotten where your

strength dwells–has not it been then that your fruit has ceased? Some of us

have been taught that we have nothing out of Christ, by terrible abasements of

heart before the Lord; and when we have seen the utter barrenness and death of

all creature power, we have cried in anguish, “From him all my fruit must be

found, for no fruit can ever come from me.” We are taught, by past experience,

that the more simply we depend upon the grace of God in Christ, and wait upon

the Holy Spirit, the more we shall bring forth fruit unto God. Oh! to trust

Jesus for fruit as well as for life.

 

Evening “Men ought always to pray.” / Luke 18:1

If men ought always to pray and not to faint, much more Christian men. Jesus

has sent his church into the world on the same errand upon which he himself

came, and this mission includes intercession. What if I say that the church is

the world’s priest? Creation is dumb, but the church is to find a mouth for

it. It is the church’s high privilege to pray with acceptance. The door of

grace is always open for her petitions, and they never return empty-handed.

The veil was rent for her, the blood was sprinkled upon the altar for her, God

constantly invites her to ask what she wills. Will she refuse the privilege

which angels might envy her? Is she not the bride of Christ? May she not go in

unto her King at every hour? Shall she allow the precious privilege to be

unused? The church always has need for prayer. There are always some in her

midst who are declining, or falling into open sin. There are lambs to be

prayed for, that they may be carried in Christ’s bosom? the strong, lest they

grow presumptuous; and the weak, lest they become despairing. If we kept up

prayer-meetings four-and-twenty hours in the day, all the days in the year, we

might never be without a special subject for supplication. Are we ever without

the sick and the poor, the afflicted and the wavering? Are we ever without

those who seek the conversion of relatives, the reclaiming of back-sliders, or

the salvation of the depraved? Nay, with congregations constantly gathering,

with ministers always preaching, with millions of sinners lying dead in

trespasses and sins; in a country over which the darkness of Romanism is

certainly descending; in a world full of idols, cruelties, devilries, if the

church doth not pray, how shall she excuse her base neglect of the commission

of her loving Lord? Let the church be constant in supplication, let every

private believer cast his mite of prayer into the treasury.

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The Church’s Special Privilege

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And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray.    Luke 18:1

Jesus has sent His Church into the world on the same errand upon which He Himself came, and this mission includes intercession. What if I say that the Church is the world’s priest? Creation is dumb, but the Church finds a mouth for it. It is the Church’s high privilege to pray with acceptance. The door of grace is always open for her petitions, and they never return empty-handed. The curtain was torn for her; the blood was sprinkled upon the altar for her; God constantly invites her to bring her requests. Will she refuse the privilege that angels might envy? Is she not the bride of Christ? Can she not approach her King at any hour? Will she allow the precious privilege to be unused?

The Church always needs to pray. There are always some among her who are declining or falling into open sin. There are lambs to be prayed for, that they may be carried in Christ’s bosom; the strong, lest they grow presumptuous; and the weak, lest they become despairing. If we kept up prayer-meetings twenty-four hours a day all the days in the year, we might never be without a special subject for supplication.

Is there ever a time when no one is sick or poor or afflicted or wavering? Is there ever a time when we do not seek the conversion of relatives, the reclaiming of backsliders, or the salvation of the lost? With congregations constantly gathering, with ministers always preaching, with millions of sinners lying dead in trespasses and sins—in a country over which the darkness of religious formalism is certainly descending—in a world full of idols, cruelties, devils—if the Church does not pray, how will she excuse her neglect of the commission of her loving Lord? Let the Church be constant in supplication; let every private believer give himself to the ministry of prayer.

Family Reading Plan    Amos 2       Psalm 145

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Victory Over Unforgiveness

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Daniel 6:1-28

Immediately after teaching His followers to pray, Jesus gave a warning about allowing unforgiveness to reside in the heart. He said that those who refuse to forgive others won’t be forgiven by the Father.

Do not misunderstand Jesus’ meaning here. Believers don’t lose their salvation when they refuse to forgive. Rather, they break fellowship with God because their unrepentant attitude gets in the way of regular confession and repentance. The Lord cannot ignore sin, and His Spirit will bring wrong behavior to the believer’s attention until he or she deals with it.

Forgiveness is an act of the will more than an act of the heart. Often people don’t feel like being merciful to someone who has wronged them. But a resentful spirit grows into a terrible burden. The Lord knows that forgiveness is best, even when it is difficult.

You won’t deal with a sin until you see it as God does. So assume full responsibility for your unforgiving attitude, and acknowledge that it is a violation of His Word. Claim the divine mercy He offers, and ask Him to enable you to lay aside anger and resentment against the other person(s). As part of the decision to move forward in grace, make a habit of praying for those who hurt you. And if God so leads, seek their forgiveness for your wrong attitude.

A bitter and resentful spirit doesn’t fit who we are in Christ. Nor is it healthy to carry an angry attitude through life. That’s why Scripture emphasizes the need to forgive. Choose to be liberated from your burden–Jesus promised to make us free when we release our sins to Him (John 8:36).

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Christ’s Example

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In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.

Luke 6:12

If ever a man might have lived without prayer, it was our spotless, perfect Lord, and yet no one ever prayed as much as He! His love for His Father was such that He loved to be in communion with Him. His love for His people was such that He desired to be regularly interceding for them.

The fact that Jesus placed such importance on prayer is a lesson for us—He has given us an example that we may follow in His steps. The time He chose was admirable—it was the hour of silence when the crowd would not disturb Him, the time of inaction when everyone else had stopped work, and the season when sleep made men forget their difficulties and stop applying to Him for relief. While others found rest in sleep, He refreshed Himself with prayer. The place was also well selected. He was alone where none would intrude, where none could observe: And so He was free from Pharisaic ostentation and vulgar interruption. Those dark and silent hills provided a suitable prayer chapel for the Son of God. Heaven and earth in midnight stillness heard the groans and sighs of the mysterious Being in whom both worlds were blended.

The continuance of His pleadings is remarkable: The passing hours were not too long; the cold wind did not chill His devotions; the grim darkness did not cloud His faith or loneliness prevent His persistence. We fail to watch with Him for one hour, but He never fails to watch for us night and day. The occasion for this prayer is notable; it was after His enemies had been enraged. Prayer was His refuge and solace; it was before He dispatched the twelve apostles. Prayer was the gate of His enterprise, the herald of His new work. Should we not learn from Jesus to resort to special prayer when we are under peculiar trial or considering new ventures for the Master’s glory? Lord Jesus, teach us to pray.

Family Reading Plan        Amos 1       Psalm 144

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The Effects of Unforgiveness

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Matthew 18:21-22

One of the most dangerous things a person can do is to hold onto resentment. Clinging to unforgiveness has far-reaching and often unexpected consequences.

Although bitterness takes root in the mind, it doesn’t stay contained. Acrimony can spread into every aspect of a person’s life. For example, the hostility a man feels toward his father can color his relationship with his wife, his willingness to perform at work, and his involvement in church.

It’s probably not surprising to hear that resentment impacts the mind and spirit, but you may not have realized what a physical toll it can also take on us. An attitude of bitterness ratchets up tension and anxiety, which can affect everything from muscles to chemical balance in the brain. Over time, that kind of mayhem weakens the body.

Because unforgiveness is a violation of God’s law, it also causes spiritual turmoil that hinders a believer’s growth. Prayer is stifled because of harbored sin that should be confessed. And worship is dry and hypocritical because it’s difficult to effectively honor the Lord while trying to justify or hide a wrong attitude. What’s more, a resentful person’s witness is damaged, as others are prevented from seeing God’s glory shining through him.

Forgiving someone means giving up resentment and the right to get even with him or her, even though you were wronged. God insisted this was the only way to go through life. One reason He commands us to forego hostility and vengeance is that these things cause so much damage to our own lives.