Lovers of Jesus,
Have you showed your gratitude for His love this week, this day, this hour, this moment?
From Morning and Evening by C.H. Spurgeon
Gratitude
April 9, Morning
Luke 23:27 ‘And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.”
“They weep about innocence being mistreated, goodness being persecuted, love bleeding, and meekness about to die. But in my heart there is a deeper and more distressing reason to mourn. My sins were the scourges that lacerated those blessed shoulders. My sins crowned with thorns that bleeding brow. My sins cried, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” My sins laid the cross on His gracious shoulder.
Jesus being led to die is sorrow enough for one eternity, but my having been His murderer is more, infinitely more grief than one poor fountain of tears can express.
It is not hard to guess why those women loved Him and wept, but they had no greater reasons for love and grief than my heart has. Nain’s widow saw her son raised from the dead (Luke 7:15), but I have been raised in newness of life. Peter’s mother-in-law was cured of a fever (Mark 1:30), but I was cured of the greater plague of sin. Mary and Martha were blessed with His visits (Luke 10:38), but He dwells in me. His mother gave birth, but He is formed in me as the Hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27).
I have a debt as great as these holy women. Let me equal them in gratitude or sorrow:”
Mike’s prayer
Lord, today and even in this moment, may I let Your love for me overwhelm every thought, concern, emotion so out of this may I live for You. May I fulfill your command as given by Jesus in Mark 12:30-31.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment great than these.”
Amen!
Showing posts with label Spurgeon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spurgeon. Show all posts
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Saturday, January 26, 2008
How much do we Love the Lord? Part 4
In my reading lately, it seems I keep coming onto the theme of ‘loving the Lord.’ It is the basis of all things Christian and must be our focus. I have already posted three times on it, but here is another. There will be a least a couple more in the next few days. As you probably can tell if you read the blog very much, I appreciate Charles Spurgeon so here is another devotion from him on loving and enjoying God.
Spurgeon Evening... Jan. 24
Luke 10:40 Martha was cumbered about much serving.
Her fault was not that she served: the condition of a servant well becomes every Christian. "I serve," should be the motto of all the princes of the royal family of heaven. Nor was it her fault that she had "much serving." We cannot do too much. Let us do all that we possibly can; let head, and heart, and hands, be engaged in the Master's service. . . . Her fault was that she grew "cumbered with much serving," so that she forgot Him, and only remembered the service. She allowed service to override communion, and so presented one duty stained with the blood of another. We ought to be Martha and Mary in one: we should do much service, and have much communion at the same time. . . . .
Beloved, while we do not neglect external things, which are good enough in themselves, we ought also to see to it that we enjoy living, personal fellowship with Jesus. See to it that sitting at the Saviour's feet is not neglected, even though it be under the specious pretext of doing Him service. The first thing for our soul's health, the first thing for His glory, and the first thing for our own usefulness, is to keep ourselves in perpetual communion with the Lord Jesus, and to see that the vital spirituality of our religion is maintained over and above everything else in the world. (Bold add by me for emphasis)
Spurgeon Evening... Jan. 24
Luke 10:40 Martha was cumbered about much serving.
Her fault was not that she served: the condition of a servant well becomes every Christian. "I serve," should be the motto of all the princes of the royal family of heaven. Nor was it her fault that she had "much serving." We cannot do too much. Let us do all that we possibly can; let head, and heart, and hands, be engaged in the Master's service. . . . Her fault was that she grew "cumbered with much serving," so that she forgot Him, and only remembered the service. She allowed service to override communion, and so presented one duty stained with the blood of another. We ought to be Martha and Mary in one: we should do much service, and have much communion at the same time. . . . .
Beloved, while we do not neglect external things, which are good enough in themselves, we ought also to see to it that we enjoy living, personal fellowship with Jesus. See to it that sitting at the Saviour's feet is not neglected, even though it be under the specious pretext of doing Him service. The first thing for our soul's health, the first thing for His glory, and the first thing for our own usefulness, is to keep ourselves in perpetual communion with the Lord Jesus, and to see that the vital spirituality of our religion is maintained over and above everything else in the world. (Bold add by me for emphasis)
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
How much do we Love the Lord? Part 3
Spurgeon Morning and Evening 9/3/07 – AM
Song of Solomon 1:7 “Thou whom my soul loveth”
Why do we love Jesus? Because he first loved us.
Why do we love Jesus? Because he “gave himself for us.”
We have life through his death; we have peace through his blood.
Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor.
Why do we love Jesus? Because of the excellency of his person.
We are filled with a sense of his beauty! an admiration of his charms!
a consciousness of his infinite perfection!
His greatness, goodness, and loveliness, in one resplendent ray, combine to enchant the soul till it is so ravished that it exclaims,
“Yea, he is altogether lovely.”
Blessed love this—a love which binds the heart with chains more soft than silk, and yet more firm than adamant!
Song of Solomon 1:7 “Thou whom my soul loveth”
Why do we love Jesus? Because he first loved us.
Why do we love Jesus? Because he “gave himself for us.”
We have life through his death; we have peace through his blood.
Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor.
Why do we love Jesus? Because of the excellency of his person.
We are filled with a sense of his beauty! an admiration of his charms!
a consciousness of his infinite perfection!
His greatness, goodness, and loveliness, in one resplendent ray, combine to enchant the soul till it is so ravished that it exclaims,
“Yea, he is altogether lovely.”
Blessed love this—a love which binds the heart with chains more soft than silk, and yet more firm than adamant!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
How much do we Love the Lord? Part 1
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
14For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, Oct. 22 AM
How much owest thou unto my Lord? Has He ever done anything for thee? Has He forgiven thy sins? Has He covered thee with a robe of righteousness? Has He set thy feet upon a rock? Has He established thy goings? Has He prepared heaven for thee? Has He prepared thee for heaven? Has He written thy name in His book of life? Has He given thee countless blessings? Has He laid up for thee a store of mercies, which eye hath not seen nor ear heard? Then do something for Jesus worthy of His love. . . . . Love should give wings to the feet of service, and strength to the arms of labour. Fixed on God with a constancy that is not to be shaken, resolute to honour Him with a determination that is not to be turned aside, and pressing on with an ardour never to be wearied, let us manifest the constraints of love to Jesus.
14For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, Oct. 22 AM
How much owest thou unto my Lord? Has He ever done anything for thee? Has He forgiven thy sins? Has He covered thee with a robe of righteousness? Has He set thy feet upon a rock? Has He established thy goings? Has He prepared heaven for thee? Has He prepared thee for heaven? Has He written thy name in His book of life? Has He given thee countless blessings? Has He laid up for thee a store of mercies, which eye hath not seen nor ear heard? Then do something for Jesus worthy of His love. . . . . Love should give wings to the feet of service, and strength to the arms of labour. Fixed on God with a constancy that is not to be shaken, resolute to honour Him with a determination that is not to be turned aside, and pressing on with an ardour never to be wearied, let us manifest the constraints of love to Jesus.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Prayer
Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotional – Oct. 8, Evening
Jude 20: Praying in the Holy Ghost.
Mark the grand characteristic of true prayer-"In the Holy Ghost." The seed of acceptable devotion must come from heaven's storehouse. Only the prayer which comes from God can go to God. We must shoot the Lord's arrows back to Him. That desire which He writes upon our heart will move His heart and bring down a blessing, but the desires of the flesh have no power with Him.
. . . praying in fervency.
It means praying humbly, . . . .
. . . we pray to God De profundis: out of the depths must we cry, . . .
It is loving prayer. Prayer should be perfumed with love, saturated with love-love to our fellow saints, and love to Christ.
Moreover, it must be a prayer full of faith. A man prevails only as he believes. The Holy Spirit is the author of faith, and strengthens it, so that we pray believing God's promise.
My prayer is for all to prayer in Spirit with fervency, humbly, out of the depths, lovingly and full of faith. Amen.
Jude 20: Praying in the Holy Ghost.
Mark the grand characteristic of true prayer-"In the Holy Ghost." The seed of acceptable devotion must come from heaven's storehouse. Only the prayer which comes from God can go to God. We must shoot the Lord's arrows back to Him. That desire which He writes upon our heart will move His heart and bring down a blessing, but the desires of the flesh have no power with Him.
. . . praying in fervency.
It means praying humbly, . . . .
. . . we pray to God De profundis: out of the depths must we cry, . . .
It is loving prayer. Prayer should be perfumed with love, saturated with love-love to our fellow saints, and love to Christ.
Moreover, it must be a prayer full of faith. A man prevails only as he believes. The Holy Spirit is the author of faith, and strengthens it, so that we pray believing God's promise.
My prayer is for all to prayer in Spirit with fervency, humbly, out of the depths, lovingly and full of faith. Amen.
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