Lord Abide In Us

Mercy Abounds
C.H.Spurgeon

He that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. -Psalm 32:10

O fair reward of trust! My Lord, grant it me to the full! The truster above all men feels himself to be a sinner; and lo, mercy is prepared for him: he knows himself to have no deservings, but mercy comes in and keeps house for him on a liberal scale. O Lord, give me this mercy, even as I trust in Thee!

Observe, my soul, what a bodyguard thou hast! As a prince is compassed about with soldiery, so art thou compassed about with mercy. Before and behind, and on all sides, ride these mounted guards of grace. We dwell in the center of the system of mercy, for we dwell in Christ Jesus.

O my soul, what an atmosphere dost thou breathe! As the air surrounds thee, even so does the mercy of thy Lord. To the wicked there are many sorrows, but to thee there are so many mercies that thy sorrows are not worth mentioning. David says, "Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous; and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart."

In obedience to this precept my heart shall triumph in God, and I will tell out my gladness. As Thou hast compassed me with mercy, I will also compass Thine altars, O my God, with songs of thanksgiving!

The Stone

The very first Stone
Timrufus

“.. his heart failed him and he became like a stone.” -1 Samuel 25:37

At the dessert of En Gedi, David cut off a corner of King Saul’s robe and shortly after he did that, the bible said he became conscience-stricken. David knew that he should not have done that of the LORD’s anointed but here we see that David was also trying to prove that he was not guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. (1 Samuel 24:11) For someone with a background such as Saul, one may have expect him to reprove David harshly, but in this strange phenomenon here, it so concluded that he didn’t. (1 Samuel 24:18)

Still David was afraid and after the prophet Samuel had died, David moved down into the Desert of Paran, where he and his men helped to guard the sheep and goats of a certain man named Nabal. Now Nabal was a very rich but foolish man, and although David had all the while been protecting him and guarding him of his assets, he actually hurled insults at the messengers that David had send to him from the wilderness. (1 Samuel 25:14-15) From the above two story narrated, we saw two very great contrast here between King Saul and the common man called Nabal.

Now, King Saul, was the one who had been seeking David’s own life from the very time he was a shepherd boy (1 Samuel 18:6-7), actually pardoned David greatly for this insolence act of cutting off the corner of his robe. On the other end, Nabal whom David and his men used their life in helping to protect him, was found hurling insults at him. It is no wonder then that the Lord God Jesus said to Simon, “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Jesus said, “Whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” and to some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable. “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ (Luke 18:9-14)

Likewise how do we apply it in our biblical walk with the Lord? Jesus said, “Whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” It is only when we can realize how merciful the Lord has been to us that we can learn to be merciful towards other by their own faults. (Hosea 6:6) For when God judges us in our very own wrong doings, he does not sees us in the light of the magnitude of our very sin (Psalm 143:2) but rather the magnitude of our heart towards others. (Luke 6:37-38)

How easy is it for us to cast that very first stone today! and how difficult it is for us to pay attention at the very own plank in our eyes rather than that speck of sawdust in our brother’s eye indeed. Jesus said, "For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Verse for today: Proverbs 28:14

Father we thank you for disciplining us today for no one is righteous and just before you. Grant us an undivided heart that we may fear Your Name. Help us to acknowledge that Your way and not our way is always right. Let Your Word in us melts away our every fear and pride. Let God be for us, your Word O LORD, is the truth. Chastise us but in judgment and in just measure. Not in Your anger, lest we are diminished and are no more. Soften our heart this day. In Jesus mighty Name. Amen and amen.

God Delights to Give

God Delights to Give
C.H.Spurgeon

And the Lord said unto Abraham, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward, for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. -Genesis 13:14-15

A special blessing for a memorable occasion. Abram had settled a family dispute. He had said, "Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between thee and me, for we be brethren"; and hence he received the blessing which belongs to peacemakers. The Lord and giver of peace delights to manifest His grace to those who seek peace and pursue it. If we desire closer communion with God, we must keep closer to the ways of peace.

Abram had behaved very generously to his kinsman, giving him his choice of the land. If we deny ourselves for peace's sake, the Lord will more than make it up to us. As far as the patriarch can see, he can claim, and we may do the like by faith. Abram had to wait for the actual possession, but the Lord entailed the land upon him and his posterity.

Boundless blessings belong to us by covenant gift. All things are ours. When we please the Lord, He makes us to look everywhere and see all things our own, whether things present or things to come, all are ours, and we are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

When troubles troubled

The Spade of Trouble
C.H.Spurgeon

"For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ." -2 Corinthians 1:5

THERE is a blessed proportion. The Ruler of Providence bears a pair of scales—in this side He puts His people's trials, and in that He puts their consolations. When the scale of trial is nearly empty, you will always find the scale of consolation in nearly the same condition; and when the scale of trials is full, you will find the scale of consolation just as heavy.

When the black clouds gather most, the light is the more brightly revealed to us. When the night lowers and the tempest is coming on, the Heavenly Captain is always closest to His crew. It is a blessed thing, that when we are most cast down, then it is that we are most lifted up by the consolations of the Spirit. One reason is, because trials make more room for consolation. Great hearts can only be made by great troubles.

The spade of trouble digs the reservoir of comfort deeper, and makes more room for consolation. God comes into our heart—He finds it full—He begins to break our comforts and to make it empty; then there is more room for grace. The humbler a man lies, the more comfort he will always have, because he will be more fitted to receive it. Another reason why we are often most happy in our troubles, is this—then we have the closest dealings with God.

When the barn is full, man can live without God: when the purse is bursting with gold, we try to do without so much prayer. But once take our gourds away, and we want our God; once cleanse the idols out of the house, then we are compelled to honour GOD.

"Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord." There is no cry so good as that which comes from the bottom of the mountains; no prayer half so hearty as that which comes up from the depths of the soul, through deep trials and afflictions.

Hence they bring us to God, and we are happier; for nearness to God is happiness. Come, troubled believer, fret not over your heavy troubles, for they are the heralds of weighty mercies.

Grace of The Above

Grace of The Above
C.H.Spurgeon

"He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever." -John 14:16

GREAT Father revealed Himself to believers of old before the coming of His Son, and was known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the God Almighty. Then Jesus came, and the ever-blessed Son in His own proper person, was the delight of His people's eyes.

At the time of the Redeemer's ascension, the Holy Spirit became the head of the present dispensation, and His power was gloriously manifested in and after Pentecost. He remains at this hour the present Immanuel—God with us, dwelling in and with His people, quickening, guiding, and ruling in their midst. Is His presence recognized as it ought to be?

We cannot control His working; He is most sovereign in all His operations, but are we sufficiently anxious to obtain His help, or sufficiently watchful lest we provoke Him to withdraw His aid? Without Him we can do nothing, but by His almighty energy the most extraordinary results can be produced: everything depends upon his manifesting or concealing His power.

Do we always look up to Him both for our inner life and our outward service with the respectful dependence which is fitting? Do we not too often run before His call and act independently of His aid? Let us humble ourselves this evening for past neglects, and now entreat the heavenly dew to rest upon us, the sacred oil to anoint us, the celestial flame to burn within us.

The Holy Ghost is no temporary gift, He abides with the saints. We have but to seek Him aright, and He will be found of us. He is jealous, but He is pitiful; if He leaves in anger, He returns in mercy. Condescending and tender, He does not weary of us, but awaits to be gracious still.

Sin has been hammering my heart unto a hardness, void of love, Let supplying grace to cross his art Drop from above.

The Dross Purged

The Dross Purged
C.H.Spurgeon

And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried; they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God. -Zechariah 13:9

Grace transmutes us into precious metal, and then the fire and the furnace follows as a necessary consequence. Do we start at this? Would we sooner be accounted worthless, that we might enjoy repose, like the stones of the field! This would be to choose the viler part—like Esau, to take the pottage and give up the covenant portion. No, Lord; we will gladly be cast into the furnace rather than be cast out from Thy presence!

The fire only refines; it does not destroy. We are to be brought through the fire, not left in it. The Lord values His people as silver, and therefore He is at pains to purge away their dross. If we are wise, we shall rather welcome the refining process than decline it. Our prayer will be that our alloy may be taken from us rather than that we should be withdrawn from the crucible.

O Lord, Thou triest us indeed! We are ready to melt under the fierceness of the flame. Still, this is Thy way, and Thy way is the best. Sustain us under the trial and complete the process of our purifying, and we will be Thine forever and ever.

Jesus Saves Satan Be Gone

Jesus Saves Satan Be Gone!
C.H.Spurgeon

"He shall save His people from their sins."-Matthew 1:21

MANY persons, if they are asked what they understand by salvation, will reply, "Being saved from hell and taken to heaven." This is one result of salvation, but it is not one tithe of what is contained in that boon. It is true our Lord Jesus Christ does redeem all His people from the wrath to come; He saves them from the fearful condemnation which their sins had brought upon them; but His triumph is far more complete than this.

He saves His people "from their sins." Oh! sweet deliverance from our worst foes. Where Christ works a saving work, He casts Satan from his throne, and will not let him be master any longer. No man is a true Christian if sin reigns in his mortal body. Sin will be in us—it will never be utterly expelled till the spirit enters glory; but it will never have dominion.

There will be a striving for dominion—a lusting against the new law and the new spirit which God has implanted—but sin will never get the upper hand so as to be absolute monarch of our nature. Christ will be Master of the heart, and sin must be mortified. The Lion of the tribe of Judah shall prevail, and the dragon shall be cast out.

Professor! is sin subdued in you? If your life is unholy your heart is unchanged, and if your heart is unchanged you are an unsaved person. If the Saviour has not sanctified you, renewed you, given you a hatred of sin and a love of holiness, He has done nothing in you of a saving character. The grace which does not make a man better than others is a worthless counterfeit. Christ saves His people, not in their sins, but from them.

"Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." "Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." If not saved from sin, how shall we hope to be counted among His people. Lord, save me now from all evil, and enable me to honour my Saviour.