The Lord was There

The Lord was There
C.H.Spurgeon

"Whereas the Lord was there" -Ezekiel 35:10

EDOM'S princes saw the whole country left desolate, and counted upon its easy conquest; but there was one great difficulty in their way -quite unknown to them -"The Lord was there"; and in His presence lay the special security of the chosen land.

Whatever may be the machinations and devices of the enemies of God's people, there is still the same effectual barrier to thwart their design. The saints are God's heritage, and He is in the midst of them, and will protect His own. What comfort this assurance yields us in our troubles and spiritual conflicts! We are constantly opposed, and yet perpetually preserved!

How often Satan shoots his arrows against our faith, but our faith defies the power of hell's fiery darts; they are not only turned aside, but they are quenched upon its shield, for "the Lord is there."

Our good works are the subjects of Satan's attacks. A saint never yet had a virtue or a grace which was not the target for hellish bullets: whether it was hope bright and sparkling, or love warm and fervent, or patience all-enduring, or zeal flaming like coals of fire, the old enemy of everything that is good has tried to destroy it. The only reason why anything virtuous or lovely survives in us is this, "the Lord is there."

If the Lord be with us through life, we need not fear for our dying confidence; for when we come to die, we shall find that "the Lord is there"; where the billows are most tempestuous, and the water is most chill, we shall feel the bottom, and know that it is good: our feet shall stand upon the Rock of Ages when time is passing away. Beloved, from the first of a Christian's life to the last, the only reason why he does not perish is because "the Lord is there."

When the God of everlasting love shall change and leave His elect to perish, then may the Church of God be destroyed; but not till then, because it is written, JEHOVAH SHAMMAH, "The Lord is there."

Verse for meditation: Pslam 121:1-4

Secrets of Life

Focus On Scripture, Not Worries
Rick Warren

“I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” -Job 23:12b

The Bible repeatedly urges us to meditate on who God is, what he has done, and what he has said. It is impossible to be God’s friend apart from knowing what he says. You can’t love God unless you know him, and you can’t know him without knowing his Word.

The Bible says God “revealed himself to Samuel through his word” (1 Samuel 3:21). God still uses that method today. While you cannot spend all day studying the Bible, you can think about it throughout the day, recalling verses you have read or memorized and mulling them over in your mind.

Meditation is often misunderstood as some difficult, mysterious ritual practiced by isolated monks and mystics. But meditation is simply focused thinking — a skill anyone can learn and use anywhere. When you think about a problem over and over in your mind, that’s called worry. When you think about God’s Word over and over, that’s meditation.

If you know how to worry, you already know how to meditate! You just need to switch your attention from your problems to Bible verses. The more you meditate on God’s Word, the less you will have to worry about. The reason God considered Job and David his close friends was that they valued his Word above everything else, and they thought about it continually throughout the day. Job admitted, “I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread” (Job 23:12).

When you read your Bible or hear a sermon or listen to a CD, don’t just forget it and walk away. Develop the practice of reviewing the truth in your mind, thinking about it over and over. The more time you spend reviewing what God has said, the more you will understand the “secrets” of this life that most people miss.

Ever Mindful

Ever Mindful
C.H.Spurgeon

The Lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us. -Psalm 115:12

I can set my seal to that first sentence. Cannot you? Yes, God has thought of us, provided for us, comforted us, delivered us, and guided us. In all the movements of His providence He has been mindful of us, never overlooking our mean affairs.

His mind has been full of us—that is the other form of the word mindful. This has been the case all along and without a single break. At special times, however, we have more distinctly seen this mindfulness, and we would recall them at this hour with overflowing gratitude. Yes, yes, "the Lord hath been mindful of us."

The next sentence is a logical inference from the former one. Since God is unchangeable, He will continue to be mindful of us in the future as He has been in the past; and His mindfulness is tantamount to blessing us. But we have here not only the conclusion of reason but the declaration of inspiration; we have it on the Holy Ghost's authority—"He will bless us."

This means great things and unsearchable. The very indistinctness of the promise indicates its infinite reach. He will bless us after His own divine manner, and that forever and ever,

Therefore, let us each say, "Bless the Lord, O my soul!"

At The Table of Grace

A Daily Supply
C.H.Spurgeon

And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life." -2 Kings 25:30

JEHOIACHIN was not sent away from the king's palace with a store to last him for months, but his provision was given him as a daily pension. Herein he well pictures the happy position of all the Lord's people. A daily portion is all that a man really wants. We do not need tomorrow's supplies; that day has not yet dawned, and its wants are as yet unborn.

The thirst which we may suffer in the month of June does not need to be quenched in February, for we do not feel it yet; if we have enough for each day as the days arrive we shall never know want. Sufficient for the day is all that we can enjoy. We cannot eat or drink or wear more than the day's supply of food and raiment; the surplus gives us the care of storing it, and the anxiety of watching against a thief.

One staff aids a traveller, but a bundle of staves is a heavy burden. Enough is not only as good as a feast, but is all that the veriest glutton can truly enjoy. This is all that we should expect; a craving for more than this is ungrateful. When our Father does not give us more, we should be content with his daily allowance. Jehoiachin's case is ours, we have a sure portion, a portion given us of the king, a gracious portion, and a perpetual portion.

Here is surely ground for thankfulness. Beloved Christian reader, in matters of grace you need a daily supply. You have no store of strength. Day by day must you seek help from above. It is a very sweet assurance that a daily portion is provided for you. In the word, through the ministry, by meditation, in prayer, and waiting upon God you shall receive renewed strength.

In Jesus all needful things are laid up for you. Then enjoy your continual allowance. Never go hungry while the daily bread of grace is on the table of mercy.

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.