M&E Saturday / Sunday

 

Morning and Evening: Daily Readings
by C. H. Spurgeon
Saturday Morning, April 30

And all the children of Israel murmured.

Numbers 14:2

There are murmurers amongst Christians now, as there were in the camp of Israel of old. There are those who, when the rod falls, cry out against the afflictive dispensation. They ask, Why am I thus afflicted? What have I done to be chastened in this manner? A word with thee, O murmurer! Why shouldst thou murmur against the dispensations of thy heavenly Father? Can he treat thee more hardly than thou deservest? Consider what a rebel thou wast once, but he has pardoned thee! Surely, if he in his wisdom sees fit now to chasten thee, thou shouldst not complain. After all, art thou smitten as hardly as thy sins deserve? Consider the corruption which is in thy breast, and then wilt thou wonder that there needs so much of the rod to fetch it out? Weigh thyself, and discern how much dross is mingled with thy gold; and dost thou think the fire too hot to purge away so much dross as thou hast? Does not that proud rebellious spirit of thine prove that thy heart is not thoroughly sanctified? Are not those murmuring words contrary to the holy submissive nature of God's children? Is not the correction needed? But if thou wilt murmur against the chastening, take heed, for it will go hard with murmurers. God always chastises his children twice, if they do not bear the first stroke patiently. But know one thing--He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. All his corrections are sent in love, to purify thee, and to draw thee nearer to himself. Surely it must help thee to bear the chastening with resignation if thou art able to recognize thy Father's hand. For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons. Murmur not as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer.

Evening, April 30

How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God.

Psalm 139:17

Divine omniscience affords no comfort to the ungodly mind, but to the child of God it overflows with consolation. God is always thinking upon us, never turns aside his mind from us, has us always before his eyes; and this is precisely as we would have it, for it would be dreadful to exist for a moment beyond the observation of our heavenly Father. His thoughts are always tender, loving, wise, prudent, far-reaching, and they bring to us countless benefits: hence it is a choice delight to remember them. The Lord always did think upon his people: hence their election and the covenant of grace by which their salvation is secured; he always will think upon them: hence their final perseverance by which they shall be brought safely to their final rest. In all our wanderings the watchful glance of the Eternal Watcher is evermore fixed upon us--we never roam beyond the Shepherd's eye. In our sorrows he observes us incessantly, and not a pang escapes him; in our toils he marks all our weariness, and writes in his book all the struggles of his faithful ones. These thoughts of the Lord encompass us in all our paths, and penetrate the innermost region of our being. Not a nerve or tissue, valve or vessel, of our bodily organization is uncared for; all the littles of our little world are thought upon by the great God.

Dear reader, is this precious to you? then hold to it. Never be led astray by those philosophic fools who preach up an impersonal God, and talk of self-existent, self-governing matter. The Lord liveth and thinketh upon us, this is a truth far too precious for us to be lightly robbed of it. The notice of a nobleman is valued so highly that he who has it counts his fortune made; but what is it to be thought of by the King of kings! If the Lord thinketh upon us, all is well, and we may rejoice evermore.

 

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Morning and Evening: Daily Readings
by C. H. Spurgeon
Sunday Morning, May 1

His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers.

Song of Solomon 5:13

Lo, the flowery month is come! March winds and April showers have done their work, and the earth is all bedecked with beauty. Come my soul, put on thine holiday attire and go forth to gather garlands of heavenly thoughts. Thou knowest whither to betake thyself, for to thee the beds of spices are well known, and thou hast so often smelt the perfume of the sweet flowers, that thou wilt go at once to thy well-beloved and find all loveliness, all joy in him. That cheek once so rudely smitten with a rod, oft bedewed with tears of sympathy and then defiled with spittle--that cheek as it smiles with mercy is as fragrant aromatic to my heart. Thou didst not hide thy face from shame and spitting, O Lord Jesus, and therefore I will find my dearest delight in praising thee. Those cheeks were furrowed by the plough of grief, and crimsoned with red lines of blood from thy thorn-crowned temples; such marks of love unbounded cannot but charm my soul far more than pillars of perfume. If I may not see the whole of his face I would behold his cheeks, for the least glimpse of him is exceedingly refreshing to my spiritual sense and yields a variety of delights. In Jesus I find not only fragrance, but a bed of spices; not one flower, but all manner of sweet flowers. He is to me my rose and my lily, my heart's- ease and my cluster of camphire. When he is with me it is May all the year round, and my soul goes forth to wash her happy face in the morning-dew of his grace, and to solace herself with the singing of the birds of his promises. Precious Lord Jesus, let me in very deed know the blessedness which dwells in abiding, unbroken fellowship with thee. I am a poor worthless one, whose cheek thou hast deigned to kiss! O let me kiss thee in return with the kisses of my lips.

Evening, May 1

I am the rose of Sharon.

Song of Solomon 2:1

Whatever there may be of beauty in the material world, Jesus Christ possesses all that in the spiritual world in a tenfold degree. Amongst flowers the rose is deemed the sweetest, but Jesus is infinitely more beautiful in the garden of the soul than the rose can be in the gardens of earth. He takes the first place as the fairest among ten thousand. He is the sun, and all others are the stars; the heavens and the day are dark in comparison with him, for the King in his beauty transcends all. I am the rose of Sharon. This was the best and rarest of roses. Jesus is not the rose alone, he is the rose of Sharon, just as he calls his righteousness gold, and then adds, the gold of Ophir--the best of the best. He is positively lovely, and superlatively the loveliest. There is variety in his charms. The rose is delightful to the eye, and its scent is pleasant and refreshing; so each of the senses of the soul, whether it be the taste or feeling, the hearing, the sight, or the spiritual smell, finds appropriate gratification in Jesus. Even the recollection of his love is sweet. Take the rose of Sharon, and pull it leaf from leaf, and lay by the leaves in the jar of memory, and you shall find each leaf fragrant long afterwards, filling the house with perfume. Christ satisfies the highest taste of the most educated spirit to the very full. The greatest amateur in perfumes is quite satisfied with the rose: and when the soul has arrived at her highest pitch of true taste, she shall still be content with Christ, nay, she shall be the better able to appreciate him. Heaven itself possesses nothing which excels the rose of Sharon. What emblem can fully set forth his beauty? Human speech and earth-born things fail to tell of him. Earth's choicest charms commingled, feebly picture his abounding preciousness. Blessed rose, bloom in my heart for ever!

 

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Please enjoy the teaching of John G. Reisinger. John was very instrumental to my wife and me in straightening out our Biblical knowledge and doctrine. I hope you will take the time to download these sermons and enjoy them and share them with others.

Blessings, Robert

The Patience of God

2 Peter 3:9

Download

Presented by John G. Reisinger on 05/06/1980 (Conference-Special Service).

 

Why Do We Still Sin?

Romans 7:13-25

Download

Presented by John G. Reisinger on 10/12/1977 (Conference-Special Service).

 

Here is a great video for all those that love kids .... kids that are serious about Jesus!

 

http://theresurgence.com/2011/01/06/a-word-from-the-valedictorian-of-vacation-bible-school

 

Watch the above and rekindle the hope for our young people who are the hope of the future Church and the bringing back of our Messiah to come and receive His Bride! Let's continue to get ready! It is no small thing to disciple your young children, your teens, your young adults …..  Let's enter into the joy of the Lord and exalt Him forever …. We do not have to wait for Heaven to exalt the one who sits on the throne on High! Do it today, do it through all your thoughts and actions!

 

This will be difficult …. The spiritual battle is still raging!

 

SUBJECT: SPIRITUAL WARFARE-BY THE LORD'S COMING

METER: 6.6.8.6.D.

AUTHOR: Watchman Nee

COMPOSER: George J. Elvey

 

1		Conflict today is fierce,
		The strength of Satan more;
	The cry of battle calling now
		Is louder than before.
		The rebel voice of hell
		E'en stronger now becomes;
	But list, the midnight cry resounds,
		Behold, I quickly come!
2		Trials more bitter grow,
		The fighting doth enlarge;
	Hell's forces rally all their pow'rs
		And gather for the charge.
		Yet while we wait and watch
		And feel the war severe,
	We hear the joyful song ring out,
		Jesus, the Lord. is near!
3		'Tis harder at the end
		The word to testify,
	For Satan fights with all his pow'r
		Our witness to defy.
		Much greater strength we need
		The foe to overcome;
	How happy when the Lord we see
		And all our sighing's done!
4		Who then will forward go
		Strong in His mighty power?
	Who then will firmly trust the Lord
		Until the vict'ry hour;
		Till with the conqu'rors blest,
		The triumph song's begun?
	That man will then rejoice to hear,
		Behold, I quickly come!
5		Who then will choose God's best,
		And take the narrow track,
	Though passing thru the wildest storms,
		Yet never turning back?
		Who now will dare press on,
		Enduring pain and fear?
	All such will then rejoice to see
		Jesus, the Lord, is near!
6		Though deep the darkness be
		We still would onward go,
	Till we the day of rapture greet
		And glory 'round shall glow.
		'Tis there we'll see the Lord,
		And Satan overcome;
	The overcomers will rejoice,
		Jesus, the Lord. has come!

 

 

Shalom, Robert

 

 

"If you live gladly

to make others glad in God,

your life will be hard,

your risks will be high,

and your joy will be full."
— John Piper

 

 

 

 

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M&E Friday

Morning and Evening: Daily Readings
by C. H. Spurgeon
Friday Morning, April 29

Thou art my hope in the day of evil.

Jeremiah 17:17

The path of the Christian is not always bright with sunshine; he has his seasons of darkness and of storm. True, it is written in God's Word, Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace; and it is a great truth, that religion is calculated to give a man happiness below as well as bliss above; but experience tells us that if the course of the just be As the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day, yet sometimes that light is eclipsed. At certain periods clouds cover the believer's sun, and he walks in darkness and sees no light. There are many who have rejoiced in the presence of God for a season; they have basked in the sunshine in the earlier stages of their Christian career; they have walked along the green pastures by the side of the still waters, but suddenly they find the glorious sky is clouded; instead of the Land of Goshen they have to tread the sandy desert; in the place of sweet waters, they find troubled streams, bitter to their taste, and they say, Surely, if I were a child of God, this would not happen. Oh! say not so, thou who art walking in darkness. The best of God's saints must drink the wormwood; the dearest of his children must bear the cross. No Christian has enjoyed perpetual prosperity; no believer can always keep his harp from the willows. Perhaps the Lord allotted you at first a smooth and unclouded path, because you were weak and timid. He tempered the wind to the shorn lamb, but now that you are stronger in the spiritual life, you must enter upon the riper and rougher experience of God's full-grown children. We need winds and tempests to exercise our faith, to tear off the rotten bough of self-dependence, and to root us more firmly in Christ. The day of evil reveals to us the value of our glorious hope.

Evening, April 29

The Lord taketh pleasure in his people.

Psalm 149:4

How comprehensive is the love of Jesus! There is no part of his people's interests which he does not consider, and there is nothing which concerns their welfare which is not important to him. Not merely does he think of you, believer, as an immortal being, but as a mortal being too. Do not deny it or doubt it: The very hairs of your head are all numbered. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. It were a sad thing for us if this mantle of love did not cover all our concerns, for what mischief might be wrought to us in that part of our business which did not come under our gracious Lord's inspection! Believer, rest assured that the heart of Jesus cares about your meaner affairs. The breadth of his tender love is such that you may resort to him in all matters; for in all your afflictions he is afflicted, and like as a father pitieth his children, so doth he pity you. The meanest interests of all his saints are all borne upon the broad bosom of the Son of God. Oh, what a heart is his, that doth not merely comprehend the persons of his people, but comprehends also the diverse and innumerable concerns of all those persons! Dost thou think, O Christian, that thou canst measure the love of Christ? Think of what his love has brought thee--justification, adoption, sanctification, eternal life! The riches of his goodness are unsearchable; thou shalt never be able to tell them out or even conceive them. Oh, the breadth of the love of Christ! Shall such a love as this have half our hearts? Shall it have a cold love in return? Shall Jesus' marvellous lovingkindness and tender care meet with but faint response and tardy acknowledgment? O my soul, tune thy harp to a glad song of thanksgiving! Go to thy rest rejoicing, for thou art no desolate wanderer, but a beloved child, watched over, cared for, supplied, and defended by thy Lord.

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MORNING THOUGHTS, or
DAILY WALKING WITH GOD

By Octavius Winslow

"You are complete in Him." Colossians 2:10

Here is a truth, the vastness of which is only equaled by its unspeakable preciousness. The Lord Jesus is the life of our acceptance with God. We stand as believers in the righteousness of a living Head. Within the veil He has entered, "now to appear in the presence of God for us," presenting all His people each moment complete in Himself. It is a present justification. "You are complete in Him," "accepted in the Beloved," "justified from all things." Perfection in himself the enlightened soul utterly repudiates. Completeness in anything that he is, or has done, he totally rejects. Incomplete his deepest repentance- incomplete his strongest faith- incomplete his best obedience- incomplete his most costly sacrifice- low in the lowest dust does he lay himself. Too wretched he cannot think himself-  too little he cannot be in his own eyes. Language fails to express the deep self-loathing and sin-abhorrence of his soul. But lo! a voice is heard- oh, it falls upon his ear like the music of the spheres- "You are complete in Him." In one moment all is peace. The believing soul ceases from his works- the weary spirit enters into rest, because, believing, it enters into Jesus. In Christ he now stands complete. His pardon complete- his justification complete- his adoption complete- his whole person complete before a holy God! Is not this a vast truth? and is it not a glorious one? Where is the doctrine that exceeds it? Where is the declaration that has in it such life as this? Dear reader, it may be you have long been looking at yourself for some one thing complete. Something- in your judgment you may reject the thought, yet in your heart there is that principle which has been looking for something in yourself to commend you to God- something to make you more acceptable to, more welcomed by, Him. But behold where your completeness is found- in, and solely in, Christ. Oh precious truth! A poor, vile sinner, standing before a holy God, complete in righteousness! the object of His infinite love and delight, over whom He rejoices with singing. Oh, how divine, how finished, how glorious must that righteousness be, which so covers your soul as to present you before a God of immaculate purity, "without a spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing!"

 

 

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