Morning and Evening: Daily Readings
by C. H. Spurgeon
Friday Morning, November 4
For my strength is made perfect in weakness.
2 Corinthians 12:9
A primary qualification for serving God with any amount of success, and for doing God's work well and triumphantly, is a sense of our own weakness. When God's warrior marches forth to battle, strong in his own might, when he boasts, I know that I shall conquer, my own right arm and my conquering sword shall get unto me the victory, defeat is not far distant. God will not go forth with that man who marches in his own strength. He who reckoneth on victory thus has reckoned wrongly, for it is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. They who go forth to fight, boasting of their prowess, shall return with their gay banners trailed in the dust, and their armour stained with disgrace. Those who serve God must serve him in his own way, and in his strength, or he will never accept their service. That which man doth, unaided by divine strength, God can never own. The mere fruits of the earth he casteth away; he will only reap that corn, the seed of which was sown from heaven, watered by grace, and ripened by the sun of divine love. God will empty out all that thou hast before he will put his own into thee; he will first clean out thy granaries before he will fill them with the finest of the wheat. The river of God is full of water; but not one drop of it flows from earthly springs. God will have no strength used in his battles but the strength which he himself imparts. Are you mourning over your own weakness? Take courage, for there must be a consciousness of weakness before the Lord will give thee victory. Your emptiness is but the preparation for your being filled, and your casting down is but the making ready for your lifting up.
When I am weak then am I strong, Grace is my shield and Christ my song.
Evening, November 4
In thy light shall we see light.
Psalm 36:9
No lips can tell the love of Christ to the heart till Jesus himself shall speak within. Descriptions all fall flat and tame unless the Holy Ghost fills them with life and power; till our Immanuel reveals himself within, the soul sees him not. If you would see the sun, would you gather together the common means of illumination, and seek in that way to behold the orb of day? No, the wise man knoweth that the sun must reveal itself, and only by its own blaze can that mighty lamp be seen. It is so with Christ. Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: said he to Peter, for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee. Purify flesh and blood by any educational process you may select, elevate mental faculties to the highest degree of intellectual power, yet none of these can reveal Christ. The Spirit of God must come with power, and overshadow the man with his wings, and then in that mystic holy of holies the Lord Jesus must display himself to the sanctified eye, as he doth not unto the purblind sons of men. Christ must be his own mirror. The great mass of this blear-eyed world can see nothing of the ineffable glories of Immanuel. He stands before them without form or comeliness, a root out of a dry ground, rejected by the vain and despised by the proud. Only where the Spirit has touched the eye with eye-salve, quickened the heart with divine life, and educated the soul to a heavenly taste, only there is he understood. To you that believe he is precious; to you he is the chief corner-stone, the Rock of your salvation, your all in all; but to others he is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence. Happy are those to whom our Lord manifests himself, for his promise to such is that he will make his abode with them. O Jesus, our Lord, our heart is open, come in, and go out no more for ever. Show thyself to us now! Favour us with a glimpse of thine all-conquering charms.
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Morning and Evening: Daily Readings
by C. H. Spurgeon
Saturday Morning, November 5
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.
Isaiah 54:17
This day is notable in English history for two great deliverances wrought by God for us. On this day the plot of the Papists to destroy our Houses of Parliament was discovered, 1605.
While for our princes they prepare In caverns deep a burning snare, He shot from heaven a piercing ray, And the dark treachery brought to day.
And secondly--to-day is the anniversary of the landing of King William III, at Torbay, by which the hope of Popish ascendancy was quashed, and religious liberty was secured, 1688.
This day ought to be celebrated, not by the saturnalia of striplings, but by the songs of saints. Our Puritan forefathers most devoutly made it a special time of thanksgiving. There is extant a record of the annual sermons preached by Matthew Henry on this day. Our Protestant feeling, and our love of liberty, should make us regard its anniversary with holy gratitude. Let our hearts and lips exclaim, We have heard with our ears, and our fathers have told us the wondrous things which thou didst in their day, and in the old time before them. Thou hast made this nation the home of the gospel; and when the foe has risen against her, thou hast shielded her. Help us to offer repeated songs for repeated deliverances. Grant us more and more a hatred of Antichrist, and hasten on the day of her entire extinction. Till then and ever, we believe the promise, No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper. Should it not be laid upon the heart of every lover of the gospel of Jesus on this day to plead for the overturning of false doctrines and the extension of divine truth? Would it not be well to search our own hearts, and turn out any of the Popish lumber of self-righteousness which may lie concealed therein?
Evening, November 5
Be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
Psalm 100:4
Our Lord would have all his people rich in high and happy thoughts concerning his blessed person. Jesus is not content that his brethren should think meanly of him; it is his pleasure that his espoused ones should be delighted with his beauty. We are not to regard him as a bare necessary, like to bread and water, but as a luxurious delicacy, as a rare and ravishing delight. To this end he has revealed himself as the pearl of great price in its peerless beauty, as the bundle of myrrh in its refreshing fragrance, as the rose of Sharon in its lasting perfume, as the lily in its spotless purity.
As a help to high thoughts of Christ, remember the estimation that Christ is had in beyond the skies, where things are measured by the right standard. Think how God esteems the Only Begotten, his unspeakable gift to us. Consider what the angels think of him, as they count it their highest honour to veil their faces at his feet. Consider what the blood-washed think of him, as day without night they sing his well deserved praises. High thoughts of Christ will enable us to act consistently with our relations towards him. The more loftily we see Christ enthroned, and the more lowly we are when bowing before the foot of the throne, the more truly shall we be prepared to act our part towards him. Our Lord Jesus desires us to think well of him, that we may submit cheerfully to his authority. High thoughts of him increase our love. Love and esteem go together. Therefore, believer, think much of your Master's excellencies. Study him in his primeval glory, before he took upon himself your nature! Think of the mighty love which drew him from his throne to die upon the cross! Admire him as he conquers all the powers of hell! See him risen, crowned, glorified! Bow before him as the Wonderful, the Counsellor, the mighty God, for only thus will your love to him be what it should.
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Morning and Evening: Daily Readings
by C. H. Spurgeon
Sunday Morning, November 6
I will pour water upon him that is thirsty.
Isaiah 44:3
When a believer has fallen into a low, sad state of feeling, he often tries to lift himself out of it by chastening himself with dark and doleful fears. Such is not the way to rise from the dust, but to continue in it. As well chain the eagle's wing to make it mount, as doubt in order to increase our grace. It is not the law, but the gospel which saves the seeking soul at first; and it is not a legal bondage, but gospel liberty which can restore the fainting believer afterwards. Slavish fear brings not back the backslider to God, but the sweet wooings of love allure him to Jesus' bosom. Are you this morning thirsting for the living God, and unhappy because you cannot find him to the delight of your heart? Have you lost the joy of religion, and is this your prayer, Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation? Are you
conscious also that you are barren, like the dry ground; that you are not bringing forth the fruit unto God which he has a right to expect of you; that you are not so useful in the Church, or in the world, as your heart desires to be? Then here is exactly the promise which you need, I will pour water upon him that is thirsty. You shall receive the grace you so much require, and you shall have it to the utmost reach of your needs. Water refreshes the thirsty: you shall be refreshed; your desires shall be gratified. Water quickens sleeping vegetable life: your life shall be quickened by fresh grace. Water swells the buds and makes the fruits ripen; you shall have fructifying grace: you shall be made fruitful in the ways of God. Whatever good quality there is in divine grace, you shall enjoy it to the full. All the riches of divine grace you shall receive in plenty; you shall be as it were drenched with it: and as sometimes the meadows become flooded by the bursting rivers, and the fields are turned into pools, so shall you be--the thirsty land shall be springs of water.
Evening, November 6
Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
Hebrews 9:20
There is a strange power about the very name of blood, and the sight of it is always affecting. A kind heart cannot bear to see a sparrow bleed, and unless familiarized by use, turns away with horror at the slaughter of a beast. As to the blood of men, it is a consecrated thing: it is murder to shed it in wrath, it is a dreadful crime to squander it in war. Is this solemnity occasioned by the fact that the blood is the life, and the pouring of it forth the token of death? We think so. When we rise to contemplate the blood of the Son of God, our awe is yet more increased, and we shudder as we think of the guilt of sin, and the terrible penalty which the Sin-bearer endured. Blood, always precious, is priceless when it streams from Immanuel's side. The blood of Jesus seals the covenant of grace, and makes it for ever sure. Covenants of old were made by sacrifice, and the everlasting covenant was ratified in the same manner. Oh, the delight of being saved upon the sure foundation of divine engagements which cannot be dishonoured! Salvation by the works of the law is a frail and broken vessel whose shipwreck is sure; but the covenant vessel fears no storms, for the blood ensures the whole. The blood of Jesus made his testament valid. Wills are of no power unless the testators die. In this light the soldier's spear is a blessed aid to faith, since it proved our Lord to be really dead. Doubts upon that matter there can be none, and we may boldly appropriate the legacies which he has left for his people. Happy they who see their title to heavenly blessings assured to them by a dying Saviour. But has this blood no voice to us? Does it not bid us sanctify ourselves unto him by whom we have been redeemed? Does it not call us to newness of life, and incite us to entire consecration to the Lord? O that the power of the blood might be known, and felt in us this night!
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Healing for those who have been...Crucified by Christians
Gene Edwards
and we recommend that you purchase this book to read it in its entirety.
Some Christians have been grievously mistreated by other believers. Some so severely that it amounts to a crucifixion.
Being crucified by fellow Christians is one of the deepest pains a child of God will ever know. It can so profoundly affect you that it can mark the end of your life as a practicing Christian.
Place your crucifixion in the realm of the invisibles, in realms unseen. Only there will you truly find the person who deliberately caused you to be crucified. Only in the realm of the spirituals will you find the perpetrator.
When you were crucified at the hands of men, in reality you but entered into His crucifixion. Consider the circumstance which led to His crucifixion. Who caused His cross, His crucifixion? Who was it that plotted His Golgotha? It was exactly the same person who plotted yours. That person actually desired that you enter into your Lord's sufferings. After all, you the believer are in Him.
The Father willed His own Son's crucifixion. And yours. Refusal to accept your crucifixion as wholly from the hand of God only means you were not crucified, you were just mistreated. Only when you accept that it came from God...only then is it a true crucifixion. The crucifixion of a Christian comes from the hand of God, and God alone.
You must find a whole new view of your crucifixion. There was far more purpose in it than you first realized. Perhaps far more good in its content than you can presently imagine.
What happened to you was meant to be a magnificent beginning of transformation in your life. The circumstances which birthed this tragedy were exactly what you needed. That hellish event brought you to exactly the place your Lord wants you to be.
The inherent nature of a crucifixion is destructive. This is the key to understanding your crucifixion. In that discovery you may also find healing...and recovery.
There is nothing which more exposes a Christian's weakness than how he reacts to being crucified by other Christians. Was there anger? Resentment? Did you find fault? Did your dark side emerge? Find solace in this: In all Christian history believers who handle a crucifixion nobly are virtually unknown.
What will be the result if you embrace a crucifixion? To embrace it is to allow the destruction of all that is in you which is not Christ. The very desire to not be destroyed must be destroyed. The cross seeks out man's desire to not suffer, and man's furious commitment to never lose, and his screaming logic that he is not in the wrong.
A true crucifixion has resolution. A true crucifixion ever ends in triumph! If you accept that nightmarish ordeal as a sovereign work of God, if you acquiesce to His will, then does He begin to have His will. Suddenly it becomes not only a crucifixion but a holy work of God.
Consider Jesus. As you are crucified, watch Him handle His crucifixion. Your Lord bequeathed to you an example of the high art of being crucified. Behold how He reacted to betrayal, to lies, to false witnesses. Jesus Christ absorbed these pains, even as they added the shamefulness of being crucified in public. Humiliated, degraded, defamed, tortured and then murdered. That day he raised acceptance of the cross into an art form. He learned to accept all things from the hand of His Father.
The Lord Jesus, by the power of His Father's indwelling life...criticized no one, gave no rebuttal, never resorted to logic or reason, did not defend His rights, gave no defense, challenged no lies, answered only with silence.
The evening before Golgotha was every bit as black as His crucifixion. Gethsemane was a yielding to His Father's view of crucifixion. For most believers Gethsemane must come after crucifixion. Gethsemane is simply that hour when you finally align your will with the will of God. It is when you agree, accept, embrace...your crucifixion. Any human daring to follow a divine path will come upon a Gethsemane. Each will tarry there until he realigns his will with divinity, or he will completely miss the divine way of things. Acquiescence to destruction. That is Gethsemane.
Only a few hours before Jesus rose from the grave, men had been brutalizing Him. In that brutality of the cross Jesus had suffered the utter ends of pain.
Then He rose from the dead!
Here is the hallmark of the resurrection of our Lord: Having arisen from the grave, He never once referred to the events of His crucifixion. Not once. Not even one word.
Such is the hallmark of all true resurrections. The past is forever gone! Resurrection is beyond that which is dead. Resurrection means to arise from out of death into a new realm, a new time continuum where the past never happened. Resurrection is a demarcation. Everything before resurrection no longer exists. It never happened!! That is the essence of resurrection. Everything after resurrection is new and has no connection with the events of the past! After the resurrection, all things belong to a new creation.
The essence of crucifixion is that it is a portal to pass through to come into the fullness of resurrection. Just as surely as there can be no resurrection without crucifixion, there can be no true crucifixion without Gethsemane. Join your Lord in Gethsemane, join Him at Golgotha. Then can you join Him in resurrection!
The One who died so magnificently lives inside you at this moment.
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From: Edwards, Gene, Healing for those who have been... Crucified by Christians. Sargent: The Seedsowers. 1994. ISBN 0-940232-52-9. We recommend that you purchase this book and read it in its entirety. The Seedsowers, P.O. Box 285, Sargent, GA 30275.
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