Tag: Devotional

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Charles Spurgeon’s “Morning and Evening” – April 9, Morning — Theology Mix

“And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.” -Luke 23:27 Amid the rabble rout which hounded the Redeemer to his doom, there were some gracious souls whose bitter anguish sought vent in wailing and lamentations–fit music to accompany that march of woe. When my soul…

via Charles Spurgeon’s “Morning and Evening” – April 9, Morning — Theology Mix

Visit the link above for today’s morning devotional featured at Theology Mix, and watch for the next episode in the Beatitudes series coming soon on those mourn.

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Charles Spurgeon’s “Morning and Evening” – March 18, Evening

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” -Matthew 5:9 This is the seventh of the beatitudes: and seven was the number of perfection among the Hebrews. It may be that the Saviour placed the peacemaker the seventh upon the list because he most nearly approaches the perfect man in…

via Charles Spurgeon’s “Morning and Evening” – March 17, Evening — Theology Mix

I wanted to remind again about the ongoing Morning and Evening podcast devotional every day at Theology Mix, which you can subscribe to through any podcast catcher.  It was also a good opportunity though, with this particular episode, to remind about the ongoing series here as well.  God willing, tomorrow will see part 2 of the Beatitudes series posted with sermon 3156, “The First Beatitude.”  Come back tomorrow and listen, download and share!

“Though we are nothing, Christ is All. All that we need to begin with we must find in Him, just as surely as we must look for our ultimate perfecting to the same Source!”–Charles Spurgeon, “The First Beatitude”

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Charles Spurgeon’s “Morning and Evening” – March 4, Evening

“They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house.” -Psalm 36:8 Sheba’s queen was amazed at the sumptuousness of Solomon’s table. She lost all heart when she saw the provision of a single day; and she marvelled equally at the company of servants who were feasted at the royal board. But what is…

via Charles Spurgeon’s “Morning and Evening” – March 4, Evening — Theology Mix

Just a reminder that the Morning and Evening podcast continues daily over at Theology Mix.  And keep watch for our continuance of the Beatitudes series very soon right here!

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Charles Spurgeon’s “Morning and Evening” – February 26, Morning — Theology Mix

“Salvation is of the Lord.” -Jonah 2:9 Salvation is the work of God. It is he alone who quickens the soul “dead in trespasses and sins,” and it is he also who maintains the soul in its spiritual life. He is both “Alpha and Omega.” “Salvation is of the Lord.” If I am prayerful, God…

via Charles Spurgeon’s “Morning and Evening” – February 26, Morning — Theology Mix

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Charles Spurgeon’s “Morning and Evening” – December 1, Evening — Theology Mix

“O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.” -Psalm 107:8 If we complained less, and praised more, we should be happier, and God would be more glorified. Let us daily praise God for common mercies–common as we frequently call them, and yet so…

via Charles Spurgeon’s “Morning and Evening” – December 1, Evening — Theology Mix

I know I just posted another Morning and Evening, but I really wanted to write a bit on this one too because this was honestly one of my favorite ones to record so far.  We in the USA just celebrated Thanksgiving, a tradition that we think of as going back to the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony and to later presidential declarations of such days, including George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

I was intending to do a sermon episode on it with this sermon, but with the time crunch as well as falling ill, that will probably be done next year around the same holiday, God willing.

The power of gratitude

I wanted to take a moment here and talk about why as Christians, this occasion should be particularly meaningful to us.  We should, as a natural course of living, be constantly thankful to God, and I believe it goes hand in hand with the biblical command to rejoice in the Lord in all things.  We should remember that our lives, our families and homes, our very existence, and most of all our salvation in Christ, is a gift of God’s goodness and love to us.  Certainly, however, it is appropriate for us in this season when we begin to close out the year and reflect on everything that has happened, to make time as a nation to stop and give special gratitude to God.

Gratitude is also one of the believer’s greatest weapons against the temptation to run to sin.  Someone who hopes in the cross and pours out his gratitude on the unending grace of God can endure the darkest pits.  My own experiences have only grazed the truth of this, but the goodness and grace of God is so very sweet after a deep draught of sadness and suffering, and a time of thanksgiving is all the more appropriate in that time.

I have said before that I believe two important commands we find in Scripture are “rejoice” and “do not fear,” both of which are tied into the idea of loving the Lord with every element of your self, and which overflow into loving your neighbor as yourself.  I am reminded most of all of this passage from Hebrews:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.–Hebrews 12:1-2

Such an amazing picture of the strength we can find in God is seen here!  Christ set the example for all His people by enduring not just giving up His heavenly throne to live as a servant, but enduring the torment of death on a cross, doing so because He knew the joy that would come of it, of the coming perfect union between Christ and His church, was far more valuable than the shame meted out to him in such an ignominious death.

I am constantly holding myself up against this, and I fall so very short.  Yet even knowing that drives me to further gratitude, because the immense and glorious grace of God is more than enough to fill that gap, and to grow me up further.  I pray that I will always keep this weapon at hand, as I go forth into the next part of life and into whatever God has planned for me there.

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Morning and Evening devotionals – an update

As many of you may have noticed, the Morning and Evening devotional podcast made it last year from August through about the end of October, and then stopped.  Unfortunately life wasn’t really cooperating with me, plus I also had equipment failure that compounded things, and so I basically decided to put it aside for the time being.

I’ve shared a couple here, but I wanted to make the announcement official: the updates have resumed and will continue to roll out twice daily thanks to the good folks at Theology Mix.  It is a lot of work to create 730 episodes, but it is a blessing to me and God willing it will continue apace until finally, the entire series is able to run essentially until it just can’t anymore for one reason or another.

Please consider subscribing to the Theology Mix podcast feed, because for now that is the exclusive home of those updates.  My regular episodes will continue to roll out here and there also, plus there are many other podcasts in their feed which you can download and many great writers over there to check out daily.

I am hoping to put out at least one more if not two more episodes before Thanksgiving, but it depends on time.  Please pray for me that I will use my time wisely, between working, serving my church and working on this project.

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Charles Spurgeon’s “Morning and Evening” – November 11, Morning — Theology Mix

“Underneath are the everlasting arms.” –Deuteronomy 33:27 God–the eternal God–is himself our support at all times, and especially when we are sinking in deep trouble. There are seasons when the Christian sinks very low in humiliation. Under a deep sense of his great sinfulness, he is humbled before God till he scarcely knows how to…

via Charles Spurgeon’s “Morning and Evening” – November 11, Morning — Theology Mix

Follow the link for the podcast and subscribe to the Theology Mix feed in your favorite podcast catcher for twice-daily updates.

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Morning and Evening – Good Friday

Happy Good Friday to all those who have begun to follow this podcast as we slowly figure out what exactly we’re doing here.  Today is a day to celebrate the death of death, and the payment made in full for our sins by the Lord Jesus Christ!  We will be releasing Episode 4 very soon.  In the meantime, I present this morning’s entry from Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening devotional:

April 3 – Morning

They took Jesus, and led him away.
John 19:16

He had been all night in agony, he had spent the early morning at the hall of Caiaphas, he had been hurried from Caiaphas to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod, and from Herod back again to Pilate; he had, therefore, but little strength left, and yet neither refreshment nor rest were permitted him.  They were eager for his blood, and therefore led him out to die, loaded with the cross.  O dolorous procession!  Well may Salem’s daughters weep.  My soul, do thou weep also.

What learn we here as we see our blessed Lord led forth?  Do we not perceive that truth which was set forth in shadow by the scapegoat?  Did not the high-priest bring the scapegoat, and put both his hands upon its head, confessing the sins of the people, that thus those sins might be laid upon the goat, and cease from the people?  Then the goat was led away by a fit man into the wilderness, and it carried away the sins of the people, tso that if they were sought for they could not be found.  Now we see Jesus brought before the priests and rulers, who pronounce him guilty; God himself imputes our sins to him, The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all; He was made sin for us; and, as the substitute for our guilt, bearing our sin upon his shoulders, represented by the cross; we see the great Scapegoat led away by the appointed officers of justice.  Beloved, can you feel assured that he carried your sin?  As you look at the cross upon his shoulders, does it represent your sin?  There is one way by which you can tell whether he carried your sin or not.  Have you laid your hand upon his head, confessed your sin, and trusted in him?  Then your sin lies not on you; it has all been transferred by blessed imputation to Christ, and he bears it on his shoulder as a load heavier than the cross.

Let not the picture vanish till you have rejoiced in your own deliverance, and adored the loving Redeemer upon whom your iniquities were laid.