From “Morning and Evening” by C. H. Spurgeon

“I will meditate in thy precepts.”   Psa_119:15

There are times when solitude is better than society, and silence is wiser than speech. We should be better Christians if we were more alone, waiting upon God, and gathering through meditation on his Word spiritual strength for labour in his service. We ought to muse upon the things of God, because we thus get the real nutriment out of them. Truth is something like the cluster of the vine: if we would have wine from it, we must bruise it; we must press and squeeze it many times. The bruiser’s feet must come down joyfully upon the bunches, or else the juice will not flow; and they must well tread the grapes, or else much of the precious liquid will be wasted. So we must, by meditation, tread the clusters of truth, if we would get the wine of consolation therefrom. Our bodies are not supported by merely taking food into the mouth, but the process which really supplies the muscle, and the nerve, and the sinew, and the bone, is the process of digestion. It is by digestion that the outward food becomes assimilated with the inner life. Our souls are not nourished merely by listening awhile to this, and then to that, and then to the other part of divine truth. Hearing, reading, marking, and learning, all require inwardly digesting to complete their usefulness, and the inward digesting of the truth lies for the most part in meditating upon it. Why is it that some Christians, although they hear many sermons, make but slow advances in the divine life? Because they neglect their closets, and do not thoughtfully meditate on God’s Word. They love the wheat, but they do not grind it; they would have the corn, but they will not go forth into the fields to gather it; the fruit hangs upon the tree, but they will not pluck it; the water flows at their feet, but they will not stoop to drink it. From such folly deliver us, O Lord, and be this our resolve this morning, “I will meditate in thy precepts.”

 

Advertisement

A Thought on The Whole Truth

I read a few statements tonight that said, “Sadly, many people who assume they are saved are lost.”  Here’s another one, “Verbally professing that Jesus is Lord is necessary, but it is meaningless apart from a faith commitment to follow Him.”  And let’s finish off with, “The only way to know Jesus personally is to yield our hearts to Him by faith, that is, to make Him Lord of our lives.  Anything less is just religious ritual and activity.”

These were just three of the statements I read again tonight, and taught in a Sunday School lesson just a while back.  By themselves they were enough to get my attention, and in truth just those three statements can provide me with more than enough to meditate on for a long time.  How about you?

Are these statements true?  Sadly, the truth is that the majority of people reading this probably don’t know for sure if you believe what the statistics say about people and their knowledge of God’s Word.  And, you see that’s the problem.  A lot of people say a lot of things, and they write a lot of things, too.  How do you know that any of them are true?

There’s only one real way to know, and that’s to search it out in not what others publish about God’s Word, but IN God’s Word.  Yet, even in this, we must be careful because people like to use what are called “proof texts” which are exactly what they’re called, text that can be used to make a particular point.  Many, many people quote Scripture in this way, and in and of itself there’s nothing wrong with quoting Scripture, but just remember that the devil can quote Scripture with the best of them, and like him, there are people in this world who use it to mislead others every bit as much and as well as he does.

Please remember that even the best, most well-intentioned, most literate, and most educated people on earth can be wrong, and that’s why we need to do more than just trust what someone tells us.  We need to make sure by doing the work to find out if we’re being told the truth.

And remember this, too, getting a part and parcel of truth is as much a blatant lie as a lie.  People teach God is a God of Love and so He is, but He is also a God of Justice, Holiness, and Perfection.  You’ve heard the phrase “The truth and the WHOLE truth,” and there’s only way to know the difference.

 

From “Day-By-Day By Grace” by Bob Hoekstra

Sometimes we need a reminder, and other times we need to ask ourselves a question…

 

Living According to God’s Word

You have dealt well with Your servant, O LORD, according to Your word. (Psa_119:65)

David was a man who basically lived by grace (that is, by depending on the Lord to work in his life). Consequently, he trusted in the word of God (“the word of His grace” — Act_20:32). David lived according to God’s word. Psalm 119 bears substantial testimony of what can happen when one lives in this manner. “You have dealt well with Your servant, O LORD, according to Your word.” This strategic phrase (“according to Your word” ) has two implications: living in line with God’s word and living by the provisions of God’s word.

Therefore, those who live according to God’s word not only find their direction in the Scriptures, they find resource there as well. Many fruitful and respected Bible teachers (like C. H. Spurgeon) are convinced that David was the human instrumental author of Psalm 119. Whether this is true or not is incidental to our present meditation. In this majestic Psalm, the Holy Spirit (the ultimate author) depicts the all-inclusive nature of living according to the word.

Every person on earth begins their life with a sin problem (guilty, condemned, alienated from God). If a person wants to have their life cleaned up spiritually, they can see that accomplished according to God’s Word. “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word” (Psa_119:9). Anyone who will pay close attention to the message of the scriptures will find therein God’s provision of forgiveness and salvation. “Let Your mercies come also to me, O LORD — Your salvation according to Your word” (Psa_119:41). God’s merciful salvation (from sin and unto godliness) is enjoyed by those who call upon Him wholeheartedly. “I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; Be merciful to me according to Your word” (Psa_119:58).

Every person who has found new life through the Lord’s merciful salvation eventually encounters times when a reviving is needed. The difficulties of life seem to choke all spiritual vitality out of us. It is time to call upon the Lord and turn to His word. “I am afflicted very much; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your word” (Psa_119:107). Sometimes, the battle is so intense that our inner man seems to be smashed face down in the dirt. Again, it is time to seek the Lord in His word. “My soul clings to the dust; Revive me according to Your word” (Psa_119:25). Yes, in God’s word, we find direction for our lives and replenishing of our lives.

Dear Lord of the scriptures, I praise You for giving me new life according to Your word. Now, in the afflictions and battles that I face, I ask You to revive me according to Your word.

From “Day-By-Day By Grace” by Bob Hoekstra

A Precious Promise of God’s Perfecting Work

The LORD will perfect that which concerns me. (Psa_138:8)

Again, we look at one of God’s “precious promises.” (2Pe_1:4). This one pertains to His perfecting work in the lives of those who know Him and humbly depend upon Him. This priceless promise is the Old Testament antecedent of the one we recently considered from Phi_1:6. “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it.”

Think of the astounding implications of our present promise. “The LORD will perfect that which concerns me.” Our God has pledged to fully accomplish His will and His plan in every matter that pertains to our lives. Whether it is growth in biblical insight, development in godliness, progress in marriage, or whatever, “the LORD will perfect that which concerns [us] .”

If we have given even minimal attention to God’s word, we know that He wants us to grow in sound biblical understanding. “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food” (Heb_5:12). If we will humbly feed on God’s word, seeking Him for spiritual insight, He “will perfect that which concerns [us] ” in this area of life.

If we care about the will of God for our overall spiritual development, we know His word calls us to godliness. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age” (Tit_2:11-12). If we seek the Lord and trust in Him for ongoing growth in godliness, He “will perfect that which concerns [us] ” in this area as well.

With respect to family life, the scriptures reveal God’s will to be a household of mutually submissive servants, each serving the other out of reverence for the Lord: “submitting to one another in the fear of God” (Eph_5:21). The servant wife would follow the spiritual leadership of the husband. “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord” (Eph_5:22). The servant husband would love His wife with sacrificial Christ-like love. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it” (Eph_5:25). As each seeks the Lord for His transforming grace, He “will perfect that which concerns (us) ” in this area of life also.

Dear Father, forgive me for attempting to perfect myself, when You have promised to attend to it. My vain efforts only quench the work of Your Spirit of grace. Lord, please carry out Your transforming work in my study of the word, my need to grow in godliness, my relationships at home, my testimony on the job, my service of You — my entire life, in Jesus name, Amen.

From “The Word For You Today” by Bruce Christian – Satan is Defeated (1)

SATAN IS DEFEATED (1)

     Have you ever watched one of those TV shows where the police show up, surprise the criminal and say, “You’re busted,” then put them in handcuffs and take them off to jail?  That’s what Jesus did to Satan.  The word “destroy” implies “to come unglued,” or “to fall apart.”  Imagine the mortar crumbling and the wall coming down, or the spool running out of thread so that when the garment is picked up it falls apart.  On what basis would you like to fight Satan?  By the power of your own intellect, or by the power of God’s Word?  By your own will, or by knowing God’s will, standing on it, and enforcing it’s terms?  Ever turn on the lights in a dark room and watch cockroaches run for cover?  You didn’t do anything, you just turned on the light!  Every wall Satan builds to keep you locked in crumbles when exposed to the light of God’s Word.  Satan’s act literally comes unglued.  And it happens fast, because light travels at 186,000 miles per second.  Satan’s greatest weapon is your ignorance of God’s Word.  That’s why he will fight you over Bible reading more than most other things.  Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (Jn 8:32 NIV).  The truth itself doesn’t set you free; it’s “knowing” the truth, standing on it in times of trouble and trusting God to do what He has said, that empowers you not only to survive Satan’s attacks, but to triumph over him.

From “The Word For You Today” by Bruce Christian – Listen to Him

LISTEN TO HIM!

     Paul told the church at Ephesus, “I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you” (Ac 20:20 NIV).  A surgeon saves your life by cutting out what threatens you, and God’s word does that with us.  One of Christ’s warnings to the church at Thyatira was: “I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.  Indeed I will cast her into a sick bed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds” (Rev 2:21-22 NKJV).  When you are heading over a cliff’s edge, someone who truly loves you will try to stop you.  And nobody loves you like the Lord!  But you cannot keep ignoring His warnings.  The Prodigal Son’s father welcomed him back home, but he still lost his family inheritance.  Every day you live, you put another building block in place.  What are you building?  One day you will stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ.  Paul describes it: “The fire will test the quality of each man’s work.  If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.  If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames” (1 Cor 3:13-15 NIV).  Your friends may think your disobedience is no big deal.  But God, who knows the extent of your ultimate loss, will “get in your face” and tell you to repent while you still have time.  Today, if He is speaking to you about a certain issue, listen to Him!  Obey Him!