Morning and Evening

Once again, I'd like to make you aware of a wonderful resource available to you for free. Charles Spurgeon was an incredibly gifted Baptist minister in 19th century England. His ministry changed the global landscape of the church. One of his most enduring publications is a devotional book called Morning and Evening. He wrote a short devotional thought based upon a text of Scripture for every morning and for every evening of the year.

You can purchase this book (wonderful Christmas gift) here.

Or you can view it everyday online for free here.

Here is the devotion for today, December 11, evening:

The text: Colossians 3:24 Ye serve the Lord Christ.

To what choice order of officials was this word spoken? To kings who proudly boast a right divine? Ah, no! too often do they serve themselves or Satan, and forget the God whose sufferance permits them to wear their mimic majesty for their little hour. Speaks then the apostle to those so-called "right reverend fathers in God," the bishops, or "the venerable the archdeacons"? No, indeed, Paul knew nothing of these mere inventions of man. Not even to pastors and teachers, or to the wealthy and esteemed among believers, was this word spoken, but to servants, ay, and to slaves. Among the toiling multitudes, the journeymen, the day labourers, the domestic servants, the drudges of the kitchen, the apostle found, as we find still, some of the Lord's chosen, and to them he says, "Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." This saying ennobles the weary routine of earthly employments, and she ds a halo around the most humble occupations. To wash feet may be servile, but to wash His feet is royal work. To unloose the shoe-latchet is poor employ, but to unloose the great Master's shoe is a princely privilege. The shop, the barn, the scullery, and the smithy become temples when men and women do all to the glory of God! Then "divine service" is not a thing of a few hours and a few places, but all life becomes holiness unto the Lord, and every place and thing, as consecrated as the tabernacle and its golden candlestick.

[He always ends each section with a prayer]

"Teach me, my God and King, in all things
Thee to see; And what I do in anything to do it as to Thee.
All may of Thee partake, nothing can be so mean,
Which with this tincture, for Thy sake, will not grow bright and clean.
A servant with this clause makes drudgery divine;
Who sweeps a room, as for Thy laws, makes that and the action fine."

Devotions for Morning and Evening

If you've not heard of Charles H. Spurgeon, perhaps you've been living in a dark and lonely cave all your life. It seems that everybody loves Spurgeon today. That's an amazing and mysterious thing, given that so many of those who love him disagree with him on so many fronts.

As for me, I love him whole-heartedly and have yet to find one component of his theology that I disagree with or find unbiblical.

I bring him up today because I want you all to be aware of a glorious work of Spurgeon's that is available online in print and audio format absolutely free! It's called Morning and Evening. Basically it's a twice daily devotion. Each entry is incredibly short and to the point. But unlike devotions today, Spurgeon (even in one paragraph) is meaty, provocative, and challenging. Anyway, you can't beat free with a stick!

I've included today's "evening" devotion below. But please visit and bookmark this website. Do your soul a favor and start reading Spurgeon once or twice a day. If you have an iPod of mp3 player, search for 'Morning and Evening' in your iTunes Store and you can subscribe to the free podcast.

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An Evening Devotion for September 15

Psalm 148:14 - "A people near unto him."

The dispensation of the old covenant was that of distance. When God appeared even to His servant Moses, He said, "Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet"; and when He manifested Himself upon Mount Sinai, to His own chosen and separated people, one of the first commands was, "Thou shalt set bounds about the mount."

Both in the sacred worship of the tabernacle and the temple, the thought of distance was always prominent. The mass of the people did not even enter the outer court. Into the inner court none but the priests might dare to intrude; while into the innermost place, or the holy of holies, the high priest entered but once in the year. It was as if the Lord in those early ages would teach man that sin was so utterly loathsome to Him, that He must treat men as lepers put without the camp; and when He came nearest to them, He yet made them feel the width of the separation between a holy God and an impure sinner.

When the gospel came, we were placed on quite another footing. The word "Go" was exchanged for "Come"; distance was made to give place to nearness, and we who aforetime were afar off, were made nigh by the blood of Jesus Christ. Incarnate Deity has no wall of fire about it. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," is the joyful proclamation of God as He appears in human flesh. Not now does He teach the leper his leprosy by setting him at a distance, but by Himself suffering the penalty of His defilement.

What a state of safety and privilege is this nearness to God through Jesus! Do you know it by experience? If you know it, are you living in the power of it? Marvellous is this nearness, yet it is to be followed by a dispensation of greater nearness still, when it shall be said, "The tabernacle of God is with men, and He doth dwell among them." Hasten it, O Lord.

Psalm 148:14
A people near unto him.

The dispensation of the old covenant was that of distance. When God appeared even to His servant Moses, He said, "Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet"; and when He manifested Himself upon Mount Sinai, to His own chosen and separated people, one of the first commands was, "Thou shalt set bounds about the mount." Both in the sacred worship of the tabernacle and the temple, the thought of distance was always prominent. The mass of the people did not even enter the outer court. Into the inner court none but the priests might dare to intrude; while into the innermost place, or the holy of holies, the high priest entered but once in the year. It was as if the Lord in those early ages would teach man that sin was so utterly loathsome to Him, that He must treat men as lepers put without the camp; and when He came nearest to them, He yet made them feel the width of the separation between a holy God and an impure sinner. When the gospel came, we were placed on quite another footing. The word "Go" was exchanged for "Come"; distance was made to give place to nearness, and we who aforetime were afar off, were made nigh by the blood of Jesus Christ. Incarnate Deity has no wall of fire about it. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," is the joyful proclamation of God as He appears in human flesh. Not now does He teach the leper his leprosy by setting him at a distance, but by Himself suffering the penalty of His defilement. What a state of safety and privilege is this nearness to God through Jesus! Do you know it by experience? If you know it, are you living in the power of it? Marvellous is this nearness, yet it is to be followed by a dispensation of greater nearness still, when it shall be said, "The tabernacle of God is with men, and He doth dwell among them." Hasten it, O Lord.

Who Needs More Books?

"When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments." 2 Timothy 4:13

People have asked me why I have, want, and need so many books. Well, I think I'll let Charles Spurgeon answer that one. The following is an except from his sermon on 2 Timothy 4:13.

We do not know what the books [Paul requested] were about, and we can only form some guess as to what the parchments were. Paul had a few books which were left, perhaps wrapped up in the cloak, and Timothy was to be careful to bring them. Even an apostle must read. . . . A man who comes up into the pulpit, professes to take his text on the spot, and talks any quantity of nonsense, is the idol of many. If he will speak without premeditation, or pretend to do so, and never produce what they call a dish of dead men's brains—oh! that is the preacher. How rebuked are they by the apostle!

He is inspired, and yet he wants books!

He has been preaching at least for thirty years, and yet he wants books!

He had seen the Lord, and yet he wants books!

He had had a wider experience than most men, and yet he wants books!

He had been caught up into the third heaven, and had heard things which it was unlawful for a men to utter, yet he wants books!

He had written the major part of the New Testament, and yet he wants books!

The apostle says to Timothy and so he says to every preacher, "Give thyself unto reading." The man who never reads will never be read; he who never quotes will never be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other men's brains, proves that he has no brains of his own.

Brethren, what is true of ministers is true of all our people. You need to read. Renounce as much as you will all light literature, but study as much as possible sound theological works, especially the Puritanic writers, and expositions of the Bible. We are quite persuaded that the very best way for you to be spending your leisure, is to be either reading or praying. You may get much instruction from books which afterwards you may use as a true weapon in your Lord and Master's service. Paul cries, "Bring the books"—join in the cry.

HT: JT

Preaching the Gospel to Yourself

I am going to try very hard to make the posts on this blog original. There are already plenty of excellent Christian blogs dedicated to bringing together all the best posts and internet resources available (my top two: Justin Taylor "Between Two Worlds" and Tim Challies "Challies Dot Com") so I would be both unwilling and unable to try to fill that niche.

That being said, I realize that many readers of this blog do not consider themselves "into blogging". (If that is you, please visit and bookmark Justin Taylor's blog. I promise you, you will not be disappointed.) Therefore I would like to break my own rule today and pass along a nugget from Justin Childers blog that really ministered to my soul.

I am always talking to HHBC about "preaching the Gospel to yourself" (a phrase that Jerry Bridges actually coined). I realize that this is one of those things that sounds easy to understand but hard to actually carry out. What does it mean to "preach the Gospel to yourself"? What does it look like? How do you do it? Well, let my good friend Charles Spurgeon point you in the right direction...

Again looking at Jesus in the garden, we learn the excellence and completeness of the atonement. How black I am, how filthy, how loathsome in the sight of God, — I feel myself only fit to be cast into the lowest hell, and I wonder that God has not long ago cast me there; but I go into Gethsemane, and I peer under those gnarled olive trees, and I see my Saviour.

Yes, I see Him wallowing on the ground in anguish, and hear such groans come from Him as never came from human breast before. I look upon the earth and see it red with His blood, while His face is smeared with gory sweat, and I say to myself, “My God, my Saviour, what aileth Thee?”

I hear Him reply, “I am suffering for thy sin,” and then I take comfort, for while I fain would have spared my Lord such an anguish, now that the anguish is over I can understand how Jehovah can spare me, because He smote His Son in my stead.

Now I have hope of justification, for I bring before the justice of God and my own conscience the remembrance of my bleeding Saviour, and I say, Canst Thou twice demand payment, first at the hand of Thy agonizing Son and then again at mine? Sinner as I am, I stand before the burning throne of the severity of God, and am not afraid of it. Canst thou scorch me, O consuming fire, when Thou hast not only scorche but utterly consumed my substitute?

Nay, by faith, my soul sees justice satisfied, the law honoured, the moral government of God established and yet my once guilty soul absolved and set free. The fire of avenging justice has spent itself, and the law has exhausted its most rigorous demands upon the person of Him who was made a curse for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Oh the sweetness of the comfort which flows from the atoning blood! Obtain that comfort, my brethren, and never leave it. Cling to you Lord’s bleeding heart, and drink in abundant consolation.

(This beautiful citation is from Spurgeon's sermon "The Agony in Gethsemane" available here. Paragraph breaks and emphasis mine.)