"Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me."

—Job 10:2.

PERHAPS, O tried soul, the Lord is doing this to develop thy graces.
There are some of thy graces which would never be discovered if it were not for thy trials.

Dost thou not know that thy faith never looks so grand in summer weather as it does in winter? Love is too often like a glow-worm, showing but little light except it be in the midst of surrounding darkness.

Hope itself is like a star—not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity. Afflictions are often the black foils in which God doth set the jewels of His children's graces, to make them shine the better.

 It was but a little while ago that on thy knees thou wast saying, "Lord, I fear I have no faith: let me know that I have faith." Was not this really, though perhaps unconsciously, praying for trials?—for how canst thou know that thou hast faith until thy faith is exercised? Depend upon it, God often sends us trials that our graces may be discovered, and that we may be certified of their existence.

Besides, it is not merely discovery, real growth in grace is the result of sanctified trials. God often takes away our comforts and our privileges in order to make us better Christians. He trains His soldiers, not in tents of ease and luxury, but by turning them out and using them to forced marches and hard service.

He makes them ford through streams, and swim through rivers, and climb mountains, and walk many a long mile with heavy knapsacks of sorrow on their backs.

Well, Christian, may not this account for the troubles through which thou art passing? Is not the Lord bringing out your graces, and making them grow? Is not this the reason why He is contending with you?

"Trials make the promise sweet;
Trials give new life to prayer;
Trials bring me to His feet,
Lay me low, and keep me there."

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ 

Reflection and inspiration from the "Prince of Preachers," Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

 Copyright Statement, This resource was produced before 1923 , 

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"Whereas the Lord was there."

—Ezekiel 35:10.

EDOM'S princes saw the whole country left desolate, and counted upon its easy conquest; but there was one great difficulty in their way—quite unknown to them—"The Lord was there"; and in His presence lay the special security of the chosen land.

 Whatever may be the machinations and devices of the enemies of God's people, there is still the same effectual barrier to thwart their design.

The saints are God's heritage, and He is in the midst of them, and will protect His own.
What comfort this assurance yields us in our troubles and spiritual conflicts!
We are constantly opposed, and yet perpetually preserved!

How often Satan shoots his arrows against our faith, but our faith defies the power of hell's fiery darts; they are not only turned aside, but they are quenched upon its shield, for "the Lord is there."

 Our good works are the subjects of Satan's attacks. A saint never yet had a virtue or a grace which was not the target for hellish bullets: whether it was hope bright and sparkling, or love warm and fervent, or patience all-enduring, or zeal flaming like coals of fire, the old enemy of everything that is good has tried to destroy it.

 The only reason why anything virtuous or lovely survives in us is this, "the Lord is there."
If the Lord be with us through life, we need not fear for our dying confidence; for when we come to die, we shall find that "the Lord is there"; where the billows are most tempestuous, and the water is most chill, we shall feel the bottom, and know that it is good: our feet shall stand upon the Rock of Ages when time is passing away.
 Beloved, from the first of a Christian's life to the last, the only reason why he does not perish is because "the Lord is there."

When the God of everlasting love shall change and leave His elect to perish, then may the Church of God be destroyed; but not till then, because it is written,
JEHOVAH SHAMMAH, "The Lord is there."

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ 

Reflection and inspiration from the "Prince of Preachers," Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

 Copyright Statement, This resource was produced before 1923 , 

and therefore is considered in the "Public Domain". 

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TRADUCTORES AL ESPAÑOL O CUALQUIER OTRO LENGUAJE... 

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Grace exalted—boasting excluded

‘Where is boasting then?

It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.’

Romans 3:27

Suggested Further Reading:

Galatians 3:1–14

There are two ways by which man might have been for ever blessed.
The one was by works: ‘This do and thou shalt live; be obedient and receive the reward.’

The other plan was: ‘Receive grace and blessedness as the free gift of God; stand as a guilty sinner having no merit, and as a rebellious sinner deserving the very reverse of goodness, but stand there and receive all thy good things, simply, wholly, and alone of the free love and sovereign mercy of God.’ 

Now, the Lord has not chosen the system of works.
The word ‘law’, as used twice in the text, is employed, it is believed by many commentators, out of compliment to the Jews, who were so fond of the word, that their antagonism might not be aroused; but it means here, as elsewhere in Scripture, plan, system, method. 

There were two plans, two systems, two methods, two spirits,—the plan of works and the plan of grace. God has once for all utterly refused the plan of merit and of works, and has chosen to bless men only, and entirely through the plan, or method, or law of faith. 

This indeed is the bottom of theology, and he who can understand this clearly, it seems to me, can never be very heterodox; orthodoxy must surely follow, and the right teaching of God must be understood when we once for all are able to discriminate with accuracy between that which is of man—works, and that which is of God—faith, and grace received by faith. 

Now the plan of salvation by works is impossible for us.

For meditation: 

There are still two basic ideas of salvation—God’s way of sending the Lord Jesus Christ down to earth to lift to heaven all who trust in his death on the cross (John 3:16); and man’s way of trying to climb heavenwards by some other route, even though the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way back to God (John 14:6 ). Which path are you on—the one called ‘God’s way’ or the one called ‘My way’? They lead to different places (Matthew 7:13–14).


Sermon no. 429

19 January (1862)

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ 

Reflection and inspiration from the "Prince of Preachers," Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

 Copyright Statement, This resource was produced before 1923 , 

and therefore is considered in the "Public Domain". 

 IF YOU ENJOY THIS BLOG ?..

 I invite You to visit my others blogs, just copy the link and put it in to your browser or

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TRADUCTORES AL ESPAÑOL O CUALQUIER OTRO LENGUAJE... 

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 ***MAY THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD BE WITH YOU AND 

GOD BLESS YOUR DAY !!! 

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Ever Mindful

The Lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us. (Psalm 115:12)

I can set my seal to that first sentence.
 Cannot you? Yes, Jehovah has thought of us, provided for us, comforted us, delivered us,
and guided us.

In all the movements of His providence He has been mindful of us, never overlooking our mean affairs. His mind has been full of us—that is the other form of the word mindful.

This has been the case all along and without a single break. At special times, however, we have more distinctly seen this mindfulness, and we would recall them at this hour with overflowing gratitude.
Yes, yes, "the Lord hath been mindful of us."

The next sentence is a logical inference from the former one.
Since God is unchangeable, He will continue to be mindful of us in the future as He has been in the past; and His mindfulness is tantamount to blessing us.

 But we have here not only the conclusion of reason but the declaration of inspiration; we have it on the Holy Ghost's authority—"He will bless us."

This means great things and unsearchable.
The very indistinctness of the promise indicates its infinite reach.

He will bless us after His own divine manner, and that forever and ever, Therefore, let us each say, "Bless the Lord, O my soul!"
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ 

 Reflection and inspiration from the "Prince of Preachers," Charles Haddon Spurgeon. 

Copyright Statement, This resource was produced before 1923 , 

and therefore is considered in the "Public Domain".

 IF YOU ENJOY THIS BLOG ?.. 

I invite You to visit my others blogs, just copy the link and put it in to your browser 

or highlight it and do a right click to go the the address ( clicking is not working sorry).. TRANSLATORS ARE AVAILABLE TO ANY LANGUAGE.. 

TRADUCTORES AL ESPAÑOL O CUALQUIER OTRO LENGUAJE... 

Please share with your family and friends using small envelope (E-mail)

 next to a pencil, under my name at the bottom of post ... 

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 ***MAY THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD BE WITH YOU 

AND GOD BLESS YOUR DAY !!! 

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Mercy to the Undeserving

He that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. (Psalm 32:10)

O fair reward of trust! My Lord, grant it me to the full! The truster above all men feels himself to be a sinner; and lo, mercy is prepared for him: he knows himself to have no deservings, but mercy comes in and keeps house for him on a liberal scale.

 O Lord, give me this mercy, even as I trust in Thee!
Observe, my soul, what a bodyguard thou hast! As a prince is compassed about with soldiery, so art thou compassed about with mercy. Before and behind, and on all sides, ride these mounted guards of grace. We dwell in the center of the system of mercy, for we dwell in Christ Jesus.

O my soul, what an atmosphere dost thou breathe! As the air surrounds thee, even so does the mercy of thy Lord. To the wicked there are many sorrows, but to thee there are so many mercies that thy sorrows are not worth mentioning.

David says, "Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous; and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart." In obedience to this precept my heart shall triumph in God, and I will tell out my gladness.

As Thou hast compassed me with mercy, I will also compass Thine altars, O my God, with songs of thanksgiving!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ 

 Reflection and inspiration from the "Prince of Preachers," Charles Haddon Spurgeon. 

Copyright Statement, This resource was produced before 1923 , 

and therefore is considered in the "Public Domain".

 IF YOU ENJOY THIS BLOG ?.. 

I invite You to visit my others blogs, just copy the link and put it in to your browser 

or highlight it and do a right click to go the the address ( clicking is not working sorry).. TRANSLATORS ARE AVAILABLE TO ANY LANGUAGE.. 

TRADUCTORES AL ESPAÑOL O CUALQUIER OTRO LENGUAJE... 

Please share with your family and friends using small envelope (E-mail)

 next to a pencil, under my name at the bottom of post ... 

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SPANISH: 

http://poderosoguerrerodejesus.blogspot.. 

 ***MAY THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD BE WITH YOU 

AND GOD BLESS YOUR DAY !!! 

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"He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever."

—John 14:16.

GREAT Father revealed Himself to believers of old before the coming of His Son, and was known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the God Almighty.

Then Jesus came, and the ever-blessed Son in His own proper person,
was the delight of His people's eyes.

 At the time of the Redeemer's ascension, the Holy Spirit became the head of the present dispensation, and His power was gloriously manifested in and after Pentecost.
 He remains at this hour the present Immanuel—God with us, dwelling in and with His people, quickening, guiding, and ruling in their midst.

Is His presence recognized as it ought to be? We cannot control His working; He is most sovereign in all His operations, but are we sufficiently anxious to obtain His help, or sufficiently watchful lest we provoke Him to withdraw His aid? Without Him we can do nothing, but by His almighty energy the most extraordinary results can be produced: everything depends upon his manifesting or concealing His power.

Do we always look up to Him both for our inner life and our outward service with the respectful dependence which is fitting? Do we not too often run before His call and act independently of His aid? Let us humble ourselves this evening for past neglects, and now entreat the heavenly dew to rest upon us, the sacred oil to anoint us, the celestial flame to burn within us.

The Holy Ghost is no temporary gift, 
He abides with the saints. 

We have but to seek Him aright, and He will be found of us.
He is jealous, but He is pitiful; if He leaves in anger, He returns in mercy.

 Condescending and tender, He does not weary of us, but awaits to be gracious still.
Sin has been hammering my heart Unto a hardness, void of love,
Let supplying grace to cross his art Drop from above.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ 

Reflection and inspiration from the "Prince of Preachers," Charles Haddon Spurgeon. 

Copyright Statement, This resource was produced before 1923 , 

and therefore is considered in the "Public Domain".

 IF YOU ENJOY THIS BLOG ?..

 I invite You to visit my others blogs, just copy the link and put it in to your browser

 or highlight it and do a right click to go the the address ( clicking is not working sorry).. TRANSLATORS ARE AVAILABLE TO ANY LANGUAGE.. 

TRADUCTORES AL ESPAÑOL O CUALQUIER OTRO LENGUAJE...

 Please share with your family and friends using small envelope (E-mail)

 next to a pencil, under my name at the bottom of post ...

 ENGLISH: 

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http://jesusmightywarrior.blogspot.com/ 

SPANISH:

 http://poderosoguerrerodejesus.blogspot..

 ***MAY THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD BE WITH YOU AND

GOD BLESS YOUR DAY !!! 

Copyright Policy: 

We respect copyright laws and are committed to remove any copyright infringing material from our website. If you find any content on our website which infringes your copyrighted work, please contact us, we’ll be happy to verify and remove such content. Please do provide us the following details: 1) Your name, E-mail Address. 2) Location (URLs) of your copyrighted work on your website. 3) Location (URLs) of your copyrighted work on our website.