“God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.” Genesis 1:4

Light is good since it began to exist from God’s good command, “Let there be light.” We who enjoy it should be more grateful for it than we are, and see more of God in it and by it. Physical light is said by Solomon to be sweet, but gospel light is infinitely more precious, for it reveals eternal things and ministers to our immortal natures.

When the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual light, and opens our eyes to see clearly the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We see clearly our sin in its true colors, and ourselves in our real position. We see the Most Holy God as He reveals Himself, His plan of mercy, and the world to come as His Word describes it. Spiritual light has many beams and colors, but whether they are knowledge, joy, holiness, or life, all are divinely good. If the light received is good, then God, the essential light, is ever so much more glorious.

Lord Jesus, since Your light is so good, give us more of it, and more of yourself, more of the true light.

When God brings light to the world, division is necessary to separate it from darkness. Light and darkness have nothing in common. Since God has divided them, we must not join them. Children of light must be sober, honest, and bold in their Lord’s work, leaving the works of darkness behind.

Our churches should divide the light from the darkness with great discipline, and we should do the same by being separated from the world by walking in God’s light instead of the dark paths. In action, in judgment, in hearing, in teaching, in association, we must discern between the precious and the vile, and maintain the great distinction which the Lord made upon the world’s first day.

Lord Jesus, be our light throughout the entire day, for Your light is the light of us all.

Question: Are there areas of your life where God’s light is dim or absent? Is it time to let Him in?

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon. Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2008.

FURTHER READING

His Wonderful Light

THE LIGHT

Living in the Light

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“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18

“Grow in grace” – not in only one type of grace, but in all forms of gracious response. Grow first in faith, which is the root of all grace. Let your faith increase in fullness, consistency, and simplicity. This will enable you to grasp God’s promises even more firmly than before.

“Grow in love” – Ask God to extend your love to make it more intense, more practical, and influencing your every thought, word, and deed.

“Grow also in humility” – Seek lowly places and realize your own smallness so that God will be magnified. As you grow downward in humility, seek to grow upward towards God, approaching Him closer in prayer and seeking ever more intimate fellowship with Jesus.

I pray that God the Holy Spirit enable you to “grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior.” Anyone who doesn’t seek to grow in knowledge of Jesus has passed up their blessing, because to know Him deeply is the blessing of eternally fulfilled life. If you know the love of Jesus, you will long for greater outpourings of His love. If you do not desire to know Him better, then you don’t love Him at all, for love always cries, “Nearer, nearer.” Whoever has sipped this wine will thirst for more, for although Christ does satisfy, it is such a wonderful satisfaction, that the a person’s thirst will be whetted.

Absence from Christ is hell, but the presence of Jesus is heaven. Don’t rest merely being content without seeking a closer relationship with Jesus. Seek to know more of Him in His divine nature, in His human relationship, and in His finished work of the cross: His death, resurrection, ascension, and glorious intercession on our behalf.

Grow in grace. Increase in love to Jesus, and you will appreciate even more His love to you. Knowing His love, and His love outworking in every aspect of your daily life, are the best tests of growth in grace.

Question: How do you plan and expect to grow in grace?

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon;
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2008.

FURTHER READING

Growing in Grace – You Choose

Refuse to Set Aside God’s Grace

Buried in Grace

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“Delight yourself in the Lord.” Psalm 37:4

The teaching of these words must seem surprising to those who have never known real godliness, but to the sincere believer they only restate a recognized and profound truth. The life of the believer is described as a “delight” in God, and therefore true religion will always overflow with happiness and joy. Anyone who doesn’t actively cultivate a relationship with God, including secular scholars who study religion as merely an intellectual pursuit or as a social curiosity, never look upon religion as a joyful thing; to them it is service, duty, or necessity, but never pleasure or delight. If they are personally involved in religion at all, it is either for personal gain or for cultural reasons only.

The thought of delight in religion is so strange to most people. No two words in their language stand further apart than “holiness” and “delight.” But believers who know Christ understand that delight and faith are so blessedly united, that the gates of hell cannot prevail to separate them. They who love God with all their hearts find that His ways are ways of joy, and all His paths are peace. Such joys, such overwhelming delights, such overflowing blessedness, they can continually discover in the Lord. Instead of merely serving Him out of habit, they follow Him even if all the world were to curse His holy name.

We do not revere God because of any compulsion. Our faith is no chain, and our confession of faith is no enslavement. We are not dragged to holiness, nor driven to duty. No, our piety is our pleasure, our hope is our happiness, our duty is our delight.

Delight and true religion are as united as root and flower; as indivisible as truth and certainty. They are, in fact, two precious jewels glittering side by side in a setting of gold.

“‘Tis when we taste Thy love, Our joys divinely grow, Unspeakable like those above, And heaven begins below.”

Question: What brings you delight? What ways does/should the Lord bring you delight?

By Charles Spurgeon
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

God is My Delight

My Great Delight

Delight Yourself in the Lord

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“I will pour out water to quench your thirst” Isaiah 44:3

When a Christian believer falls into spiritual depression, he or she often tries to lift themselves out of it by focusing on their sorrow. That’s not the way to rise from the dust. It’s a sure way to continue in it.

It is not the law, but the gospel which saves the seeking soul. And it is not legal slavery, but gospel liberty which can restore the hurting believer. Slavish fear won’t bring back the backslider to God, but the sweet wooing’s of love will draw them back to Jesus. Similarly, the spiritually depressed must focus on the living God’s love and promises.

Are you today thirsting for the living God, and unhappy because you cannot find him to the delight of your heart? Have you lost the joy of your relationship with God? Then this is  your prayer: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation.” (Psalm 51:12)

If you are feeling totally barren, like the dry ground, in this state you are not producing the fruit which God has a right to expect of you. Here is the promise which you need: “I will pour out water to quench your thirst.” (Isaiah 44:3)

You will receive all the grace you require, and it will exceed all of your needs. Water refreshes the thirsty and you will be refreshed. Your desires shall be gratified. Pulse quickened by exhilarating grace. Harvest of fruit multiplied. You will enjoy all of the goodness of divine grace. It will be as though you were drenched with the water of divine grace. How do I know that? Because God promised it!

And as sometimes the meadows become flooded by the bursting rivers, and the fields turn into pools, you yourself will become a pool of living water as God fills you. In this way the entire thirsty land can become full of pools of living water for the good and refreshment of all!

Question: Have you felt spiritually dry lately?

By Charles Spurgeon
Used by Permission

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon, published in “Mornings & Evenings,”
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2008.

FURTHER READING

Holy Cravings

Living Waters

Practicing the presence of God

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“It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.” Psalm 74:17

My friend, as we begin this wintry month, begin it with God. The cold snows and the piercing winds all remind us that God keeps His covenant day and night, and assures us that He will also keep the glorious covenant which He made with us in the person of Christ Jesus. God, who remains true to His Word during the turning of the seasons in this poor sin-polluted world, will prove faithful in His dealings with His own well-beloved sons and daughters.

Winter in the soul is often an uncomfortable season. If now you are facing uncomfortable circumstances or discouraging experiences, it will feel very painful to you. But there is comfort in the fact that the Lord makes both summer and winter. He knows your pain. He sends the sharp blasts of adversity to nip the buds of expectation. He scatters the frost like ashes over the once lush meadows of our joy.

He does it all. He is the great Winter King, and rules the realms of frost. Therefore you should not murmur against Him. Losses, crosses, heaviness, sickness, poverty, and a thousand other ills can, if we choose, be turned into a blessing of the Lord, and such trials come to us with wise design. Frosts kill deadly insects, and restrains raging diseases. I truly hope that such good results would always flow from our winters of turmoil!

Let us wrap ourselves in the warm garments of His promises, and go forth to work for His glory during this season, for it those who slack off in their work during the winters often are forced to beg in summer due to their inactivity, and end up with nothing. Just as during winter we cherish a fire’s pleasant glow and warming heat, let us cherish our Lord, who is the constant source of warmth and comfort in every time of trouble. Let us draw near to Him, and in Him find joy and peace in believing.

Question: Regardless of the weather outside, how do you handle the winters of your soul?

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon.
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2008.
used by permission

FURTHER READING

• Precious Promises
• Confident In God’s Promises
• You are Not Alone

The post God in the Winter appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Let the people renew their strength.” Isaiah 41:1 (KJV)

All things on earth need to be renewed. No created thing sustains itself. “Thou renewest the face of the earth,” was the Psalmist’s cry. (Psalm 104:30) Even the trees, which do not themselves clamor for care, and do not shorten their lives with labor, must drink of the rain of heaven and absorb the hidden treasures of the soil. The cedars of Lebanon, which God has planted, only live because day by day they are filled with sap freshly drawn from the earth. (Isaiah 14:8)

In the same way, a man’s life cannot be sustained without constant renewal from God. As it is necessary to repair the waste of the body by frequent meals, so we must repair the waste of the soul by feeding on the Book of God, or by listening to the preached Word, or by the soul-quenching table of communion.

How depressed will our souls become when God’s provisions are neglected! What unfortunate Christians are those who live without the diligent use of the Word of God and secret prayer! If our piety can live without God, then it is not of divine origin. It is only a dream. If God had begotten it, it would wait on Him as the flowers stay on the dew. Without constant restoration, we are not ready for the perpetual assaults of hell, or the stern afflictions of heaven, or even for the strifes within.

When the whirlwind is loosed, woe to the tree that has not absorbed the fresh sap and grasped the rock with many intertwisted roots.

When fearsome storms arise, woe to the mariners who have not strengthened their mast, nor cast their anchor, nor sought refuge. If we despise what is good and grow weaker, the evil will gather strength and struggle desperately for mastery over us. And so a painful desolation and a lamentable disgrace will follow.

Let us draw near to the feet of divine mercy in humble supplication, and we will realize the fulfillment of the promise: “They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.” (Isaiah 40:31, KJV)

Question: Where do you draw renewal from God? Are there additional resources that God has provided but you are not using?

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon.
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2010.
used by permission

RELATED READING

• My Weakness, God’s Strength
• God is My Strength
• God’s Strength Covers Me

The post Strength Comes from God appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” Colossians 2:9-10

All the attributes of Christ, as God and man, are at our disposal. All the fullness of the Godhead, whatever that marvelous term may comprehend, is ours to make us complete. He cannot endow us with the attributes of Deity; but He has done all that can be done, for He has made even His divine power and Godhead subservient to our salvation. His omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, immutability and infallibility, are all combined for our defense.

Arise, believer, and behold the Lord Jesus yoking the whole of His divine Godhead to the chariot of salvation! How vast His grace, how firm His faithfulness, how unswerving His immutability, how infinite His power, how limitless His knowledge! All these are by the Lord Jesus made the pillars of the temple of salvation; and all, without diminution of their infinity, are covenanted to us as our perpetual inheritance. The fathomless love of the Savior’s heart is every drop of it ours; every sinew in the arm of might, every jewel in the crown of majesty, the immensity of divine knowledge, and the sternness of divine justice, all are ours, and shall be employed for us. The whole of Christ, in His adorable character as the Son of God, is by Himself made over to us most richly to enjoy.

His wisdom is our direction, His knowledge our instruction, His power our protection, His justice our surety, His love our comfort, His mercy our solace, and His immutability our trust. He makes no reserve, but opens the recesses of the Mount of God and bids us dig in its mines for the hidden treasures. “All, all, all are yours,” saith He, “be ye satisfied with favor and full of the goodness of the Lord.” Oh! how sweet thus to behold Jesus, and to call upon Him with the certain confidence that in seeking the interposition of His love or power, we are but asking for that which He has already faithfully promised.

Question: Which of God’s glorious attributes will you hold fast to today?

By Charles Spurgeon
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

• Attributes of God
• God is Holy….
• God Knows Everything
• Jesus is Always There!
• God is Sufficient

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“I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.” Genesis 9:15

Notice the form of the promise. God does not say, “And when you remember and follow My covenant, then I will not destroy the earth.” What God actually said was “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” (Genesis 9:12-13) The covenant depends not on our memory, which is fickle and frail, but on God’s memory, which is infinite and unchangeable.

It is not my remembering God, it is God’s remembering me which forms the foundation of my security. It is not my laying hold of His covenant, but His covenant’s laying hold on me. Glory be to God! Our salvation is secured by divine power, and even the minor aspects, which we may imagine might have been left to us, are guarded by His almighty strength.

Even the remembrance of the covenant is not left to our memories, for we might forget! But our Lord cannot forget the saints, whose names He has written on the palms of His hands. He is with us as He was with Israel in Egypt; the blood was on the door frames, but the Lord did not say, “When you see the blood I will pass over you,” but “When I see the blood I will pass over you.” (Exodus 12:13)

Looking to Jesus brings me joy and peace, but it is God’s looking to Jesus which secures my salvation and that of all His children. It is impossible for God to look at Christ (our bleeding Savior) and then to be angry with us for sins already punished in Him. No, it is not left with us to be saved by remembering the covenant. It is not upheld by our own effort, but of the Lord alone.

We should remember the covenant, and so we resolve do it through divine grace instead of our own power. But the hinge of our safety does not hang there. It is God’s remembering us, and hence the covenant is a beautiful and everlasting covenant.

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon, Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2011.

FURTHER READING

• Pillars of an Unshakable Life
• God’s Covenant
• Hope

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“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:18

In our Christian journey it is good and proper, at most times and in most circumstances, to be looking forward. Forward lies the crown, and onward is the goal. Whether it be for hope, for joy, for consolation, or for the inspiring of our love, the future must, after all, be the grand object of the eye of faith.

Looking into the future we see sin cast out, the body of sin and death destroyed. The soul will be made perfect, and fit to partake in the inheritance promised to God’s saints.

Looking further yet, the believer’s enlightened eye can see death’s river passed, the gloomy stream bridged, and the hills of light attained on which stands the celestial city. We perceive ourselves entering within the pearly gates, hailed as more than conquerors, crowned by the hand of Christ, embraced in the arms of Jesus, glorified with Him, and made to sit together with him, even as he has overcome and has sat down with the Father on his throne.

The thought of this future can relieve the darkness of the past and the gloom of the present. The joys of heaven will surely compensate for the sorrows of Earth. Hush, hush, my doubts! Death is but a narrow stream, and you will soon have crossed it. Time, how short! Eternity, how long! Death, how brief! Immortality, how endless! The road is so, so short! I shall soon be there.

“When the world my heart is rending
With its heaviest storm of care,
My glad thoughts to heaven ascending,
Find a refuge from despair.
Faith’s bright vision shall sustain me
Till life’s pilgrimage is past;
Fears may vex and troubles pain me,
I shall reach my home at last.”

Question: How does looking forward to the future help us in the present?

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon.
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2011.
Used by Permission

If  you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, you can learn how to start one at this link:
https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws

FURTHER READING

• The Future
• the Guarantee of Our Future
• Don’t Let Your Past Control Your Future

The post Fix Your Eyes on the Future appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation.” Joel 1:3

In this simple way, by God’s grace, a living testimony for truth is always kept alive in the world. The beloved of the Lord are to hand down their witness of the gospel and the covenant to their heirs. And these heirs will pass it along to their next descendants.

This is our first duty. We are to begin in our own family homes. A person who does not start his ministry at home is an inadequate witness. Now, all people who do not know Christ are to be sought by all means, and all the highways and hedges are to be searched. But home has a greater priority, and woe to those who reverse the order of the Lord’s appointments.

To teach our children is a personal duty. We cannot delegate it to Sunday school teachers, or other friendly aids. These can assist us, but cannot deliver us from the sacred obligation. Any substitutes are evil and insufficient. Mothers and fathers must, like Abraham, command their households in the fear of God, and talk with their offspring concerning the wondrous works of the Most High. Parental teaching is a natural duty. Who are more fit to look after a child’s well-being as those who are the authors of his actual being?

To neglect the instruction of our children is worse than wicked. Education in the faith is necessary for the world, for the family itself, and for the church of God. In a thousand ways insidious false teaching is covertly advancing in the world, and one of the most effective means for resisting it is almost always neglected, namely, the instruction of children in the faith.

I pray that parents would awaken to the importance of this matter. It is a pleasant duty to talk about Jesus with our sons and daughters, and all the more so because God has saved children through their parents’ prayers and patient instruction. May every house into which this devotional is read honor the Lord and receive His smile.

Questions: What makes it difficult to instruct children in the Christian faith? What nevertheless makes that effort so necessary and worthwhile?

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon.
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•  Family Articles and Inspirational Ideas

•  Top Ten Ways to Teach Values to Your Kids 

•  Salvation Explained

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“Acquaint now thyself with Him.” Job 22:21, KJV

If we want to properly “acquaint ourselves with God, and be at peace,” we must know Him as He has revealed Himself, not only in the unity of His essence and provision, but also in the plurality of His persons, the Trinity. God said, “Let us make man in our own image.” (Genesis 1:26, KJV) Let a person be discontent until he knows something about the “us” from whom their existence was derived.

Endeavor to know the Father. Bury your head in Him, in deep repentance, and confess that you are not worthy to be called His son. Receive the kiss of His love. Let the ring which is the token of His eternal faithfulness be on your finger. Sit at His table and let your heart be merry in His grace.

Then press forward and seek to know the Son of God who is the brightness of His Father’s glory, and yet in unspeakable condescension of grace became man for our sakes. Know Him in the singular complexity of His nature. He is eternal God, and yet suffering, finite man. Follow Him as He walks the waters with the tread of deity, and as He sits upon the well in the weariness of humanity. Be not satisfied unless you know much of Jesus Christ as your Lord, your Friend, your Brother, your all.

And do not neglect the Holy Spirit. Endeavor to obtain a clear view of His nature and character, His attributes, and His works. Behold that Spirit of the Lord, who first of all moved upon chaos, and brought forth order. He now visits the chaos of your soul, and creates the order of holiness. Behold Him as the Lord and giver of spiritual life, the Illuminator, the Instructor, the Comforter, and the Sanctifier. Behold Him as, like holy anointing, He descends upon the head of Jesus, and then afterwards rests upon you who are as the tassels of His garments.

Such an intelligent, scriptural, and experimental belief in the Trinity in Unity is yours if you truly know God. And such knowledge brings peace indeed!

Questions: What aspects of the Trinity, God’s triune nature, do you find most comforting? Most confusing?

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon.
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2011.
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

Attributes of God 

Knowing Him Better 

May You Know the Love of God 

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“Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” Psalm 103:2

It is delightful and profitable to observe how the hand of God was upon the lives of ancient saints, to see His goodness deliver them, see His mercy pardon them, and see His faithfulness keep His covenant with them.

But isn’t it even more delightful and profitable for us to remember the hand of God working in our own lives? We should look back at our own history as being at least as full of God, as full of His goodness and of His truth, as the lives of any of the saints who have gone before. We do our Lord an injustice when we presume that He performed all His mighty acts for those in the past, but doesn’t perform wonders for us today.

Let’s review our own lives. Surely we will discover some happy incidents which are both refreshing to ourselves and glorifying to God.

Has God delivered you from trouble? Have you passed safely through rivers, supported by the divine presence? Have you walked through proverbial fires unharmed?

Remember, this is the God who gave Solomon the desire of his heart. Hasn’t He also often heard and answered your requests? This is the God of beautiful outpourings about whom David sang, “Who satisfies your desires with good things.” Has He never satiated you with blessing? Have you never been made to lie down in green pastures? Have you never been led by the still waters?

Surely the goodness of God has been the same to us as to the saints of the past. Let us then weave His mercies into a song. Let us take the pure gold of thankfulness, and the jewels of praise and make them into another crown for the head of Jesus. Let our souls make sweet music, music that is as exhilarating as that which came from David’s harp, while we praise the Lord whose mercy endures forever!

Question: How has God delivered you, personally?

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2008.
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Praise Brings Blessings – by Bill Bright

3 Ways to Honor God Daily – by Palitha Jayasooriya

Come Near to God  by Gail Rodgers

The post Praise God for All He has Done appeared first on Thoughts About God.