Evening Brightens into Day (Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook)

From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Evening Brightens into Day
December 13
It shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. (Zechariah 14:7)

It is a surprise that it should be so; for all things threaten that at evening time it shall be dark. God is wont to work in a way so much above our fears and beyond our hopes that we are greatly amazed and are led to praise His sovereign grace. No, it shall not be with us as our hearts are prophesying: the dark will not deepen into midnight, but it will on a sudden brighten into day. Never let us despair. In the worst times let us trust in the Lord who turneth the darkness of the shadow of death into the morning. When the tale of bricks is doubled Moses appears, and when tribulation abounds it is nearest its end.
This promise should assist our patience. The light may not fully come till our hopes are quite spent by waiting all day to no purpose. To the wicked the sun goes down while it is yet day: to the righteous the sun rises when it is almost night. May we not with patience wait for that heavenly light, which may be long in coming but is sure to prove itself well worth waiting for?
Come, my soul, take up thy parable and sing unto Him who will bless thee in life and in death, in a manner surpassing all that nature has ever seen when at its best.

From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

 

Child Chastisement Not Forever (Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook)

From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Child Chastisement Not Forever
August 14
And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever. (1 Kings 11:39)

In the family of grace there is discipline, and that discipline is severe enough to make it an evil and a bitter thing to sin. Solomon, turned aside by his foreign wives, had set up other gods and grievously provoked the God of his father; therefore, ten parts out of twelve of the kingdom were rent away and set up as a rival state. This was a sore affliction to the house of David, and it came upon that dynasty distinctly from the hand of God, as the result of unholy conduct. The Lord will chasten His best beloved servants if they cease from full obedience to His laws: perhaps at this very hour such chastening is upon us. Let us humbly cry, “O Lord, show me wherefore thou contendest with me.”
What a sweet saving clause is that — “but not for ever”! The punishment of sin is everlasting, but the fatherly chastisement of it in a child of God is but for a season. The sickness, the poverty, the depression of spirit, will pass away when they have had their intended effect. Remember, we are not under law but under grace, The rod may make us smart, but the sword shall not make us die. Our present grief is meant to bring us to repentance that we may not be destroyed with the wicked.

From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

 

Pruning for Fruit-Bearing (Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook)

From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Pruning for Fruit-Bearing
August 9
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. (John 15:2)

This is a precious promise to one who lives for fruitfulness. At first it seems to wear a sharp aspect. Must the fruitful bough be pruned? Must the knife cut even the best and most useful? No doubt it is so, for very much of our Lord’s purging work is done by means of afflictions of one kind or another. It is not the evil but the good who have the promise of tribulation in this life. But, then, the end makes more than full amends for the painful nature of the means. If we may bring forth more fruit for our Lord, we will not mind the pruning and the loss of leafage.
Still, purging is sometimes wrought by the Word apart from trial, and this takes away whatever appeared rough in the flavor of the promise. We shall by the Word be made more gracious and more useful. The Lord who has made us, in a measure, fruit-bearing, will operate upon us till we reach a far higher degree of fertility. Is not this a great joy? Truly there is more comfort in a promise of fruitfulness than if we had been warranted riches, or health, or honor.
Lord Jesus, speedily fulfill Thy gracious word to me and cause me to abound in fruit to Thy praise!

From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

 

He with Us; We with Him (Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook)

From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
He with Us; We with Him
June 22
The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened. (Proverbs 10:27)

There is no doubt about it. The fear of the Lord leads to virtuous habits, and these prevent that waste of life which comes of sin and vice. The holy rest which springs out of faith in the Lord Jesus also greatly helps a man when he is ill. Every physician rejoices to have a patient whose mind is fully at ease. Worry kills, but confidence in God is like healing medicine.
We have therefore all the arrangements for long life, and if it be really for our good, we shall see a good old age and come to our graves as shocks of corn in their season. Let us not be overcome with sudden expectation of death the moment we have a finger-ache, but let us rather expect that we may have to work on through a considerable length of days.
And what if we should soon be called to the higher sphere? Certainly there would be nothing to deplore in such a summons but everything to rejoice in. Living or dying we are the Lord’s. If we live, Jesus will be with us; if we die, we shall be with Jesus.
The truest lengthening of life is to live while we live, wasting no time but using every hour for the highest ends. So be it this day.

From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

 

Cure for Envy (Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook)

From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Cure for Envy
May 6
Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cast off. (Proverbs 23:17-18)

When we see the wicked prosper we are apt to envy them. When we hear the noise of their mirth and our own spirit is heavy, we half think that they have the best of it. This is foolish and sinful. If we knew them better, and specially if we remembered their end, we should pity them.
The cure for envy lies in living under a constant sense of the divine presence, worshiping God and communing with Him all the day long, however long the day may seem. True religion lifts the soul into a higher region, where the judgment becomes more clear and the desires are more elevated. The more of heaven there is in our lives, the less of earth we shall covet. The fear of God casts out envy of men.
The deathblow of envy is a calm consideration of the future. The wealth and glory of the ungodly are a vain show. This pompous appearance flashes out for an hour and then is extinguished. What is the prosperous sinner the better for his prosperity when judgment overtakes him? As for the godly man, his end is peace and blessedness, and none can rob him of his joy; wherefore, let him forgo envy and be filled with sweet content.

From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

 

Presence of Mind (Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook)

From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Presence of Mind
March 31
Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken. (Proverbs 3:25-26)

When God is abroad in judgments, He would not have His people alarmed. He has not come forth to harm but to defend the righteous.
He would have them manifest courage. We who enjoy the presence of God ought to display presence of mind. Since the Lord Himself may suddenly come, we ought not to be surprised at anything sudden. Serenity under the rush and roar of unexpected evils is a precious gift of divine love.
The Lord would have His chosen display discrimination so that they may see that the desolation of the wicked is not a real calamity to the universe. Sin alone is evil; the punishment which follows thereupon is as a preserving salt to keep society from putrefying. We should be far more shocked at the sin which deserves hell than at the hell which comes out of sin.
So, too, should the Lord’s people exhibit great quietness of spirit. Satan and his serpent seed are full of all subtlety; but those who walk with God shall not be taken in their deceitful snares. Go on, believer in Jesus, and let the Lord be thy confidence.

From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

 

Established and Kept (Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook)

From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Established and Kept
March 24
But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

Men are often as devoid of reason as of faith. There are with us still “unreasonable and wicked men.” There is no use in arguing with them or trying to be at peace with them: they are false at heart and deceitful in speech. Well, what of this? Shall we worry ourselves with them? No; let us turn to the Lord, for He is faithful. No promise from His Word will ever be broken. He is neither unreasonable in His demands upon us nor unfaithful to our claims upon Him. We have a faithful God. Be this our joy.
He will stablish us so that wicked men shall not cause our downfall, and He will keep us so that none of the evils which now assail us shall really do us damage. What a blessing for us that we need not contend with men but are allowed to shelter ourselves in the Lord Jesus, who is in truest sympathy with us. There is one true heart, one faithful mind, one never changing love; there let us repose. The Lord will fulfill the purpose of His grace to us, His servants, and we need not allow a shadow of a fear to fatal upon our spirits. Not all that men or devils can do can hinder us of the divine protection and provision. This day let us pray the Lord to stablish and keep us.

From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

 

Mercy to the Undeserving (Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook)

From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Mercy to the Undeserving
February 14
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!

From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

 

Bible Verse

Psa 97
Psalm 97

1 The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice;

let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.

2 Clouds and darkness are round about him:

righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.

3 A fire goeth before him,

and burneth up his enemies round about.

4 His lightnings enlightened the world:

the earth saw, and trembled.

5 The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord,

at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

6 The heavens declare his righteousness,

and all the people see his glory.

7 Confounded be all they that serve graven images,

that boast themselves of idols:

worship him, all ye gods.

8 Zion heard, and was glad;

and the daughters of Judah rejoiced

because of thy judgments, O Lord.

9 For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth:

thou art exalted far above all gods.

10 Ye that love the Lord, hate evil:

he preserveth the souls of his saints;

he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.

11 Light is sown for the righteous,

and gladness for the upright in heart.

12 Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous;

and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
� KJV

 

Bible Verse

Psa 37
Psalm 37

A Psalm of David.

1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers,

neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,

and wither as the green herb.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;

so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

4 Delight thyself also in the Lord;

and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the Lord;

trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light,

and thy judgment as the noonday.

7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:

fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way,

because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath:

fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

9 For evildoers shall be cut off:

but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be:

yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

11 But the meek shall inherit the earth;

and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

12 The wicked plotteth against the just,

and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.

13 The Lord shall laugh at him:

for he seeth that his day is coming.

14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow,

to cast down the poor and needy,

and to slay such as be of upright conversation.

15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart,

and their bows shall be broken.

16 A little that a righteous man hath

is better than the riches of many wicked.

17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken:

but the Lord upholdeth the righteous.

18 The Lord knoweth the days of the upright:

and their inheritance shall be for ever.

19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time:

and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

20 But the wicked shall perish,

and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs:

they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again:

but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.

22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth;

and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.

23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord:

and he delighteth in his way.

24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down:

for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.

25 I have been young, and now am old;

yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken,

nor his seed begging bread.

26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth;

and his seed is blessed.

27 Depart from evil, and do good;

and dwell for evermore.

28 For the Lord loveth judgment,

and forsaketh not his saints;

they are preserved for ever:

but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

29 The righteous shall inherit the land,

and dwell therein for ever.

30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom,

and his tongue talketh of judgment.

31 The law of his God is in his heart;

none of his steps shall slide.

32 The wicked watcheth the righteous,

and seeketh to slay him.

33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand,

nor condemn him when he is judged.

34 Wait on the Lord, and keep his way,

and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land:

when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

35 I have seen the wicked in great power,

and spreading himself like a green bay tree.

36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not:

yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright:

for the end of that man is peace.

38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together:

the end of the wicked shall be cut off.

39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord:

he is their strength in the time of trouble.

40 And the Lord shall help them,

and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked,

and save them, because they trust in him.
� KJV