Thorny Troubles and the Starry Crown, from Spurgeon.

Thy head may be crowned with thorny troubles now, but it shall wear a starry crown ere long; thy hand may be filled with cares--it shall sweep the strings of the harp of heaven soon. Thy garments may be soiled with dust now; they shall be white by-and-by. Wait a little longer. Ah! how despicable our troubles and trials will seem when we look back upon them! Looking at them here in the prospect, they seem immense; but when we get to heaven we shall then.

-Charles Spurgeon

as Paul also says, "I reckon the [troubles of today], do not compare to the glory to come..."

He "reckons": its a thought process, a reflection or contemplation of how the evils of today are compared to our future in Christ and the Father.

Spend some time, brother and sister, put aside a moment for the one that loves beyond all understanding.

from psalm 16

A Prayer of David.

Psalm 16(selections from..)

"Oh my soul, thou hast said to the Lord, 'Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee: but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.'"

"Thou wilt show my the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures evermore."

(contentment, the "peace that surpasses understanding" is the joy of the Lord)

 

"How are you?" and the response that followed. On good, "doing well" and all that. Aquinas, Paul, some basic theology and philosophy.

Usually in polite conversation comes the Como Esta, or whatever, a platitude, a way of saying hello to the congenial, but perhaps not altogether familiar in our daily lives.

And I answered.  

"They don't let me do too good."

"When I do too good, it hurts others."

I speak of a kind of balance and equilibrium in the society of man, but in God's terms?

I'm doing great and looking forward to forever.

As is said in the Bible, "if God be with us, who could be against us?"  Sure, there are some very real and pressing rebuttals to that sentiment, but truly, God is the source of an almost supernatural contentment, witnessed even in the natural world now and then.

Remember that when God made His creation, he said it was "good".

God is entirely good.  The lack of God is evil.  The lack of good is evil.  

This realization of goodness, is the bridge between the natural and the supernatural, continual improvement toward the truly good, like sanctification, and finally, sitting in the hereafter in the perfection of spirit.

 

verse of the day, May 11, 2023, and the forbearance of the Lord.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.  -Ephesians 4:32(KJV)

"...I have come to realize that God uses the boundaries in our lives to teach us victories in entirely new ways..."

Lord help our lack of patience and forbearance.  

The Lord is our shield and help in times of trouble; he brings us contentment and peace that passes understanding. 

On Being Tested, and being Strong, but untested.

Paradoxical though it be, only that man is at rest who attains it through conflict. This peace, born of conflict, is not like the deadly hush preceding the tempest, but the serene and pure-aired quiet that follows it.

It is not generally the prosperous one, who has never sorrowed, who is strong and at rest. His quality has never been tried, and he knows not how he can stand even a gentle shock. He is not the safest sailor who never saw a tempest; he will do for fair-weather service, but when the storm is rising, place at the important post the man who has fought out a gale, who has tested the ship, who knows her hulk sound, her rigging strong, and her anchor-flukes able to grasp and hold by the ribs of the world.

 

Spurgeon on God's Love.

Our God's tender love for his servants makes him concerned for the state of their inward feelings. He desires them to be of good courage. Some esteem it a small thing for a believer to be vexed with doubts and fears, but God thinks not so.

-Charles Spurgeon

verses for May 10, 2023