Pastor Rich Merando Online

Today’s devotion by Charles Spurgeon ties in nicely with our series on Weird: Redefining Normal – Money. Enjoy!
October 26 AM
“Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.”
— Haggai 1:9

Churlish souls stint their contributions to the ministry and missionary operations, and call such saving good economy; little do they dream that they are thus impoverishing themselves. Their excuse is that they must care for their own families, and they forget that to neglect the house of God is the sure way to bring ruin upon their own houses. Our God has a method in providence by which He can succeed our endeavours beyond our expectation, or can defeat our plans to our confusion and dismay; by a turn of His hand He can steer our vessel in a profitable channel, or run it aground in poverty and bankruptcy. It is the teaching of Scripture that the Lord enriches the liberal and leaves the miserly to find out that withholding tendeth to poverty. In a very wide sphere of observation, I have noticed that the most generous Christians of my acquaintance have been always the most happy, and almost invariably the most prosperous. I have seen the liberal giver rise to wealth of which he never dreamed; and I have as often seen the mean, ungenerous churl descend to poverty by the very parsimony by which he thought to rise. Men trust good stewards with larger and larger sums, and so it frequently is with the Lord; He gives by cartloads to those who give by bushels. Where wealth is not bestowed the Lord makes the little much by the contentment which the sanctified heart feels in a portion of which the tithe has been dedicated to the Lord. Selfishness looks first at home, but godliness seeks first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, yet in the long run selfishness is loss, and godliness is great gain. It needs faith to act towards our God with an open hand, but surely He deserves it of us; and all that we can do is a very poor acknowledgment of our amazing indebtedness to His goodness.

“The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.”
D.L. Moody

Enjoy this re-post of Charles Spurgeon’s devotion “Accepted in the beloved.”
— Ephesians 1:6

What a state of privilege! It includes our justification before God, but the term acceptance” in the Greek means more than that. It signifies that we are the objects of divine complacence, nay, even of divine delight. How marvellous that we, worms, mortals, sinners, should be the objects of divine love! But it is only “in the beloved.” Some Christians seem to be accepted in their own experience, at least, that is their apprehension. When their spirit is lively, and their hopes bright, they think God accepts them, for they feel so high, so heavenly-minded, so drawn above the earth! But when their souls cleave to the dust, they are the victims of the fear that they are no longer accepted. If they could but see that all their high joys do not exalt them, and all their low despondencies do not really depress them in their Father’s sight, but that they stand accepted in One who never alters, in One who is always the beloved of God, always perfect, always without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, how much happier they would be, and how much more they would honour the Saviour! Rejoice then, believer, in this: thou art accepted “in the beloved.” Thou lookest within, and thou sayest, “There is nothing acceptable here!” But look at Christ, and see if there is not everything acceptable there. Thy sins trouble thee; but God has cast thy sins behind His back, and thou art accepted in the Righteous One. Thou hast to fight with corruption, and to wrestle with temptation, but thou art already accepted in Him who has overcome the powers of evil. The devil tempts thee; be of good cheer, he cannot destroy thee, for thou art accepted in Him who has broken Satan’s head. Know by full assurance thy glorious standing. Even glorified souls are not more accepted than thou art. They are only accepted in heaven “in the beloved,” and thou art even now accepted in Christ after the same manner.

Ps 23:1-6 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever. NKJV

Have you ever found yourself lying in bed feeling overwhelmed by circumstances, the rising costs of gas, food, family matters, and the uncertainties of life? If so, then turn to Psalm 23 and begin to slowly and purposefully recite each verse aloud to yourself. As you do you will find yourself being enveloped in the calming, reassuring, and loving arms of the Good Shepherd. As you ponder each verse, the Holy Spirit will give you strength and hope that replaces your fears and worries. Re-remind yourself of all the things that God said “HE” would do for you in that Psalm. Stop, pause, and remember that He is the Good Shepherd, and surely Goodness, and Mercy are following you all the days of our life, and you will dwell in the house of the LORD forever!

No matter how we may try, we cannot “improve” on God’s Word when it comes to stating “Loves True Character.”

Have you ever heard the expression: “read it and weep”? That has a couple of different connotations – Hopefully, as you read and re-read God’s definition of “Love”, your weeping will not be about what you are not doing, but rather how wonderful it is both to know and to express this highest of all virtues!

I Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is patient with imperfections; active in doing good; it is non-possessive, non-competitive; it promotes the well-being and success of others; it displays no arrogance; it is selfless; it is courteous; it is not irritable; it is graceful under pressure; it does not keep account of evil; it forgives; it finds no satisfaction in the shortcomings of others and spreading an evil report; it constantly promotes, supports and cherishes the good. All these are constant and experience no fluctuations.

Job 5:18-21 For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole.

19 He shall deliver you in six troubles, Yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.

20 In famine He shall redeem you from death, And in war from the power of the sword.

21 You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, And you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes.  NKJV

When talking with a fellow minister from Atlanta about some painful moments in life, they replied to me: “I wonder what God has in store for you since He allowed you to go through such a trying time.” Those words liberated me, as for the first time I looked at those past events as a seed that God would use to produce a harvest in me and for others, rather than a blight that brought disease and plague. Brian Jones a pastor in Philadelphia Pennsylvania said, “God doesn’t waste pain.” How do you view the “stuff” that has happened to you? Will you view it through the foggy lens of abandonment, depression, discouragement, and bitterness or through the focused lens of God’s Grace, Mercy, Wisdom, Love and Sovereignty?

Have you ever gone to start your car and when you turned the key, nothing happened? Then after some investigation, you discovered that one of your car battery cables was loose or corroded, resulting in a bad connection, and thus the failure for your car to start. The battery has the power to start your car, but it can’t deliver the power because of a faulty connection. God and His power are like the battery, we are like the cables. If God’s power is going to flow to us, then we must be tightly connected to God and one another. This is not a time to let corrosion build up between us and God or others. Again, stay tightly connected to God, and others. Then what God releases to us in power, return to Him in praise, worship and thanksgiving.