Paying tribute to Charles Wesley

Charles Wesley died almost 225 years ago.  But every Sunday his influence is felt in churches all across the world.

He wrote 8,989 hymns.  Too bad someone didn’t keep count so that he could have gotten to an even 9,000 before he died.

Some of his best loved hymns include the following:

• Hark the Herald Angels Sing
• O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing
• Jesus, Lover of My Soul
• Christ the Lord is Risen Today
• Rejoice the Lord is King
• Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Do you see what I mean? His influence still lives on every Sunday!

Challies wrote a bit of a biography about this man to whom we are all indebted.  The article points you to some resources that will help you learn more about this amazing man of God.

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Even Spurgeon experienced depression

Many don’t realize it but the great preacher Charles Spurgeon experienced bouts of depression in his life.  Phil Johnson links to one such incident that Spurgeon shared and how it prepared him to minister to others in such a state.  I offer it as hope to those who feel like they are the only ones going through seasons of despair or who feel that experiencing such a condition makes one less of a Christian in some sense.  Pass this along if you know someone who might profit from it.

“Spurgeon on Depression”!

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Spurgeon: God will outdo your prayers!

What encouragement from The Daily Spurgeon:

…where prayer has been offered, our heavenly Father has gone far beyond what we have asked or thought. I said unto the Lord in the anguish of my soul that if he would forgive my sins I would be content to be the meanest servant in his house, and would gladly lie in prison all my life, and live on bread and water; but his mercy did not come to me in that scanty way, for he put me among his children and gave me an inheritance. “Make me as one of thy hired servants” is a prayer the Father does not hear; he puts his hand on his child’s mouth when he begins to talk so, and says, “Bring forth the best robe and put it on him, put a ring on his hands, and shoes on his feet.”

We have asked for a stone and he has given us bread; we have asked for bare bread and he has given us angels’ food. For brass he has given silver, and for silver gold. We looked for a drop and the rain has filled the pools; we sought a morsel and he has filled us with good things; and therefore we are warranted in expecting that in future he will still outdo our prayers.

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled “Paul’s Doxology,” delivered November 1, 1875. 

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How sad our state by nature is!

A hymn by Issac Watts (HT: Paul Levy) with some powerful lyrics.

1. How sad our state by nature is!
Our sin, how deep it stains!
And Satan binds our captive minds
Fast in his slavish chains.

2. But there’s a voice of sovereign grace
Sounds form the sacred Word,
“Ho, ye despairing sinners, come,
And trust upon the Lord.

3. My soul obeys th’ almighty call,
And runs to this relief;
I would believe Thy promise, Lord,
Oh,! help my unbelief.

4. To the dear fountain of Thy blood,
Incarnate God, I fly;
Here let me wash my spotted soul
From crimes of deepest dye.

5. Stretch out Thine arm, victorious King!
My reigning sins subdue;
Drive the old dragon from his seat,
With all his hellish crew.

6.A guilty, weak, and helpless worm,
On Thy kind arms I fall;
Be Thou my strength and righteousness,
My Jesus, and my all.

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Praying for friends in need

Do you know people in your family, in your church, or other friends who are just plain tired and weary–not just physically but spiritually also?  Scotty Smith has shared a prayer that may express your heart today:

Merciful Jesus, though I slept very well, I begin today quite restless. My heart is glad for your welcome but heavy with concern. I have friends who are dangerously depleted, spiritually numb, and close to giving up. (As I bring a few friends before the throne of grace, bring yours as well. We’ve never done enough for our friends until we’ve prayed for them and then prayed again, in Jesus name.). . . .

Out of the strength of your gentleness and the power of your humility, give me what I need to serve my friends. Lord Jesus, free me to be comfortable with not being able to fix anything or anyone. None of this is about my competency; it’s about their crises and your glory. Indeed, more than anything, I want you to receive much glory in each of these three very broken stories.

Write stories of redemption for your name’s sake. Bring your resurrection power to bear in each of these three situations, I pray. The things that are impossible with me, as a mere man, are more than possible with you. Keep me restless for my friends, Jesus, but keep me fully resting in you. So very Amen I pray, in your gentle, humble-hearted name.

To read his whole prayer, click here. 

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Don’t gamble that money away

John Piper:

“Tonight a ticket will be chosen worth over half a billion dollars. Lottery agents in New York were selling 1.3 million Mega Millions tickets per hour Thursday.

Officials were expecting to sell about 1.2 billion tickets total before the drawing.

“Americans spend about $60 billion on the lottery every year,” says Stephen Dubner, co-author of “Freakonomics.” “More than $500 per American household goes to playing the lottery.” (CBS This Morning)”–John Piper

Click here for seven good reasons not to gamble your money away

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Charles Spurgeon and the doctrines of grace

Nathan at Ligonier:

In Steven Lawson’s latest book, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon , Lawson argues that Charles Spurgeon’s fervent commitment to the doctrines of grace “sharpened” his “gospel focus.” So what exactly did Spurgeon believe about the five points of Calvinism? Using excerpts from The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon , we’ll answer that question in what will be a five part series on the blog. Our prayer is that these truths will sharpen your gospel focus also.

Today we discover what Charles Spurgeon believed about the doctrine of Definite Atonement.

Start here for part one!

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Unexpected Joy

All I can say is just watch this!  

It will be some of the best 13 minutes of your day!

Talk about a family strengthened by God’s grace!

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Preparing for Communion

This Sunday our church will be observing Communion (as well as Baptism).   Terry Enns has adapted some questions from Thomas Watson that are helpful to ask ourselves before coming to the Table:

• Am I diligent in my pursuit of God through prayer?
• Do I thirst for the living God? Do I desire holiness as much as I desire heaven?
• Do I desire to look like Christ as much as I desire to live with Christ?
• Am I skilled in self-denial?  Am I willfully indulging the flesh in anything?
• What is entering and exiting through the gates of my body — my mind, my eyes, my ears, my tongue? Are those things pure and a delight to my Lord?
• Have I gotten above the world? Though I live on earth, do I live for heaven and its joys?
• Do I always set myself under the watchful eye of God (Ps. 16:8)? Am I mindful that the Judge is ever watching me?

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Corrie Ten Boom and forgiveness

This post offers an illustration that inspires us about forgiveness.  Ray Ortlund writes, 

“Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983) was a Dutch Christian whose family rescued Jews during World War II.  They were betrayed and arrested.  Corrie and her sister Betsy were sent to a Nazi concentration camp.  Betsy died there, but Corrie’s life was spared.  Several years after the war, she was speaking on the subject of forgiveness at a Christian meeting.  After the meeting, one of her former prison guards appeared out of the crowd and approached her.  Here he was, with his hand outstretched to her: “Will you forgive me?”  The sufferings he had inflicted were real.  Corrie’s anguish was not her own hyper-sensitivity.  The wrong was monstrous.  And now he’s asking, “Will you forgive me?”  Corrie wrote:

“I stood there with coldness clutching my heart . . . . I prayed, ‘Jesus, help me!’  Woodenly, mechanically I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me, and I experienced an incredible thing.  The current started in my shoulder, raced down into my arms and sprang into our clutched hands.  Then this warm reconciliation seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.  ‘I forgive you, brother,’ I cried with my whole heart.  For a long moment we grasped each other’s hands, the former guard, the former prisoner.  I have never known the love of God so intensely as I did in that moment.”

Cf. Philip D. Douglass, “The Power of Forgiveness,” Covenant Magazine, February/March 1999, pages 8-9.”

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