John 10:30 “I and my Father are one.”
Think about these questions as you meditate on the verse. What does this verse teach me? How does this verse apply to my Life?
Charles H. Spurgeon May 5
“I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” — 2Corinthians 6:16
— 2Corinthians 6:16
What a sweet title: “My people!” What a cheering revelation: “Their God!” How much of meaning is couched in those two words, “My people!” Here is speciality. The whole world is God’s; the heaven, even the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s, and he reigneth among the children of men; but of those whom he hath chosen, whom he hath purchased to himself, he saith what he saith not of others-“My people.” In this word there is the idea of proprietorship. In a special manner the “Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.” All the nations upon earth are his; the whole world is in his power; yet are his people, his chosen, more especially his possession; for he has done more for them than others; he has bought them with his blood; he has brought them nigh to himself; he has set his great heart upon them; he has loved them with an everlasting love, a love which many waters cannot quench, and which the revolutions of time shall never suffice in the least degree to diminish. Dear friends, can you, by faith, see yourselves in that number? Can you look up to heaven and say, “My Lord and my God: mine by that sweet relationship which entitles me to call thee Father; mine by that hallowed fellowship which I delight to hold with thee when thou art pleased to manifest thyself unto me as thou dost not unto the world?” Canst thou read the Book of Inspiration, and find there the indentures of thy salvation? Canst thou read thy title writ in precious blood? Canst thou, by humble faith, lay hold of Jesus’ garments, and say, “My Christ”? If thou canst, then God saith of thee, and of others like thee, “My people;” for, if God be your God, and Christ your Christ, the Lord has a special, peculiar favour to you; you are the object of his choice, accepted in his beloved Son.
Daily Memory Verse May 5
Will you die for me? Part 2
“Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. 38 Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.” (John 13:37-38)
I can’t help but wonder what Peter was thinking here. Like those back in Matthew 7, He must have believed that Jesus was talking about taking a journey. Perhaps a treacherous journey. No matter what it was Peter wanted to assist Him; even if it meant his death, he was willing to go. He understood the care that Jesus had for them, and He did not want them to get hurt. Peter pleads with Jesus I can handle it, don’t leave me behind.
Peter had a sincere desire to die for Christ. He backed that up in the garden. “Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.” (John 18:10)
The last successful revolt Israel had was that against the Greeks by the Maccabees. There was a priest named Mattathias the Hasmonean, who had five sons. The Greeks came to their town to force them to worship false gods. They stood in defiance of them. Finally, one older man started to bow down, and Mattathias grabbed a sword from a soldier and killed him. This action started the revolt that defeated the Greeks in Israel.
Even though Jesus was telling them, he would die and not set up a kingdom now. The dominant understanding was that Christ would establish an earthly kingdom, and Peter was convinced that Jesus was the Christ. So, I wonder if he thought this was his Mattathias moment, and the revolt would start.
Peter did not have the faith to die for Christ now; this was proven at the house where he denied knowing Jesus. “And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not. One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him? Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew.” (John 18:25-27)
Why was Peter not ready to die? He did not have faith enough in Christ to die; He didn’t understand Christ’s purpose. He was still self-reliant instead of Jesus dependent; His fear led to denial; His devotion was based on emotion.
There would come a time for Peter to die when his devotion was based on faith in the risen Christ. “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.” (John 21:18). How did Peter finish his course? With no fear of death, trusting in Jesus, on a cross, killed on the orders of Nero.
Will you die for me? We might eagerly say, “yes, Lord, I will die for you,” but then we also fail to speak for him, to claim him as our friend, we fail to obey him, we fail to follow him. The littlest of things stop us from being effective servants of Christ.
A long time ago, I heard a story about a Russian Christian who was imprisoned for his faith. After spending some time in prison one day, they came to his cell-bound his hands and took him to the place they used for execution by firing squad. They put a blindfold on his head as he stood there, he readied himself to die for Christ. He waited some time, and nothing happened he called out, and no one answered him. After some time, he took the blindfold off; there was no one there. He was free to go. Years later, he said, “at that moment I was ready to die for Christ, but since that day I have found the hardest thing to do is live for Christ.
Charles H. Spurgeon May 4
“Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods.”
— Jeremiah 16:20
One great besetting sin of ancient Israel was idolatry, and the spiritual Israel are vexed with a tendency to the same folly. Remphan’s star shines no longer, and the women weep no more for Tammuz, but Mammon still intrudes his golden calf, and the shrines of pride are not forsaken. Self in various forms struggles to subdue the chosen ones under its dominion, and the flesh sets up its altars wherever it can find space for them. Favourite children are often the cause of much sin in believers; the Lord is grieved when he sees us doting upon them above measure; they will live to be as great a curse to us as Absalom was to David, or they will be taken from us to leave our homes desolate. If Christians desire to grow thorns to stuff their sleepless pillows, let them dote on their dear ones.
It is truly said that “they are no gods,” for the objects of our foolish love are very doubtful blessings, the solace which they yield us now is dangerous, and the help which they can give us in the hour of trouble is little indeed. Why, then, are we so bewitched with vanities? We pity the poor heathen who adore a god of stone, and yet worship a god of gold. Where is the vast superiority between a god of flesh and one of wood? The principle, the sin, the folly is the same in either case, only that in ours the crime is more aggravated because we have more light, and sin in the face of it. The heathen bows to a false deity, but the true God he has never known; we commit two evils, inasmuch as we forsake the living God and turn unto idols. May the Lord purge us all from this grievous iniquity!
“The dearest idol I have known,
Whate’er that idol be;
Help me to tear it from thy throne,
And worship only thee.”
Daily Memory Verse May 4
Charles H. Spurgeon May 1
“His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers.”
— Song of Solomon 5:13
Lo, the flowery month is come! March winds and April showers have done their work, and the earth is all bedecked with beauty. Come my soul, put on thine holiday attire and go forth to gather garlands of heavenly thoughts. Thou knowest whither to betake thyself, for to thee “the beds of spices” are well known, and thou hast so often smelt the perfume of “the sweet flowers,” that thou wilt go at once to thy well-beloved and find all loveliness, all joy in him. That cheek once so rudely smitten with a rod, oft bedewed with tears of sympathy and then defiled with spittle-that cheek as it smiles with mercy is as fragrant aromatic to my heart. Thou didst not hide thy face from shame and spitting, O Lord Jesus, and therefore I will find my dearest delight in praising thee. Those cheeks were furrowed by the plough of grief, and crimsoned with red lines of blood from thy thorn-crowned temples; such marks of love unbounded cannot but charm my soul far more than “pillars of perfume.” If I may not see the whole of his face I would behold his cheeks, for the least glimpse of him is exceedingly refreshing to my spiritual sense and yields a variety of delights. In Jesus I find not only fragrance, but a bed of spices; not one flower, but all manner of sweet flowers. He is to me my rose and my lily, my heart’s-ease and my cluster of camphire. When he is with me it is May all the year round, and my soul goes forth to wash her happy face in the morning-dew of his grace, and to solace herself with the singing of the birds of his promises. Precious Lord Jesus, let me in very deed know the blessedness which dwells in abiding, unbroken fellowship with thee. I am a poor worthless one, whose cheek thou hast deigned to kiss! O let me kiss thee in return with the kisses of my lips.
Daily Memory Verse May 1
Will you die for me? Part 1
Jesus and his disciples are still in the upper room, Judas has gone to get the arresting mob, and Jesus is left with the 11 disciples. As Jesus is talking, he revealed to them that the cross is for His glory and the glory of God. This information was meant to comfort them while they witnessed those events. As he continues, he speaks to them with comfort and care. They were not ready for His departure, but His time had come.
I am going to start with verse 33 because it goes with verses 36-38. When Peter speaks, he goes back to what Jesus said in verse 33 and wants to get more information about this.
“Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come… Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.” (John 13:33,36)
As Jesus speaks, he calls them “little children,” a term of endearment. By it, He intended to communicate the tenderest of care for their well being like a parent feels for their children. We find, throughout the scriptures, these kinds of terms used for believers. We learn from these that God is our Father. ” For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:14-15). We are God’s children through adoption. We should feel security and closeness in that. We also understand that we are Babes in Christ. “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:” (1Peter 2:2), Showing that we need guidance, as foolish children need to learn from their father. Lastly, we understand that it is used as an expression of tenderness and affection. (Gal 4:19, 1John 2:1,12, 28; 3:7,18; 4:4; 5:21) The writers of the New Testament used it to express this tenderness many times. They shared a closeness with their followers, just as Christ had with them. They also made a point of comforting those they would leave behind as they took their place in glory.
Jesus told them that he would leave them, and they could not come with him. Six months prior, Jesus had told the Jew that they would not be able to follow him or find him. “Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come. Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles? What manner of saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come?” (John 7:34-36) Jesus was telling them that he would go back to heaven, but they would not be able to follow because they had rejected him, and because of that rejection, they would never see him again. Those he spoke to were very confused about what he meant by that. Thinking he spoke of a long journey outside of their jurisdiction.
Now, Jesus told his close friends that he would leave and they could not come with him. These guys had spent the last three and ½ years with Jesus every day. He had a job to do on the cross that they could not assist him in. What was it like for them for the three days leading to the resurrection? For men who looked for an earthly kingdom right now, they would have struggled with the identity of Christ as the Messiah. A question that the resurrection solved. Then he would be with them for a short time, and he would ascend to glory. And leave them to the mission he had given them. ” And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matt 28:18-20)
The disciples could not go with him because it was not their time to die; they had much more to do. These men would preach to crowds and speak before kings. They would proclaim the message of Christ without fear of death. Because they knew who they believed in and fully persuaded that he was the Christ.
He assured them that they would join Christ at a later time in heaven when they have completed the job they were sent to do. Right there in the next chapter, he says, ” Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:1-2) I am going to prepare a place for you.
This message rings down through the ages to us today. It would be wonderful if, when we got saved, we were immediately caught up to heaven to begin eternity with Christ. How amazing that would be. But that is not the plan. We will join Christ and the apostles when we each have finished our course. Now is the time of our witness; it is our time to proclaim the gospel to the world. We must be the hands and feet of Jesus to those in need. We are now carrying the torch of those who have passed on before.
Charles H. Spurgeon April 30
“And all the children of Israel murmured.”
— Numbers 14:2
There are murmurers amongst Christians now, as there were in the camp of Israel of old. There are those who, when the rod falls, cry out against the afflictive dispensation. They ask, “Why am I thus afflicted? What have I done to be chastened in this manner?” A word with thee, O murmurer! Why shouldst thou murmur against the dispensations of thy heavenly Father? Can he treat thee more hardly than thou deservest? Consider what a rebel thou wast once, but he has pardoned thee! Surely, if he in his wisdom sees fit now to chasten thee, thou shouldst not complain. After all, art thou smitten as hardly as thy sins deserve? Consider the corruption which is in thy breast, and then wilt thou wonder that there needs so much of the rod to fetch it out? Weigh thyself, and discern how much dross is mingled with thy gold; and dost thou think the fire too hot to purge away so much dross as thou hast? Does not that proud rebellious spirit of thine prove that thy heart is not thoroughly sanctified? Are not those murmuring words contrary to the holy submissive nature of God’s children? Is not the correction needed? But if thou wilt murmur against the chastening, take heed, for it will go hard with murmurers. God always chastises his children twice, if they do not bear the first stroke patiently. But know one thing-“He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.” All his corrections are sent in love, to purify thee, and to draw thee nearer to himself. Surely it must help thee to bear the chastening with resignation if thou art able to recognize thy Father’s hand. For “whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons.” “Murmur not as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer.”