Tag Archives: faith

A Saturday night Savior

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Charles Spurgeon brings hope to the Saturday night sinner (and all of us) as he speaks of Jesus Christ, using this text from Hebrews 2:18:
“He himself hath suffered being tempted.”

It is a common-place thought, and yet it tastes like nectar to the weary heart—Jesus was tempted as I am. You have heard that truth many times: have you grasped it? He was tempted to the very same sins into which we fall. Do not dissociate Jesus from our common manhood. It is a dark room which you are going through, but Jesus went through it before. It is a sharp fight which you are waging, but Jesus has stood foot to foot with the same enemy.

1215538_sun_rise_5Let us be of good cheer, Christ has borne the load before us, and the blood-stained footsteps of the King of glory may be seen along the road which we traverse at this hour.

There is something sweeter yet—Jesus was tempted, but Jesus never sinned. Then, my soul, it is not needful for thee to sin, for Jesus was a man, and if one man endured these temptations and sinned not, then in his power his members may also cease from sin. Some beginners in the divine life think that they cannot be tempted without sinning, but they mistake; there is no sin in being tempted, but there is sin in yielding to temptation.

Herein is comfort for the sorely tempted ones. There is still more to encourage them if they reflect that the Lord Jesus, though tempted, gloriously triumphed, and as he overcame, so surely shall his followers also, for Jesus is the representative man for his people; the Head has triumphed, and the members share in the victory. Fears are needless, for Christ is with us, armed for our defence. Our place of safety is the bosom of the Saviour. Perhaps we are tempted just now, in order to drive us nearer to him. Blessed be any wind that blows us into the port of our Saviour’s love! Happy wounds, which make us seek the beloved Physician.

Ye tempted ones, come to your tempted Saviour, for he can be touched with a feeling of your infirmities, and will succour every tried and tempted one.

(from CHS’ Morning & Evening devotions for October 3rd)

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Adversity strikes again…

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This morning I was told that the increasingly painful rash on my back & neck was a case of shingles. It’s only a bit of discomfort, but still unwelcome and a bother. Why this? Why now, I wonder. Perhaps re-reading that old blog post from my earliest days (11/30/05) would be profitable… Let me re-post it here for you too.

“Adversity is never a solitary visitor to the soul” writes Raymond Brown. “Paul believed that trouble enables discerning Christians to unearth hidden treasures,” he adds, with an eye to 2 Corinthians 1.

815475_medicationWhen a difficulty, opposition, illness, persecution or other such adversity appears on the doorstep of your life, it does not arrive alone, but comes with that ever-welcome friend: the Comfort of a gracious God.

But there’s a two-fold catch here:
(1) you need to be a Christian to be able to entertain both visitors at the same time, and, (2) you need to be a watchful, discerning Christian, to welcome this second guest.

• Christian: one who is, by faith, in a right relationship with his Creator God through the divine person and gracious work of Jesus Christ.

• discerning: the Christian who, knowing that God cares and is sovereign, looks for Him to “work all things together for good” [Romans 8:28].

• comfort: the manifest presence of the love and grace of God in the people, things or circumstances He sends to us. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians chapter 1:

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

If you are trusting Christ, seek the comforts promised you in the Bible whenever adversities coming knocking. Take it from Paul — God knows what He is doing on cloudy and on sunny days!

yours by divine mercy,
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