“Here and there we meet with one to whom it is given to believe in God with mighty faith. As soon as such a man strikes out on a project, or sets about a work that none but men of his mold would venture upon, straightway there arises a claimer: ‘The man is overzealous,’ or he will be charged with an innovating spirit, rashness, fanaticism, or absurdity. Should the work go on, the opposers whisper together, ‘Wait a little while, and you’ll see the end of all this wildfire.’ What said the sober semi-faithful men to Luther? The monk had read in the Scriptures this passage: ‘A man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ’ (Galatians 2:16). He went to a venerable divine to ask him about it, and at the same time he complained of the enormities of Rome. What was the good but weak brother’s reply? ‘Go to your cell, and pray and study for yourself, and leave these weighty matters alone.’ Here it would have ended had the brave reformer continued to consult with flesh and blood. But his faith enabled him to go forward alone, if none would accompany him. He nailed up his theses on the church door and showed that one man at least had faith in the gospel and in its God. Then trouble came, but Luther minded it not, because the Father was with him. We also must be prepared, if God gives us strong faith, to ride far ahead, like spiritual light cavalry, who bravely pioneer the way for the rank and file of the army. It were well if the church of God had more of the fleet-footed sons of Asahel—swifter than eagles in their Lord’s service—men who can do and dare alone till laggards take courage and follow in their track. These Valiant-for-Truths will pursue a solitary path full often, but let them console themselves with this thought: ‘I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me’ (John 8:16). If we can believe in God, He will never be in arrears with us; if we can dare, God will do; if we can trust, God will never suffer us to be confounded, world without end. It is sweet beyond expression to climb where only God can lead, and to plant the standard on the highest towers of the foe.” —Charles Spurgeon, in his Autobiography (emphasis added)
If We Can Dare, God Will Do
August 1, 2019 — Craig T. OwensThursdays With Spurgeon—What God Is Doing In Depression
August 1, 2019 — Craig T. Owens
This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Charles Spurgeon. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Spurgeon” in the search box to read more entries.
What God Is Doing In Depression
This depression comes over me whenever the Lord is preparing a larger blessing for my ministry; the cloud is black before it breaks, and overshadows before it yields its deluge of mercy. Depression has now become to me as a prophet in rough clothing, a John the Baptist, heralding the nearer coming of my Lord’s richer benison. So have far better men found it. The scouring of the vessel has fitted it for the Master’s use. Immersion in suffering has preceded the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Fasting gives an appetite for the banquet. The Lord is revealed in the back side of the desert, while His servant keeps the sheep and waits in solitary awe. The wilderness is the way to Canaan. The low valley leads to the towering mountain. Defeat prepares for victory. The raven is sent forth before the dove. The darkest hour of the night precedes the day-dawn.
From The Autobiography of Charles Spurgeon
Spurgeon was known to have wrestled under the dark clouds of depression frequently throughout his life. As he noted above, “So have better men found it.” Many of us battle the dark waves of depression, myself included.
But look at how Spurgeon came to see depression in a new light. He began to note that depression was actually the forerunner of a dawn of breakthrough. Think about how many notable people in the Scriptures went through dark valleys prior to God using them in previously unimaginable ways—men like Joseph, Moses, David, Elijah, Jeremiah, Peter, Saul (who would become Paul), and even Jesus Himself.
The writer of Hebrews records that Jesus learned something during the dark night of His soul that He wouldn’t have learned any other way. Jesus saw God’s dawn coming, so He was able to continue to go through the darksome valley.
Depression is a serious thing. If you are battling this darkness, there is freedom in admitting it. Spurgeon did, I have, and so have many others. Admit you need help, and then get help. Talking to your doctor or a Christian counselor may be a necessary component toward your healing.
But in all that you do, please learn to do what these notable folks in the Bible did—and what Charles Spurgeon did: begin to see depression not as your permanent residence, but merely as a dark night that is preceding a glorious dawn!
Awesome God, Awesome Praise
July 29, 2019 — Craig T. Owens
Last I week I told you how Hebrew poetry often puts the climax in the middle. In Psalm 47 that middle climax is in verse 5—God has ascended. This is one of seven “psalms of enthronement” in the Psalter. Since all of the Scripture points to Jesus, let’s look at the definition of this word ascend and see how it fits with Jesus:
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- to be exalted high above all others—Philippians 2:9-11
- to move from a lower place to a higher place of authority—Ephesians 4:8-10
- to surpass all expectations—Revelation 5:9-13
When a king is coronated—when he is heading toward his throne—we can expect the people to be happy. So the psalmist tells us that in God’s case the people are clapping and shouting (v. 1), telling God how awesome He is (v. 2), thanking Him for subduing their enemies (v. 3), and expressing their gratitude that He has established them as His people (v. 4).
Then comes the Selah / Pause—what is happening during this pause? The King is being crowned. He has ascended to His rightful throne. So this is selah/pause is really a deep breath that’s about to explode in a crescendo of praise!
Now there are shouts of joy (v. 5a). In our earthly understanding, it would be something like: “LONG LIVE THE KING!!” There is also a sounding of trumpets (v. 5b) which literally means a thundering of trumpets. And then there’s the singing—lots and lots of singing. In fact, the word sing appears five times in the next two verses.
From The Infographic Bible (click the image for more)There are so many ways to say LONG LIVE THE KING—singing, dancing, raising our hands, falling down on our knees. shouting.
Our God is praise-worthy. He is clap-worthy! He is sing-worthy! He is dance-worthy! He is shout-worthy! He is bowing-worthy!
Our awesome God deserves awesome praise!
Why does it seem that we are prone to worship so quietly? Perhaps we need to take it up a notch or two (or three or four). Perhaps we haven’t gazed into His awesome beauty enough to realize just how incredible He is!
Do you think shouting praises to the King of kings is too undignified? Did you know that when the King of kings returns, He is going to shout and there is also going to be a thundering trumpet? For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God (1 Thessalonians 4:16)!
Here are 4 important lessons from this Psalm of Enthronement—
- God is the King of all kings, enthroned on the Throne above all thrones. He is worthy of your “undignified” praise and acclamation.
- God should always get your best praise. In verse 7 the phrase sing praises with understanding really means to sing with insight and skill.
- God deserves a holy vocabulary. We see the word awesome in verse 2. Every time this word is used in the Scripture, it’s speaking of God. So why would we use a word like this for something like a hamburger!?!
- All nations and kings and peoples and tribes will bow before God at the end. They will bow in either acclamation for their King, or in abject terror of the All-Righteous Judge. Let’s remain missional so more people in the end are crowning Him as their All-Merciful King.
I hope you can join me this next Sunday as we continue our series looking at the Selahs in the Psalms.
Thursdays With Spurgeon—Struggling For Perfection
July 25, 2019 — Craig T. OwensThis is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Charles Spurgeon. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Spurgeon” in the search box to read more entries.
Struggling For Perfection
My own experience is a daily struggle with the evil within. I wish I could find in myself something friendly to grace. But hitherto I have searched my nature through and have found everything in rebellion against God. At one time, there comes the torpor of sloth, when one ought to be active every moment, having so much to do for God and for the souls of men, and so little time in which to do it. At another time, there comes the quickness of passion; when one should be calm and cool and play the Christian, bearing with patience whatever has to be endured, there come the unadvised word and the rash expression. Anon, I am troubled with conceit, the devilish whisper—I can call it no less—“How well you have done! How nobly you have played your part!” Then calls out distrust, foul and faithless, suggesting that God does not regulate the affairs of men and will not interpose on my behalf. Yet what would I not give if I might but be perfect! Sometimes I think that if God’s people mentioned in the Old and New Testaments had all been perfect, I should have despaired. But because they seem to have had just the kind of faults I grieve over in myself, I do not feel any more lenient toward my faults, but I do rejoice that I also may say with each of them, “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me.” He will most assuredly, beyond a doubt, bring to perfection my faith, my love, my hope, and every grace. He will perfect His own purposes. He will perfect His promises, He will perfect my body, and He will perfect my soul. … That day, however, I believe, shall not come until we enter into the joy of the Lord and are glorified together with Christ in heaven. Then, but not till then, shall He present us “faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 24).
From The Autobiography of Charles Spurgeon
I love that the Bible shows us imperfect people being loved by a perfect God.
As Spurgeon said, it’s not that we should excuse our faults and imperfections by saying, “At least I’m not as bad as him,” but that we can say, “I’m grateful God’s grace reaches even me!”
God is for you! He wants you to stand “faultless before the presence of His glory.” So right now—today!—the Holy Spirit wants to help you. Will you let Him?
8 Quotes From “The Jesus Who Surprises”
July 24, 2019 — Craig T. Owens
Dee Brestin has given us an excellent “starter’s guide” to help you discover Jesus on every page of the Old Testament. Be sure to check out my full book review by clicking here.
“Every time we sin, it is because we do not trust the goodness of God, so we endeavor to meet our needs our way.”
“The blood of innocent lambs spills throughout the pages of the Old Testament but ceases when John the Baptist heralds Jesus as the Lamb of God. Jesus is the only Lamb who can take away our sins (Hebrews 10:4, 10). All other sacrificial lambs were simply a foreshadowing of the One to come.”
“What satan wants to do is cause attachment disorder between God and us. … satan wants to convince us that God does not love us and does not want the best for us so that we will back away and stop talking to Him, throwing away our only lifeline.”
“Think about what makes Jesus so angry over and over again—it is the pretense and dishonesty of the Pharisees. He is not angry with Job, Naomi, the prophets, or the psalmists who lament, and indeed He often comes running to them. But He is angry with the Pharisees. They put up a façade, a wall that keeps them from experiencing intimacy with the Lord, and one day He may surprise them by saying, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me’ (Matthew 7:23).”
“Recording and retelling increases memory—memory that is sorely needed in times of trouble.”
“God knows the shaking of our world can awaken us to understand what is transitory and what is eternal. If we press into Him, we will discover what can never be shaken.”
“Prayer is not getting God to give you what you want but dialoguing with Him, listening to Him, submitting to Him, and asking Him to give you what He wants, even if it is costly.”
“Love is not love if it is only grace. That is enablement.”
The Jesus Who Surprises (book review)
July 23, 2019 — Craig T. OwensOswald Chambers wisely noted, “God did not give a progressive revelation of Himself through the Old Testament: the people progressively grasped the revelation, which is very different.” Jesus is all throughout the Old Testament, giving us ample opportunity to discover Him on every page. A helpful guide to get you started on this journey of discovery is The Jesus Who Surprises by Dee Brestin.
Dee wrote that she was intrigued by Christ’s words to the questioning disciples walking the road to Emmaus on the morning of His resurrection. These men were having a hard time wrapping their minds around the report from eyewitnesses who said Jesus was alive! As Jesus walked with them (although unrecognized by them for the moment), Luke records, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27).
The Jews divided their Scripture—the part we now refer to as the Old Testament—into three sections: the Law, the Writings (the poetic books), and the Prophets. In The Jesus Who Surprises, Dee divides her book into the same three sections, giving us samples of how Jesus surprises us in the pages of each section of the Old Testament Scripture. Each chapter concludes with a Bible study that can be done on your own, or in a small group setting.
The two disciples on the road Jesus commented to each other later that they felt their hearts burning as Jesus revealed Himself all throughout the Scriptures. I pray that as you read The Jesus Who Surprises you will experience the same burning. Then I believe this book will start you on your own lifelong journey to read the Scriptures for yourself and see Jesus on every single page!
I am a Multnomah book reviewer.
Poetry Saturday—Walking With God
July 20, 2019 — Craig T. Owens
Alas, my God, that we should beThursdays With Spurgeon—Evidence Of Christian Maturity
July 18, 2019 — Craig T. OwensThis is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Charles Spurgeon. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Spurgeon” in the search box to read more entries.
Evidence Of Christian Maturity
One of the first evidences that anyone is a child of God is that he hates with a perfect hatred and seeks to live a holy, Christlike life. …
I bless God that I have learned to have very little respect for the vision of the man with the measuring line. When I see an angel with it, I am glad enough; but when I see a man with it, I tell him that he must give me a warrant from God and show me how he is to know the elect by any other method than that laid down by our Lord Jesus Christ: “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). …
He who truly grows in grace does not say, “Dear me! I can feel that I am growing; bless the Lord! Let’s sing a hymn. ‘I’m a-growing! I’m a-growing!’” I have often felt that I was growing smaller; I think that is very probable, and a good thing, too. If we are very great in our own estimation, it is because we have a number of cancers, or foul gatherings, that need to be lanced, so as to let out the bad matter that causes us to boast of our bigness.
From The Autobiography Of Charles Spurgeon
Some Dos and Don’ts for Christian growth:
Walk This Way
July 17, 2019 — Craig T. Owens
In his letter to the Christians in Ephesus, Paul uses the word “walk” seven times to instruct them how to follow the path Jesus laid down for us.
In Greek, the word for “walks” (peripatēo) means something that regulates my life, or something that keeps me on the right path. It’s my lifestyle that is kept in proper boundaries by something outside of me.
First of all, notice how Paul tells Christians how not to walk. DON’T WALK THIS WAY…
…following pop culture (2:2)—Living a certain lifestyle because “everyone” is doing it, or because some popular people are living that way.
…without thinking about why you’re walking the way you are (4:17)
…without comparing your walk to truth (5:8)—Living a life because it feels good to me is a dangerous way to live. I must make sure there is an objective truth that is keeping me on a proper path.
…foolishly (5:15)—To be foolish is either (a) not knowing the truth, (b) not applying the truth I have been shown, or (c) choosing to disregard the truth I’ve been given.
Instead, Paul tells Christians to WALK THIS WAY…
…knowing I am God’s workmanship, created for a great purpose (2:10)—It may take me some time to discover my purpose and my talents, but I keep at it.
…worthy of my vocation (4:1)—Once I have discovered my talents, I develop them into strengths that will benefit others.
…lovingly (5:2)—Just as Jesus did!
…in the light of God’s truth (5:8)—This is the exact opposite of foolishly walking. It means I seek the truth and I apply the truth to my life.
…circumspectly (5:15)—Not wasting my moments, but making sure I am giving 100 percent every single day.
When I WALK THIS WAY people will inevitably notice that I’m motivated not by popularity with people, but by intimacy with God (5:2-7). They will see that my path is bordered by the principles in God’s Word (5:8-14; Psalm 119:105). And they will notice that my life has purpose and is productive (5:15-20).
All Christians should ask themselves:
- Is Jesus pleased with the path I’m on today?
- Can others follow my footsteps toward their own relationship with Christ?
If you can answer “yes” to those questions, then Jesus will be pleased that you WALK THIS WAY!
[You can check out the Scriptures I referenced in this post by clicking on DON’T WALK THIS WAY and WALK THIS WAY above.]
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Dressed For Victory
July 30, 2019 — Craig T. OwensNot…
But…
The armor I wear has been battle-tested by the undefeated Champion. It’s armor emblazoned with the crimson red blood of Calvary. It’s armor gleaming brightly with the glow of Resurrection victory.
I wear Christ’s armor!
I must continually clothe myself in God’s armor. Then I keep the armor bright by prayer—
Holy God, may I be dressed in YOU at every moment. May I daily use YOUR battle-tested armor and weapons to strike a blow against satan!
(Check out all the Scripture references above by clicking here.)
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