Author: Charles Spurgeon

Pray with Spurgeon: God will always provide

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

O Lord God, the source of abundance, we, who are but vessels of emptiness, approach you seeking your boundless provisions. Our plea is not in vain, for we come bearing the weight of a plea that prevails. Commanded by your Word, emboldened by your promise, and preceded by Christ Jesus, our High Priest, we trust that whatever we ask in prayer, believing, shall be granted. Assist us now in seeking the right things, that our words may find favor in your presence, O God, our strength and redeemer.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“Do not banish me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.” (Psalm 51:11)

Do not discard me as worthless; do not banish me from your face and favor like Cain. Allow me to dwell among those who share your love, even if I’m permitted to remain at the threshold. I deserve perpetual exclusion from your courts, yet, o gracious Lord, let me retain this privilege that is as precious as life itself to me.

Your Spirit is my wisdom; do not abandon me to my own foolishness. He is my strength; do not leave me vulnerable to my own weakness. Neither drive me from you nor withdraw yourself from me. Maintain the bond between us, for it’s my sole hope of salvation. It would be remarkable for such a pure Spirit to deign to remain in such a base heart as mine. Yet, considering all the wonders together, I earnestly implore you to do this, for the sake of your mercy.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

An incredible testimony of God’s grace to help you hate sin.

We barely know how deeply sinful our hearts are. From our roots to our leaves, we are cursed with sin, so that all of the fruit we bear is poisoned and bitter.

Our only hope to escape this sin-stained, cursed existence, is God’s grace. A really great book to help you understand the seriousness of our sin and our need for God’s grace is Gay Girl, Good God by Jackie Hill Perry.

This book is a memoir describing Jackie’s journey out of sin, by grace. It’s an absolutely beautiful story of God’s power and mercy to save.

One of the things I love the most about this book is how its rich theology is described so beautifully. Jackie paints a picture of a God who is worthy of our worship, faith, and obedience — a God who is better than sin.

This book showed me of the ugliness of sin and the power of God’s grace in such a beautiful way. I know it will be a blessing to you — I hope you’ll grab a copy and enjoy it today.

Buy Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was, and Who God Has Always Been:

*Get the audiobook for free with a free trial of Audible.

Pray with Spurgeon: Rescue us from the wreckage of the fall

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Lord, save humanity, draw out the assembly of redeemed individuals. Those whom the Father has given to Christ, rescue them from the wreckage of the fall, to be his joy and crown. “Let the people praise you, O God, let all the people praise you.” May the farthest corners of the earth reverence the One who died to save them. May the entire world be saturated with the glory of God.

This is our fervent prayer, and we conclude with this: Come, Lord Jesus, come swiftly and tarry no longer! Come in the fullness of your power and the radiance of your glory! Come quickly, even so, come quickly. Lord Jesus.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)

In the seventh verse, I sought cleansing; now I desire a heart fitting for that purity. Yet, I do not ask for my old heart to be made clean; experience has taught me the hopelessness of the old nature. I desire the old man to be buried, replaced by a new creation. None but God can create a new heart or a new world.

Salvation is a wondrous display of supreme power, both the work in us and the work for us, all stemming from omnipotence. First, rectify the affections, for without this all of our nature will falter. The heart functions as the rudder of the soul; without the Lord’s intervention, we navigate a crooked and impure path. O Lord, the One who initially created me, recreate me anew, renew me deep within.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

See Jesus for all the Wonder He Is

I LOVE the way Spurgeon described our floundering attempts at knowing the fullness of Christ Christ in today’s prayer: “our thought makes an imperfect Christ out of him who is altogether matchless.”

Christ really is altogether matchless. He is worthy of endless praise. He is not merely a great man — he is God himself.

Everyone reading this newsletter probably knows and accepts that. But do you know what those words really mean?

A great book for furthering your eternal plunge into the endless beauty of Christ is Jesus in Trinitarian Perspective, edited by Fred Sanders and Klaus Issler. This book will help you really think critically, biblically, and theologically about who Jesus is.

It’s a great read that will challenge your assumptions, stretch your mind, and grow your faith. I hope you’ll check it out today.

Buy Jesus in Trinitarian Perspective:

Pastor, teach your people theology (they need it)

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ENCOURAGEMENT FOR PASTORS (BY SPURGEON)

Sound information upon scriptural subjects your hearers crave for, and must have. Accurate explanations of Holy Scripture they are entitled to, and if you are “an interpreter, one of a thousand,” a real messenger of heaven, you will yield them plenteously. Whatever else may be present, the absence of edifying, instructive truth, like the absence of flour from bread, will be fatal. Estimated by their solid contents rather than their superficial area, many sermons are very poor specimens of godly discourse.

I believe the remark is too well grounded that if you attend to a lecturer on astronomy or geology, during a short course you will obtain a tolerably clear view of his system; but if you listen, not only for twelve months, but for twelve years, to the common run of preachers, you will not arrive at anything like an idea of their system of theology. If it be so, it is a grievous fault, which cannot be too much deplored. Alas! the indistinct utterances of many concerning the grandest of eternal realities, and the dimness of thought in others with regard to fundamental truths, have given too much occasion for the criticism!

SERMON ILLUSTRATION (BY SPURGEON)

Spurgeon was a master illustrator. You can use this illustration in your own preaching to describe the wonderful diversity and unity of the church.

Diamonds are not all of one shape; in a natural state the crystals are of various forms, and are further altered in the process of cutting: their colors, too, vary greatly. Each stone has its own peculiar character and consequent value: some are more precious, others less so. So is it with the people of God: they are not all alike; but each has his or her particular character, as diamonds have their color, form, and value.

THANKS FOR READING

Brothers,

Thanks for reading the newsletter this week.

If this newsletter is encouraging, please share it with another pastor. You can forward this email to a pastor you know.

If someone forwarded this email to you, sign up to get another one every week. Click here to subscribe.

Blessings to your ministry,

Doug H.
Creator of SpurgeonBooks
Preaching Pastor of Pillar Church of Washington DC

Pray with Spurgeon: May everyone know the love of Jesus

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Particularly, although we have already prayed this, we repeat it with added fervor: Make us effective in the salvation of our fellow human beings. Lord, save them! LORD, SAVE THEM! Restrain the torrents of sin coursing through the streets of our cities; cleanse the dead sea of sin, in which countless heathens are immersed. May the day come when the name of Jesus is a household utterance, when all know of his love, his death, his blood, and its purifying power.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“Turn your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt.” (Psalm 51:9)

Look away from them; make an effort not to see them. They are in your path, but I implore you, Lord, to avoid gazing upon them. If you were to consider them, your anger might blaze forth, and I might perish. “Blot out all my iniquities.” I repeat the plea from the first verse, now emphasizing it with the word “all.” Not all repetitions are without purpose; in moments of agony, variety of language is not always feasible.

David’s countenance was covered in shame from the sight of his sins, and no other thoughts could erase them from his memory. Thus, he prays for the Lord to do with his sins what he himself cannot. If you do not avert your face from our sins, you may need to keep it turned away from us forever; if you do not erase our sins, you may need to blot our names from your book of life.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

A resource to help you share your faith (AND help others too!)

Today we prayed that God would save the non-Christians around us. I hope that God will answer this prayer to help you glorify him in the work of evangelism.

Evangelism can be daunting for some, but it doesn’t have to be complicated! The most effective thing you can do with a non-Christian friend is to read the Bible together.

And to help you do that, I’ve created a new resource, Know Jesus. This is a simple, easy-to-use Bible study. It’s designed for a Christian to take a non-Christian through 15 passages in Mark’s Gospel.

I worked really hard to create a resource that was as easy-to-use as possible, because we are called to share Christ with others.

The best part: 100% of the profits from this book are given to purchase copies for evangelism in Washington, DC, where I live and minister. (One copy purchased = one copy for a non-Christian in the nation’s capital).

So I hope you’ll buy two copies (one for you and one for a non-Christian friend) and start a fall Bible study with someone that you know.

Buy Know Jesus on Amazon (Paperback)

Pray with Spurgeon: Make us passionate for Jesus

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Lord, keep us true, both in doctrine and experience, in life, speech, and action. May we possess a fervent passion for glorifying Christ. Save us, we implore you, from a faith that is commonplace; bestow upon us the unique grace of a distinctive people. May we live in Christ, drawing close to God. May the world’s trivialities hold no sway over us. Enable us to serve you wholeheartedly.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.” (Psalm 51:8)

He asks to hear pardon, and then to hear joy. He seeks comfort at the right time and from the right source. His ear has become heavy with sinning, and so he prays, “Make me to hear.” No voice could revive his dead joys but that which quickens the dead. Pardon from God would give him double joy—“joy and gladness.” No stinted bliss awaits the forgiven one; he shall not only have a double-blooming joy, but he shall hear it; it shall sing with exultation. Some joy is felt but not heard, for it contends with fears; but the joy of pardon has a voice louder than the voice of sin. God’s voice speaking peace is the sweetest music an ear can hear.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

A book to teach kids about our prayers and God’s grace.

We need to teach our kids this truth about prayer — God hears us, not because our prayers are good enough, but because he is so wonderfully merciful!

Any Time, Any Place, Any Prayer by Laura Wifler and illustrated by Catalina Echeverri is a great book that walks through the story of Scripture, showing how our sin separates us from God, how Jesus came to bring us back, and how we can communicate with this holy God through prayer all along the way.

The book will fill pre-school/early-elementary-aged kids with wonder as we think about the grace of God to allow us to pray.

I hope you’ll add it to your family’s library today and grab a copy for a friend as well!

Buy Any Time, Any Place, Any Prayer:

Pray with Spurgeon: Save us from a superficial faith

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Save us from a superficial faith, and grant us the distinctive grace of a peculiar people. May we remain in Christ, living close to God. May the frivolities of the world have no power over us. May we be mature enough in grace to resist being enamored by the trinkets that suit only children.

Empower us to serve you, and especially, we repeat this prayer, make us effective in the salvation of others. O Lord, have we lived in this world for so long and yet our children remain unconverted? May we not rest until they are truly saved. Have we navigated the world of business, and yet those around us remain unaware of our Christian identity? Have we failed to share the Word of Life with them? Lord, ignite in us a deep concern for all those we encounter daily. May we all become evangelists at home, in the streets, or in our workplaces. May we shine as beacons in the world.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:7)

Apply the atoning blood to me through the prescribed means. Allow me to experience the reality symbolized by the legal rituals. Nothing but blood can eliminate my bloodstains; only the most potent purification can cleanse me. Permit the sin offering to cleanse my sin. Let the One appointed to atone fulfill his sacred duty in my case, for no one needs it more than I.

No one but you can truly cleanse me, but your ability to outshine even the purest state of nature with your grace. Snow eventually gathers grime and dirt, it melts and vanishes; yet, you can bestow on me enduring purity. While snow is white not only on the surface but also within, you can accomplish a similar inward purity in me, making me so clean that only hyperbole can describe my immaculate state. Lord, please do this; my faith believes you will, and I know you are capable.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Pursue holiness like your life depends on it.

Today’s verse of the day acknowledged that only God can forgive us of our sins, but we must also pursuit holiness. In this pursuit of holiness, we need a lot of help along the way.

One of the most motivating and empowering books on personal holiness that I have ever read is The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges. This book will show you the high calling of holiness that God has laid on all of his people (and why it’s so important) while also giving grace-fueled practical guidance on actually pursuing holiness in your own life.

Jerry Bridges is one of my all-time favorite authors. All of his books are worth reading — he does an excellent job at applying the truths of the gospel to the problems we face in life.

This book will equip you and empower you to pursue holiness. I hope you’ll grab a copy and be blessed by it.

Buy The Pursuit of Holiness:

Pray with Spurgeon: May we glorify Christ in every aspect of our lives.

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

We are not content with forgiven sin. We pray, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Aid us in our daily lives, in our families, in our roles as spouses or parents, children or masters, servants. Assist us in our dealings with fellow men, and in our interactions within the church of God. May we be genuine, righteous, pure; shielded from major transgressions by avoiding minor ones. May we glorify Christ in every aspect of our lives.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“Surely you desire integrity in the inner self, and you teach me wisdom deep within.” (Psalm 51:6)

God doesn’t merely desire outward virtue, but internal purity, and the Psalmist’s awareness of his sin deepens as he realizes this truth, and how far he falls short of the divine requirement. Authenticity, sincerity, genuine holiness, fidelity of the heart—these are God’s requirements. He’s uninterested in the facade of purity; he looks at the mind, heart, and soul. The Lord has always judged individuals by their inner nature, not their outward professions. He perceives the internal just as clearly as the external, and rightly deduces that an action’s true nature is rooted in the motive of the actor.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Teach your kids to live for Jesus — no matter where he brings them

Today we prayed that God would help us follow him in every area of our lives. This prayer reminded me of one of my family’s favorite books, Wherever You Go, I Want You To Know by Melissa Kruger. The book is really fun (with great illustrations and rhymes) with an eternal message: No matter what direction their life takes, no matter what kind of work they do, our biggest dream for our children is that they follow Christ.

This book has been a favorite in our house and I hope it will be a blessing to your family!

Buy Wherever You Go, I Want You To Know:

Pray with Spurgeon: God can clean our hearts

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

We ask you, our Father, on this day to perfect your work within our hearts. We are saved, yet we desire to be saved from every form and degree of sin. Even sins that lie concealed within, sins we are scarcely conscious of. Should there be any trace of pride, any trace of unbelief that eludes our awareness, if there exists an attachment to the created rather than the Creator, a form of idolatry yet unrecognized, we entreat you to search us, reveal these hidden evils, and then cleanse them.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5)

This is not an attempt to justify himself, but rather to complete his confession. It’s as if he’s saying, “Not only have I sinned now, but I was a sinner from the very beginning.” The fountain of his life is tainted, as are its streams. His birth tendencies deviate from righteousness; he naturally leans toward forbidden things.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

The (not-so-surprising) cure for anxiety

Today we prayed, confessing our pride and asking God to rid us of it by exposing our sins. Pride is a particularly difficult sin, and it’s often the source of our worries. We’re depending on ourselves, rather than our God.

The path to a peaceful life, free of anxiety, starts by laying down your pride, by relying on the Savior instead of yourself. If you want peace in your life, start by growing in humility.

That’s the point of Humble Roots by Hannah Anderson. This book discusses Christ’s call to humility and practical steps to walk in it. It will definitely encourage you, shape you into Christlikeness, and fill you up with peace.

Buy Humble Roots:

*Get the audiobook for free with a free trial of Audible. The book is yours to keep (even if you cancel the free trial!)

Pastor, don’t preach the same thing every week (here’s how)

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ENCOURAGEMENT FOR PASTORS (BY SPURGEON)

The surest way to maintain variety is to keep to the mind of the Holy Spirit in the particular passage under consideration. No two texts are exactly similar; something in the connection or drift of the passage gives to each apparently identical text a shade of difference. Keep to the Spirit’s track and you will never repeat yourself or be short of matter: his paths drop fatness. A sermon, moreover, comes with far greater power to the consciences of the hearers when it is plainly the very word of God—not a lecture about the Scripture, but Scripture itself opened up and enforced. It is due to the majesty of inspiration that when you profess to be preaching from a verse you do not thrust it out of sight to make room for your own thinkings.

SERMON ILLUSTRATION (BY SPURGEON)

Spurgeon was a master illustrator. You can use this illustration in your own preaching to describe grace.

Suppose I was in a burning building, and a man brought to the house a fire escape of a very unusual shape, but one that he assured me had been the means of saving thousands of lives. Do you think that I should object to trust myself to it because it was such a peculiar shape? Of course, I should not be so foolish.

Then why are sinners so foolish as to object to the shape of the fire escape that God has designed to rescue them from everlasting burnings? What could be better than the divine plan of substitution?

THANKS FOR READING

Brothers,

Thanks for reading the newsletter this week.

If this newsletter is encouraging, please share it with another pastor. You can forward this email to a pastor you know.

If someone forwarded this email to you, sign up to get another one every week. Click here to subscribe.

Blessings to your ministry,

Doug H.
Creator of SpurgeonBooks
Preaching Pastor of Pillar Church of Washington DC

Pray with Spurgeon: God is always forgiving our sins

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

May we enter into deep fellowship with you. May we walk in the light as you are in the light, and have fellowship with you, while the blood of Jesus Christ, your Son, continually cleanses us from all sin. May not one of your children be burdened by a sense of lifeless guilt, and may our conscience be purged from these lifeless deeds, enabling us to serve the living and true God.

And, Lord, if there are any who, having professed faith, have strayed into sin of any kind and degree, restore them. If they have fallen into the trap of strong drink, if they have been ensnared by unchastity, if they have become entangled in dishonesty, if, in any way, their garments are soiled, o may your mighty grace bring them back and count them still among the children. Do not treat them as Sodom or Gomorrah, but let your compassion be kindled, and may they be moved as well, returning with tears and supplication. May they find you, a God ever ready to pardon.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“Against you—you alone—I have sinned and done this evil in your sight. So you are right when you pass sentence; you are blameless when you judge.” (Psalm 51:4)

The very essence of sin lies in its defiance of God: the psalmist’s awareness of his sin towards others only magnifies his sense of sin against God. All his wrongdoing converges, culminating, at the feet of the divine throne. To harm our fellow human beings is sin, primarily because it contradicts God’s law. The psalmist’s heart is so saturated with the sense of the wrong committed against the Lord himself that all other confessions are absorbed by his broken-hearted acknowledgment of wrongdoing against God.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Teach your kids the BIBLE this school year

We do A LOT to help our children learn and thrive each school year. What are you doing to help your kids grow spiritually this year? Are you more invested in your kids’ education than their discipleship?

This school year, let’s all commit together to making FAMILY DEVOTIONS a daily habit.

No matter how old your kids are, whether they’re in public school, private school, or homeschool, they ALL need God’s Word.

At God Centered Family, I’ve written family devotions for 40 books of the Bible, and I have three convictions:

1. Kids need God.
2. God is revealed in his Word.
3. Parents, YOU are better equipped than ANYONE to teach your kids the Bible.

You CAN do this — and your kids need it! They are eager for you to lead them on a Bible-saturated journey to discover who God is and what he has done.

I write family devotionals to HELP YOU do what God has already called and equipped you to do. These resources are just to help you be confident as you teach your kids the Word.

These devotionals give you EVERYTHING YOU NEED to teach your kids the Bible in just ten minutes each day.

There are two ways to get started: