Author: Charles Spurgeon

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)
Now, Lord, listen to the voice of your children’s cry this morning. Wherever there is a sincere heart seeking for greater holiness, answer that request; or, wherever there is a broken spirit seeking for reconciliation with you, be pleased to answer it now. You know where there is prayer, though it is unuttered, and even the lips do not move. Oh, hear the tax collector who dares not lift his eyes to heaven; hear him while he cries, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.”

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)
“But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even raise his eyes to heaven but kept striking his chest and saying, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’” (Luke 18:13)

Not daring to come near to the inner shrine, he stood far off. I do not suppose that he thought he had really prayed; he scarcely dared to call it prayer. Perhaps, as he went home, he said, “I went up to the temple to pray, but I was so bowed down with a sense of my guilt that I could not pray.” But that was not our Lord’s verdict: “I tell you, this one went down to his house justified….”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE*
Making plans for the new year? Spurgeon is here to help.

I’ve been spending a lot of time this week thinking about the new year — new habits I want to form, goals I want to pursue, ways I want to grow.
Whatever your spiritual goals are in 2021, I want to encourage you to check out Spurgeon’s classic daily devotional book, Morning and Evening.

Morning and Evening is a great devotional for any Christian reader. There are two entries for every day of the year, each having a brief passage of Scripture with Spurgeon’s reflections.
There are some really beautiful editions of Morning and Evening available online.

Buy the original Morning and Evening on Amazon or check out this updated edition, edited by Alistair Begg.
(Both of these books are beautiful hardback editions.)

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases.

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)
Oh, what encouragement we have to pray to such a prayer-hearing God, who far exceeds the requests of his children! Blessed be the name of the Lord forever; our inmost heart is saying, Amen, blessed be his name! If it were only for answered prayer, or even for some unanswered prayers, we would continue to praise and bless you “as long as we have any being” (Psalm 104:33, KJV).

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)
“I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live.” (Psalm 104:33)

Here and hereafter the Psalmist would continue to praise the Lord, for the theme is an endless one, and remains forever fresh and new. The birds sang God’s praises before men were created, but redeemed men will sing his glories when the birds are no more. The Lord, who always lives and makes us to live shall be for ever exalted, and extolled in the songs of redeemed men.

Note the sweet title—my God. We never sing so well as when we know that we have an interest in the good things of which we sing, and a relationship to the God whom we praise.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE*
Get your anger under control.

If you’re feeling angry in your workplace, home, or anywhere, I want to recommend a short booklet to you, Help! My Anger is Out of Control.
This booklet is packed with biblical truth to help us understand and address anger in a way that glorifies God and depends on Christ. I don’t exaggerate when I say that this book saved my life and my marriage.

Whether you want to get your own anger under control or help someone else with their anger, Help! My Anger is Out of Control is a great resource.

Buy Help! My Anger is Out of Control on Amazon in a paperback ($3.99) or Kindle edition ($2.99).

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases.

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)
You have given us exceedingly abundantly above what we asked, or even thought (Ephesians 3:20); for there was a day when our present condition would have been regarded as much too high for us ever to reach; and, in looking back, we are surprised that those who did lie among the pots of Egypt, should now sit every man under his vine and fig tree; that those who wandered in the wilderness, in a solitary way, should now find a city to dwell in; that we who were prodigals in rags, should now be children in the Father’s bosom; that we who were companions of swine, should now be made heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)
“Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us…” (Ephesians 3:20)

He declares that the divine ability to bless is above what we ask. We have asked great things in our time. We do remember when it seemed the greatest thing conceivable for us to say, “Father, forgive me.” We asked a large thing when we requested the pardon of all our sins and an equally great thing when we prayed to be cleansed in spirit.

When we felt our hearts hard and our natures depraved, it seemed almost too great a boon to expect the heart of stone to be turned to flesh. We did, however, cry for gracious renewal, and the prayer was heard.Full many a time since then in deep distress we have sought the Lord for great deliverances; in abject need, we have sought great supplies, and in terrible dilemmas, we have asked for great guidance, and we have received all these again and again. The blessings sought and obtained have assuredly been neither few nor small.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE*
Looking for a Christmas present for kids? Here’s a new kids book about following Christ.

Melissa Kruger’s new kids book, Wherever You Go, I Want You to Know, has become an instant favorite in my family. This is a sweet book with fun illustrations and an awesome, simple message for the youngest readers: “Whatever you do, wherever you start, I pray you love Jesus with all of your heart.”

This book is a great Christmas gift for young children (or their parents!) — I hope you’ll check it out today.

Buy Where You Go, I Want You To Know on Amazon.

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases.

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)
Oh Lord, in looking back, we are obliged to remember with the greatest gratitude, the many occasions in which you have heard our cry. We have been brought into deep distress, and our heart has sunk within us, and then have we cried to you, and you have never refused to hear us. The prayers of our lusts you have rejected, but the prayers of our necessities you have granted; not one good thing has failed of all that you have promised (Joshua 21:45).

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)
“None of the good promises the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed. Everything was fulfilled.” (Joshua 21:45)

God has fulfilled many promises to his Israel: The Gift of Jesus, no destruction by flood, to Gideon, David, and the apostles. He promised to hear prayer, to comfort, to bless, instruct, strengthen, support, and provide for you, and he has done it.

Believe, then, his promise: That Jesus shall be satisfied, that you shall be heard, that you shall persevere, and that you shall inherit glory.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE*
Be amazed by our great God.

Our view of God is much too small, much too tame. The Bible reveals a ravishing, glorious, fear-inspiring, awesome picture of the God who created all things and sits in the heavens. If you want to better understand God’s glorious infinity, read None Like Him by Jen Wilkin.

In each chapter, Jen unpacks one of God’s incommunicable attributes — the attributes that make God unlike us — and discusses how knowing each of these attributes of God will change our lives. This is biblical, rich, glorious theology.

Buy None Like Him now on Amazon in Kindle, paperback, or audiobookeditions.

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases.

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)
O Lord, if we at any time press our own will, without a sufficient resignation to your will, do not regard us we pray; and though we cry unto you day and night, concerning anything, yet, if you see that we err in it, regard not the voice of our cry we pray. It is our heart’s desire in our coolest moments, that this prayer might stand on record as long as we live,—“Not as I will, but as you will.”

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)
“…because our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with full assurance. You know how we lived among you for your benefit.” (1 Thessalonians 1:5)

Paul never had a happier time in preaching, it would seem, than when he preached to these Thessalonians. He felt a power resting upon him. He spoke with great positiveness and assurance of the gospel, and consequently, the people received it in power, and the assurance of the hearer made the assurance of the speaker. It is a great mercy when it is so.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE*
Cultivate a Christ-centered spirit this Christmas.

A few years ago, I started a tradition of reading Spurgeon’s Christmas sermons out loud to my family. This has been such a helpful practice to help us remember the reason for the season.

If you want to read Spurgeon’s Christmas sermons this year, I created a compilation book of some of his best — Spurgeon on Christmas. These sermons are rich and I know that they will help you focus on Christ this Christmas.

Buy Spurgeon on Christmas now on Amazon.

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases.

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON) This morning, we feel inclined to bless you for the many occasions in which you have not answered our prayer; for you have said that we did ask wrongly, and therefore we could not have (James 4:3); and we desire to register this prayer with you, that whenever we do ask wrongly, you would, in great wisdom and love, be pleased to refuse us. Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON) “You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and wage war. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.” (James 4:2–3) “You do not ask…” With all your efforts you do not succeed, because you omit to pray to God. Prayer would have brought you every blessing that you need; but, instead of going to God, and asking at his hands, you rush upon your neighbor, and seek to take what you desire as spoil from him. Perhaps some say, “But we do ask.” “Well, then,” saith the apostle, “you ask wrongly.” The lusts of the flesh come in, and put us upon the wrong track; or if we take the right road, yet, if the lusts are there, God will not bless us, because, in doing so, he would be helping us to gratify our lusts.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE* Celebrate Christmas with Spurgeon This week, this newsletter passed 10,000 subscribers! That’s absolutely incredible. Unfortunately, the service that I use for sending emails charges per contact, so every new subscriber comes with a cost. One way that you can help support this work is by buying my new book, Spurgeon on Christmas. Spurgeon on Christmas is a collection of classic Christmas sermons from Charles Spurgeon, presented in their original format without comment. These sermons are rich and I know that they will help you focus on Christ this Christmas. Buy Spurgeon on Christmas now on Amazon. If you aren’t able to purchase Spurgeon on Christmas — that’s okay! I’m so thankful for each and every subscriber reading this newsletter every day. You can also support this work by sharing it with a friend. They can subscribe here: SpurgeonBooks.com/subscribe

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Get a prayer from Spurgeon in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Pray with Spurgeon newsletter for free.

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Lord, in these perilous circumstances, give us grace that we may not turn away from you. If our position now is one which you would not have allotted to us, had we been wiser, grant that we may be taught to behave ourselves aright, even now, lest the mercies you have given should become a cause of stumbling, and the obtaining of our heart’s desire should become a temptation to us.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY
“And a woman in the town who was a sinner found out that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume and stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to wash his feet with her tears. She wiped his feet with her hair, kissing them and anointing them with the perfume. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—she’s a sinner!” (Luke 7:37–39)

She is a sinner, and does he let her touch him, and kiss his feet, and show such tokens of affection? What man must he be who allows a harlot’s kiss, even though it be upon his feet? Ah! poor foolish Pharisee! He judged according to the sight of the eye, or else he might have known that the best of men would never be angry at a harlot’s tears, for the tears of repentance, come from whatever heart they may, are always like diamonds in the esteem of those who judge rightly.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE*
Glorify God this Christmas.

Every year, it seems harder than ever to focus on Christ at Christmas. As the world is screaming about gifts and whether or not to travel for the holidays, its easy to lose sight of the meaning behind it all — the baby in the manger who was Savior and Lord.

I put together a new book, Spurgeon on Christmas — a collection of Christmas sermons from Charles Spurgeon. These sermons are rich and I know that they will help you focus on Christ this Christmas.

Buy Spurgeon on Christmas now on Amazon.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Get a prayer from Spurgeon in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Pray with Spurgeon newsletter for free.

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Our Father, we ask whether you have anything against us as your children. Have we been asking somewhat of you wrongly, and have you given us that which we have sought? We are not conscious of it, but it may be so; and now we are brought, as an answer to our presumptuous prayers, into a more difficult position than the one we occupied before.
It may be that some creature comfort is nearer to us than our God. We were better off without it, and have dwelt in God, and have found our joy in him. But now, Lord, in these perilous circumstances, give us grace that we may not turn away from you.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY
“For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of what is preached.” (1 Corinthians 1:21)

God, in his infinite wisdom, raised up a number of philosophers just about the time of the coming of Christ, and a little before that great event. If ever there were great minds upon the earth, it was then; yet these men, with all their schools of thought, knew not God, and the people did not follow after them so that the earthly wisdom turned out to be a failure.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE*
Spurgeon lived in a day of theological crisis.

While many of the Christians around him were denying crucial doctrines such as the virgin birth or salvation in Christ alone, Spurgeon stood firm on the Word of God. Spurgeon was a defender of God’s Word and God’s Gospel, even against fierce opposition.You can learn the story of Spurgeon’s faithfulness in The Forgotten Spurgeon by Iain Murray.

Buy The Forgotten Spurgeon now on Amazon.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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DAILY PRAYER

God of Israel, God of Jesus Christ, our God forever and ever; help us now by the sacred Spirit, to approach you rightly, with deepest reverence, but not with servile fear; with holiest boldness, but not with presumption. Oh teach us as children to speak to the Father, and yet, as creatures to bow before our Maker.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY
“Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.” (John 3:18)

His not believing is the master-sin, the surest evidence of that he is, in his heart, an enemy to God. If he refuses to trust Christ, the matchless gift of the Father’s love, he must be desperately set on mischief, and he “is condemned already.”

These two truths of the necessity of the new birth, and of the fact that everyone who believes on Christ is saved, are quite consistent and in perfect harmony with each other.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE*
Experience Spurgeon’s classic book, All of Grace, in a new audio format.

I was listening to the new audio edition of Spurgeon’s All of Grace in the car last night and was filled with joy by the way Spurgeon describes God’s work in our salvation. One of the (many) reasons this book is such a great read is the dozens of metaphors or illustrations that Spurgeons employs to describe salvation. Listening to the book (instead of just reading it) helps me imagine these images in a really refreshing way.

The audiobook of Spurgeon’s All of Grace will be a blessing to you. It will encourage you to trust Christ alone for salvation and to praise God for his amazing grace. Download the audiobook today and start listening over the weekend (it’s a great soundtrack for drives to church!).

Listen to a sample on Audible now.

*This section contains sponsored advertising content.

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DAILY PRAYER

And now, Lord, bless your universal church, and grant to it mercy and favor. Gather together your elect from under all heaven. Let the company of the faithful be accomplished, and let the universal reign of Christ established.

Bless our own dear country. God save and bless our leaders with every mercy. Guide, uphold, sustain, and direct our rulers. Let them be guilty of no folly, but Lord, teach our senators wisdom.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY
“For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons.” (Romans 8:14)

Leading implies following; and those who are enabled to follow the guidance of the Divine Spirit are most assuredly children of God, for the Lord ever leads his own children. If then, you are following the lead of God’s Spirit, you have one of the evidences of sonship.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE*
A new Spurgeon audio experience

People frequently message me asking where to start reading Spurgeon. I always give the same answer — All of Grace. This is Spurgeon’s landmark explanation of salvation by grace alone. It is a beautiful book that will fill believers with joy in our great God’s grace.

I’m excited that a team of creators have put together a new audiobook/audio worship experience featuring the full text of All of Grace (and several bonus features!). This audiobook is a great way to bring Christ-centered content to any part of your daily life. I’ve loved listening to it while I drive.

See for yourself — listen to a sample on Audible now.

*This section contains sponsored advertising content.