Author: Charles Spurgeon

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

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Dear Father, there are many of us praying now from the bottom of our hearts, that all our children may be your children, and that all related to us may be of the family of Christ. Then, Lord, we thank you for that blessed word, “For the promise is for you and for your children” (Acts 2:39), but you did not stop there, for you have said, “and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39). Lord, bring in the far-off ones. Save poor fallen women, save the equally fallen men.

Oh God, have mercy upon all nations. The Lord be pleased to let his light shine over all the sons of men, and accomplish the number of his redeemed; to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he has made us accepted in the Beloved. And to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be glory, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:39)

 Comprehending the vast population of the whole globe, throughout all time, Peter says, “This promise is to you all.” Therefore, that is a promise to me. Well do I remember the time when I first laid hold of that truth. I was in great sorrow of soul, for I thought that there was no gospel for me; but I caught a ray of hope from that blessed word “everyone”—oh, how I love that word “everyone”—“Then everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved” (Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21).

Whoever comes to Christ, he cannot possibly cast him out, for if he did, it would make Christ a liar.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Teach your kids to love Jesus (and know the Bible) in just ten minutes a day.

Today we prayed that our own children would come to know Christ. This is one of the biggest passions of my life — equipping parents to disciple their kids; to teach their children the truth of the Bible, the beauty of the gospel, and the wonder of God.

A few months ago, I created a new resource, GodCenteredFamily.org. Over there, I offer parents a simple, daily guide to read and discuss the Bible with kids of any age.

All Christian parents have a desire to see their kids know and love the truth of the Bible — this is a simple resource to help you get into God’s Word together. I hope you’ll check it out.

You can download a free sample right here and learn more here.

Visit GodCenteredFamily.org

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

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Father, our prayer is that you would bless those that do not know you. We pray that we may have in our own hearts much of the heaviness that Paul knew, when we think of the many ungodly ones, especially of those that are of our own kith and kin, such as have heard the gospel from their very childhood, in whose father’s house there was a prophet’s chamber, whose mother died with the name of Jesus on her lips, whose father, grown grey with age, is on the road to glory, and they are still unconverted. Oh, bring them in!

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience testifies to me through the Holy Spirit—that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the benefit of my brothers and sisters, my own flesh and blood.” (Romans 9:1–3)

They hated Paul intensely; nothing could surpass the malice of the Jewish leaders against the man whom they reckoned to be an apostate from the true faith, because he had become a follower of Christ, the Nazarene. Yet note what is Paul’s feeling towards his cruel countrymen; he is willing, as it were, to put his own salvation in pawn if by doing so the Jewish people might but be saved. Of course, this could not be; and no one understood better than Paul did that there is only one Substitute and one Sacrifice for sinners.

Do you, dear friends, feel that same concern about your brethren, your kinsmen according to the flesh? If they are not saved, do you greatly wonder that they are not, if you have no such concern about them? But when once your heart is brought to this pitch of agony about their souls, you will soon see them saved.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Spurgeon’s word to non-Christians — updated in contemporary English

Today we prayed for God to save people that we don’t know him, and we saw a challenge in God’s Word that we must be concerned about those who don’t know Christ.

This passion for the lost permeated every aspect of Spurgeon’s ministry, and it led him to write a book — All of Grace. A dear friend of mine has updated this classic book in contemporary English to make it more accessible for modern readers.

Reading this book will reinvigorate your passion for God — it is an incredible explanation of the wonder of God’s grace that will leave you amazed! But reading this book will also equip you for evangelism. As you read Spurgeon’s appeal to the lost, you will be equipped to share with the lost people you know.

Reading All of Grace will bless you in so many ways. I hope you’ll grab a copy of this newly updated edition.

Buy All of Grace:

• Amazon (Kindle editions)

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

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Lord, will you keep those that are not troubled. Let them rejoice with trembling. Will you preserve us all from any of the intoxication that comes of prosperity; and when our heart is glad, if it be not with the high joy that comes of God, let us always look to you to sober us in such moments.

The Lord lead us safely on to his eternal kingdom. We will not ask whether the road will be rough or smooth. We leave that with you; only bring us to behold the face of him we love. If you will give us bread to eat and clothes to put on, and bring us to our Father’s house in peace, it is all we ask below. Whatsoever your will ordains, only do bring us to our Father’s house in peace. Grant us this.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“… because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:9)

If we have really believed in Jesus, we have, at this moment, the assurance of the perfect pardon of all our sins. And I will venture to put it as strongly as this, and to say that those white-robed spirits before the eternal throne are not more clear of the guilt of sin before the bar of infallible justice than was the dying thief the very moment that he turned his eye in faith to Christ upon the cross of Calvary, or than you are if you are now trusting to the same Savior, or than I am as now depending alone upon the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior.

The pardon that God gives to believers in Jesus is not a semi-pardon. It is not a putting away of some of their sins, or a putting them away for a time. It is a perfect putting away of their sins forever, a casting of them, once for all, behind God’s back “into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19), so that they shall never be found again.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

The (not-so-surprising) cure for anxiety

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:

• Amazon (Paperback, Kindle, or audiobook editions)
• ChristianBook.com (Paperback or ebook edition)

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

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Remember some present who have lately been bereaved. They lately had the sentence of death in themselves, by reason of sore disease of body. Help, strengthen, comfort, deliver.

The widow and the fatherless are always in your care. Look, most tender and compassionate Lord, upon all such as are in any trouble of mind, or body, or estate; and let the rich comforts of the Comforter himself be dispensed to them.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3)

Our best friend is not dead. Our great patron and helper, our omnipotent Savior, is not lying in the tomb today. He lives; He ever lives. Now, observe the connection between a risen Savior and our living hope. Jesus Christ died, not in appearance, but in reality. Then, at the end of the appointed time, the same Savior who was laid in the tomb rose from the dead, not in secrecy, but before the Roman guards who watched the sepulcher.

So then, the resurrection of Jesus is virtually my resurrection. If he were dead still, then I might fear that I, dying, should die. But he, having died, arose again in due season and lives. Therefore I, dying, shall also rise and live, for as Jesus is so must I be.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Read Spurgeon’s hope-filled final message

Today’s prayer asked God for hope in the face of death, comfort as we mourn those we have lost. This is a fitting prayer for this week, because Monday was the anniversary of Spurgeon’s own death.

Shortly before his death, Spurgeon delivered a message titled The Greatest Fight in the World, in which he expressed his confidence in God’s Word alone for the Christian life and the Christian ministry.

I’ve recently been reading The Greatest Fight and have been so encouraged by Spurgeon’s confidence in God — the kind of confidence that perseveres, even in the face of death.

Today, 130 years after his death, Spurgeon’s final message can encourage us to stay faithful to God’s Word as we trust in Christ alone to keep us to the end. I know that it will encourage you, so I hope you’ll grab a copy.

Buy The Greatest Fight in the World:

• Amazon (Paperback or Kindle editions)
• ChristianBook.com (Paperback or ebook edition)

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

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

And now, our Father, hear the pleadings of your children, as we bow before you and yield everything to your parental will. Now bless your children. Sanctify us, Lord, spirit, soul, and body. Cleanse us even as with hyssop (Psalm 51:7). Cleanse us in our inward parts, and make us to know wisdom in the secret places of our spirit.

And, Lord, will you also help your children who are very sorely burdened. When you lay on a burden, give strength equal to it; and if the burden should press heavier and heavier, hold the everlasting arms yet more consciously underneath us.

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)

Sprinkle the atoning blood upon me with the appointed means. Give me the reality which legal ceremonies symbolise. Nothing but blood can take away my blood-stains, nothing but the strongest purification can avail to cleanse me. Let the sin-offering purge my sin. Let him who was appointed to atone, execute his sacred office on me; for none can need it more than I.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Feeling weary? Be refreshed in the glorious gospel of God’s grace*

Today we prayed that God would help us and we saw in God’s Word that he saves us and sustains us by his pure grace — not our works.

One of Spurgeon’s most-loved books, All of Grace, is an extended appeal to trust in God’s grace for salvation. It was written for non-believers, but it will also be an incredible encouragement to remind you to rest in God’s grace alone.

All of Grace is a much-needed message for our current day. So many Christians (myself included!) are feeling weary and worn down by the weight of our sin. If you’re feeling weary, you need to know that God has grace for you.

All of Grace is such a valuable book. Spurgeon’s joy in God’s grace is overflowing from every page. This book is incredibly refreshing.

There’s a new audiobook of All of Grace available now. Listening to solid Christian audio is a great way to redeem the time spent on menial tasks (like doing dishes, commuting, or anything else). I hope you’ll check out the All of Grace audiobook. I know that it will encourage your faith and help you grow in grace.

Listen to a free sample of All of Grace on Audible.
(Also available in paperback or Kindle)

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

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

O you are God, we have heard you say, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10); and what a silence you have made in our heart, where else there had been murmuring and complaint, when we have understood “The Lord has done it.” Aaron held his peace when he knew this; and so would we.

Nay, we would do more. We would speak out of our griefs and our down-castings, and say, “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord…. Even if he kills me, I will hope in him. I will still defend my ways before him” (Job 1:21, 13:15) “for God is indeed good to Israel, to the pure in heart” (Psalm 73:1).

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“Even if he kills me, I will hope in him. I will still defend my ways before him.” (Job 13:15)

Job was a master sufferer. He was brought lower than any, and, therefore, being a man of faith, having overcome and triumphed by faith, it was like him to utter such a noble speech as this. I hope all of us who have any faith at all may have that faith so increased that, without boasting, we might be able to echo Job’s words. Faith is not a grace of luxury but a grace of necessity. We must have it, or we would not be the people of God at all. The common habit of the Christian is a habit of trusting.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

God is at work in your trials. Learn more from Spurgeon

Today we prayed, asking God for faith like Job — a faith that holds fast to God, even when we are surrounded by trials. When we are overwhelmed by trials, we must hold fast to our God.

Spurgeon knew that suffering was an important experience in the Christian life, which is why he preached about it so often. If you want to learn Spurgeon’s biblical wisdom on trials, check out Spurgeon on Suffering: Reflections on Our Pain and God’s Grace. This is a collection of 12 classic sermons on trials, suffering, and perseverance.

I put this collection together to help suffering Christians (which is all of us!) find a deeper, more biblical hope through the worst of our trials. I know that this book will encourage you.

(Plus, buying a copy of this book is a great way to support this ministry, so I can continue to send out a newsletter each day)

Buy Spurgeon on Suffering:

• Amazon (Paperback or Kindle editions)

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

This is the final newsletter for the week (we’ll be back on Monday.)

Thanks to the Lost Sermons of C. H. Spurgeon series for sponsoring the newsletter this month. This ministry would not be possible without their support.

The Lost Sermons are Spurgeon’s hand-written outlines of his earliest sermons, available to the public for the first time. These sermons are incredibly gospel-centered and these volumes are so enjoyable to read.

THIS MONTH ONLY, you can get any volume of the Lost Sermons for 50% off (just use promo code LOSTSERMONS6). Click here to learn more.*

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Lord, we yield up to your sovereignty all that we are, and all that we have. Do as you will with us. Whenever our wishes grow into willings, and our willings become obtrusive fault-findings with your providence; have mercy upon your servants in this thing, and take away from us the evil heart of unbelief that dares to question you. Be this the finale of our every prayer, “Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39), and be this the great pleading of our heart every day, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“Going a little farther, he fell facedown and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’” (Matthew 26:39)

Christ was not afraid to die. What was it, then, that made that cup so terrible? After dwelling in the love of God from all eternity, he was, in a few hours, to bear the punishment of man’s sin. Jesus was to be made sin for us. He was to come under the curse for us. He was to feel the Father’s wrath on account of human guilt, and his whole nature—not only his flesh but his whole being—shrank from that fearful ordeal. He could not tell what that cup of wrath must contain.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Solid Truths to Boost Your Faith in God

Today we prayed that God would increase our faith and remove our unbelief. Many people act as if the only way to remove doubt and increase faith is by simply ignoring the genuine questions that we have about Christ or the Bible.

But Christ invites us to a better way — to really seek after the truth, even when we have questions and doubts, because we know that his Word has solid, truthful answers for us. You have no question that God is not able to answer.

A great resource for finding answers to some of the questions that you have is Truth Matters: Confident Faith in a Confusing World by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw. This book answers some of the most pressing questions for the truthfulness of Christianity and the reliability of the Bible with faithful, thorough, and easy-to-understand answers.

If you read this book, I am confident that it will increase your faith and equip you to better defend Christianity to others.

Buy Truth Matters:

• Amazon (Hardback or Kindle editions)
• ChristianBook.com (Hardback or ebook edition)*

*The hardback edition is just $5 on ChristianBook.com!

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

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

“So then, he has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy and he hardens whom he wants to harden. You will say to me, therefore, ‘Why then does he still find fault? For who resists his will?’” (Romans 9:18–19)

O Lord God, even while we have been reading that chapter, of which some are so much afraid, we have felt that we could well trust you with a boundless sovereignty, and we do. You are so good, so kind, so just, so holy, that no mistake is possible to you.

You are the fountain and source of all law: what you command, it is ours to obey. We have heard the thunder of that sentence, “On the contrary, who are you, a human being, to talk back to God?” (Romans 9:20); and in meekness of heart and lowliness of spirit, we bow before the infinite glory of your majesty, and it is to us the most joyful of all songs, “The LORD reigns! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coasts and islands be glad” (Psalm 97:1)

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“As it also says in Hosea, I will call Not my People, My People, and she who is Unloved, Beloved.” (Romans 9:25)

If we look at the original state of God’s people, we gaze on a gloomy picture. Yet this portrait reveals the state in which every unconverted person finds himself—the state in which all of us, who are now saved, once were. We were not God’s people—that is to say, God did not approve of us at all. Our thoughts were contrary to God’s thoughts. Our ways were such as God could not endure. Our speech grated on his ears. We followed the devices and imaginations of our own hearts. The prince of this world had dominion over us, and God’s grace had not been displayed in our lives. We went astray like lost sheep. That is the condition of all lost sinners today.

But what a wonderful experience it is when the poor lost sinner finds out that he or she belongs to God and has been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ! In that case God says to all repentant sinners, “You are my people; you are loved!”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

ONE WEEK LEFT TO SAVE: Be encouraged by Spurgeon’s earliest sermons*

This month only, you can get any volume in the Lost Sermons of C. H. Spurgeon series for 50% off.

The Lost Sermons series is an incredible resource — it’s a collection of hundreds of outlines of Spurgeon’s earliest sermons, preached before his ministry in London.

Up until a few years ago, these sermons were locked away in the archives and weren’t available for reading anywhere. Now, they’re available for our benefit in The Lost Sermons series.

Here’s what you can expect:

• Hundreds of outlines and sermons from Spurgeon’s early ministry
• Full-color scans of Spurgeon’s personal notebooks
• Critical footnotes to connect with Spurgeon’s early influences and later ministry
• Introductions by well-known pastors and scholars
• Beautiful books that will look stunning in your library
• Thousands of pages of gospel-saturated teaching

This month only (time is running out!), you can get any volume in the Lost Sermons collection (or all of them!) for 50% off. This includes the newly-released Volume 6 AND pre-orders for Volume 7.

Just use promo code LOSTSERMONS6 when you check out on Lifeway.com

Buy the Lost Sermons of C. H. Spurgeon on Lifeway.com (Use promo code LOSTSERMONS6 to save 50%)

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

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

The Lord grant that we may all have not only faith in Christ, but full assurance of faith, whereby we shall trust, for the present and for the future, everything in those dear hands that were nailed to the cross for us. Help your children to perform an act of faith today, by leaving all their troubles behind and coming close to their Lord.

He has sweat great drops for us, and now you bid your own children to cease therefrom, even as of old you called the priests to wear no garment that caused sweat, because they were to find rest in your service, and peace in the performance of their holy duties. Even so, may your people find rest.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people.” (Hebrews 4:9)

Ah! Christian, the hot day of weariness does not last forever; the sun is nearing the horizon; it shall rise again with a brighter day than you have ever seen upon a land where they serve God day and night, and yet rest from their labors.

Here, rest is but partial, there, it is perfect. Here, the Christian is always unsettled; he feels that he has not yet attained. There, all are at rest; they have attained the summit of the mountain; they have ascended to the bosom of their God. Higher they cannot go. Happy day! Happy! When mortality shall be swallowed up of life, and the Eternal Sabbath shall begin.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Real Hope for All Your Fears and Anxiety
Real Help to Trust God More

Today we prayed that God would help us to trust EVERYTHING in his hands. He invites us to cast all of our worries and burdens onto him. Unfortunately, dealing with our anxiety isn’t always so easy, is it? We won’t grow past our worries unless we address them with solid biblical truth.

A great book on growing your faith in God is Trusting God by Jerry Bridges. This book focuses on God’s sovereignty, his good control over all things, and shows that we really can trust God in any circumstance. This book is full of reasons to trust God and applies those reasons to specific trials in our lives that make it particularly hard to trust God.

This book will strengthen your faith and confidence in our great God — I hope you’ll grab a copy today.

Buy Trusting God:

• Amazon (Paperback, Kindle, or audiobook edition)
• ChristianBook.com (Paperback or ebook edition)

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

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Above all things, give us grace to trust in Jesus, in the full atonement made, and the utmost ransom paid. He is “my whole salvation and my every desire” (2 Samuel 23:5), may we each one be able to say this of him, who “became wisdom from God for us—our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).

Oh, let us never mistrust you, blessed Son of God. May we have no doubt about your Father’s love—no suspicion as to the love of the Spirit; but may we rejoice in God by Jesus Christ, through whom also we have received the atonement. May we come to anchor, and, casting anchor in the port of peace, may we never be troubled again about that question, but be able to say “My Father,” with an unfaltering lip.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us—our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.” (1 Corinthians 1:30)

Man’s intellect seeks after rest, and by nature seeks it apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Men of education are apt, even when converted, to look upon the simplicities of the cross of Christ with an eye too little reverent and loving. They are snared in the old net in which the Greeks were taken, and have a hankering to mix philosophy with revelation. The temptation with a man of refined thought and high education is to depart from the simple truth of Christ crucified, and to invent, as the term is, a more intellectual doctrine. This led the early Christian churches into Gnosticism, and bewitched them with all sorts of heresies. Whoever you are, good reader, and whatever your education may be, if you be the Lord’s, be assured you will find no rest in philosophizing divinity.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

ONE WEEK LEFT TO SAVE: Be encouraged by Spurgeon’s earliest sermons*

This month only, you can get any volume in the Lost Sermons of C. H. Spurgeon series for 50% off.

The Lost Sermons series is an incredible resource — it’s a collection of hundreds of outlines of Spurgeon’s earliest sermons, preached before his ministry in London.

Up until a few years ago, these sermons were locked away in the archives and weren’t available for reading anywhere. Now, they’re available for our benefit in The Lost Sermons series.

Here’s what you can expect:

• Hundreds of outlines and sermons from Spurgeon’s early ministry
• Full-color scans of Spurgeon’s personal notebooks
• Critical footnotes to connect with Spurgeon’s early influences and later ministry
• Introductions by well-known pastors and scholars
• Beautiful books that will look stunning in your library
• Thousands of pages of gospel-saturated teaching

This month only (time is running out!), you can get any volume in the Lost Sermons collection (or all of them!) for 50% off. This includes the newly-released Volume 6 AND pre-orders for Volume 7.

Just use promo code LOSTSERMONS6 when you check out on Lifeway.com
Buy the Lost Sermons of C. H. Spurgeon on Lifeway.com (Use promo code LOSTSERMONS6 to save 50%)