DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)
May we feel the misery of sin, and chasten our hearts as with a scourge, to think that ever they should have gone aside from the infinite purity of love. Lord, help us feel the shame of sin. We would count it as a thing that is not fit to live. Oh that it might be perfectly crucified in us, and the flesh out of which it comes.
Would the whole power of evil within us, the very embodiment of evil might be slain; and that we might be delivered from its power entirely, to serve God in holiness all the days of our lives. Savior, help us to mortify the flesh with its corruptions and lusts.
Amen.
VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)
“He turns a desert into a pool, dry land into springs.” (Psalm 107:35)
With another turn of his hand, he restores more than what he took away in judgment. He does his work of mercy on a grand scale, for a deep lake appears where there was only a sandy waste. This wonder is not wrought by natural laws, working by some innate force, but by himself. This act of mercy is the precise reversal of the deed of judgment, and is wrought by the same hand.
Similarly, in the church, and in each individual saint, the mercy of the Lord soon works wondrous changes where restoring and renewing grace begins its benevolent work. Oh, that we might see this verse fulfilled in all around us and within our own hearts! Then would these words serve us for an exclamation of grateful astonishment and a song of well-deserved praise.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCE
Pursue holiness like your life depends on it.
Today we prayed that God would help us be fully dead to sin — holy in thought, deed, and word. In this pursuit of holiness, we need a lot of help along the way, don’t we?
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.