DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)
You are not physically present with us, for you have risen. Our souls long to trace the shining path by which you ascended through the pearly gates to your Father’s throne. We envision you sitting there, fully God and fully man, reigning over all things for your people. Our ears almost catch the harmonious sounds of the everlasting song that rises up at your feet: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive honor, power, glory, and dominion forever and ever.” Lord, we say, “Amen.” Even from the outskirts of the multitude surrounding your throne, we lift our feeble voices in earnest “Amens.” For you were slain and have redeemed us to God by your blood, making us kings and priests unto God. We shall reign with you, for though we may be far away in physical distance, we know that we are intimately close to your heart.
Amen.
VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)
“He makes wars cease throughout the earth. He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces; he sets wagons ablaze.” (Psalm 46:9)
His voice quiets the clamor of war and calls for the tranquility of peace. No matter how remote or barbarous the tribe, he subdues the people into rest. He crushes the great powers until they can no longer incite strife; he grants his people profound repose. “He breaks the bow,” rendering useless the instrument of swift-winged death. “He shatters the spear”—the lance of the mighty warrior—into pieces. “He burns the chariot with fire,” consigning the proud war chariot with its death-dealing scythes to the flames. All manner of weapons he heaps in piles and utterly destroys them. Such was the case in ancient Judea, and so it shall be in all lands in future eras.
Blessed is the work of the Prince of Peace! When will it be fully accomplished? Already, the spiritual foes of his people have been stripped of their power to destroy. But when will the universal triumph of peace be celebrated, and instruments of mass slaughter be forever abolished? How glorious will Jesus’ final victory be on the day of his return, when every enemy will be humbled in submission!
RECOMMENDED RESOURCE
A Short Book to Help You Embrace and Defend God’s Design for Sex
From homosexuality, sexual abuse, co-habitation, pornography, and more, it’s clear that our culture is extremely confused about God’s design for sex. Sexual ethics is one of the most urgent and difficult issues we’ll tackle in our day.
But it’s important that we address these issues in a way that is consistently biblical — defending God’s design and calling people to purity, while also making clear God’s grace for sinners.
Recently, I’ve been reading Why Does God Care Who I Sleep With? by Sam Allberry. This book is a simple and phenomenal read on the Bible’s teaching on sex. It is extremely accessible (clearly written, with Scripture passages faithfully explained), winsome in tone (I would happily recommend this to a non-Christian), thoroughly biblical, and gentle in tone.
One of the things I most appreciate this book is that it doesn’t just list out a bunch of Do’s and Do-Not’s with Bible verses attached — it really unpacks God’s design for sexuality and works out from there. It shows that none of our beliefs about sexuality are arbitrary.
This book is great for Christians struggling to live faithfully in our cultural moment. It will help you hold fast to the truth and more confidently answer questions from non-Christian friends.
I hope you will buy a copy and read it this summer.
Buy Why Does God Care Who I Sleep With?:
*Get the audiobook for free with a free trial of Audible. (The audiobook will be yours to keep!)