DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)
Oh, to be perfect in heart towards the Lord! Our lives are faulty; we see much to grieve over; but we would have our whole heart given to your statutes; and we bless you that so it is; for our heart is in your ways, and we are willing to spend and to be spent for you. We do not want to have the slightest reservation, but lay ourselves out for your honor only, for by us and in us, Father glorify your name!
You see that we love you—may we love you more! You see that we live by the life of God—oh, life of God, live in us to the full! You see also, we fear, some that are declining from your ways, in whom grace is but a flickering light. Lord, trim the lamps; bring back the wanderers; for there is no joy but in God.
Amen.
VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)
“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
This text involves a negative truth—there is no salvation outside of Christ—and a positive truth—there is salvation in Jesus Christ by which we must be saved. Other religions may admit that there is salvation in fifty religions besides their own, but we admit no such thing. There is no true salvation outside of Jesus Christ.
This brings us to the positive fact: there is salvation in Jesus Christ. He who hung on the cross is the one without whom nothing was created that was created (John 1:3) and by whom all things hold together (Colossians 1:17)—he is Maker, Creator, Preserver, God of providence, and God of grace. He who died for us is God over all, praised forever (Romans 9:5). As such, “he is able to save completely those who come to God through him” (Hebrews 7:25). For salvation, there is no one else, no other way, no other hope, no other ground of trust, no other refuge.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCE
Stop settling for shallow Christian community
God does not want you to live a lonely existence. He wants you to deeply involved in the life of your local church. The local church is not an event or an organization that we attend once a week — the local church is meant to be a family.
In When the Church Was a Family: Recapturing Jesus’ Vision for Authentic Christian Community, author Joseph Hellerman describes the Bible’s stunning vision for a church that lives together as a close-knit community of brothers and sisters.
This book will leave you completely discontent with shallow Christian community and lazy church attendance. As you rediscover the incredible things that God wants to do in your life through your local church, you will be driven to love others with a deep, committed, compelling kind of love.
I read this book for the first time several years ago, and it completely changed the way I view church. I hope you’ll grab a copy today.