Spurgeon's Faith's Checkbook (September 27th)

The Divine Light in Darkness

For thou wilt light my candle — Psalm 18:28

It may be that my soul sits in darkness; and if this be of a spiritual kind, no human power can bring me light. Blessed be God! He can enlighten my darkness, and at once light my candle. Even though I may be surrounded by a "darkness which might be felt," yet He can break the gloom, and immediately make it bright around me.

The mercy is, that if He lights the candle none can blow it out, neither will it go out for lack of substance, nor burn out of itself through the lapse of hours. The lights which the Lord kindled in the beginning are shining still. The Lord's lamps may need trimming, but He does not put them out.

Let me, then, like the nightingale, sing in the dark. Expectation shall furnish me with music, and hope shall pitch the tune. Soon I shall rejoice in a candle of God's lighting. I am dull and dreary just now. Perhaps it is the weather, or bodily weakness, or the surprise of a sudden trouble; but whatever has made the darkness, it is God alone who will bring the light. My eyes are unto Him alone. I shall soon have the candles of the Lord shining about me; and, further on in His own good time, I shall be where they need no candle, neither light of the sun. Hallelujah! #faith #bible #christian

When have you had any say regarding the immigration policy of your nation?

Christians aren’t exiles living in an alien culture waiting for exfiltration. We’re solders in the King’s army on his territory peacefully repelling foreign invaders.--P. Andrew Sandlin #faith #bible #christian

Spurgeon's Faith's Checkbook (September 26th)

Among the Redeemed

Lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations — Numbers 23:9

Who would wish to dwell among the nations, and to be numbered with them? Why, even the professing church is such that to follow the Lord fully within its bounds is very difficult. There is such a mingling and mixing that one often sighs for "a lodge in some vast wilderness."

Certain it is that the Lord would have His people follow a separated path as to the world, and come out decidedly and distinctly from it. We are set apart by the divine decree, purchase, and calling, and our inward experience has made us greatly to differ from men of the world; and therefore our place is not in their Vanity Fair, nor in their City of Destruction, but in the narrow way where all true pilgrims must follow their Lord.

This may not only reconcile us to the world's cold shoulder and sneers, but even cause us to accept them with pleasure as being a part of our covenant portion. Our names are not in the same book, we are not of the same seed, we are not bound for the same place, neither are we trusting to the same guide, therefore it is well that we are not of their number. Only let us be found in the number of the redeemed, and we are content to be odd and solitary to the end of the chapter. #faith #bible #christian

If God has given His Son to die for us, let us beware of doubting His kindness and love in any painful providence of our daily life. --J. C. Ryle #faith #bible #christian

"The kingdom is often limited to the hearts of the regenerate, heaven, or the eternal state. This virtually denies that the messianic kingdom has anything to do with this present earth. In contrast to this tendency, Scripture makes it abundantly clear that this earth, although not the source of the kingdom, is a part of the kingdom. Christ's messianic authority and reign extend over all of heaven and earth (Matt. 28:18), and He is in the process of subduing all of His enemies, whether in heaven or on earth"(1 Cor. 15:25). --Keith Mathison

#faith #bible #christian #datpostmil

Fantastic book. Glad you're liking it.

Spurgeon's Faith's Checkbook (September 21st)

Let Trials Bless

Knowing that tribulation worketh patience — Romans 5:3

This is a promise in essence if not in form. We have need of patience, and here we see the way of getting it. It is only by enduring that we learn to endure, even as by swimming men learn to swim. You could not learn that art on dry land, nor learn patience without trouble. Is it not worth while to suffer tribulation for the sake of gaining that beautiful equanimity of mind which quietly acquiesces in all the will of God?

Yet our text sets forth a singular fact, which is not according to nature, but is supernatural. Tribulation in and of itself worketh petulance, unbelief, and rebellion. It is only by the sacred alchemy of grace that it is made to work in us patience. We do not thresh the wheat to lay the dust: yet the flail of tribulation does this upon God's floor. We do not toss a man about in order to give him rest, and yet so the Lord dealeth with His children. Truly this is not the manner of man, but greatly redounds to the glory of our all-wise God.

Oh, for grace to let my trials bless me! Why should I wish to stay their gracious operation? Lord, I ask thee to remove my affliction, but I beseech thee ten times more to remove my impatience. Precious Lord Jesus, with thy cross engrave the image of thy patience on my heart. #faith #bible #christian

Spurgeon's Faith's Checkbook (September 20th)

Perfect Willingness

Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power — Psalm 110:3

Blessed be the God of grace that it is so! He has a people whom He has chosen from of old to be His peculiar portion. These by nature have wills as stubborn as the rest of the froward sons of Adam; but when the day of His power comes, and grace displays its omnipotence, they become willing to repent, and to believe in Jesus. None are saved unwillingly, but the will is made sweetly to yield itself. What a wondrous power is this, which never violates the will, and yet rules it! God does not break the lock, but He opens it by a master-key which He alone can handle.

Now are we willing to be, to do, or to suffer as the Lord wills. If at any time we grow rebellious He has but to come to us with power, and straightway we run in the way of His commands with all our hearts. May this be a day of power with me as to some noble effort for the glory of God and the good of my fellow-men! Lord, I am willing; may I not hope that this is a day of thy power? I am wholly at thy disposal; willing, yea, eager, to be used of thee for thy holy purposes. O Lord, let me not have to cry, "To will is present with me, but how to perform that which I would, I find not," but give me power as thou givest me will.

#faith #bible #christian

https://www.qcsunonline.com/story/2023/09/20/opinion/objective-reality-confirmed-as-gods-creation/25151.html

New article in the local paper by my pastor: Objective reality confirmed as God's creation.

"In the first line of the book, we find out that God created the heavens and the earth in the beginning. It’s a pretty big book, and a lot of stuff follows that. None of it could happen, though, if that first bit didn’t. The Bible unfolds in actual time and history. The reality it describes is the objective one we live in.

God created the heavens and earth. This is not an illusion.

Without that truth, all bets are off. You are reading these words with your eyes. But are you really? How can you be sure that you’re not a brain in a vat somewhere, hooked up to a machine that feeds you stimuli and makes it all seem real? Maybe the lifetime of memories you have is really just a large computer file dumped into your head.

The suggestion that our so-called reality is merely a sophisticated computer program being run by advanced aliens is becoming more popular. This notion is entertained even by the ones we call our leading lights: scientists, physicists, computer programmers, etc.

I knew a man in the Navy who believed the world he experienced, including all the people in it, were creations of his own mind. If he shut the door to a room behind him, that room ceased to exist until he opened the door again. I asked him why his brain persisted in creating me as a character in his life who kept pointing him to Jesus. He admitted that was puzzling. He eventually descended into hopelessness, and nice people in white coats took him away to a quiet place, where they could keep him from harming himself.

In popular culture, this exaltation of the subjective over the objective is working mayhem. I saw a mother threatening to sue a school system for not confirming and accommodating her son’s opinion that he was a cat, not a human.

This is more than simply narcissism run amok. This is a religion. It gains disciples every day, and these disciples, once converted, become (each one of them) the one, true god of their own world. They define their reality, and everyone else must bow.

But Genesis 1:1 still informs us that God made everything. Later, this is emphasized repeatedly, adding that all things were created not just by him, but for him. Reality is real because God says it is. Apart from that, your feet are planted firmly in mid-air.

Additionally, the God who makes things real has fixed a real day on which he will judge the actions of all his free, moral creatures. He has established a law, a rule of righteousness that is firmer than the world itself. He offers forgiveness now, in advance of that day, through Jesus the Christ; a real man who walked the real streets of the actual Jerusalem some 2,000 real years ago. He’s given proof of this by raising him from the dead.

Come back from your dream-world, in which you are the center, the top, the head of all things, and live in reality under the gracious rule of the God who is here."

Gordan Runyan is the pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Tucumcari. Contact him at:

reformnm@yahoo.com #faith #bible #christian

What do you believe about the victory of Christ in history? Is everything going to get worse and worse before He returns?

"The good news of the kingdom is that Christ will be triumphant within human history before his second advent. God will use the Church to spread the gospel and to disciple all nations. This means that the work we as Christians do on earth matters tremendously because our labor plays a part in the growth of the kingdom." https://www.recontavern.com/postmil-eschatology/ #faith #bible #christian #datpostmil

Spurgeon's Faith's Checkbook (September 19th)

The Reason for Singing

The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing — Zephaniah 3:17

What a word is this! Jehovah God in the center of His people in all the majesty of His power! This presence alone suffices to inspire us with peace and hope. Treasures of boundless might are stored in our Jehovah, and He dwells in His church, therefore may His people shout for joy.

We not only have His presence, but He is engaged upon His choice work of salvation. "He will save." He is always saving: He takes His name of Jesus from it. Let us not fear any danger, for He is mighty to save.

Nor is this all. He abides evermore the same; He loves, He finds rest in loving, He will not cease to love. His love gives Him joy. He even finds a theme for song in His beloved. This is exceedingly wonderful. When God wrought creation He did not sing, but simply said, "It is very good"; but when He came to redemption, then the sacred Trinity felt a joy to be expressed in song. Think of it, and be astonished! Jehovah Jesus sings a marriage song over His chosen bride. She is to Him His love, His joy, His rest, His song. O Lord Jesus, by thine immeasurable love to us teach us to love thee, to rejoice in thee, and to sing unto thee our life-psalm. #faith #bible #christian

Spurgeon's Faith's Checkbook (September 18th)

Complete Safety

And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders — Deuteronomy 33:12

Yes, there is no safety like that which comes of dwelling near to God. For His best beloved the Lord can find no surer or safer place. O Lord, let me always abide under thy shadow, close to thy wounded side. Nearer and nearer would I come to thee, my Lord; and when once specially near thee, I would abide there for ever.

What a covering is that which the Lord gives to His chosen! Not a fair roof shall cover him, nor a bombproof casement, nor even an angel's wing, but Jehovah Himself. Nothing can come at us when we are thus covered. This covering the Lord will grant us all the day long, however long the day. Lord, let me abide this day consciously beneath this canopy of love, this pavilion of sovereign power.

Does the third clause mean that the Lord in His temple would dwell among the mountains of Benjamin, or that the Lord would be where Benjamin's burden should be placed, or does it mean that we are borne upon the shoulders of the Eternal? In any case, the Lord is the support and strength of His saints. Lord, let me ever enjoy thy help and then my arms will be sufficient for me. #faith #bible #christian

“It is difficult for a child to find a father in God, unless the child first finds something of God in his father.” --Robert Ingersoll

#faith #bible #christian

You're welcome Greg. Spurgeon has been a great blessing to me.

"I hold to what I call the fat book theory of social transformation. Most of the major turning points in Western history have had fat books at their center." --Gary North

It's just a fun project. I've got 7 older hens with a camera in their coop too. It's cool watching them lay.

Spurgeon's Faith's Checkbook (September 17th)

Like Palm and Cedar

The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon — Psalm 92:12

These trees are not trained and pruned by man: palms and cedars are "trees of the Lord," and it is by His care that they flourish; even so it is with the saints of the Lord, they are His own care. These trees are evergreen and are beautiful objects at all seasons of the year. Believers are not sometimes holy and sometimes ungodly: they stand in the beauty of the Lord under all weathers. Everywhere these trees are noteworthy: no one can gaze upon a landscape in which there are either palms or cedars without his attention being fixed upon these royal growths. The followers of Jesus are the observed of all observers: like a city set on a hill they cannot be hid.

The child of God flourishes like a palm tree, which pushes all its strength upward in one erect column without a single branch. It is a pillar with a glorious capital. It has no growth to the right or to the left, but sends all its force heavenward, and bears its fruit as near the sky as possible. Lord, fulfill this type in me.

The cedar braves all storms, and grows near the eternal snows, the Lord Himself filling it with a sap which keeps its heart warm and its boughs strong. Lord, so let it be with me, I pray thee. Amen.

#faith #bible #christian

I added a camera to my chicken coop so I can see when there's eggs ready for pickup. These girls won't be laying for a few more months but I'm ready. #backyardchickens #chickens