i promise this is not a habit

I really don't intend to only post quick dumps of the things i'm reading, but rather to actually divulge what it is that i feel the Lord is teaching me. Since this pertains so closely to what i think the Lord is teaching so many people, either in small or all encompassing ways, i'm just going to leave it to charles spurgeon, once again.

"Thou art my hope in the day of evil." --Jeremiah 17:17 The path of the Christian is not always bright with sunshine; he has his seasons of darkness and of storm. True, it is written in God's Word, "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace;" and it is a great truth, that religion is calculated to give a man happiness below as well as bliss above; but experience tells us that if the course of the just be "As the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day," yet sometimes _that_ light is eclipsed. At certain periods clouds cover the believer's sun, and he walks in darkness and sees no light. There are many who have rejoiced in the presence of God for a season; they have basked in the sunshine in the earlier stages of their Christian career; they have walked along the "green pastures" by the side of the "still waters," but suddenly they find the glorious sky is clouded; instead of the Land of Goshen they have to tread the sandy desert; in the place of sweet waters, they find troubled streams, bitter to their taste, and they say, "Surely, if I were a child of God, this would not happen." Oh! say not so, thou who art walking in darkness. The best of God's saints must drink the wormwood; the dearest of His children must bear the cross. No Christian has enjoyed perpetual prosperity; no believer can always keep his harp from the willows. Perhaps the Lord allotted you at first a smooth and unclouded path, because you were weak and timid. He tempered the wind to the shorn lamb, but now that you are stronger in the spiritual life, you must enter upon the riper and rougher experience of God's full-grown children. We need winds and tempests to exercise our faith, to tear off the rotten bough of self-dependence, and to root us more firmly in Christ. The day of evil reveals to us the value of our glorious hope.

Call me lazy, but good is good

I know i did this in the last post i left. But when there is something else that so adequately states anything that you could have desire of conveying, why not?

My wife and I were discussing this not a week ago, so the idea was still fresh on my mind. Charles Spurgeon imparts a calm clear wisdom about death to one in Christ.

"That through death He might destroy him that had the power of death." --Hebrews 2:14 O child of God, death hath lost its sting, because the devil's power over it is destroyed. Then cease to fear dying. Ask grace from God the Holy Ghost, that by an intimate knowledge and a firm belief of thy Redeemer's death, thou mayst be strengthened for that dread hour. Living near the cross of Calvary thou mayst think of death with pleasure, and welcome it when it comes with intense delight. It is sweet to die in the Lord: it is a covenant-blessing to sleep in Jesus. Death is no longer banishment, it is a return from exile, a going home to the many mansions where the loved ones already dwell. The distance between glorified spirits in heaven and militant saints on earth seems great; but it is not so. We are not far from home--a moment will bring us there. The sail is spread; the soul is launched upon the deep. How long will be its voyage? How many wearying winds must beat upon the sail ere it shall be reefed in the port of peace? How long shall that soul be tossed upon the waves before it comes to that sea which knows no storm? Listen to the answer, "Absent from the body, present with the Lord." Yon ship has just departed, but it is already at its haven. It did but spread its sail and it was there. Like that ship of old, upon the Lake of Galilee, a storm had tossed it, but Jesus said, "Peace, be still," and _immediately_ it came to land. Think not that a long period intervenes between the instant of death and the eternity of glory. When the eyes close on earth they open in heaven. The horses of fire are not an instant on the road. Then, O child of God, what is there for thee to fear in death, seeing that through the death of thy Lord its curse and sting are destroyed? and now it is but a Jacob's ladder whose foot is in the dark grave, but its top reaches to glory everlasting.

scarlet chords and soul's windows

This is something that the Lord used to confirm something that my wife had talked about. God is so good in directing us, even when we don't see how or why we receive seemingly pointless direction.

if by obedience i can reach an unseen blessing, and in blessing bless the kingdom; that is a good thing.

"She bound the scarlet line in the window." --Joshua 2:21 Rahab depended for her preservation upon the promise of the spies, whom she looked upon as the representatives of the God of Israel. Her faith was simple and firm, but it was very obedient. To tie the scarlet line in the window was a very trivial act in itself, but she dared not run the risk of omitting it. Come, my soul, is there not here a lesson for thee? Hast thou been attentive to all thy Lord's will, even though some of His commands should seem non-essential? Hast thou observed in his own way the two ordinances of believers' baptism and the Lord's Supper? These neglected, argue much unloving disobedience in thy heart. Be henceforth in all things blameless, even to the tying of a thread, if that be matter of command. This act of Rahab sets forth a yet more solemn lesson. Have I implicitly trusted in the precious blood of Jesus? Have I tied the scarlet cord, as with a Gordian knot in my window, so that my trust can never be removed? Or can I look out towards the Dead Sea of my sins, or the Jerusalem of my hopes, without seeing the blood, and seeing all things in connection with its blessed power? The passer-by can see a cord of so conspicuous a colour, if it hangs from the window: it will be well for me if my life makes the efficacy of the atonement conspicuous to all onlookers. What is there to be ashamed of? Let men or devils gaze if they will, the blood is my boast and my song. My soul, there is One who will see that scarlet line, even when from weakness of faith thou canst not see it thyself; Jehovah, the Avenger, will see it and pass over thee. Jericho's walls fell flat: Rahab's house was on the wall, and yet it stood unmoved; my nature is built into the wall of humanity, and yet when destruction smites the race, I shall be secure. My soul, tie the scarlet thread in the window afresh, and rest in peace.

It's not quite tour again, but i'm in dallas..hehe

As i read this morning about Jesus and his crucifixion; the thing that Spurgeon pointed out to me was that he was, as the psalmist said, "heaped insults upon". The idea occurred to me, to consider wether it was he that was heaped insults upon or the sins that he bore. We as a sinful race hate nothing more than our own sinfulness; especially when it is displayed outside our own bodies.

Do not mistake me for saying that the flawless Lamb of God had somehow become less flawless. The word clearly states that he became the scapegoat for us, that he carried our sins into the wilderness of death. Type and shadow from old testament law (priest confessed the sins of Yisreal onto the head of the "scapegoat" who was in fact to be a flawless lamb, crazy coincidence huh?

So then, in my daily life, as I forget the sacrifice of perfection, and talk of nothing less; i become one of the motly horde who casts insults on the savior. I focus on money or schedules, and prioritize these things over the kingdom that i have sworn to participate in bringing. When I do that, i make a mockery of the sacrifice and more the resurrection of my God.

Dirtier (sp>?)

So my wife and i bought "The Almost" cd yesterday. For those non-scene but still musically oriented people (Lord!; should most envy your position!) Aaron Gillespe from the band "underOath" started a side project called "The Almost", and released it mainly by himself. He played every instrument on the album, save lap-steel on one amazing worship song....well not worship in your run-of-the-mill-accoustic-guitar-four-on-the-floor-U2-wannabe-delay-guitar-while-following-the-formula-for-every-other-worship-song sorta worship...not that there is anything wrong with that mind you..hehe.

Jeremy Enigk, another revolutionary in the rock world sings backup on this song...well to say the least, he does something, but it almost superceedes singing.

lyrics just hit me, so simple and plain as they are..here they are..

========Dirty and Left out=========

Hello, I swear I won't be too long
Hello, I promise I'll be real strong
Wait up, I just wanna tell you
Hold up, why are you still here?

I've been dirtier than you wanna know
I've left earlier than you'll ever know

Why do, you wanna be all listenin' to me
Why do, you spread your arms and tell me I'm free
Why do, you wanna be in my life
In my life

I've been dirtier than you wanna know
I've left earlier than you'll ever know

Jesus, tease us
There's something about your name
Master, saviour, Jesus

I've been dirtier than you wanna know
I've left earlier than you'll ever know
Jesus
Jesus

========

I love honesty.
my wife bought me a scanner :)
i'm designing a billboard.
and a cd.
and a poster.
and fixing my blasted xbox media center so it will play music without freaking skipping every five seconds!
and taking my wife to lunch at one o clock.
and wondering why in all their glory, apple put out an airport product that will skip music, and foul up printing (or rather why i'm not smart enough to figure out what to do to fix it completely).

Never spoke a man; and never speak a word.;

"He answered him to never a word." --Matthew 27:14 He had never been slow of speech when He could bless the sons of men, but He would not say a single word for Himself. "Never man spake like this Man," and never man was silent like Him.
Spurgeon's Morning and Evening

When Pilate asked Jesus to make some defense for the accusations brought against him, his silence was deafening. He had spoken all he was told to speak by the Father, so he was silent. Wasting no words, and holding nothing back from punishment, the creator silently took on the consequence of all sins. With no contention, beauty wore disgrace and put it to better use than ever designed, to put it away.

God is ever resolved, both in his nature and his methods. He will always speak to the point, and then be silent. Though his silence is near deafening in it's effect. In Hosea 5:15, after the Lord has spoken through his prophet about the nations of Isreal and Judah warning of their error, he withdraws. In the end it seems that the Lord is silent because his meaning is to clear for words. In verse 15 "I will return again to my place Till they acknowledge their offense. Then They will seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek me."

It's beautiful to me how the Lord shows us his nature strong, but on further contemplation we realize the tender heart and selfless love he has for us. It gives me security in knowing the resolved passion our Father had to speak beauty and then to show beauty. Even now, we are revealed new things about his carachter every day, if we will look and listen.