Pray with Spurgeon

WEEKEND EDITION

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PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH (BY SPURGEON)

Prepare your heart to gather with your church on Sunday. Join Spurgeon in prayer for the saints and sinners who will hear God's Word at your church tomorrow.

Lord visit our church. We have heard your message to the church at Ephesus (Revelation 2:1–7); it is a message to us also. Oh, do not let any of us lose our first love. Do not let our church grow cold and dead. We are not, we fear, what once we were. Lord, revive us! All our help must come from you. Give back to the church its love, its confidence, its holy daring, its consecration, its liberality, its holiness. Give back all it ever had and give it much more. Take every member and wash his feet, sweet Lord, most tenderly, and set us with clean feet on a clean road with a clean heart to guide them, and bless us as you are known to do in a divine fashion.

Bless us, our Father, and let all the churches of Jesus Christ partake of like care and tenderness. Walking among the golden lamp stands trim every lamp and make every light, even though it burns but feebly now, to shine out gloriously through your care.

Amen.

SPURGEON’S LETTERS

Spurgeon’s letters are really encouraging devotional readings. Today, we’ll read a letter Spurgeon sent to the publisher of his printed sermons after receiving a sizable royalty check — this letter is a masterclass in receiving success with humility.

My Dear Mr. Passmore,

Today, you have paid to me the largest amount I have ever received from your firm at one time, and so I must seize the opportunity of saying, what I am sure you know already, that I am most sincerely thankful to God for putting me into your hands in my publishing matters. My connection with you has been one of unmingled satisfaction and pleasure. Your generosity has been as great as it has been spontaneous. Had I derived no personal benefit, it would have delighted me to see you prosper, for my interest in you is as deep as if you were my own brother, as indeed in the best sense you are. From you and your partner, I have received nothing but kindness, courtesy, and generosity. My share of profits has always exceeded my expectations and the way it has been given has been ever more valuable than the money itself. God bless you both in your business and your families! May your health be preserved and as long as we live, may we be on as near and dear terms as we ever have been! I am afraid I sometimes tease you when I grumble in my peculiar way; but I never intend anything but to let you know where a screw may be loose with your workmen, and not because I really have anything to complain of. Your growing welfare lies very near my heart, and nothing gives me more pleasure than to see you advance in prosperity.

I need not add my Christian love to you as my friend and deacon.

Yours ever truly,

Charles Spurgeon

WISDOM FROM SPURGEON: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HUMBLE

This section of the Weekend Edition will include Spurgeon’s answers to timely questions. Respond to this email with your questions.

If you would have good fruit in your soul, cultivate humble thoughts. No man was ever injured by having too low a view of himself. The best definition of humility I ever heard was this, “to think lightly of ourselves.” To think of ourselves as below the standard is meanness; to think of ourselves as above the standard is pride; but to form a right estimation of ourselves is true humility. Avoid the counterfeit which is in the world; that is mock humility. Be truly humble. Have low thoughts of yourselves, especially before God.

Repentant thoughts of sin, humble views with regard to divine grace, and a close account of your own responsibility are indispensable; so you will find that humility will sweep out the chamber of your soul, and prepare it for the coming of the great Prince.

Next weekend: How can I grow in humility?