Pray with Spurgeon

Daily Newsletter from SpurgeonBooks

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“You adulterous people! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the friend of the world becomes the enemy of God.” (James 4:4)

We ought to give God the whole affection of our being; but, instead of doing so, we allow at least some of it to wander to other objects, and therefore we are called, by the Holy Spirit himself, “adulterers and adulteresses.” These may seem to be hard words, but they are true ones. May they bring us to our spiritual senses, and cause us to love our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength!

PRAY FOR THE NATIONS

This week, we’re praying for the Lao Lom in Thailand.

Jonathan Derbyshire is a missionary to Thailand focused on discipling Thai believers to form and lead healthy churches to send long-term missionaries throughout Northern Thailand and southeast Asia. This week, he is training future missionaries, one of them might go to the Lao Lom.

Pray that Jonathan would have endurance throughout this week of training.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

What does it take to be a pastor?*

Fit to Lead: On the Call to Pastoral Ministry by Charles Spurgeon compiles three powerful passages from Spurgeon on the call to ministry, understanding and stewarding your gifts, and serving God wherever he puts you.

There’s also a bonus article included on Spurgeon’s thoughts on bi-vocational ministry, written by Dr. Geoffery Chang (one of the world’s foremost Spurgeon scholars today) — Spurgeon’s wisdom on when to pursue bi-vocational or full-time ministry.

This new book is a really great resource. If you take the time to really engage with it, it will give you a lot to think about — whether you’re currently in ministry leadership, hoping to be in the future, or not sure.

My friends at Midwestern Seminary are giving it away for free this month only, so make sure that you download your copy today.

Order your FREE copy of Fit to Lead here.

FAITH’S CHECKBOOK

Spurgeon’s classic devotional, The Chequebook of the Bank of Faith, contains a promise of God for every day of the year. Pray with Spurgeon Plus subscribers receive the daily readings every weekday.

If you want to strengthen your faith in God’s promises (and support this ministry!), subscribe to Pray with Spurgeon Plus here.

“When you lie down, you will not be afraid; you will lie down, and your sleep will be pleasant.” (Proverbs 3:24)

Are you likely to be sick for a while and confined to bed? Go there without distress with this promise upon your heart: “When you lie down, you will not be afraid.”

When we go to bed at night, let this word smooth our pillow. We cannot guard ourselves in sleep, but the Lord will keep us through the night. Those who lie down under the protection of the Lord are as secure as kings and queens in their palaces, and a great deal more so. If with our lying down there is a laying down of all cares and ambitions, we shall get refreshment in our beds that the anxious and covetous will never find in theirs. Ill dreams will be banished or even if they come, we shall wipe out the impact of them, knowing that they are only dreams.

If we sleep this way we shall do well. How sweetly Peter slept when even the angel’s light did not wake him and he needed a hard strike on his side to wake him up — all this while he was sentenced to die in the morning (Acts 12). Martyrs have often slept this way before their burning.

To have sweet sleep we must have sweet lives, sweet tempers, sweet meditations, and sweet love.

Something to think about today if you’re feeling anxious at night: God invites you to cast all your cares on to him because he cares about you.