i read Spurgeon every morning (link on my website) and there are some friends who i think will be encouraged by these words, perhaps you too...
Morning Reading
"The Lord our God hath shewed us His glory."—Deuteronomy 5:24
God's great design in all His works is the manifestation of His own glory. Any aim less than this were unworthy of Himself. But how shall the glory of God be manifested to such fallen creatures as we are? Man's eye is not single, he has ever a side glance towards his own honour, has too high an estimate of his own powers, and so is not qualified to behold the glory of the Lord. It is clear, then, that self must stand out of the way, that there may be room for God to be exalted; and this is the reason why He bringeth His people ofttimes into straits and difficulties, that, being made conscious of their own folly and weakness, they may be fitted to behold the majesty of God when He comes forth to work their deliverance. He whose life is one even and smooth path, will see but little of the glory of the Lord, for he has few occasions of self-emptying, and hence, but little fitness for being filled with the revelation of God. They who navigate little streams and shallow creeks, know but little of the God of tempests; but they who "do business in great waters," these see His "wonders in the deep." Among the huge Atlantic-waves of bereavement, poverty, temptation, and reproach, we learn the power of Jehovah, because we feel the littleness of man. Thank God, then, if you have been led by a rough road: it is this which has given you your experience of God's greatness and lovingkindness. Your troubles have enriched you with a wealth of knowledge to be gained by no other means: your trials have been the cleft of the rock in which Jehovah has set you, as He did His servant Moses, that you might behold His glory as it passed by. Praise God that you have not been left to the darkness and ignorance which continued prosperity might have involved, but that in the great fight of affliction, you have been capacitated for the outshinings of His glory in His wonderful dealings with you.
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3 comments:
I've really enjoyed this post Tom. It's amazing how a subtle self-focus can grow in my life. And it keeps me in the shallow waters where there is little risk. But a passion for God's glory will most likely pull me into a world of risk-taking.
I'm also reminded of what A.W. Tozer once said: "The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One."
thanks mark, i was talkin about following hard after God this morning and then in 1st period class two illustrations developed...one of them is that thinking about God is like looking at a diamond or a complicated pagoda, i need to blog about that pagoda (spelling?) anyway, thinking about God is like looking at a diamond, you have to turn your thoughts over and over to contemplate Him, as I think about the NT I think of its complexity and that fact that there are so many things to discover... a beautiful diamond... ok thats the first illustration that came to me, then i picked up on something that i've said before, that too many people are circling the drain... not I will try to paint this word picture... imagine a pool with an unending flow of water where it comes in is unknown but there is this drain, smack dab in the middle of the pool, not left, not right, not either end, in fact this pool doesn't have sides it just is... but you do have to get into the pool, and getting in is free! no addmision charge, that's Grace, and this pool once you're in is the perfect temperature and is so comfortable... but after a while you see that is a drift in the pool, and the need to strengthen your swimming muscles, and everyone in the pool is swimming at different speeds and strengths and some are teaching others and some are helping others, and in this pool there is help and hurt, but the drain does keep a current going... those who don't develop their ability to swim well are drawn to the center where the water is lukewarm, on the surface above the drain, on the surface there is a circle of water created by the downward pull of the water into the drain, on the bottom of the pool there is a screen to protect people from being pulled in, but there are people who didn't learn to swim and they just sort of float, they don't get stronger, they just float and circle the drain... they don't look at the diamond, they see a simple sphere with a beauty that they tragically neither comprehend or contemplate... I want to swim, I want to see the diamond...
Foley, it took me a little while to find time to read your Blog, but I'm sure glad I did. I liked the analogy of the pool, but when I began to read the earlier entries and I read the one about praising God because of your sufferings, it really hit home with me. You know that I've been through some rough times in the past year and that I questioned God because of that, but this passage really encouraged me and let me see once again that God's plans truly are to give me a hope and a future.
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