A Tribute to Spurgeon

"Free will carried many a soul to hell, but never a soul to heaven." -Charles Spurgeon, on the beauty of God's free grace

On studying this past summer the 'emergent' church and postmodernism movements, the Lord has revealed much to me. First, he has revealed how quickly I am to take credit for God's grace in my life-- an evidence of pride. Thank you, to Mr. Spurgeon, who is far wiser than I for pointing us to the truths of Scripture when he said, "Beware of no man more than of yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us." How true. The hymn rings true... "Guilty vile, and helpless we; Spotless Lamb of God was He; Full atonement; Can it be? Hallelujah! What a Savior!" If my church has encouraged me towards anything this year, I am thankful for the beautiful faithfulness I have seen towards the Gospel. Our pastors think, breathe, sleep, drink the Gospel. They apply it to our songs, to our messages, to our intentions, to person conversations. I am thankful more for the Gospel now than I have ever been before. How blind were my eyes before I could see, --and how blurry before the gospel was revealed more clearly! I am thankful for the Lord's providence, both by using we guilty sinners, and by not finishing His work in us yet. How encouraging!
Here's another, "Saving faith is an immediate relation to Christ, accepting, receiving, resting upon Him alone, for justification, sanctification, and eternal life by virtue of God's grace." I enjoy Spurgeon because he LOVES God's grace. It is alone by God's grace that anything good is in me-- and alone by God's grace that any of the formentioned appear! I want to be continually thankful to the Lord for the continual grace he pours. The Lord astonishes me.

Today I met a boy who voluntarily showed me a tattoo on his arm. He was mentioning the typeface font design, and when I asked him what the tattoo meant to him, he mentioned a story about his grandfather. His grandfather passed away when he was ten years old. "I've been on my own since then," he said in passing. My heart for this boy...; living with friends and getting a job at sixteen to support himself, lacking care and attention. Oh, sweet boy! My heart cries for the fact that he is apart from the Father and creator of his soul, who knit him together before he was born. I look into his deep, tiresome eyes and long for nothing but for him to know the sweet abundance of joy and truth offered to him! I am thankful, that though I am guilty, vile and sinful, that God uses man for his glory. To God be the glory.