Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon, published in “Mornings & Evenings,” entry for Dec 26th, PM.
Updated to modern English by Power to Change.

“Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

The Lord Jesus is always intimately involved in His church. He walks among you, and His promise is “I am with you always.” He is as close to us now as He was to the disciples at the lake when they sat and ate fish with Him around a fire. Not physically, but still in real truth and presence, Jesus is with us.

And this is a blessed truth, since where Jesus is, love becomes inflamed. Of all the things in the world that can set the heart burning, there is nothing like the presence of Jesus! A glimpse of Him so overcomes us, that we are ready to say, “Turn your eyes from me; they overwhelm me.” (Song of Solomon 6:5) Even the touch of his garments causes the sick and the faint to grow strong. If we for even a moment lean our heads against Him, and receive His divine love into our poor cold hearts, we are cold no longer, but glow hot in love. We will gain strength equal to every labor and capable of withstanding every suffering.

If we know that Jesus is with us, all our abilities will be developed, every grace strengthened. We must cast ourselves into the Lord’s service with heart, and soul, and strength. Therefore the presence of Christ is to be desired above anything else. His presence will most clearly be appreciated by those who are most like Him. If you desire to see Christ, you must seek to conform ever more closely to Him. Bring yourself, by the power of the Spirit, into union with Christ’s desires, and motives, and plans of action, and you are likely to be favored with His company.

Remember, Jesus is with you. His promise is as true as ever. He delights to be with us. If He does not come, if He does not seem close, it is because we hinder Him by our indifference. He will reveal Himself to our earnest prayers, and graciously lend an ear to our praises, requests, and tears, for these are the golden chains which bind Jesus to His people.

Question: When God seems far from you, where can you turn for reassurance?

“The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.” Proverbs 10:9

Have you noticed how your stomach turns into knots when you tell a lie?

We are dishonest for a lot of reasons: we fear how we might appear, what others might think, and how it might impact us. But, when it comes right down to it, we usually lie because we think it will make things “better.” We see an advantage in the lie.

But this proverb shows two practical advantages that always come with the truth.

1) Security — Without integrity we feel like we’re walking on Jell-O, never quite sure if it will hold us up or when it will let us down.

But the truth is always rock solid, and that brings us security and peace of mind. When you tell the truth you never have to worry about remembering to whom you told what lie. Just think of how much less complicated life would be!

2) Peace of Mind — You’re going to be found out in the end anyway! So, you may as well tell the truth as soon as possible. Then you’re not always looking over your shoulder.

To paraphrase Rick Warren, “He who lacks integrity in the beginning will eventually be exposed in the end.”

There is a tough question in all of this. Is there a lie you’ve been torturing yourself to keep covered? I encourage you to do what may be the bravest thing you’ve ever done: ask God for the courage and strength to tell the truth.

Point to ponder: Telling the truth brings security and peace of mind.

Verse: “The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.” (Proverbs 10:9)

What will you do about it: Come clean. If you’ve been living a lie, ask God for the courage to start living the truth. Trust him for the outcome and begin living honestly.

Prayer: Ask God to stop you from lying. Ask him to convict you whenever you begin to tell half-truths or outright lies.

A few mornings back I was jogging through my neighborhood, and even I could not miss the significance of that day. It was the first day of school.

It was no surprise to me, then, to see a pretty little girl step out of her house wearing new clothes and a backpack. “Have a great first day of school,” I greeted as I jogged past.

She stopped and looked at me as if I’d pulled a rabbit out of a hat. “How did you know?!”

She was stunned. Somehow I had miraculously discerned why she was up so early and where she was going. And she was impressed.

“Oh, I just know those kind of things,” I shouted back to her. (No need to burst her bubble.)

You, on the other hand, are not so easily impressed. You understand the difference between a child and a grownup. Take the difference between the girl and me, amplify it a million times over, and we begin to see the contrast between us and our Father.

We ask for grace, only to find forgiveness already offered. (How did you know I would sin?)

We ask for food, only to find provision already made. (How did you know I would be hungry?)

We ask for guidance, only to find answers in God’s ancient story. (How did you know what I would ask?)

God dwells in a different realm. “The foolishness of God is higher than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength” (1 Cor. 1:25). He occupies another dimension. “My thoughts are not like your thoughts. Your ways are not like my ways. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:8–9).

From The Great House of God
© (W Publishing Group, 1997) Max Lucado
Used by permission

Questions: What do you need God’s guidance in today? Will you pray to Him now to guide you?

“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” Romans 8:6, KJV

I believe the truth of this verse may speak to a common cause of depression among Christians who allow their minds to dwell on ungodly thoughts and/or over-introspection.

Paul writes: “I advise you to obey only the Holy Spirit’s instructions. He will tell you where to go and what to do, and then you won’t always be doing the wrong things your evil nature wants you to. For we naturally love to do evil things that are just the opposite from the things that the Holy Spirit tells us to do, and the good things we want to do when the Spirit has His way with us are just the opposite of our natural desires” (Galatians 5:16,17).

Our minds are susceptible to the influence of our old sin- nature and, as such, can pose real dangers to us. As soon as we get out of step with the Holy Spirit and get our focus off the Lord, our minds begin to give us trouble.

“The Christian life is really simple,” I heard a pastor say recently. “It’s simply doing what we’re told to do.” And he is right. We will be spiritually minded, not carnally minded, if we obey the simple commands of God’s Word.

Bible Reading: Romans 8:5-11

Today’s Action Point: Through the enabling of the Holy Spirit, I will give the spiritual mind priority over the carnal mind in my life.

“Delight yourself in the Lord.” Psalm 37:4

The teaching of these words must seem surprising to those who have never known real godliness, but to the sincere believer they only restate a recognized and profound truth. The life of the believer is described as a “delight” in God, and therefore true religion will always overflow with happiness and joy. Anyone who doesn’t actively cultivate a relationship with God, including secular scholars who study religion as merely an intellectual pursuit or as a social curiosity, never look upon religion as a joyful thing; to them it is service, duty, or necessity, but never pleasure or delight. If they are personally involved in religion at all, it is either for personal gain or for cultural reasons only.

The thought of delight in religion is so strange to most people. No two words in their language stand further apart than “holiness” and “delight.” But believers who know Christ understand that delight and faith are so blessedly united, that the gates of hell cannot prevail to separate them. They who love God with all their hearts find that His ways are ways of joy, and all His paths are peace. Such joys, such overwhelming delights, such overflowing blessednesses, they can continurally discover in the Lord. Instead of merely serving Him out of habit, they follow Him even if all the world were to curse His holy name.

We do not revere God because of any compulsion. Our faith is no chain, and our confession of faith is no enslavement. We are not dragged to holiness, nor driven to duty. No, our piety is our pleasure, our hope is our happiness, our duty is our delight.

Delight and true religion are as united as root and flower; as indivisible as truth and certainty. They are, in fact, two precious jewels glittering side by side in a setting of gold.

“‘Tis when we taste Thy love, Our joys divinely grow, Unspeakable like those above, And heaven begins below.”

Question: What brings you delight, and in what ways does/should the Lord bring you delight?

“Delight yourself in the Lord.” Psalm 37:4

The teaching of these words must seem surprising to those who have never known real godliness, but to the sincere believer they only restate a recognized and profound truth. The life of the believer is described as a “delight” in God, and therefore true religion will always overflow with happiness and joy. Anyone who doesn’t actively cultivate a relationship with God, including secular scholars who study religion as merely an intellectual pursuit or as a social curiosity, never look upon religion as a joyful thing; to them it is service, duty, or necessity, but never pleasure or delight. If they are personally involved in religion at all, it is either for personal gain or for cultural reasons only.

The thought of delight in religion is so strange to most people. No two words in their language stand further apart than “holiness” and “delight.” But believers who know Christ understand that delight and faith are so blessedly united, that the gates of hell cannot prevail to separate them. They who love God with all their hearts find that His ways are ways of joy, and all His paths are peace. Such joys, such overwhelming delights, such overflowing blessednesses, they can continurally discover in the Lord. Instead of merely serving Him out of habit, they follow Him even if all the world were to curse His holy name.

We do not revere God because of any compulsion. Our faith is no chain, and our confession of faith is no enslavement. We are not dragged to holiness, nor driven to duty. No, our piety is our pleasure, our hope is our happiness, our duty is our delight.

Delight and true religion are as united as root and flower; as indivisible as truth and certainty. They are, in fact, two precious jewels glittering side by side in a setting of gold.

“‘Tis when we taste Thy love, Our joys divinely grow, Unspeakable like those above, And heaven begins below.”

Question: What brings you delight, and in what ways does/should the Lord bring you delight?

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“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:25)

You and I have a way by which we can be absolutely certain of God’s forgiveness. It is two – fold.

First, we must be sure that we have forgiven anyone and everyone against whom we may have anything or hold any resentment.

Second, we must believe His Word unquestioningly – and His Word does indeed tell us we will be forgiven when we ask under these conditions.

Most familiar, of course, is the glorious promise of 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (KJV).

Though today’s verse uses the word stand in reference to praying, Scripture clearly states that the posture in prayer was sometimes standing. God, however, looks on the heart rather than on our position as we pray.

If the heart is right, any posture may be proper. All other things being equal, however, the kneeling position seems more in keeping with the proper attitude of humility in our approach to God. (Physical condition, of course, sometimes makes this inadvisable or impossible.)
Most important, we are to forgive before we pray. That much is certain.

Bible Reading: Matthew 6:9-15

Today’s Action Point: I will examine my heart throughout the day to be sure I have forgiven any who should be forgiven – before I pray.

John the Baptist would never get hired today. No church would touch him. He was a public relations disaster. He “wore clothes made from camel’s hair, had a leather belt around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey” (Mark 1:6). Who would want to look at a guy like that every Sunday?

No, John would never get hired today. His tactics lacked tact. His style wasn’t smooth. He made few friends and lots of enemies, but what do you know? He made hundreds of converts. “All the people from Judea and Jerusalem were going out to him. They confessed their sins and were baptized by him in the Jordan River” (Mark 1:5).

Look at that. “All the people of Judea and Jerusalem.… ” How do we explain such a response? It certainly wasn’t his charisma or clothing. Nor was it his money or position, for he had neither. Then what did he have?

One word. Holiness.

John the Baptist set himself apart for one task, to be a voice of Christ. Everything about John centered on his purpose. His dress. His diet. His actions. His demands.

He reminded his hearers of Elijah. And he reminds us of this truth: “There is winsomeness in holiness.” You don’t have to be like the world to have an impact on the world. You don’t have to be like the crowd to change the crowd. You don’t have to lower yourself down to their level to lift them up to your level.

Nor do you have to be weird. You don’t need to wear camel’s-hair clothing or eat insects. Holiness doesn’t seek to be odd. Holiness seeks to be like God.

You want to make a difference in your world? Live a holy life:
Be faithful to your spouse.
Be the one at the office who refuses to cheat.
Be the neighbor who acts neighborly.
Be the employee who does the work and doesn’t complain.
Pay your bills.
Do your part and enjoy life.
Don’t speak one message and live another.

Note the last line of Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12.

Do all you can to lead a peaceful life. Take care of your own business, and do your own work as we have already told you. If you do, then people who are not believers will respect you.

From A Gentle Thunder
Copyright 1995, Max Lucado
Used by permission

Questions: What about your life makes it a winsome witness to those who are not Christians? On the other hand, what about it speaks non-verbal words that pushes people away?

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon, published in “Mornings & Evenings,” entry for September 5th, AM.
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2009.

“Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!” Psalm 120:5

As a Christian you presently live in an ungodly world, and it’s little use to cry “Woe is me.” Jesus did not pray that you would be taken out of the world, and what He did not pray for you do not need. It’s far better to, in the Lord’s strength, meet the difficulty, and glorify Him through it.

Satan is always watching to detect any flaws in your actions. Therefore, be holy. Remember too that the eyes of all non-Christians are also watching you, and more is expected from you than from other people. Strive to give them no reason to accuse you. Let your goodness be the only “fault” they can discover in you. Like Daniel, make them to say about you, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” (Daniel 6:5)

Seek to serve God as well as to have ethical conduct. Perhaps you might think, “If I were in a more favorable position I might serve the Lord, but I can’t do any good where I am.” But the worse the people are around you, the more they need you to share God’s love with them. Those who are near yet not with God, and those who are far from Him, all need someone like you to turn their proud hearts to the truth.

A doctor should be where there are many who are sick. (Mark 2:17) Likewise, the place for a soldier is in the midst of the battle. And when you are tired of all the sin and struggle that seems to meet you at every turn, consider that all God’s saints through the ages have endured the trials too. They were not carried on soft beds to heaven, and you must not expect to travel any more easily. They risked their lives, and you will not be crowned until you have endured hardship as a valiant servant of Jesus Christ. Therefore, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13, TNIV)

Question: How does holiness affect your witness to others?