I love reading Charles Haddon Spurgeon. From my early days as a young believer, I came across Spurgeon - who pastored in London, England, in the mid to late 19th century. His spiritual reflections were a significant part of my own young growth in Christ, and I have read his writings for these fifty years of my walk with Christ. Here's an example of why I love him so much.
Look at the Positives
The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad. Psalm
126:3
Some Christians are sadly prone to look on the dark side of
everything, and to dwell more upon what they have gone through than upon what
God has done for them. Ask for their impression of the Christian life, and they
will describe their continual conflicts, their deep afflictions, their sad
adversities, and the sinfulness of their hearts, but with scarcely any
reference to the mercy and help that God has provided them.
But a Christian whose soul is in a healthy state will come
forward joyously and say, “I will not speak about myself, but to the honor of
my God. He has brought me up out of a horrible pit and out of the miry clay and
set my feet upon a rock and established my goings; and He has put a new song in
my mouth, even praise to our God. The Lord has done great things for me—I am
glad.”
This summary of experience is the very best that any child
of God can present. It is true that we endure trials, but it is just as true
that we are delivered out of them. It is true that we have our corruptions, and
sadly we acknowledge this, but it is just as true that we have an
all-sufficient Savior who overcomes these corruptions and delivers us from
their dominion. In looking back, it would be wrong to deny that we have been in
the Slough of Despond and have crept along the Valley of Humiliation, but it
would be equally wicked to forget that we have been through them safely and
profitably; we have not remained in them, thanks to our Almighty Helper and
Leader, who has “brought us out to a place of abundance.”1
The deeper our troubles, the louder our thanks to God, who
has led us through them all and preserved us until today. Our griefs cannot
spoil the melody of our praise; we consider them to be the “bass line” of our
life’s song, “The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.”
(This is first published in truthforlife.org)
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