Whom He justified, them He also glorified. Romans 8:30

Morning and Evening
Charles H. Spurgeon
May 28, 2009

Whom He justified, them He also glorified.—Romans 8:30

Here is a precious truth for thee, believer. Thou mayest be poor, or in suffering, or unknown, but for thine encouragement take a review of thy "calling" and the consequences that flow from it, and especially that blessed result here spoken of. As surely as thou art God's child today, so surely shall all thy trials soon be at an end, and thou shalt be rich to all the intents of bliss. Wait awhile, and that weary head shall wear the crown of glory, and that hand of labour shall grasp the palm-branch of victory. Lament not thy troubles, but rather rejoice that ere long thou wilt be where "there shall be neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain." The chariots of fire are at thy door, and a moment will suffice to bear thee to the glorified. The everlasting song is almost on thy lip. The portals of heaven stand open for thee. Think not that thou canst fail of entering into rest. If He hath called thee, nothing can divide thee from His love. Distress cannot sever the bond; the fire of persecution cannot burn the link; the hammer of hell cannot break the chain. Thou art secure; that voice which called thee at first, shall call thee yet again from earth to heaven, from death's dark gloom to immortality's unuttered splendours. Rest assured, the heart of Him who has justified thee beats with infinite love towards thee. Thou shalt soon be with the glorified, where thy portion is; thou art only waiting here to be made meet for the inheritance, and that done, the wings of angels shall waft thee far away, to the mount of peace, and joy, and blessedness, where,

"Far from a world of grief and sin,

With God eternally shut in,"

thou shalt rest for ever and ever.

I SEE MYSELF WITH ALL THAT GOD HAS PURPOSED FOR ME TO BE...

The sermon today, by Bishop E. Long at New Birth, was based on Philippians 3:13-. This is the Scripture that I have been meditating on for over a month. God put it on my heart, and I didn't fully understand what He was telling me until today...



Philippians 3:13-

"Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained."

I must forget those things which are behind me, let go of the hardships that I'm facing, I may be in the hole - economically and in my mind - but don't dwell on the past or on my failures, or even triumphs, or how I got into the hole (for instance Paul was in prison when he wrote this), or on sins I have committed. Rather I would want to be found straining to what is ahead of me.

Forget does not mean to fail to remember, but the past does not control me or pain me. Such as those who have hurt me in the past, I will not hold their sins against them -

"18 For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,"

Break the power of the past, by living in the future... don't give the past power, don't give the past (ex's) power to continue to harm me. God has plans for me to prosper me and not to harm me. God has set me free, let go of yesterday. Live in what God has planned for me, not yesterday. God wants to see me straining forward.

ISAIAH - the yoke shall be destroyed by the anointing... You can't let go of something unless you are reaching for something. Reach forward and let go of the past.

PRESS - what will make me whole is knowing, living in what He told me to do.

Hebrew 12:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

With God all things are possible...One thing I do forgetting those things that are behind me, and I am going to stretch toward those things before. It's not that I am all that I should be, but I am stretching and pressing to what God has called me to be. I see myself in peace and joy, my children serving God, I see myself with all the things I lost, with all that God has planned for me to be. Jesus said, 'forgive them for they know not what they do', He was saying I'm looking to the future. He who has begun a good work in me, He shall complete it.

I see myself with all that God has purposed me to be...

PRESSING TOWARD THE GOAL

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:  but this one thing I do,

 

forgetting those things which are behind,

 

and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

 

I press toward the mark for the prize of the 

high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13, 14

I TRUST HIM

There is a song by Donnie McClurkin that asks if we will trust God, basically, in all circumstances, the good and the bad.

Job asks if we should only expect good things from God?

I am learning to trust Him like that. I really have no choice.

Friends and family judge and leave.

I cannot always see God's Hand and lose sight of His Face.

But I'll trust Him, and pray for Grace to trust Him more.

HOME SICK

There are times when I get a little homesick, when I feel as if I am in another country trying to understand a foreign language and culture.

In the last few years the Lord set me aside, put me through the fire, and prepared me for His Purposes. He taught me what it means to seek "...His Kingdom and His Righteousness...". This is all well and good when it is just Him and me, when I am on the 'mountain top'. Issues arise when I am back in the 'valley'. These are the times when I long for home and other 'Kingdom Seekers', those who understand the language and principles of the Kingdom.

I watched a TBN program last night where they had guests who had been to heaven or hell and came back to tell about it. There was also a psalmist who sang a song about this being a 'Temporary Home'. I could really relate. The time that we spend on this earth, in this body, is not even a fraction of eternity. I long for the time when I can '...walk around heaven all day', praising and worshiping God, not concerned with the rules and regulations of participating in the church, or ability and opportunity to sing in the choir, but just praising God.

I was trying to explain this to a friend recently, and she asked me if I was ready to 'check out'. I found it hard to express what I longed for. Then I rememered a passage in 2Peter 3:11-14 that dealt with longing to go home.

11Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

I believe, as it states here, that I can be homesick, but I should also be '...diligent... in peace, without spot, and blameless.