Spurgeon on Anxiety and Trust

Psalm 55:22 – Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you;

 

CARE, even though exercised upon legitimate objects, if carried to excess, has in it the nature of sin. The precept to avoid anxious care is earnestly inculcated by our Saviour, again and again; it is reiterated by the apostles; and it is one which cannot be neglected without involving transgression: for the very essence of anxious care is the imagining that we are wiser than God, and the thrusting ourselves into His place to do for Him that which He has undertaken to do for us. We attempt to think of that which we fancy He will forget; we labour to take upon ourselves our weary burden, as if He were unable or unwilling to take it for us. Now this disobedience to His plain precept, this unbelief in His Word, this presumption in intruding upon His province, is all sinful. Yet more than this, anxious care often leads to acts of sin. He who cannot calmly leave his affairs in God’s hand, but will carry his own burden, is very likely to be tempted to use wrong means to help himself. This sin leads to a forsaking of God as our counsellor, and resorting instead to human wisdom. This is going to the “broken cistern” instead of to the “fountain;” a sin which was laid against Israel of old. Anxiety makes us doubt God’s lovingkindness, and thus our love to Him grows cold; we feel mistrust, and thus grieve the Spirit of God, so that our prayers become hindered, our consistent example marred, and our life one of self-seeking. Thus want of confidence in God leads us to wander far from Him; but if through simple faith in His promise, we cast each burden as it comes upon Him, and are “careful for nothing” because He undertakes to care for us, it will keep us close to Him, and strengthen us against much temptation. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee.”

The Tuesday Morning Quarterback? I never knew.

Saw this in the latest Draft Mockery by the Tuesday Morning Quarterback.  Pretty cool.

An Ecumenical Proposal: Easter fell unusually early this year, on March 23 — it will not fall on that date again until 2160 — while Passover is in progress now. Why doesn’t Easter come immediately after Passover? That is, after all, what happens in the Bible. Passover begins on the 15th day of Nisan under the ancient Hebrew calendar; the Easter date is determined by a complex formula involving the vernal equinox and the paschal full moon. Both dates are arbitrary in the sense that no one knows which day the historic Passover or resurrection occurred. When Jesus walked the Earth, Passover commenced on the 15th day of Nisan, just as today. The complicated formula for scheduling Easter was invented during the Middle Ages, when the Church of Rome was hostile to Judaism and wanted to avoid reminding parishioners of the Passover-Easter relationship.

The Amazing, Unbearable, Ever-Changing Journey

Recently, I have begun a journey with some other guys.  A journey towards honesty and humility and recovery and towards my Father.  Bringing sin out into the light is unbearable and is absolutely no fun.  Doing so in a safe environment with guys who push me to the Gospel is not much easier.  It would be much easier to go the journey alone.  Easier, at least, in the moment.  But journeys aren’t meant to be had alone.  The wilderness will drive you mad if there isn’t someone to share it with. 

Filthy Rags

Below is this morning’s (August 29) devotional from Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening.  I won’t dilute the message by trying to comment on it.

“Have mercy upon me, O God.”—Psalm 51:1.

When Dr. Carey was suffering from a dangerous illness, the enquiry was made, “If this sickness should prove fatal, what passage would you select as the text for your funeral sermon?” He replied, “Oh, I feel that such a poor sinful creature is unworthy to have anything said about him; but if a funeral sermon must be preached, let it be from the words, ‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness; according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.’” In the same spirit of humility he directed in his will that the following inscription and nothing more should be cut on his gravestone:

What Not to Wear. Theology 101?

My wife Stephanie loves watching the show, What Not To Wear on TLC.