Called the “Prince of Preachers”, Charles Spurgeon is the most widely read of all preachers since Paul. Sadly, his predecessor, James Smith is hardly known today.Many miss a great blessing by never reading what that gifted man wrote. Here’s an excerpt from his diary:

My journey lies along a thorny road–and yet few see the thorns but myself! Ah, the sharpest thorns are unseen by mortal eyes!

God knows, that I do wish, and long, and pray, and strive–to be what His Word requires me to be. But I am continually baffled, frustrated in my designs, and beaten back! And if at any time, I seem to feel that I am progressing, and yield myself unto God–I am sure to be overtaken with some trial, and am made to feel my own weakness and vileness more than ever!

The carnal desires of the flesh work–and often very powerfully. Old sinful propensities, which appeared to be subdued, if not destroyed–revive and appear as lively as ever!

I revive–and then sink down into the same carnal state again! I turn forwards–and then backwards, without progress or improvement.

What a mercy that grace is free, and that salvation is wholly of grace! Upon this principle, I will arrive at Heaven, but on no other. May I be privileged to stand among God’s little ones before His throne, and eternally lift up my voice in honor of His precious name!

“The Israelites are stubborn, like a stubborn heifer. How then can the LORD pasture them like lambs in a meadow?” – Hosea 4:16

Man is a stubborn and, to put it bluntly, stupid creature. He isn’t nearly as smart as he thinks he is. The most difficult thing in his learning process is “unlearning” some things he thought he knew. Here’s some examples taken from Senior Living:

Are you strong enough to face how mistaken many of your most cherished beliefs are? Well, here are a few things you may not have known:

1.      Marie Antoinette never said, “Let them eat cake.” This phrase was attributed to her but had actually been used by other prominent figures long before.

2.      Charles Lindbergh was not the first person to fly nonstop across the Atlantic. He was the 92^nd, although he was the first to do it alone.

3.      The centipede doesn’t have a hundred legs. It usually has 21 or 30, though some have more than 100. And the millipede certainly doesn’t have a thousand legs. In fact, very few have more than 200.

4.      A red flag to a bull is meaningless because bulls are colorblind.

5.      The idea that people never use more than 10% of their brain is false.

6.      An ostrich never buries its head in the sand. It only looks that way when it lowers its head in fear, to feed itself, or to cover its eggs for protection.

When it comes to our ideas of God, it’s important that we don’t have a stubborn heart and are willing to accept when we might be wrong. So instead of assuming you have the Christian life all figured out, live your life with a humble and teachable attitude and let God guide you in His truth each day!—-

Ask God to reveal to you areas where you have been stubborn and unteachable. Pray that He would soften your heart in these areas so that you can grow in His truth!

All men desire happiness for their end–but few will have holiness for their way.

All men desire the kingdom of Heaven, and the glory thereof–but few seek the kingdom of Heaven, and the righteousness thereof.

A nobleman being asked whether he would rather be a godly Christian–or worldly pleasure seeker, answered, “I had rather live like the latter–and die like the former!” So most men had rather live like Balaam–but “die the death of the righteous!” They wish to have the worldling’s ease–but the godly man’s end.

But this is certain, no man shall go to God in death–unless he draws near to God in life. If the kingdom of God is not first in us–we shall never enter into the kingdom of God. None shall enter Heaven hereafter–but those who walk in Heaven here on earth.

Lord! make me holy–as well as happy, that I may desire to glorify You, as well as to be glorified by You.–Thomas Sherman

You would think that if anyone ought to be exempted from suffering it would have been the Apostle Paul, yet few have ever suffered so much. His suffering wasn’t caused by a spirit of rebellion, but as a result of submitting himself to God’s will. Are you ready for that? Are you willing to deny your personal desires to please your Master, even if it produces pain rather than pleasure? The following story told in “Senior Living” serves to illustrate the kind of attitude we need:

Arabian horses go through rigorous training in the deserts of the Middle East. The trainers require absolute obedience from the horses, and test them to see if they are completely trained.

The final test is almost beyond the endurance of any living thing. The trainer forces the horses to go without water for many days. And when he turns them loose, they, of course, start running toward the water. But just as they get to the edge, ready to plunge in and drink, the trainer blows his whistle.

These horses that have learned perfect obedience simply stop. They turn around and come pacing back to the trainer. They stand there quivering, wanting water, but they wait in perfect obedience. And when the trainer is sure that he has their obedience, he gives them a signal to go back to drink.

Now many may say this is severe, but when you are on the trackless desert of Arabia and your life is entrusted to a horse, you had better have an obedient horse. In much the same way, we must accept God’s training and obey Him, even if that means we should suffer for His namesake. Obedience must come first in our lives.

So when you’re tempted to find the easy way out through disobedience to God, remember to obey. Trust that He knows what’s best for you and that even if it means suffering, He’ll care for your every need!—-Pray that God would give you the strength to obey Him even when it results in hardship.

Did you ever feel that everything was working against you? Who hasn’t? But, regardless of how bad it was or is–Jesus had it worse! Much worse! He was rejected by his own, nailed to the cross, forsaken by the Father, murdered by His people, and buried in a borrowed tomb. Could you have stood outside that tomb it would have seemed the the devil had defeated the Son of God and destroyed all hope forever.

However, three days later it was a much different picture! Imagine walking up to that tomb and finding it empty. Picture yourself standing there in awe when suddenly two angels appear and announce,”He is not here, but risen”( Luke 24:6). Imagine running to tell others when suddenly you are met by Jesus Himself, and hearing Him say,”Be not afraid”(Matthew 28:8-10).

Now, after all these years those words still ring in our ears–“Be not afraid”. Whether you are facing darkness, demons, or death, you need not fear. These are enemies that Jesus has already faced and conquered. He can turn your tragedy into triumph. He did so personally and He can do so for His people. Although everything seems to be working against you, He is working for you. He does not promise to remove your problems and pain, but He does promise to use it for profit. Amazingly He produces good from bad. He did not fail when everything was working against Him and He won’t fail you.

He is the great Conqueror who has never lost a battle. He is the Mighty King who has no equal. His name is Wonderful. His ways are perfect. Hid power is unlimited. His wisdom is unequaled. His love is unconditional and unending. His promises are sure, and his words,”because I live, ye shall live also”(John 14:19) give us great comfort. He cannot lie! He has taken an oath upon His own name (Hebrews 6:13-19) and has proven Himself Faithful and True. We would be fools to not trust Him!