Nearest and Dearest Fellowship by Charles H. Spurgeon

Today we will enjoy a guest blogger from the past, over a century ago, in fact. Charles H. Spurgeon, known as the prince of preachers, weighs in on being with the Lord. Enjoy...

So shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

While we are here the Lord is with us, and when we are called away we are with Him. There is no dividing the saint from His Savior. They are one, and they always must be one: Jesus cannot be without His own people, for He would be a Head without a body. Whether caught up into the air, or resting in paradise, or sojourning here, we are with Jesus; and who shall separate us from Him?
What a joy is this! Our supreme honor, rest, comfort, delight, is to be with the Lord. We cannot conceive of anything which can surpass or even equal this divine society. By holy fellowship we must be with Him in His humiliation, rejection, and travail, and then we shall be with Him in His glory. Before long we shall be with Him in His rest and in His royalty, in His expectation and in His manifestation. We shall fare as He fares and triumph as He triumphs.
O my Lord, if I am to be forever with Thee, I have a destiny incomparable. I will not envy an archangel. To be forever with the Lord is my idea of heaven at its best. Not the harps of gold, nor the crowns unfading, nor the light unclouded is glory to me; but Jesus, Jesus Himself, and myself forever with Him in nearest and dearest fellowship.

A Blessed Christmas to You!

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Considering the Poor

Ps 41:1 Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.

Here, to 'consider the poor' means to understand their plight and to act on their behalf.

I suppose poverty is relative. Having travelled extensively in third world nations, I can tell you that poverty in America is different than poverty abroad. Here, poverty can mean doing without many of the 'luxuries' that others enjoy. i.e. a car, cable TV, a computer. However, it can mean meals are missed, utility bills are unpaid and service is interrupted, new clothing is out of the question. Some may have to sleep on the floor. In extreme cases, families may find themselves homeless.

In poverty stricken nations, poverty includes zero health care, unsanitary living conditions, famine, no food, distended stomachs, no protection from the elements or those wishing to harm the poor and needy.

Though poverty is relative in regard to location, it is still prevalent in every society.

God has given us the opportunity to consider the poor around us. We go to school with them, we work with them, attend the same church, drive by them on our way to WalMart.

When we understand their plight and do something about it, the Lord takes notice and delivers us in our time of trouble.

Paul tells us, in Gal 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Let's not be blind to the opportunities God gives to us to help the poor around us, spiritually and otherwise.

Happy in the Service of the King

Ps 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

Way back in 1912, the following song was sritten by Alfred Ackley.

I am happy in the service of the King.

I am happy, O so happy!

I have peace and joy that nothing else can bring,

In the service of the King.

In the service of the King,

Every talent I will bring.

I have peace and joy and blessing

In the service of the King.

I am happy in the service of the King.

I am happy, O so happy!

Through the sunshine and the shadow I can sing,

In the service of the King.

I am happy in the service of the King.

I am happy, O so happy!

To His guiding hand forever I will cling,

In the service of the King.

I am happy in the service of the King.

I am happy, O so happy!

All that I possess to Him I gladly bring,

In the service of the King.

Could you sing this from your heart?

Christianity is a real drag to a lot of Christians. Some of them look as if they were baptized in persimmon juice. This is a terrible reflection of the faith. It has been said that the best advertisement for God is a smile. I wonder what my billboard is saying.

The Psalmist's heart is filled with God's law, he preaches righteousness, vs 9, he has kept his tongue, he has witnessed to others, vs 10, and has had a blast doing so!

We should ask ourselves today if we still get a kick out of serving the Lord. It really is fun walking with Him and in His light, doing His bidding.

*Have you ever led another soul to Christ? There is nothing on earth that matches the euphoria that comes with birthing another person into the kingdom of Christ.
*Have you ever given to the need of another? Great satisfaction is the result of such selflessness. *Have you truly worshiped God, giving Him the glory He deserves? He inhabits the praises of His people. It is a powerful satisfaction you experience when you pour yourself out to Him in worship.

Truly, it is a wonderful delight to serve the Lord.

If you are not currently experiencing the delight of service, perhaps it is time to examine how and why you are toiling for Him.
1. Are you in it for yourself or is it all about Him?
2. Do you have unreasonable expectations for results in service or do you leave all that up to Him?
3. Are you serving in the Spirit's power or in your own?
4. Does His agenda trump yours?

Friend, God wants you to enjoy your Christian life and delight in Christian service is really possible.

Have a blast serving the King today!

Just love me! (Cat’s in the Cradle)

Psa 40:6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.

Do you remember the 1974 song "Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin? this folksy song is summed up well by Wikipedia...The song is told in first-person by a father who is too busy to spend time with his son. Though the son repeatedly asks him to join in childhood activities, the father always responds with little more than vague promises of spending time together in the future, which is peppered with images from nursery rhymes. While the son longs to spend time with his father, he continues to admire his father as a role model and tells him that he will be just like him when he is an adult. The third verse shows the son now having his own life in college and the father now wants to spend time with him. However, like his father, it is the son who now ironically does not have time for his father, pursuing his own life.
Years pass and the lonely, aging father, who is now retired and free from the constraints of work, desires yet again to spend time with his son, who by this time is a family man himself. Hoping to make up for lost time, the father reaches out to him again. The son however has his own life and family to worry about; he warmly responds that he is now too busy with his own work and family to spend time with (or even see) his father. Like his father once had, the son promises that someday in the future they will spend time together. The last verses end with the lines "I'd love to dad if I could find the time/You see my new job's a hassle and the kids have the flu/But it's sure nice talking to you, dad … And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me/He'd grown up just like me/My boy was just like me …".

So many times we get so caught up in trying to do something for God when He just wants us to be close to Him. Here, the Psalmist acknowledges God's desire for him to just open his ears and listen. He feels that, in this case, he ought to cease our activities, there will be plenty of opportunities for that later. Instead, he feels God wants to be loved and listened to. Honestly, parent, you may be pleased at all the work that your children accomplish at your behest. The chores need to be done. But, isn't it special when they just curl up next to you for some relationship time?

May God grant you that time or those times daily. May you take that time away from the din of the work-a-day to get close to the Lord and just love Him!

The House of Bread

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. Luke 2:15

School was called off Friday after we received a nice three-ply blanket of ice, sleet and snow. So Lynn made bread, homemade, warm, buttery, with strawberry jam on top. Wow, taste bud heaven! I love bread, how about you?

It is said that bread is the staff of life. As rice is to the Orient, beans and rice to Mexico, so bread is to us. And so it was the staple to Israel so long ago. Bread was considered a necessity, a “gotta have it.” Not only that, but it tastes good!

In His ministry, Jesus let it be known that, among other things, He is the Bread of life. He was saying that He is a need, yea, the greatest need in all our lives. How fitting then that this Bread of life was born in Bethlehem, of all cities, the “house of bread”?

O taste and see that the Lord is good.

God has Never Lost His Keys – Nor His Kids!

Ps 40:5 Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

We have a couple of girls in our church whose worship experience with us would not be complete if they haven't left something they desperately need at the church, a notebook, homework, backpack, Bible, some article of jewelry or clothing. Invariably, I’ll be heading to their house during the week to deliver the needed item.

Can you relate? Ever misplaced your keys, your wallet. I freak when I can find my chapstick or my comb!

It strikes me in our verse that God has never misplaced anything, or anyone!

God is ever mindful of us. As a doting mother constantly considers her young ones, so God has you and me in His thoughts. With all He has to do, we, His kids, are always first and foremost in His consideration.

When Moses spent 40 years on the backside of the desert tending his father-in-law's sheep, God know where He was and was working in him in ways he couldn't even comprehend at the time.

I am sure the children of Israel felt forgotten as they were carried away captive into Babylon. Yet God was with them in His very person. Hananiah, Azariah and Meshael were chunked into the furnace of fire heated 7 times over and suddenly God showed up for some fellowship time. Think about it, this was the worst thing that could ever happen in their lives - death by fire, yet it ended up being the greatest thing that could ever occur, God personally visited them.

What are you facing that's got you thinking God has forgotten where He left you?

He knows exactly where you are, what you are going through, what you need and how you are going to come through. So, as they say down under, no worries mate!