Category: Praise

Praise – Charles Haddon Spurgeon/John’s Doxology/Part 19 – Frequent in Praise/Increasing in Thankfulness

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Praise to our Father in Heaven increases our thankfulness. I also want to thank him today for all the beautiful women in my life. For my mother, my mother-in-law, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, sisters, sister-in-laws, aunts, daughter-in-law, nieces, cousins, grand-daughters, friends, extended family members, and I thank him for all the new ladies he will bring into my life in the coming years. God has blessed my life with so many beautiful women. I thank him for his presence in my life, and for the love of so many. God bless you all on this Mother’s Day.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon – John’s Doxology

“These doxologies occur again and again throughout this book as if to remind us to be frequent in praise; and they grow as they proceed, to hint to us that we also should increase in thankfulness.”

Praise – Charles Haddon Spurgeon/John’s Doxology/Part 18 – His Compassions are Divine

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Sometimes, I can come up dry and empty when it comes to writing blog posts. Isn’t it amazing that at those times when we flounder, and can’t seem to get ourselves together, or moving in the right direction, His Compassions toward us are still divine?

“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” ~Psalm 91:4

He lifts me up. He hides me under His wing. God is so good. Praise His Holy Name.

C.H. Spurgeon – John’s Doxology –

“Words are but air and tongues but clay,
But His compassions are divine.”

We want to get out of these fetters, and rise into something better adapted to the emotions of our spirit; I cannot emulate the songsters of Immanuel’s land though I would gladly do so; but as Berridge says

“Strip me of this house of clay,
And I will sing as loud as they.”

Praise – Charles Haddon Spurgeon/John’s Doxology/Part 17 – If You Begin…

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“If you begin praising God you are bound to go on. The work engrosses the heart. It deepens and broadens like a rolling river.” ~C.H. Spurgeon

Often, praise for my Father in Heaven, begins like a gentle stream within me, moving in the right direction, steady, bubbling with joy. Sometimes, praise begins in the quiet hours of the night. I wake, and my thoughts rest on Him, and I say before sleeping once more, ‘I love you Lord.’

Just as C.H. Spurgeon says in this paragraph from ‘John’s Doxology,’ when I praise God I am bound to go on. Praising the Father of all Creation does engross my heart. I love Spurgeon’s illustration that praise can begin with a tear of gratitude, going on to join the everlasting hallelujahs that surround the throne of God. Amen!

The portion I’ve based this post on is below. It seems daunting in it’s length, but if you have time, try to read it through. It shows the wonderful way Spurgeon led his congregation through the Bible passages for this sermon. What an amazing preacher and Bible scholar. What always comes through to me as I read his words is this man truly loved God.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon – John’s Doxology

Secondly, let us look at THE OUTBURST ITSELF. It is a doxology, and as such does not stand alone: it is one of many. In the Book of the Revelation doxologies are frequent, and in the first few chapters they distinctly grow as the book advances. If you have your Bibles with you, as you ought to have, you will notice that in this first outburst only two things are ascribed to our Lord. “To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.” Now turn to the fourth chapter at the ninth verse, and read, “Those living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne.” Here we have three words of honour. Run on to verse eleven, and read the same. “Saying, thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power.” The doxology has grown from two to three in each of these verses. Now turn to chapter v. 13. “And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” Here we have four praise-notes. Steadily but surely there is an advance. By the time we get to chapter vii. 12, we have reached the number of perfection, and may not look for more. “Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God forever and ever. Amen.” If you begin praising God you are bound to go on. The work engrosses the heart. It deepens and broadens like a rolling river. Praise is somewhat like an avalanche, which may begin with a snow-flake on the mountain moved by the wing of a bird, but that flake binds others to itself and becomes a rolling ball: this rolling ball gathers more snow about it till it is huge, immense; it crashes through a forest; it thunders down into the valley; it buries a village under its stupendous mass. Thus praise may begin with the tear of gratitude; anon the bosom swells with love; thankfulness rises to a song; it breaks forth into a shout; it mounts up to join the everlasting hallelujahs which surround the throne of the Eternal. What a mercy it is that God by his Spirit will give us greater capacities by-and-by than we have here! for if we continue to learn more and more of the love of Christ which passeth knowledge we shall be driven to sore straits if confined within the narrow and drowsy framework of this mortal body. This poor apparatus of tongue and mouth is already inadequate for our zeal.

Praise – Charles Haddon Spurgeon/John’s Doxology/Part 16 – Unfurled

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I love coming upon fiddle ferns springing up from the floor of the woods. After sleeping underground all winter, they unfurl from beneath the blanket of leaves that have enriched the soil. When I think of all Jesus has done for me I can relate to those ferns. If I am tightly wound, and dismayed by the rapid changes in our world, his presence calms me, and helps me grow upright and more in love with Him each day.

Jesus is our Redeemer. Instead of reaping the penalty for our sins, he washes us clean and raises our head, he makes us priests to God. How can I not praise Him? I pray that every heart will be filled with his love. I believe each of us, by serving Him, can, and will, make a difference in this world.

C.H. Spurgeon – John’s Doxology

“To him that lov’d the souls of men,
And wash’d us in his blood,
To royal honours raised our head,
And made us priests to God;
“To him let every tongue be praise,
And every heart be love!
All grateful honours paid on earth,
And nobler songs above!”

Thus much upon the condition of heart which suggests these doxologies.

Praise – Charles Haddon Spurgeon/John’s Doxology/Part 15 – Enthusiastic Joy

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While visiting Jamaica, I remember watching for the start of sunset each evening. Unencumbered by the trees and buildings that block out sunsets where I live, the beautiful glory of God’s gift to us in the Jamaican sunset over the ocean was a source of enthusiastic joy within me.

I love what Charles Haddon Spurgeon preached in this portion of John’s Doxology. The sight and thought that prompted him to enthusiastic joy was the multitude of the redeemed. I hope and pray that when I think of the brotherhood of those who love Christ Jesus that I will be prompted to enthusiastic joy too.

C.H. Spurgeon – John’s Doxology

Once more. I think we have brought out two points which are clear enough. John had realized his Master, and firmly grasped the blessings which his Master brought him; but he had also felt, and was feeling very strongly, his communion with all the saints. Notice the use of the plural pronoun. We should not have wondered if he had said, “Unto him that loved me, and washed me from my sins in his own blood.” Somehow there would have been a loss of sweetness had the doxology been so worded, and it would have hardly sounded like John. John is the very mirror of love, and he cannot live alone, or rejoice in sacred benefits alone. John must have all the brotherhood round about him, and he must speak in their name, or he will be as one bereft of half himself. Beloved, it is well for you and me to use this “us” very often. There are times when it is better to say “me,” but in general let us got away to the “us”; for has not our Lord taught us when we pray to say, “Our Father which art in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; forgive us our trespasses,” and so on? Jesus does not bid us say, “My Father.” We do say it, and it is well to say it; but yet our usual prayers must run in the “Our Father” style; and our usual praises must be, “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins.” Let me ask you, beloved brethren, do you not love the Lord Jesus all the better and praise him all the more heartily because his grace and love are not given to you alone? Why, that blessed love has embraced your children, your neighbours, your fellow church-members, myriads who have gone before you, multitudes that are round about you, and an innumerable company who are coming after; and for this we ought to praise the gracious Lord with unbounded delight. It seems so much the more lovely,— this salvation, when we think of it, not as a cup of water of which one or two of us may drink, but as a well of water opened in the desert, ever flowing, ever giving life and deliverance and restoration to all who pass that way. “Unto him that loved us.” Oh, my Lord, I bless thee for having loved me; but sometimes I think I could adore thee for loving my wife, for loving my children, and all these dear friends around me, even if I had no personal share in thy salvation. Sometimes this seems the greater part of it, not that I should share in thy compassion, but that all these poor sheep should be gathered into thy fold and kept safe by thee. The instinct of a Christian minister especially leads him to love Christ for loving the many; and I think the thought of every true worker for the Lord runs much in the same line. No man will burst out into such joyful adoration as we have now before us unless he has a great heart within him, full of love to all the brotherhood; and then, as he looks upon the multitude of the redeemed around about him, he will be prompted to cry with enthusiastic joy

Praise – Charles Haddon Spurgeon/John’s Doxology/Part 14 – Peace with God

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We are living in a time when peace seems near impossible. It’s not necessarily warfare I am speaking of, although that could spring up at any moment, but more so the constant pecking away of politicians, false media reports, and manufactured crises for stealing away freedom, human rights, and prosperity.

For those who have given their hearts and lives to Christ Jesus, it is a blessing to have the assurance that no matter what happens here on earth, Jesus has made peace for us with God. From every fiber of my being I thank him for giving his life for me, for taking my sins upon himself, for opening the way to eternal life and everlasting fellowship with him in Glory.

The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. ~ Revelation 21:23

C.H. Spurgeon – John’s Doxology

“O how sweet to view the flowing
Of the Saviour’s precious blood!
With divine assurance, knowing
He has made my peace with God.”

This well-grounded assurance will throw you into ecstasy, and it will not be long before the deep of your heart will well up with fresh springs of adoring love. Then shall you also praise the Lord with some such words as these: “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

Praise – Charles Haddon Spurgeon/John’s Doxology/Part 13 – Sing Hosanna/No Doubts

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I’ve grown pansies for many years. One of my favorite characteristics of these gorgeous blooms is their ability to withstand frost. I have no doubt when I put them outdoors in mid-March that they will be able to withstand the freezing temperatures.

These pansies, regal in their purples, and brilliant with their sunlight faces, almost seem alive. I can just about imagine them singing ‘Hosanna,’ on this Palm Sunday. After all, if the trees can clap their hands, perhaps the pansies truly can sing!

For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. ~Isaiah 55:12

I love the quote about doubt in this portion of C.H. Spurgeon’s message on ‘John’s Doxology.’ Doubt has no outbursts; its chill breath freezes all things. It’s hard to praise the Lord when you are filled with doubts. Today is a day of remembrance of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Let’s sing ‘Hosanna,’ in praise of Him.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon – John’s Doxology

Next, the apostle John, in whom we note this outburst of devotion, was a man firmly assured of his possession of the blessings for which he praised the Lord. Doubt has no outbursts; its chill breath freezes all things. Oh for more assurance! Nowadays we hear Christian people talk in this way:— “Unto him that we hope has loved us, and that we humbly trust has washed us, and that we sometimes believe has made us kings, unto him be glory.” Alas! the doxology is so feeble that it seems to imply as little glory as you like. The fact is, if you do not know that you have a blessing, you do not know whether you ought to be grateful for it or not; but when a man knows he has covenant mercies, that divine assurance which the Holy Ghost gives to Christians works in him a sacred enthusiasm of devotion to Jesus. He knows what he enjoys, and he blesses him from whom the enjoyment comes. I would have you, beloved, know beyond all doubt that Jesus is yours, so that you can say without hesitation, “He loved me and gave himself for me.” You will never say, “Thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee,” unless you are first established upon the point that Jesus loves you; for “we love him because he first loved us.” John was certain that he was loved, and he was furthermore most clear that he was washed, and therefore he poured forth his soul in praise. Oh to know that you are washed from your sins in the blood of Jesus! Some professors seem half afraid to say that they are cleansed; but oh, my hearer, if you are a believer in Jesus, the case is clear, for “there is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus”! “He that believeth in him hath everlasting life.” “He that believeth in him is justified from all things from which he could not be justified by the law of Moses.” “Ye are clean,” saith Christ. “He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit;” and “Ye are clean.”

Praise – Charles Haddon Spurgeon/John’s Doxology/Part 12 – Joy Unspeakable

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Love, trust and hope, they truly do bring JOY UNSPEAKABLE to those who put their faith in Christ Jesus. The old hymn is true, the half has never yet been told. I’m looking forward to unspeakable JOY when I reach my home in Glory.

A snippet from the song JOY UNSPEAKABLE:
“It is joy unspeakable and full of glory,
Full of glory, full of glory;
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory,
Oh, the half has never yet been told.”
~Barney E. Warren 1900

C.H. Spurgeon – John’s Doxology

“This also gives foothold to faith. If you know the Lord Jesus you feel that you can trust him. “They that know thy name will put their trust in thee.” Those to whom Christ has become a well-known friend do not find it difficult to trust him in the time of their distress. An unknown Christ is untrusted; but when the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus he also breeds faith. By the same means, your hope also becomes vivid, for you say, “Oh, yes; I know Jesus, and I am sure that he will keep his word. He has said, ‘I will come again and receive you unto my self and I am sure that he will come, for it is not like him to deceive his own chosen.” Hope’s eyes are brightened as she thinks of Jesus and realizes him as loving to the end; in him believing, she rejoices with joy unspeakable and full of glory. To love, to trust, to hope, are all easy in the presence of a real living Christ; but if, like the disciples at midnight on the Galilean lake, we think him to be a mere spectre or apparition, we shall be afraid, and cry out for fear. Nothing will suffice a real Christian but a real Christ.”

Praise – Charles Haddon Spurgeon/John’s Doxology/Part 11 – Anchored

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I wholeheartedly agree with what Spurgeon tells us in the this paragraph of John’s Doxology:  “If you cannot reach the Lord in your mind, you will not embrace him in your heart.” I believe this so fully that when I pray for others I often ask a blessing upon them, HEART, MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT. I also say the same when I am praying for their protection in this time of turmoil and increasing wickedness.

C.H. Spurgeon’s John’s Doxology

To have a real, personal Christ is to get good anchor-hold for love, and faith, and hope. Somehow men cannot love that which is not tangible. That which they cannot apprehend they do not love. When I was about to commence the Orphanage at Stockwell, a gentleman who had had very large experience in an excellent orphanage, said to me, “Begin by never expecting to receive the slightest gratitude from the parents of the children, and you will not be disappointed;” for, said he, “I have been connected with a certain orphanage,” which he mentioned, “for a great many years, and except in the rarest case I have never seen any tokens of gratitude in any of the mothers whose children have been received.” Now, my experience is very different. I have had a great many grips of the hand which meant warm thanks, and I have seen the tears start from the mother’s eye full often, and many a grateful letter have I received because of help given to the orphan children. How do I explain the difference? Not that our Orphanage has done more than the other; but the other Orphanage is conducted by a Committee with no well-known head, and hence it is somewhat of an abstraction; the poor women do not know who is to be thanked, and consequently thank nobody. In our own case the poor people say to themselves, “Here is Mr. Spurgeon, and he took our children into the Orphanage.” They recognize in me the outward and visible representative of the many generous hearts that help me. They know me, for they can see me, and they say, “God bless you,” because they have someone to say it to. There is nothing particular about me, certainly, and there are others who deserve far more gratitude than that which comes, to me; but it does come to me because the poor people know the name and the man, and have not to look at a mere abstraction. Pardon the illustration: it suits my purpose well. If you have a Christ whom you cannot realize you will not love him with that fervent affection which is so much to be desired. If you cannot reach the Lord in your mind, you will not embrace him in your heart; but if you have realized the blessed Master, if he has become a true existence to you, one who has really loved you and washed you from your sins, and made you a king and a priest, then your love must flow out towards him. You cannot resist the impulse to love one who has so truly loved you, and is so well known to you

Praise – Charles Haddon Spurgeon/John’s Doxology/Part 10 – Questions and an Answer

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John’s Doxology – C.H. Spurgeon

“I pray that every professor here may have a real Christ, for otherwise he will never be a real Christian. I want you to recognize in this realization of Christ by John this teaching,— that we are to regard our holy faith as based on facts and realities. We have not followed cunningly-devised fables. Do you believe in the divine life of Christ? Do you also believe that he who is “very God of very God” actually became incarnate and was born at Bethlehem? Do you put down the union of the Godhead with our humanity as an historical fact which has the most potent bearing upon all the history of mankind? Do you believe that Jesus lived on earth and trod the blessed acres of Judæa, toiling for our sake, and that he did actually and really die on the behalf of sinners? Do you believe that he was buried, and on the third day rose again from the dead? Are these stories in a book or facts in the life of a familiar friend? To me it is the grandest fact in all history, that the Son of God died and rose again from the dead, and ever lives as my representative. Many statements in history are well attested, but no fact in human records is one half as well attested as the certain resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This is no invention, no fable, no parable, but a literal fact, and on it all the confidence of the believer leans. If Christ is not risen, then your faith is vain; but as he surely rose again, and is now at the right hand of God, even the Father, and will shortly come to be our judge, your faith is justified, and shall in due season have its reward. Get a religion of facts and you will have a religion which will produce facts by operating upon your life and character; but a religion of fancies is but a fancied religion, and nothing practical will come of it.”

Praise – Charles Haddon Spurgeon/John’s Doxology – “I Saw Him” – Part 9

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Today, is the year anniversary of a person dear to me entering into heaven. I have been thinking of my Uncle John, and all my family who have gone on to Glory.

My uncle was a wonderful man, a Man of God, a preacher of the Word for decades. A great husband, father, son, brother, uncle, and friend. I have two terrific uncles, and I feel my life has been blessed by both.

Family is so important to me. When I was young, along with different combinations of sisters and cousins, I spent several weeks each summer with grandparents. Today, the paragraph from Spurgeon’s message is reminding me of my paternal grandmother through the words, I SAW HIM. Granny lived a spirit-filled life, and she taught us the same by being a great witness. She was also fun, a great cook, but instead of heating up the kitchen in the heat of mid-day, every afternoon for lunch we would have watermelon and ice cream Sundays for dessert. I have so many good memories of those hot summer days in the Tidewater area of Virginia.

One of my favorite memories is reliving the times I sat near Granny in church. Oh how my attitudes have changed! When I was a child I wasn’t all that thrilled about spending Wednesday night, Sunday morning, and Sunday night in church service, but now I look back and wish I could sit there again and say hello to Sister Crowe, Brother Gibbons, and others who were kind and welcoming to my sister and me.

For some reason, I remember quite clearly sitting near my grandmother when the church sang the congregational song of, ‘My Savior First of All’, by Fanny Crosby. Granny would shut her eyes, blocking out the world, and honestly, when I think back, I almost remember her face glowing as she sang the chorus. I like to think of her spirit shining in just that way when she met her Savior as she left this world. Because of her wonderful witness to me, I know that she SAW HIM first of all.

“I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
And redeemed by His side I shall stand,
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
By the print of the nails in His hand.”
~ Fanny Crosby

For Granny’s Home-going service one of the suggestions for a hymn was ‘My Savior First of All,‘ and that is what we sang.

JOHN’S DOXOLOGY – C.H. SPURGEON

So, too, if we are “kings and priests,” it is Jesus who has made us so.

“Round the altar priests confess:If their robes are white as snow,
’Twas the Saviour’s righteousness
And his blood that made them so.”

Our royal dignity and our priestly sanctity are both derived from him. Let us not only behold the streams, but also consider the source. Bow before the blessed and only Potentate who doth encrown and enthrone us, and extol the faithful high-priest who doth enrobe and anoint us. See the divine actor in the grand scene, and remember that he ever liveth, and therefore to him should we render perpetual glory. John worships the Lord himself. His mind is not set upon his garments, his crowns, his offices, or his works, but upon himself, his very self. “I SAW HIM, says the beloved apostle, and that vision almost blotted out the rest. His heart was all for Jesus. The censer must smoke unto him, the song must rise unto him;— unto himself, unto his very self.

Praise – Charles Haddon Spurgeon/John’s Doxology/Part 8 – Pardoning Mercy

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Lent began this week. I was raised in a denomination that didn’t keep Lent by sacrificing a favorite item or changing a habit. Nevertheless, I decided this past week that perhaps it would be good for me to try to change a bad habit during Lent, and for me, it is negative words. I’m sure most of you living in the U.S., and all over the world, are able to understand my negative words in the current circumstances of pandemic, virulent politics, right turned into wrong, and wrong turned into right. Add into that everyday stresses and it is a heavy burden for all of us.

I wish my sincere commitment had translated into a successful attempt at keeping my words positive. I lasted only three hours into Wednesday, the first day of Lent, before I missed the mark. By noon, I had blown it big time. The trigger – I was made to feel inadequate. My failure most likely traces back, as does all sin, to Satan in the garden with Eve. He appealed to her pride, but perhaps before pride caused the fall into sin, Eve believed herself inadequate.

The trigger of implied inadequacy caused me to say things, that while true, should have remained within for Jesus to help me deal with in His time. I thank him for his pardoning mercy. I’m still trying to keep my words positive through the rest of the Lenten season, but with so many satanic attacks flying toward us all it’s hard not to become a bit dour and grumble.

I know perhaps my words aren’t uplifting, but perhaps you can relate to them. I would be false if I put out the impression that I never fail, or don’t get the blues, or have struggles of my own. Through it all, I am glad for the pardoning mercy of him who has cleansed us from our sin. He will show me the path through this time. Amen.

Jesus und der Gang nach Emmaus (Jesus and the walk to Emmaus) – Gebhard Fugel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (turn of the 19/20th century)

C.H. Spurgeon – John’s Doxology

So, too, with the washing from sin. It is enough to make us sing of pardoning mercy for ever and ever if we have been cleansed from sin but the center of the joy is to adore him “that washed us from our sins in his own blood.” Observe that he cleansed us, not by some process outside of himself, but by the shedding of his own blood of reconciliation. It brings the blood-washing into the highest estimation with the heart when we look into the wounds from whence the atonement flowed, when we gaze upon that dear visage so sadly marred, that brow so grievously scarred, and even peer into the heart which was pierced by the spear for us to furnish a double cleansing for our sin. “Unto him that washed us.” The disciples were bound to love the hands that took the basin and poured water on their feet, and the loins which were girt with the towel for their washing; and we, brethren, must do the same. But as for the washing with his own blood, how shall we ever praise him enough? Well may we sing the new song, saying, “Thou art worthy, for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood.” This puts body and weight into our praise when we have realized him, and understood how distinctly these precious deeds of love as well as the love itself come from him whose sacred heart is all our own.

Praise – Charles Haddon Spurgeon – Part 7/Grateful for Love

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“I am very grateful for love, but more grateful to him who gives the love.” ~C.H. Spurgeon

As I write this, upstairs on the oak chifforobe wait seven Valentines, signed, sealed, and ready to be taken out the door to be delivered to children I love. My heart is full of grateful love for the presence of family in my life, but most of all, I am grateful to the Creator of love who makes this joy possible.

C.H. Surgeon – John’s Doxology

“He makes us see Jesus in every act of which he speaks in his doxology. It runs thus: “Unto him that loved us.” It is not “Unto the love of God,” an attribute, or an influence, or an emotion; but it is “Unto him that loved us.” I am very grateful for love, but more grateful to him who gives the love. Somehow, you may speak of love and eulogize it; but if you know it only in the abstract what is it? It neither warms the heart nor inspires the spirit. When love comes to us from a known person, then we value it. David had not cared for the love of some unknown warrior, but how greatly he prized that of Jonathan, of which he sang, “Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women!” Sweet is it to sing of love; but sanctified hearts delight still more to sing, “Unto him that loved us.”

Praise – Charles Haddon Spurgeon/John’s Doxology Part 6 – Unguarded Praise

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Praise matters…in the Bible, although in different versions the numbers differ, the word praise occurs approximately 250 times. In my own walk with the Lord I try to praise him several times a day. So often, as in the photo of the sunset, I praise him prompted by the beauty he has created. Other times I praise him for the beauty of his Holy Word and the assurance it gives me of his love. In the times we are living in now I feel the need to praise him more. Even though circumstances around me are rapidly changing, God never changes. He is the same today as he was yesterday, he will be the same in my future. I can trust in everything the Bible tells me about his love and his divine providence.

“Divine providence is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the universe. The doctrine of divine providence asserts that God is in complete control of all things. He is sovereign over the universe as a whole (Psalm 103:19), the physical world (Matthew 5:45), the affairs of nations (Psalm 66:7), human destiny (Galatians 1:15), human successes and failures (Luke 1:52), and the protection of His people (Psalm 4:8). This doctrine stands in direct opposition to the idea that the universe is governed by chance or fate.” Read more at GotQuestions.Org

In this paragraph from ‘John’s Doxology,’ Spurgeon is speaking of John’s praise for Jesus in Revelation 1: 5-6. I’ve highlighted three quotes from the paragraph below.

“We shall see his inmost self here, for he is carried off his feet, and speaks out his very heart in the most unguarded manner.”

“…this man of doxologies, from whom praise flashes forth like light from the rising sun, is first of all a man who has realized the person of his Lord.”

“It is a grand thing personally to know the Christ of God as a living existence, to speak into his ear, to look into his face, and to understand that we abide in him, and that he is ever with us, even to the end of the world Jesus was no abstraction to John; he loved him too much for that.”

First, let us look at THE CONDITION OF HEART OUT OF WHICH OUTBURSTS of adoration arise. Who was this man who when he was beginning to address the churches must needs lay down his pen to praise the Saviour? We will learn the character of the man from his own devout language. We shall see his inmost self here, for he is carried off his feet, and speaks out his very heart in the most unguarded manner. We shall now see him as he is, and learn what manner of persons we must be if, like him, we would overflow with praise. It would be easy to talk at great length about John from what we know of his history from other parts of Scripture; but at this time I tie myself down to the words of the text, and I notice, first, that this man of doxologies, from whom praise flashes forth like light from the rising sun, is first of all a man who has realized the person of his Lord. The first word is, “Unto him;” and then he must a second time before he has finished say, “To him be glory and dominion.” His Lord’s person is evidently before his eye. He sees the actual Christ upon the throne. The great fault of many professors is that Christ is to them a character upon paper; certainly more than a myth, but yet a person of the dim past, an historical personage who lived many years ago, and did most admirable deeds, by the which we are saved, but who is far from being a living, present, bright reality. Many think of Jesus as gone away, they know not whither, and he is little more actual and present to them than Julius Cæsar or any other remarkable personage of antiquity. We have a way, somehow, a very wicked way it is, of turning the facts of Scripture into romances, exchanging solidities for airy notions, regarding the august sublimities of faith as dreamy, misty fancies, rather than substantial matters of fact. It is a grand thing personally to know the Christ of God as a living existence, to speak into his ear, to look into his face, and to understand that we abide in him, and that he is ever with us, even to the end of the world Jesus was no abstraction to John; he loved him too much for that. Love has a great vivifying power: it makes our impressions of those who are far away from us very lifelike, and brings them very near. John’s great, tender heart could not think of Christ as a cloudy conception; but he remembered him as that blessed One with whom he had spoken, and on whose breast he had leaned. You see that is so, for his song rises at once to the Lord’s own self, beginning with, “Unto HIM.

Skywatch Friday

Praise – Charles Haddon Spurgeon/John’s Doxology Part 5 – Roses and Harps

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“As roses are ready to shed their perfume, so may we be eager to praise God—“

Before the pandemic arrived, one of my favorite wintertime activities was visiting the conservatory at Longwood Gardens. I haven’t been there since all this craziness consumed the world. The gardens have procedures in place to allow visitors once again. If I make a reservation, I will be able to leave winter behind when I walk through the doors into garden bliss. The fragrance, and a sweet humid heaviness in the air, are what I crave most at this time of year.

As is the case in most of Spurgeon’s sermon on John’s Doxology, his descriptive words, likening roses shedding their perfume to our praise for our Creator, fill me with renewed purpose to praise my Father in Heaven even more.

” I long that our hearts may be like Eolian harps through which each wind as it sweeps on its way makes charming music.”

Johns Doxology – Charles Haddon Spurgeon
This spontaneous outburst of John’s love is what I am going to preach upon this morning. First of all I shall ask you to consider the condition of heart out of which such outbursts come, and then we will look more closely at the outburst itself; for my great desire is that you and I may often be thus transported into praise, carried off into ecstatic worship. I long that our hearts may be like Eolian harps through which each wind as it sweeps on its way makes charming music. As roses are ready to shed their perfume, so may we be eager to praise God; so much delighting in the blessed exercise of adoration that we shall plunge into it when colder hearts do not expect us to do so. I have read of Mr. Welch, a minister in Suffolk, that he was often seen to be weeping, and when asked why, he replied that he wept because he did not love Christ more. May not many of us weep that we do not praise him more? Oh that our meditation may be used or the Holy Spirit to help us in that direction!

Praise – Charles Haddon Spurgeon/John’s Doxology Part 4 – No Darkness

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Our hearts should be like beacons made ready to be fired ~C.H. Spurgeon

Did you know a flame casts no shadow? I didn’t want you to be in the dark, as I was, over this strange but true fact.  I enlightened my husband, and we experimented with a candle flame. Sure enough—no shadow, just a dancing reflection of light where the shadow would have been.

“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” I John 1:5

Our Father in Heaven is light, there is no darkness or shadow in Him. He lights our pathway to eternal life in heaven through His Son Jesus Christ. His invitation is for you—and for me—“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. ”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6


The Words of Charles H. Spurgeon in John’s Doxology:
“Our hearts should be like beacons made ready to be fired. When invasion was expected in the days of Queen Elizabeth, piles of wood and combustible material were laid ready on the tops of certain hills, and watchmen stood prepared to kindle the piles should there be notice given that the ships of the enemy were in the offing. Everything was in waiting. The heap was not made of damp wood, neither had they to go and seek kindling; but the fuel waited for the match. The watch-fire was not always blazing, but it was always ready to shoot forth its flame. Have ye never read, “Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion”? So let our hearts be prepared to be fired with adoring praise by one glimpse of the Redeemer’s eyes; to be all on a blaze with delightful worship with one touch from that dear, pierced hand. Anywhere, wherever we may be, may we be clad in the robes of reverence, and be ready at once to enter upon the angelic work of magnifying the Lord our Saviour. We cannot be always singing, but we may be always full of gratitude, and this is the fabric of which true psalms are made.”
Read the full sermon here: John’s Doxology

Praise – Charles Haddon Spurgeon/John’s Doxology Part 3 – Pray Without Ceasing

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I don’t know when I have prayed more than in 2020, and now I have carried the prayer over into 2021. This is a good thing, although the good has been prompted by a lot of bad. I combine my prayer with praise, with singing, sometimes with deep sighing for want of Jesus to meet us in the air. I pray as I go about my daily tasks. I pray when I wake up in the night. I pray when I walk around the block. I pray because the condition of the world concerns me—sometimes even frightens me, and I go to Jesus first for I know there is no other way. As Spurgeon says in this third paragraph of ‘John’s Doxology,’ “we may ‘pray without ceasing,’ if our hearts are always in such a state that at every opportunity we are ready for prayer and praise; better still, if we are prepared to make opportunities, if we are instant in season and out of season, and ready in a moment to adore and supplicate.”

Have you ever startled a bird at rest? They startle us right back with their instant uplift of wings and flight. I love Spurgeon’s analogy that tells us this is how our prayers should take wing. At the slightest nudge, good or bad, in this time of worldwide sickness, unrest, and rapid changes, we must see ourselves as Christ’s First Responders here on earth. When a flock of birds takes to wing the sky is filled with them. If we all pray together, if our prayers take wing heavenward, we will be in one accord.

Here’s a sweet oldie for your Sunday.

Paragraph 3 of John’s Doxology:

“This explains to me, I think, those texts which bid us “rejoice evermore,” “bless the Lord at all times,” and “pray without ceasing”: these do not mean that we are always to be engaged in devotional exercises, for that would cause a neglect of other duties. The very apostle who bids us “pray without ceasing,” did a great many other things beside praying; and we should certainly be very faulty if we shut ourselves up in our private chambers, and there continued perpetually upon our knees. Life has other duties, and necessary ones; and in attending to these we may render to our God the truest worship: to cease to work in our callings in order to spend all our time in prayer would be to offer to God one duty stained with the blood of many others. Yet we may “pray without ceasing,” if our hearts are always in such a state that at every opportunity we are ready for prayer and praise; better still, if we are prepared to make opportunities, if we are instant in season and out of season, and ready in a moment to adore and supplicate. If not always soaring, we may be as birds ready for instant flight: always with wings, if not always on the wing.

    Charles Haddon Spurgeon was known as the ‘Prince of Preachers.’ A terrific biography of him can be found on the Spurgeon Center’s Blog: Who is Charles Haddon Spurgeon. 

This photo is part of Skywatch Friday.

Praise – Charles Haddon Spurgeon/John’s Doxology Part 2 – Magnify the Savior’s Name

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“Now, in the matter of this bursting out of devotion at unexpected times, John is one among the rest of the apostles. Their love to their divine Master was so intense that they had only to hear his footfall and their pulse began to quicken, and if they heard his voice, then were they carried clean away: whether in the body or out of the body, they could not tell, but they were under constraint to MAGNIFY THE SAVIOUR’S NAME; whatever they were doing they felt compelled to pause at once, to render direct and distinct homage unto the Lord Jesus by adoration and doxology. Observe how Paul breaks forth into doxologies: “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” Again: “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” The like is true of Jude, who cries: “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” The apostles overflowed with praise.” ~Charles Haddon Spurgeon (John’s Doxology)

Bible Portal lists over 200 names of Jesus. I enjoyed reading this list of the names of Jesus. I thought of a few that were missing, but all in all it is a pretty comprehensive list. I also felt uplifted as I created my own visual poster for this post using a few of the names most meaningful to me, and also those I consider most important.

Spurgeon’s sermon, combined with scripture, brings a burst of joy and faithfulness out of me. I hope to magnify the name of Jesus through all my life. I hold each of his beautiful names dear to my heart.

    Charles Haddon Spurgeon was known as the ‘Prince of Preachers.’ A terrific biography of him can be found on the Spurgeon Center’s Blog: Who is Charles Haddon Spurgeon. 

  • Savior and Saviour are both acceptable spellings of one of Jesus’ names.