Morning and Evening

Dear friends,
So many times I wish that I had the time to share with you the day's devotional from the book MORNING AND EVENING by Charles Spurgeon. Well, tonight the vet is here with Cora's heifer who has had nothing but troubles. Robert and Cora are out with him in the maternity ward; the boys are in bed; and I was blessed AGAIN by what I read so I will share the evening reading for today. The Scripture passage is Psalm 25:18 which reads: Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.

It is well for us when prayers about our sorrows are linked with pleas concerning our sins--when, being under God's hand, we are not wholly taken up with our pain, but remember our offenses against God. It is well, also, to take both sorrow and sin to the same place. It was to God that David carried his sorrow: it was to God that David confessed his sin. Observe, then, we must take our sorrows to God. Even your little sorrows you may roll upon God, for He counteth the hairs of your head; and your great sorrows you may commit to Him, for He holdeth the ocean in the hollow of His hand. Go to Him, whatever your present trouble may be, and you shall find Him able and willing to receive you. We must take our sins to God too! We must carry them to the cross; that the blood may fall upon them; to purge away their guilt; and to destroy their defiling power.
The special lesson of the text is this--that we are to go to the Lord with sorrows and with sins in the right spirit. Note that all David asks concerning his sorrow is, "Look upon mine affliction and my pain," but the next petition is vastly more expressed, definite, decided, plain. "Forgive all my sins." Many sufferers would have put it, "Remove my affliction and my pain and look at my sins." But David does not say so: he cries, "Lord, as for my affliction and my pain, I will not dictate to thy wisdom. Lord, look at them, I will leave them to thee. I should be glad to have my pain removed, but do as thou wilt; but as for my sins, Lord, I know what I want with them: I MUST HAVE THEM FORGIVEN. I cannot endure to lie under their curse for a moment."
A Christian should count sorrow lighter in the scale than sin; he can bear that his troubles shall continue, but he cannot support the burden of his transgressions.

Isn't that great? So many times I go to God and beg for relief from the pain that the world causes me. How about the pain that my sin causes to God? Oh God, please forgive me for all of the times I weigh my pain above yours. Help me to more carefully ponder every thought, word, and deed with the knowledge that it will cause you either joy or sorrow. Oh that every moment of my life would be a sweet savor to you dear God, who made me and sustains me.

I'll close with the words of a special praise chorus that I'm singing to my wonderful Heavenly father right now. Maybe I can think of a way to put my songs on here for you to listen to? I know, I'll ask Andrew. :)

I love you Lord and I lift my voice,
To worship you, oh my soul rejoice,
Take joy my King in what you hear,
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear.