Grace - "Don't Leave Home Without It"

(Taking a break from the “Joy Journal” to share today's inspiration from Rev. Spurgeon...)

March 4 Morning by Morning C. H. Spurgeon... 2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for thee”.

If none of God's saints were poor and tried, we should not know half so well the consolations of divine grace. When we find the wanderer who has not where to lay his head, who yet can say, "Still will I trust in the Lord," or when we see the pauper starving on bread and water, who still glories in Jesus; when we see the bereaved widow overwhelmed in affliction, and yet having faith in Christ, oh! what honor it reflects on the gospel. God's grace is illustrated and magnified in the poverty and trials of believers. Saints bear up under every discouragement, believing that all things work together for their good, and that out of apparent evils a real blessing shall ultimately spring-that their God will either work a deliverance for them speedily, or most assuredly support them in the trouble, as long as He is pleased to keep them in it. This patience of the saints proves the power of divine grace. There is a lighthouse out at sea: it is a calm night-I cannot tell whether the edifice is firm; the tempest must rage about it, and then I shall know whether it will stand. So with the Spirit's work: if it were not on many occasions surrounded with tempestuous waters, we should not know that it was true and strong; if the winds did not blow upon it, we should not know how firm and secure it was. The master-works of God are those men who stand in the midst of difficulties, steadfast, unmovable,- "Calm mid the bewildering cry, Confident of victory."

He who would glorify his God must set his account upon meeting with many trials. No man can be illustrious before the Lord unless his conflicts be many. If then, yours be a much-tried path, rejoice in it, because you will the better show forth the all-sufficient grace of God. As for His failing you, never dream of it-hate the thought. The God who has been sufficient until now, should be trusted to the end. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

What I am hearing this morning is that His Grace for our weakness is indeed a great consolation – as long as we don't get into the habit of taking it as a “consolation prize”! Trust – true trust – will eventually produce victory – and true Faith will eventually provide the strength to overcome the challenges of life!

Coping is better than despairing for sure! But conquering is even better than coping! Press in, and press on! His presence does more than comfort the afflicted – it delivers them! Hallelujah! Grace is both defense and offense!

The path of righteousness seems to include many rest stops – it does say, “Blessed are they that mourn...” - ...because there is something holy about mourning? No - “...because they WILL be comforted”! In their great, continuous, sucking losses? When necessary – yes. But eventually the truest comfort comes from unchallenged victory!

That is the day I long for, fight for, press for! For in suffering patiently we grow – and He gets a bit of glory – but in overwhelming victory others are saved with us – and He gets MORE glory!

It also says, “Do not despise small beginnings”. And as I love to say, “Progress is progress, and we should celebrate every centimeter!” And I do! However – we must not become apathetic and overly content with our centimeters! We must press on to the Kilometers as well! Small beginnings are fine – as long as they lead to the big ending! I stand with Winston Churchill as he declared - “Never, never, never, never, never, never give up. Never.”

Learning to walk was difficult for me physically because of a birth-defect that rendered me cripple in the right foot. I had to relearn to walk several times over the years, in fact, after corrective surgeries and therapeutic casts, etc. My spiritual walk has been no different – I have had many “set backs” and “handicaps” spiritually speaking – and yet – by His Miraculous, Steadfast Grace – I walk!

I am glad to walk – very glad! But I am also glad to know that He has plans to teach me to fly! Another great man, C.S. Lewis, in one of his acclaimed writings coined the phrase, “Further up, and further in” - someone else said, “Ever upward, ever onward”! We need to catch the upward spiral of His Grace.

Grace is not a big comfy couch where we sit and mourn our troubles – it is an ambulance that takes us to the help – over bumpy roads – and perhaps as my dad surmised without shock-absorbers! But in His Grace we find His Life – and that is not stagnant – nor easily placated.

Grace does not blindly, nor apathetically, just accept what it is handed. Nor does it fight something it can't lick! It doesn't whimper in the corner, nor does it chase cars! When knocked down, or even knocked out, it retreats into God – receives the needed aid – rests up – drinks up – takes nourishment – takes time to heal (because all times are in His hand) – and one day – at His orders - it comes out again – this time loaded for bear!

The battle IS the LORD's, but He prepares His warriors! He DOES give the victory – but sometimes He even lets us fight! Lol As the writer of Ecclesiastes informed us, there is a time for everything under heaven! Let us stay tuned to His Gracious Spirit and move when He moves, speak when He speaks, rest when He rests, and fight when He fights – if we do – we are assured the victory.

Grace – don't leave home without it!

Selah...