My Year With Spurgeon: Week #27

God's children always play the fool when they play the judge—they are never in order when they act as if they were the head of the family of Grace. ~ Charles Spurgeon, "Delight in the Almighty"

Many men forget God—He is no object of delight to them, for they ignore His existence and they would even think it a great relief if it could be proven that there were no God—no God to observe them, no God to record their misdeeds, no God to call them to judgment, no God to punish them for their iniquities. Let us pity the multitudes who claim to be happy without God, for it is the extreme of depravity when, blotting out God from his soul, a man obtains a wretched comfort as the consequence of his folly. To be without God is to be without rest in the present and without hope for the future. ~ Charles Spurgeon, "Delight in the Almighty"

The man who experiences this delight is glad that there is a God. That atheistic philosophy which makes the whole world to be a chance production which grew of itself, or developed itself by some innate force, is a very dreary piece of fiction to the man who delights himself in the Almighty. I tremble at any teaching, religious or scientific, which seems to place God further off than we have believed Him to be. To draw Him nearer to me and, myself nearer to Him, is the innermost longing of my soul! ~ Charles Spurgeon, "Delight in the Almighty"

Beloved, the thought of God is to the souls of those who know and love Him the most delightful that can cross the mind! To put God away from us is injury to our happiness, as well as treason to our duty—but to get nearer and clearer views of His Omnipresence, His Omniscience, His Omnipotence, is to increase the joy of our heart. ~ Charles Spurgeon, "Delight in the Almighty"

To go a step further, the delight of the Believer in his God is a delight in God as He really is, for there are, in the world, many false gods of men's own imagination. Remember that your own thoughts of what God is are far from being correct unless they are drawn from His own Revelation. This sacred Book is infallible, but not our thoughts—and where we differ from God as He has revealed Himself, we differ from the Truth of God. ~ Charles Spurgeon, "Delight in the Almighty"

There is but one God revealed in Holy Scripture, in Nature and in Providence—His name is Jehovah—the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob and who has still further declared Himself as the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! He is God in undivided unity of Essence, in the trinity of His Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. With all our souls we worship and adore Him! Just as God appears in Holy Scripture, we are to delight in Him, regarding Him as love, as mercy, as long-suffering, as justice, as power, as purity, as all goodness and greatness in one! The characteristic which seems to cause most delight to perfect saints in Heaven is not love, alone, nor mercy, alone, but that which comprehends Grace and mercy, and much more—I mean holiness. This is the perpetual cry of the seraphim, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth." The holiness of God, or, if you will, the wholeness of God, the completeness of God, the perfection of God is the delight of all Believers. We would not tone down a single attribute. We would not disturb the equilibrium of the Divine perfections, but we delight in God in all those aspects of His Character which are mentioned in His Holy Word. ~ Charles Spurgeon, "Delight in the Almighty"

Further, he that delights in God delights not only in God as He is, but in all that God does—and this is a higher attainment than some have reached. "It is the Lord," said one of old, "let Him do what seems good to Him." Too many would call God to their bar and hold a trial upon what He does with men in this life, and with the wicked in the world to come. ~ Charles Spurgeon, "Delight in the Almighty"

If we make props of our outward joys, we shall fall when they are taken away, but it we rest wholly upon the foundation of Divine Love, altogether apart from external things, we shall never be moved. Happy is the Christian who can practically enjoy delight in the Almighty by making Him to be his All in All—all the day and every day! You will see this delight in God exhibiting itself in frequent meditations upon God. Such a man has pleasure in being alone with God and his sweetest occupation is meditation upon the years of the right hand of the Most High. He finds, in holy contemplation, pastures large and green in which his soul does feed and lie down— "My God, You are mine, what a comfort Divine! What a blessing to know my Jesus is mine." These happy meditations very soon show themselves in words. The man that delights in the Almighty delights to speak about Him. That which is in the well will, before long, come up in the bucket—and that which is in the heart will soon display itself in the tongue. Is there any conversation more elevating, more consoling, more strengthening than conversation about the Lord our God? And when you go home from such society, do you not feel it sweet to fall asleep with the savor of it upon your lips? Is not holy converse infinitely better than all the mirth and merriment of the world's amusements? Here is something to feed upon, something solid, something real—saints delight to contribute to such conversation and to receive instruction from it. ~ Charles Spurgeon, "Delight in the Almighty"

God is Love and I can readily understand how one might delight himself in God under that aspect. But the Believer is taught to delight himself in God as strong and mighty. What a mercy it is that there is a power that makes for righteousness!—that at the back of all these wars and confusions and behind all sin and false doctrine—there is an infinitely powerful God! The Kingdom of God is coming—righteousness shall prevail! Delight, also, in the fact that Jehovah is almighty in mercy—mighty to save. He can forgive the greatest sin. He can change the hardest heart. He can help us to fight out unto victory the sternest of our battles against unrighteousness! He is stronger than sin and Satan, for all power dwells with Him. When you look at this phase of it and think of His dear Son exalted on high to give repentance and remission of sins, you may, indeed, delight in the Almighty Redeemer, as "able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him." Surely, when you see Omnipotence linked with righteousness and mercy, you will delight yourself in the Almighty! Think, also, of the Lord's almightiness in the matter of the keeping, preserving, defending and perfecting of all His people. The sheep of His pasture shall not perish, for the Good Shepherd is Omnipotent to smite the roaring lion who would devour them. None that trust in Him shall ever be ashamed or confounded, world without end. All the elect are well secured within the fold of Jesus, neither shall any pluck them out of His hand. Delight yourselves in the Almighty, for all the power of God is enlisted on the side of the Believer. ~ Charles Spurgeon, "Delight in the Almighty"

To me, I confess, it is an intense joy that He is almighty to carry out every one of His eternal purposes. Jesus shall not fail nor be discouraged! That which Jehovah has willed shall be—in the unfolding of the great roll of history it shall be found that it tallies exactly with the Divine purposes and immutable decrees! He that sits on the flood reigns King forever and ever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Let our hearts delight that the Lord God Omnipotent already reigns and let us pray that in yet, a further sense, His Kingdom may come, as come it will. Let us delight ourselves in the Almighty, linking that word to every other attribute and rejoicing that He has almighty love and Omnipotent Grace. Again, let us say "Hallelujah!" ~ Charles Spurgeon, "Delight in the Almighty"

When you delight in the Lord, nothing can disturb the unbroken current of your joy! The sublime serenity of the heavens which arch above your head enters into your own spirit when the Lord, who made the heavens, dwells in your heart! Strive after this sacred peace! Delight in the Almighty and lift up your faces unto God. ~ Charles Spurgeon, "Delight in the Almighty"

If we do not know God, how can we delight in Him? What delight can there be in an unknown God? Brothers and Sisters, you are not half as happy as you might be because you do not study this Book, where, as in a glass, you may see the face of Jehovah your God! Oh, that you knew more of His dear Son, for he that has seen Him has seen the Father! Take God for your daily company. "Acquaint now yourself with Him." Great as He is, dare to be free with Him. Though you are but dust and ashes, yet, like Abraham, speak with Him as a man speaks with his friend, for as you know your God so shall you delight in Him and lift up your face unto Him. ~ Charles Spurgeon, "Delight in the Almighty"

Your neglected Bibles hide your God! When dust falls on the Scriptures, dust falls on the eyes of those who have neglected them—and then they cannot behold the Glory of the Lord God. The more of Scripture is understood, fed upon and received into the inward parts, the more will be your delight in God! You can have no pleasure in the Speaker if you despise the Word spoken—let it be to you as marrow and fatness. ~ Charles Spurgeon, "Delight in the Almighty"

We sometimes know a great deal too much of what we ought not to know. I see some of God's children very anxious to feed upon the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—but as for me, I am content with the tree of life! The old serpent still persuades men to pluck forbidden fruit from that evil tree! ~ Charles Spurgeon, "Delight in the Almighty"

May the uplifted Savior draw you and uplift you! May you begin the life of Heaven by an immediate delight in the Almighty—and from that delight may you never cease! To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen. ~ Charles Spurgeon, "Delight in the Almighty"

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible