Do you ever read a book a second time? This week I started reading two books that I read before. It shouldn’t seem a strange thing to read a book twice because we read (at least, we should read) the books of the Bible over and over. The first book contained a quote by Charles Spurgeon answering a question about how he reconciles God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility: “I never try to reconcile friends – they are both in the Bible.” This morning I began to re-read “A Bend in the Road” by Dr. David Jeremiah. Guess what? He quotes Charles Spurgeon on more than one occasion. More times than I can remember, the Lord has led me to find insightful observations that I can share via this blog.
In “A Bend in the Road,” Dr. Jeremiah writes about how God uses “disruptive moments” (as described by Gordon MacDonald in a book entitled “The Life God Blesses”) to bring blessing into the lives of His servants. We’ve all had times when something unexpected happens, haven’t we? Our printer at home stopped printing last month and after asking three people to examine it, I realized that it was time to be thankful for the years that it worked well. Of course, the loss of a machine is very insignificant compared to the death of a father, as several friends have experienced recently.
Dr. Jeremiah writes: “God allows no pain without purpose. Instead, He uses pain to dispense power. His power can rest upon you only when you’ve abandoned the idea that you’re big enough to go it alone. You’re not big enough; you’ll never make it without depending utterly upon Him and going in His strength. You’re destined to fail without righteousness and holiness. And some pruning must take place, with sharpened shears, to cut away those things that would prevent righteousness and holiness in your life. But how liberated you will be, how free to grow toward the heavens, after that pruning is accomplished!” Are you experiencing God’s pruning in your life? He is the Master Gardener and He takes great care of His children.
Yesterday, Pastor Michel Martel came to the recording studio in Châteauguay and preached six messages which will be aired on the weekly broadcasts of “La Voix de l’Évangile.” As women around the world celebrate International Women’s Day today, I am reminded of the love and compassion that the Lord Jesus Christ showed to women wherever He went. May God be pleased to use the proclamation of His Word on the radio and Internet to speak to the hearts of women, men, girls, and boys, convicting them of their sin and their need of the Saviour.
Scripture for the weekend: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.” John 15:1 (NIV)
Thought for the weekend: “I bear willing witness that I owe more to the fire, and the hammer, and the file, than to anything else in my Lord’s workshop. I sometimes question whether I have learned anything except through the rod. When my schoolroom is darkened, I see most.” – Charles Spurgeon