MARK
CHAPTER 9
VERSES 26 - 50

And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?

29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

30 And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it.

31 For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.

32 But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.

33 And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?

34 But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.

35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.

36 And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them,

37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.

38 And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.

39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.

40 For he that is not against us is on our part.

41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.

42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:

48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.

50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.

Brethren, do you gather regularly with other believers for fellowship? Are we not exhorted to do so? “let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Heb. 10:24-24).

This is when and how we encourage one another. This is when and how we are to exercise our gifts for the edification of the body. This is when and how we hear His word preached and worship as the Church.

If we do not fellowship with one another, how can we claim to have fellowship with Christ? John expounded, “what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 Jn. 1:3). He and his peers had fellowship with Jesus, and they preached so that others might have fellowship with himself and with Jesus as well.

Yet many who claim His name do not. They walk in darkness, exposing that the truth is not in them, and that they have no fellowship with Him (1 Jn. 1:6). Let us not be as these. Consider today whether you are walking in the light, as He is in the light (1 Jn. 1:7). For only then can we rightly claim to have fellowship with Him. And fellowship with Him we should, individually through prayer and reading of His word, and corporately in gathering as His body.

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Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning, November 23

"Fellowship with Him." 1 John 1:6

When we were united by faith to Christ, we were brought into such complete fellowship with Him, that we were made one with Him, and His interests and ours became mutual and identical. We have fellowship with Christ in His love. What He loves we love. He loves the saints- so do we. He loves sinners- so do we. He loves the poor perishing race of man, and pants to see earth's deserts transformed into the garden of the Lord- so do we. We have fellowship with Him in His desires. He desires the glory of God- we also labour for the same. He desires that the saints may be with Him where He is- we desire to be with Him there too. He desires to drive out sin- behold we fight under His banner. He desires that His Father's name may be loved and adored by all His creatures- we pray daily, "Let Thy kingdom come and Thy will be done on earth, even as it is in heaven." We have fellowship with Christ in His sufferings. We are not nailed to the cross, nor do we die a cruel death, but when He is reproached, we are reproached; and a very sweet thing it is to be blamed for His sake, to be despised for following the Master, to have the world against us. The disciple should not be above His Lord. In our measure we commune with Him in His labours, ministering to men by the word of truth and by deeds of love. Our meat and our drink, like His, is to do the will of Him who hath sent us and to finish His work. We have also fellowship with Christ in His joys. We are happy in His happiness, we rejoice in His exaltation. Have you ever tasted that joy, believer? There is no purer or more thrilling delight to be known this side heaven than that of having Christ's joy fulfilled in us, that our joy may be full. His glory awaits us to complete our fellowship, for His Church shall sit with him upon His throne, as His well-beloved bride and queen.

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Christian, do you recall the story of Jacob? Having met Rachel at the well, Jacob served her father Laban in order to win her hand. He sacrificed sleep and comfort in that time, but eventually had his wife.

Did not Jesus sacrifice more to win His bride, the Church? Jesus, though sinless, having fulfilled the law perfectly, suffered humiliation, brutal beatings, and rather than sleep or comfort, though He often sacrificed these, He sacrificed Himself. As He stated, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mk. 10:45).

Brethren, let us marvel at this miracle of miracles, and not take it for granted. God paid for our sins, just as He provided the ram for Abraham that Isaac was not sacrificed (Gen. 22:8-13), providing His own Son, a spotless Lamb, that we need not be sacrificed (1 Pet. 1:19).

Jesus toiled for us, traveling city to city, preaching the gospel and God’s kingdom, that those He called would believe through the sacrifice He was preparing. Then at the appointed time, He went to the cross, neither reviling in return those who reviled Him, nor uttering threats; but He entrusted Himself to His Father, and bore our sins on the cross so that we might die to sin and life to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:21-25).

Let us ever remember this sacrifice which cancelled our debt and led to the forgiveness of our transgressions (Col. 2:13-15), and live our lives as those who are dead to sin but alive to God (Rom. 6:11).

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Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning, November 22

"Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep." Hosea 12:12

Jacob, while expostulating with Laban, thus describes his own toil, "This twenty years have I been with thee. That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee: I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night. Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes." Even more toilsome than this was the life of our Saviour here below. He watched over all His sheep till He gave in as His last account, "Of all those whom Thou hast given me I have lost none." His hair was wet with dew, and His locks with the drops of the night. Sleep departed from His eyes, for all night He was in prayer wrestling for His people. One night Peter must be pleaded for; anon, another claims His tearful intercession. No shepherd sitting beneath the cold skies, looking up to the stars, could ever utter such complaints because of the hardness of his toil as Jesus Christ might have brought, if He had chosen to do so, because of the sternness of His service in order to procure His spouse:

Cold mountains and the midnight air,
Witnessed the fervour of His prayer;
The desert His temptations knew,
His conflict and His victory too.

It is sweet to dwell upon the spiritual parallel of Laban having required all the sheep at Jacob's hand. If they were torn of beasts, Jacob must make it good; if any of them died, he must stand as surety for the whole. Was not the toil of Jesus for His Church the toil of one who was under suretiship obligations to bring every believing one safe to the hand of Him who had committed them to His charge? Look upon toiling Jacob, and you see a representation of Him of whom we read, "He shall feed His flock like a shepherd."

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Keeping you in prayer

Good morning! I am recovering nicely from knee replacement surgery. Pain happens, but the end result will pay off as I will be able to walk in the remaining days of my appointed years to serve our Beloved Lord. . ( Only G-d knows how many as I am 87!)
Reading Psalm 119 a few of those holy prayers stood out.
Translated from the Hebrew- “ Those who fear You will see me (in my victory), and rejoice, because I have hoped in Your Word. … I will meditate upon Your precepts… may my heart be perfect in Your statues, so that I not be shamed….Forever, O Lord, Your Word stands firm in the heavens . Your faithfulness persists for all generations.” — May every Truth teller take heart, trust and be in peace in this war between good and evil!

Brethren, what is the aim of our lives? Is it not to please and glorify our Creator? Do not all things exist for His glory?

He purchased you with His own blood (Acts 20:28), and He sealed you with His Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13, 4:30). Now you are a temple of God, and His Spirit dwells within you (1 Cor. 34:16).

Our lives, therefore, should evince the change wrought in us, the holiness that flows from God’s temple. We are no longer to walk in futility of mind, for we are no longer darkened in our understanding of(Eph. 4:17-18). We are not to be callous, as are the unsaved, nor given over to sensuality (Eph. 4:19).

We must lay aside falsehood, speaking honestly with one another (Eph. 4:25). Anger must not lead us to sin, nor shall we allow anger to fester in our hearts (Eph. 4:26). Such behaviors as these give Satan opportunity in our lives (Eph. 4:27). We must rise above. He who once stole must steal no longer, but work honestly for that which he receives (Eph. 4:28). And our speech is to be tempered, not unwholesome, edifying those around us (Eph. 4:29).

Let us put away any bitterness or anger we harbor, as well as any slander or malice (Eph. 4:31), for these do not please God nor do they aid in our sanctification; instead, these quench His Holy Spirit who lives in us (1 Thes. 5:19).

So, let us not grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30), but “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven” us (Eph. 4:31).

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Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning, November 21

"Grieve not the Holy Spirit." Ephesians 4:30

All that the believer has must come from Christ, but it comes solely through the channel of the Spirit of grace. Moreover, as all blessings thus flow to you through the Holy Spirit, so also no good thing can come out of you in holy thought, devout worship, or gracious act, apart from the sanctifying operation of the same Spirit. Even if the good seed be sown in you, yet it lies dormant except He worketh in you to will and to do of His own good pleasure. Do you desire to speak for Jesus- how can you unless the Holy Ghost touch your tongue? Do you desire to pray? Alas! what dull work it is unless the Spirit maketh intercession for you! Do you desire to subdue sin? Would you be holy? Would you imitate your Master? Do you desire to rise to superlative heights of spirituality? Are you wanting to be made like the angels of God, full of zeal and ardour for the Master's cause? You cannot without the Spirit- "Without me ye can do nothing." O branch of the vine, thou canst have no fruit without the sap! O child of God, thou hast no life within thee apart from the life which God gives thee through His Spirit! Then let us not grieve Him or provoke Him to anger by our sin. Let us not quench Him in one of His faintest motions in our soul; let us foster every suggestion, and be ready to obey every prompting. If the Holy Spirit be indeed so mighty, let us attempt nothing without Him; let us begin no project, and carry on no enterprise, and conclude no transaction, without imploring His blessing. Let us do Him the due homage of feeling our entire weakness apart from Him, and then depending alone upon Him, having this for our prayer, "Open Thou my heart and my whole being to Thine incoming, and uphold me with Thy free Spirit when I shall have received that Spirit in my inward parts."

Believer, when you feel you are in the deepest of pits, do you wallow in your misery, or do you cry out to the Lord? If you do not cry out, why do you not? The Lord hears our voice when we call to Him (Lam. 3:56). He does not close His ear to us. When we draw near to Him, He draws near to us (Jas. 4:8). Why then withdraw in the lowest of times, when you need Him most?

Remember, we have an advocate with the Father (1 Jn. 2:1). He is our mediator (1 Tim. 2:5). He is at the right hand of God interceding for us (Rom. 8:34). Who then can condemn us?

Do not fret, beloved brethren, for no matter how far from God we may feel, He has promised never to leave nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5), and Jesus promised He would always be with us (Mt. 28:20).

Therefore, let no adversity shake your faith nor drag you down. Instead, shout, “Hallelujah!”, because we have a Lord who lives, Who has redeemed us, Who has pleaded the cause of our soul (Lam. 3:58).

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Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning, November 20

"0 Lord, Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul." Lamentations 3:58

Observe how positively the prophet speaks. He doth not say, "I hope, I trust, I sometimes think, that God hath pleaded the causes of my soul"; but he speaks of it as a matter of fact not to be disputed. "Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul." Let us, by the aid of the gracious Comforter, shake off those doubts and fears which so much mar our peace and comfort. Be this our prayer, that we may have done with the harsh croaking voice of surmise and suspicion, and may be able to speak with the clear, melodious voice of full assurance. Notice how gratefully the prophet speaks, ascribing all the glory to God alone! You perceive there is not a word concerning himself or his own pleadings. He doth not ascribe his deliverance in any measure to any man, much less to his own merit; but it is "thou"- "O Lord, Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; Thou hast redeemed my life." A grateful spirit should ever be cultivated by the Christian; and especially after deliverances we should prepare a song for our God. Earth should be a temple filled with the songs of grateful saints, and every day should be a censor smoking with the sweet incense of thanksgiving. How joyful Jeremiah seems to be while he records the Lord's mercy. How triumphantly he lifts up the strain! He has been in the low dungeon, and is even now no other than the weeping prophet; and yet in the very book which is called "Lamentations," clear as the song of Miriam when she dashed her fingers against the tabor, shrill as the note of Deborah when she met Barak with shouts of victory, we hear the voice of Jeremy going up to heaven- "Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life." O children of God, seek after a vital experience of the Lord's lovingkindness, and when you have it, speak positively of it; sing gratefully; shout triumphantly.

Song of the Red Stone Cave

In the red stone cave where the echoes sleep,
An old song rises from the canyon deep.
A flute is lifted to the twilight’s ear—
Its trembling breath calls the spirits near.

Beside the player, the wolf stands tall,
Its silver voice answering the musical call.
Two songs woven like threads of night—
One born of earth, one born of light.

The elders say when silence breaks,
And the heart remembers the path it takes,
The flute becomes a river of air,
Carrying prayers to the ones who care.

The wolf, the guardian of shadowed ways,
Sings the truth of forgotten days—
Of moons that guided the hunter’s stride,
Of dreams where ancestors walk beside.

Together they stand where worlds align,
Where mortal breath meets the sacred sign.
The notes swirl up in a mystic fire,
Lifting the soul like a funeral pyre.

Oh traveler, listen—do not fear:
This is the place where the veil grows clear.
Where music mends what time tore through,
And every howl remembers you.

I'm asking for prayer for my son Jamie and I. We have yet another zoom meeting with the attorneys on both sides, on December 5th. This has been ongoing for almost 5 years now, it is very wearing. My son is at 75%. Please keep us in prayer that everything will be settled, on this day, out of court. Jamie does need to have another nerve burning, but they no longer do that in Zephyrhills. No doctor there at this time, and the place they recommend, until they do, doesn't accept LOP'S. Thank you.

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Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotions

Evening, November 15

"Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us." Psalm 68:28

It is our wisdom, as well as our necessity, to beseech God continually to strengthen that which He has wrought in us. It is because of their neglect in this, that many Christians may blame themselves for those trials and afflictions of spirit which arise from unbelief. It is true that Satan seeks to flood the fair garden of the heart and make it a scene of desolation, but it is also true that many Christians leave open the sluice-gates themselves, and let in the dreadful deluge through carelessness and want of prayer to their strong Helper. We often forget that the Author of our faith must be the Preserver of it also. The lamp which was burning in the temple was never allowed to go out, but it had to be daily replenished with fresh oil; in like manner, our faith can only live by being sustained with the oil of grace, and we can only obtain this from God Himself. Foolish virgins we shall prove, if we do not secure the needed sustenance for our lamps. He who built the world upholds it, or it would fall in one tremendous crash; He who made us Christians must maintain us by His Spirit, or our ruin will be speedy and final. Let us, then, evening by evening, go to our Lord for the grace and strength we need. We have a strong argument to plead, for it is His own work of grace which we ask Him to strengthen- "that which Thou hast wrought for us." Think you He will fail to protect and sustain that? Only let your faith take hold of His strength, and all the powers of darkness, led on by the master fiend of hell, cannot cast a cloud or shadow over your joy and peace. Why faint when you may be strong? Why suffer defeat when you may conquer? Oh! take your wavering faith and drooping graces to Him who can revive and replenish them, and earnestly pray, "Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us."

The Weaver of Silence

The old ones say
the night is a net of stories.
each thread a promise
caught between dream and dawn.

She sits within its hush,
mending what the wind forgets—
the lost songs,
the quiet prayers,
the names that slipped through sorrow.

The raven waits.
guardian of unfinished words.
And as her fingers move,
the sky remembers how to speak again.
softly—
like light returning to itself.

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The Keeper of the Sky Path

They say the wind once had a name.
and it spoke through the hooves of travelers.
Each step was a prayer.
Each breath, a promise to the horizon.

He carries thunder not in sound
but in spirit—
a reminder that freedom
is not the absence of weight,
but the courage to move with it.

When he runs,
The earth remembers its heartbeat.
When he stops,
the stars lean closer—
listening for the song
that only the brave still sing.

Believer, how often do you pray? Do you pray always and not lose heart? This is the instruction of the Lord to His followers in Luke 18:1, that “at all times [we] ought to pray and not to lose heart” (Lk. 18:1).

He demonstrates this with the parable of the unjust judge and the widow who would not rest until she received justice. Eventually, the unjust judge, though he feared neither man nor God, relented. Then Jesus reveals the meaning behind His message: “will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly” (Lk. 18:7-8).

Brethren, when you suffer injustice, do not become disheartened. Bring your plea to God, with thanksgiving, and He will give you peace (Phil. 4:6-7). Our Father in heaven, unlike the man in Jesus parable, is a just judge. How then will He not provide justice for His adopted children, those He has chosen?

Our Father knows our need before we even ask (Mt. 6:8). So pray, pray continually, cry out to God for justice, and He will be there to provide it.

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Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotions

Evening, November 13

"Men ought always to pray." Luke 18:1

If men ought always to pray and not to faint, much more Christian men. Jesus has sent His church into the world on the same errand upon which He Himself came, and this mission includes intercession. What if I say that the church is the world's priest? Creation is dumb, but the church is to find a mouth for it. It is the church's high privilege to pray with acceptance. The door of grace is always open for her petitions, and they never return empty-handed. The veil was rent for her, the blood was sprinkled upon the altar for her, God constantly invites her to ask what she wills. Will she refuse the privilege which angels might envy her? Is she not the bride of Christ? May she not go in unto her King at every hour? Shall she allow the precious privilege to be unused? The church always has need for prayer. There are always some in her midst who are declining, or falling into open sin. There are lambs to be prayed for, that they may be carried in Christ's bosom. The strong, lest they grow presumptuous; and the weak, lest they become despairing. If we kept up prayer-meetings four-and-twenty hours in the day, all the days in the year, we might never be without a special subject for supplication. Are we ever without the sick and the poor, the afflicted and the wavering? Are we ever without those who seek the conversion of relatives, the reclaiming of back-sliders, or the salvation of the depraved? Nay, with congregations constantly gathering, with ministers always preaching, with millions of sinners lying dead in trespasses and sins; in a country over which the darkness of Romanism is certainly descending; in a world full of idols, cruelties, devilries, if the church doth not pray, how shall she excuse her base neglect of the commission of her loving Lord? Let the church be constant in supplication, let every private believer cast his mite of prayer into the treasury.

Keeping you in prayer, Sis

Believer, are you bearing fruit? Do you struggle to do so? Perhaps it is because you are attempting not to bear fruit, but to produce it.

Christian, never forget: the branch does not generate fruit - it bears it. Growth comes from the root. An olive branch does not produce olives, nor do the canes on a grapevine. While the fruit appears on these limbs, growth begins at the trunk, sourced from that which is firmly planted in the soil.

Likewise, apart from Christ, we cannot bear fruit. It is not from ourselves that the fruit grows, though it may be seen through us. It is our root, Jesus Christ, who produces fruit in us. This is why we are instructed to abide in Him and Him in us, because “the branch cannot bear fruit of itself” (Jn. 15:4).

Jesus was very clear on this, exhorting, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5). Read that again and let it sink in: apart from Him, we can do nothing.

So consider, if you do not see fruit in your life, are you abiding in Him? Or are we, like the Jews of Jesus’ time, giving Him lip service while our hearts are far from Him?

Dear brethren, let us take honest inventory of ourselves, and if we find we are not bearing fruit, ask the question: “Are we abiding in Him? Have we been crucified with Him so that it is no longer we who live but He who lives in us?” (Gal. 2:20)

Seek with all your heart to abide in Him, that you may rest in the assurance Jesus gives, that “if you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” (Jn. 15:7-8).

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Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning, November 13

"The branch cannot bear fruit of itself." John 15:4

How did you begin to bear fruit? It was when you came to Jesus and cast yourselves on His great atonement, and rested on His finished righteousness. Ah! what fruit you had then! Do you remember those early days? Then indeed the vine flourished, the tender grape appeared, the pomegranates budded forth, and the beds of spices gave forth their smell. Have you declined since then? If you have, we charge you to remember that time of love, and repent, and do thy first works. Be most in those engagements which you have experimentally proved to draw you nearest to Christ, because it is from Him that all your fruits proceed. Any holy exercise which will bring you to Him will help you to bear fruit. The sun is, no doubt, a great worker in fruit-creating among the trees of the orchard: and Jesus is still more so among the trees of His garden of grace. When have you been the most fruitless? Has not it been when you have lived farthest from the Lord Jesus Christ, when you have slackened in prayer, when you have departed from the simplicity of your faith, when your graces have engrossed your attention instead of your Lord, when you have said, "My mountain standeth firm, I shall never be moved"; and have forgotten where your strength dwells- has not it been then that your fruit has ceased? Some of us have been taught that we have nothing out of Christ, by terrible abasements of heart before the Lord; and when we have seen the utter barrenness and death of all creature power, we have cried in anguish, "From Him all my fruit must be found, for no fruit can ever come from me." We are taught, by past experience, that the more simply we depend upon the grace of God in Christ, and wait upon the Holy Spirit, the more we shall bring forth fruit unto God. Oh! to trust Jesus for fruit as well as for life.