Brothers and sisters, are you walking in the light as He is in the light? We can never perfectly emulate Him, because He is the light (Jn. 1:9). But we are told to walk in the light, it shows we may have fellowship with one another, and that we are cleansed by His blood. Those who claim to be in the light yet walk in the ways of darkness deceive themselves (1 Jn. 1:6,8).

John tells us that those who practice what is good come into the light so it can be seen that their deeds are done through the power granted by God. Those who practice evil remain in the darkness so their deeds will not be exposed. (Jn. 3:20-21).

Do not avoid the light. Those who truly believe cannot. But let us, as Jesus admonished, walk in the light while we yet have it so that the darkness will not overtake us, and so that we may be sons of Light (Jn. 12:35-36).

For our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ, if we are in the faith (1 Jn. 1:3).

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Spurgeon's Morning and Evening Devotions

Evening, August 31

"If we walk in the light, as He is in the light." 1 John 1:7

As He is in the light! Can we ever attain to this? Shall we ever be able to walk as clearly in the light as He is whom we call "Our Father," of whom it is written, "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all"? Certainly, this is the model which is set before us, for the Saviour Himself said, "Be ye perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect"; and although we may feel that we can never rival the perfection of God, yet we are to seek after it, and never to be satisfied until we attain to it. The youthful artist, as he grasps his early pencil, can hardly hope to equal Raphael or Michael Angelo, but still, if he did not have a noble beau ideal before his mind, he would only attain to something very mean and ordinary. But what is meant by the expression that the Christian is to walk in light as God is in the light? We conceive it to import likeness, but not degree. We are as truly in the light, we are as heartily in the light, we are as sincerely in the light, as honestly in the light, though we cannot be there in the same measure. I cannot dwell in the sun, it is too bright a place for my residence, but I can walk in the light of the sun; and so, though I cannot attain to that perfection of purity and truth which belongs to the Lord of hosts by nature as the infinitely good, yet I can set the Lord always before me, and strive, by the help of the indwelling Spirit, after conformity to His image. That famous old commentator, John Trapp, says, "We may be in the light as God is in the light for quality, but not for equality." We are to have the same light, and are as truly to have it and walk in it as God does, though, as for equality with God in His holiness and purity, that must be left until we cross the Jordan and enter into the perfection of the Most High. Mark that the blessings of sacred fellowship and perfect cleansing are bound up with walking in the light.

Heard Joe Luter passed away. For those who do not know him, he was the head of Smithfield Foods for many years, a company l worked at for about a decade. Though l did not know Mr Luter personally, l saw him a lot when l worked there.
The man was worth hundreds of millions. Now other people will inherit what he left. When a well known rich person dies, and it happens often, it is a reminder that the rich and poor have the same ending, death. However our souls live on. Jesus gave a parable about a rich man and a poor man, both of whom died. One went to hell and the other was in paradise, in Abraham’s bosom as the Lord described it. What do you stand before God? Have you believed on Jesus? Is Christ your Lord and Savior? No better time than now to turn to Christ for salvation while you still have breathe. I saw this scripture this weekend in 2 Corinthians 6:2b. Take heed to it if you are uncertain of your salvation.

“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Christian, do you fully trust in the One who promised that He would "redeem you with an outstretched arm?" (Ex. 6:6) By the strength of His arm He gives us strength (Ps. 89:21). He promises to gather us with His arm and carry us (Isa. 40:11). And by His arm He will judge (Isa. 51:5).

The arm of the Lord is strong; who can stand against it? What other god is there who, with outstretched arm, can perform the wonders of our God?

Praise Him, for He alone is God! He alone saves. Humble yourself at the foot of His throne and let Him uphold you with His mighty arm!

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." - Isa. 41:10

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Spurgeon's Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning, August 31

"On mine arm shall they trust." Isaiah 51:5

In seasons of severe trial, the Christian has nothing on earth that he can trust to, and is therefore compelled to cast himself on his God alone. When his vessel is on its beam-ends, and no human deliverance can avail, he must simply and entirely trust himself to the providence and care of God. Happy storm that wrecks a man on such a rock as this! O blessed hurricane that drives the soul to God and God alone! There is no getting at our God sometimes because of the multitude of our friends; but when a man is so poor, so friendless, so helpless that he has nowhere else to turn, he flies into his Father's arms, and is blessedly clasped therein! When he is burdened with troubles so pressing and so peculiar, that he cannot tell them to any but his God, he may be thankful for them; for he will learn more of his Lord then than at any other time. Oh, tempest-tossed believer, it is a happy trouble that drives thee to thy Father! Now that thou hast only thy God to trust to, see that thou puttest thy full confidence in Him. Dishonour not thy Lord and Master by unworthy doubts and fears; but be strong in faith, giving glory to God. Show the world that thy God is worth ten thousand worlds to thee. Show rich men how rich thou art in thy poverty when the Lord God is thy helper. Show the strong man how strong thou art in thy weakness when underneath thee are the everlasting arms. Now is the time for feats of faith and valiant exploits. Be strong and very courageous, and the Lord thy God shall certainly, as surely as He built the heavens and the earth, glorify Himself in thy weakness, and magnify his might in the midst of thy distress. The grandeur of the arch of heaven would be spoiled if the sky were supported by a single visible column, and your faith would lose its glory if it rested on anything discernible by the carnal eye. May the Holy Spirit give you to rest in Jesus this closing day of the month.

Florida workers disassemble rainbow brick roads.

Not painting over it...

Not sand-blasting the colors off...

Ripping the whole thing out as if the street has been desecrated.

Believer, do you suffer with illness? So did Timothy (1 Tim. 5:23). Do you have physical limitations or incapacity? Paul experienced the same (2 Cor. 12:7-10). Some will tell you that you simply need faith, and you will be healed, citing 1 Peter 2:24 - "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed."

But this speaks of spiritual illness. The context dictates, as the very next verse says, "For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls." In this sense, it is true - God promises healing for every believer.

The promise of physical healing, however, may not be fulfilled in this mortal life. Paul himself did not experience it. Timothy was not miraculously relieved of his frequent stomach ailments.

While Jesus did heal a variety of ailments during His earthly ministry, these fulfilled the prophecies of such healing, as Scripture tells us: "This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: 'HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.'" (Mat. 8:17).

There is a greater purpose at work, one that is often found in infirmity. Job, when afflicted with boils from head to toe, whose wife told him to "curse God and die," instead replied, "shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" (Job 2:9-10). While also being chastised by his friends, he responded, "Though He slay me, I will hope in Him" (Job 13:15).

Paul likewise, though he prayed for his thorn to be removed, having his request denied, proclaimed that he would revel in his weakness that God might be shown to be strong!

God is glorified in our weakness when we but trust in Him and show that trust through our words and actions.

In the end, we will all be healed. For our flesh will no longer be subject to corruption. Until then, we live in a fallen world of which illness, injury, and incapacity are part and parcel. Regardless of our circumstances then, let us glorify Him!
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Spurgeon's Morning and Evening Devotions

Evening, August 30

"Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed." Jeremiah 17:14

"I have seen His ways, and will heal him." Isaiah 57:18

It is the sole prerogative of God to remove spiritual disease. Natural disease may be instrumentally healed by men, but even then the honour is to be given to God who giveth virtue unto medicine, and bestoweth power unto the human frame to cast off disease. As for spiritual sicknesses, these remain with the great Physician alone; He claims it as His prerogative, "I kill and I make alive, I wound and I heal"; and one of the Lord's choice titles is Jehovah-Rophi, the Lord that healeth thee. "I will heal thee of thy wounds," is a promise which could not come from the lip of man, but only from the mouth of the eternal God. On this account the psalmist cried unto the Lord, "O Lord, heal me, for my bones are sore vexed," and again, "Heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee." For this, also, the godly praise the name of the Lord, saying, "He healeth all our diseases." He who made man can restore man; He who was at first the creator of our nature can new create it. What a transcendent comfort it is that in the person of Jesus "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily"! My soul, whatever thy disease may be, this great Physician can heal thee. If He be God, there can be no limit to His power. Come then with the blind eye of darkened understanding, come with the limping foot of wasted energy, come with the maimed hand of weak faith, the fever of an angry temper, or the ague of shivering despondency, come just as thou art, for He who is God can certainly restore thee of thy plague. None shall restrain the healing virtue which proceeds from Jesus our Lord. Legions of devils have been made to own the power of the beloved Physician, and never once has He been baffled. All His patients have been cured in the past and shall be in the future, and thou shalt be one among them, my friend, if thou wilt but rest thyself in Him this night.

I am so blessed to have a boss who thinks of me and appreciates my effort. I serve because I like to serve, but she never lets me forget how much she appreciates my service.

Christian, are you prone to rushing in? Can you find patience when God seems silent? Do you expect your prayers to be answered immediately, according to your schedule? Neither fret nor despair when you are not hearing His voice. He always has a reason. We must learn to wait upon the Lord and follow His guidance, because He works according to His plan and His timeline.

Forget not all the trouble Abraham and Sarah caused themselves (and the world to this day) by failing to wait on God and instead attempting to fulfill His promise in their own way (Gen. 16).

Remember how Paul sought the Lord to remove his thorn, not once, not twice, not three times before God told Him that it would not be removed but that Paul, in his weakness, should rely upon God's strength (2 Cor. 12:7-10).

We cannot force God to move. God does not bow to us. He is sovereign; we are not. Wait upon the Lord and see the good He has in store for you.
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Spurgeon's Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning, August 30

"Wait on the Lord." Psalm 27:14

It may seem an easy thing to wait, but it is one of the postures which a Christian soldier learns not without years of teaching. Marching and quick-marching are much easier to God's warriors than standing still. There are hours of perplexity when the most willing spirit, anxiously desirous to serve the Lord, knows not what part to take. Then what shall it do? Vex itself by despair? Fly back in cowardice, turn to the right hand in fear, or rush forward in presumption? No, but simply wait. Wait in prayer, however. Call upon God, and spread the case before Him; tell Him your difficulty, and plead His promise of aid. In dilemmas between one duty and another, it is sweet to be humble as a child, and wait with simplicity of soul upon the Lord. It is sure to be well with us when we feel and know our own folly, and are heartily willing to be guided by the will of God. But wait in faith. Express your unstaggering confidence in Him; for unfaithful, untrusting waiting, is but an insult to the Lord. Believe that if He keep you tarrying even till midnight, yet He will come at the right time; the vision shall come and shall not tarry. Wait in quiet patience, not rebelling because you are under the affliction, but blessing your God for it. Never murmur against the second cause, as the children of Israel did against Moses; never wish you could go back to the world again, but accept the case as it is, and put it as it stands, simply and with your whole heart, without any self-will, into the hand of your covenant God, saying, "Now, Lord, not my will, but Thine be done. I know not what to do; I am brought to extremities, but I will wait until Thou shalt cleave the floods, or drive back my foes. I will wait, if Thou keep me many a day, for my heart is fixed upon Thee alone, O God, and my spirit waiteth for Thee in the full conviction that Thou wilt yet be my joy and my salvation, my refuge and my strong tower."

Spurgeon's Morning and Evening Devotions

Evening, August 29

"All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk." Numbers 6:4

Nazarites had taken, among other vows, one which debarred them from the use of wine. In order that they might not violate the obligation, they were forbidden to drink the vinegar of wine or strong liquors, and to make the rule still more clear, they were not to touch the unfermented juice of grapes, nor even to eat the fruit either fresh or dried. In order, altogether, to secure the integrity of the vow, they were not even allowed anything that had to do with the vine; they were, in fact, to avoid the appearance of evil. Surely this is a lesson to the Lord's separated ones, teaching them to come away from sin in every form, to avoid not merely its grosser shapes, but even its spirit and similitude. Strict walking is much despised in these days, but rest assured, dear reader, it is both the safest and the happiest. He who yields a point or two to the world is in fearful peril; he who eats the grapes of Sodom will soon drink the wine of Gomorrah. A little crevice in the sea-bank in Holland lets in the sea, and the gap speedily swells till a province is drowned. Worldly conformity, in any degree, is a snare to the soul, and makes it more and more liable to presumptuous sins. Moreover, as the Nazarite who drank grape juice could not be quite sure whether it might not have endured a degree of fermentation, and consequently could not be clear in heart that his vow was intact, so the yielding, temporizing Christian cannot wear a conscience void of offence, but must feel that the inward monitor is in doubt of him. Things doubtful we need not doubt about; they are wrong to us. Things tempting we must not dally with, but flee from them with speed. Better be sneered at as a Puritan than be despised as a hypocrite. Careful walking may involve much self-denial, but it has pleasures of its own which are more than a sufficient recompense.

Saint, do you believe your salvation has anything to do with your worthiness? Or that the condemnation of others is more deserved than the condemnation you yourself have earned? Are you any more worthy than any other?

Let us be like the tax collector of whom Jesus spoke who, unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, said, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" (Lk. 18:13).

By the grace of God, and the blood of Christ, we have direct access now to God's throne room. We may come before Him and present directly to Him our needs, our concerns, our desires. But let us never forget that it is by His grace, by His mercy, that we have been granted this access. It is not because of who we are or what we've done, but because of His great mercy (Rom. 9:16; Eph. 2:8,9; Tit. 3:5).
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Spurgeon's Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning, August 29

"Have mercy upon me, O God." Psalm 51:1

When Dr. Carey was suffering from a dangerous illness, the enquiry was made, "If this sickness should prove fatal, what passage would you select as the text for your funeral sermon?" He replied, "Oh, I feel that such a poor sinful creature is unworthy to have anything said about him; but if a funeral sermon must be preached, let it be from the words, 'Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness; according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.'" In the same spirit of humility he directed in his will that the following inscription and nothing more should be cut on his gravestone:

WILLIAM CAREY, BORN AUGUST 17th, 1761: DIED-
"A wretched, poor, and helpless worm On Thy kind arms I fall."

Only on the footing of free grace can the most experienced and most honoured of the saints approach their God. The best of men are conscious above all others that they are men at the best. Empty boats float high, but heavily laden vessels are low in the water; mere professors can boast, but true children of God cry for mercy upon their unprofitableness. We have need that the Lord should have mercy upon our good works, our prayers, our preachings, our alms-givings, and our holiest things. The blood was not only sprinkled upon the doorposts of Israel's dwelling houses, but upon the sanctuary, the mercy-seat, and the altar, because as sin intrudes into our holiest things, the blood of Jesus is needed to purify them from defilement. If mercy be needed to be exercised towards our duties, what shall be said of our sins? How sweet the remembrance that inexhaustible mercy is waiting to be gracious to us, to restore our backslidings, and make our broken bones rejoice!

So the Minneapolis shooter got Guns and killed poeple he was depressed, enraged, angry at god because Christian faith, teachings and beliefs forbid men who are lovers of men, trans individuals; forcing him to buy, arm, equip, and plan a massacre. All righty then, it’s clear, ban transition treatments and if they get a sex change we need a national registry to ban gays from getting guns, make it illegal. Problem solved, don’t need to ban guns.