Thursday, July 17, 2008

Look to Christ

A quote worth pondering from CH Spurgeon:

It is ever the Holy Spirit's work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan's work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ. He insinuates, “Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you'll never be able to continue to the end; you have not the joy of His children; you have such a wavering hold on Jesus.” All these are thoughts about self, and we will never find comfort or assurance by looking within. But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: He tells us that we are nothing, but that “Christ is all in all.” Remember, therefore, it is not your hold on Christ that saves you — it is Christ; it is not your joy in Christ that saves you — it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument — it is Christ's blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to your hand with which you are grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to your hope, but Jesus, the source of your hope — look not to your faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. We will never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by “looking unto Jesus.” Keep your eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh on your mind; when you wake in the morning look to Him; when you lie down at night look to Him. He will never fail you.

3 comments:

The Taras' said...

Justin,

I am so glad that you posted this! What encouragement I needed today! I copied it and printed it out. Thanks for always sharing such encouraging tidbits!

pastor justin said...

My pleasure.

(What a hedonistic thing to say...)

BoldLion said...

It is amazing how much I am learning as I am reading your blog online especially when you quote someone else comment. Thank you for sharing this with us.

Hungry to eat His Word!
'Guerite ~ BoldLion