Give Honor To Whom Honor Is Due

"Salvation is of the Lord. If I am prayerful, God makes me prayerful; if I have graces, they are God's gifts to me; if I hold on in a consistent life, it is because he upholds me with his hand. I do nothing whatever towards my own preservation, except what God himself first does in me. Whatever I have, all my goodness is of the Lord alone. Wherein I sin, that is my own; but wherein I act rightly, that is of God, wholly and completely. If I have repulsed a spiritual enemy, the Lord's strength nerved my arm. Do I live before men a consecrated life? It is not I, but Christ who liveth in me. Am I sanctified? I did not cleanse myself: God's Holy Spirit sanctifies me. Am I weaned from the world? I am weaned by God's chastisements sanctified to my good. Do I grow in knowledge? The great Instructor teaches me." -Charles Spurgeon

This morning I was reminded that there is nothing in me but sin and misery. Of course I don't like to be reminded of that fact, but it's true. Apart from God working in me, there is nothing good. A lot of people have trouble reconciling how a loving God could save some and not others? As if everyone is running toward the gates of heaven to get in and God is turning them away, but that is not what's happening. Instead, we were all running "away" from God and toward hell as fast as we could and in His mercy He reaches out and saves this one and that one. I don't know why God has saved me...but I know that I never would have chosen Him on my own and He deserves all my attention, affection and praise. Psalm 25:5 for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long...

"I find in God all that I want; but I find in myself nothing but sin and misery. He only is my rock and my salvation. Where do I gather my might? My help cometh from heaven's hills: without Jesus I can do nothing. As a branch cannot bring forth fruit except it abide in the vine, no more can I, except I abide in him. What Jonah learned in the great deep, let me learn this morning in my closet: Salvation is of the Lord." - Charles Spurgeon