Category Archives: Faith and Practice

While the Pastor’s Away (Part 1)

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This week I am in Minneapolis for the Desiring God Pastor’s Conference.  I have limited internet access and limited time to write, so I’ve scheduled the next three days posts in advance. I thought in my absence you might benefit from a couple of devotions from Charles Spurgeon.

The Door

“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” (John 10:9 KJV)

Jesus, the great I AM, is the entrance into the true church and the way access to God Himself.  He gives to the man who comes to God by Him four choice privileges.

  1. He shall be saved.  Entrance through Jesus into peace is the guarantee of entrance by the same door into heaven.  Jesus is the only door, an open door, a wide door, a safe door; and blessed is he who rests all his hope of admission to glory upon the crucified Redeemer.
  2. He shall go in.  He shall go in among the divine family, participating in all their honors and enjoyments.  He shall go in to the chambers of communion, to the banquets of love, to the treasures of the covenant, to the storehouses of the promises. He shall go in unto the King of kings in the power of the Holy Spirit.
  3. He shall go out.  We go out into the world to labor and suffer, but what a mercy to go in the name and power fo Jesus!  We are called to bear witness to the truth, to cheer the disconsolate, to warn the careless, to win souls, and to glorify God.
  4. He shall find pasture.  He who knows Jesus shall never want.  Having made Jesus his all, he shall find all in Jesus.  His soul shall be as a watered garden and as a well of water whose waters fail not.
About Spurgeon: Charles Spurgeon (June 19, 1834 – January 31, 1892), is considered the most widely read preacher in history, excluding those of the Bible.  He preached his first sermon at the age of sixteen, and by age twenty had delivered over six hundred sermons.  Throughout his lifetime, he preached to over ten million people.
This godly pastor was well acquainted with hardship.  He endured personal and family illness, as well as the enormous task of leading a church whose congregation also faced numerous difficulties.  Spurgeon did not merely instruct his listeners to ask God for the power to withstand adversity, however; he was a living testimony of one who relied on God to be his strength.  Missionary David Livingstone once inquired, “How do you manage to do two men’s work in a single day?”  Spurgeon answered, “You have forgotten that there are two of us.” (Strength for Today, Barbour Publishing Co)

Grandma and Grandpa Sayler’s Lasting Gift

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“I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.”
(2 Timothy 1:5 ESV)

Last night at the Sayler house we had baked potatoes for supper.  We were limited on time and didn’t really want to cook what was on the menu for the evening.  Our options were few, we’re cutting back on eating out, so we decided to have baked potatoes.  Christi got right to work on making the broccoli and cheese topping, while I prepared the potatoes.

As I mentioned we were short on time, so I had to use the microwave.  I forked the potatoes, placed them on the plate, put a steamer lid over them (thank you Tupperware lady) and put them in to cook.  It took 20 minutes on high to cook six potatoes in the microwave, but they were piping hot and ready to go.

Halfway through the meal I thought we might need a couple more baked potatoes in case anyone wanted seconds, so I got up to prepare them.  Then I noticed it: the microwave was dead.  The light wouldn’t come on when I opened the door.  The display panel was blank.  I ran to the basement to check the breaker, everything was still on.  My heart sunk; our microwave was dead.

Now, I’m not one to get too attached to possessions.  We have had the microwave for 16 years, but that’s not why I was sad.  The sad part was it was a gift from my grandparents.

Grandma and Grandpa Sayler weren’t able to come to our wedding.  Christi and I were getting married in Colorado, they lived in Kansas City, and they couldn’t make the trip.  Just a month after the wedding, both were in the hospital.  Grandpa was dying from complications due to Parkinson’s, grandma had the flu.  Christi and I drove up to see them, in fact the whole family was gathered there.  We gathered in their room, said our “goodbyes” to grandpa, prayed and sang. 

In the midst of all this, grandma had one thing on her mind: she just had to give us a check for our wedding gift so we could buy a microwave.  It was what they had decided to give us for our wedding, and she was singularly possessed by her desire to give us a check and to make sure we bought a microwave.  Finally, after much protesting, we graciously took the check and were able to buy the microwave that now sits, overheated, on our kitchen counter.  We said a little thank you to grandma and grandpa every time we used it, now it’s a little sad to see it go.

Still, I have another lasting gift from my grandparents: it is a legacy of faith that they have passed on to me, and I hope to pass on to my children and grandchildren.  Anytime I stop to think about grandma and grandpa Sayler, I recall the devotions before breakfast and supper.  Usually Grandpa read from Guideposts or Our Daily Bread – and as a kid I’d sit through anything just to eat the Cookie Crisp cereal they had bought just for us.  As I grew older, I treasured those moments in devotion and prayer.  If we were ever with Grandma and Grandpa on the weekends, we’d be in church, no excuses.  I remember Grandpa having a heart to heart conversation with me about going to seminary.  (He had been influential in starting a Christian Businessmen’s Ministry to inmates in Kansas City, reaching them with the gospel and training them with job skills, and helping them find work once released – he wanted me to know that I didn’t have to be ordained to be in ministry.)  All in all, I’d say this spiritual influence is a far greater gift from my grandparents than any old appliance – it will surely last longer.

What gift are you passing on to your family?  A lot of the stuff will pass away, but the investment that we make in the hearts of our children and grandchildren is what is lasting.  Pray with and for them.  When they come to visit, bring them to church.  Share your faith with them, let them know what you believe and why.

Psalm 78:5-7 says,

“He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; ”

I am thankful that my grandparents and my parents taught me to set my hope in God and not forget His mighty works.  Let us pledge to pass that gift on to the generations that follow.

SDG