Stirring the Waters Charles Spurgeon: The following post is derived from Spurgeon’s, At the Master’s Feet – A daily Devotional (April 27). I’ve taken minor editing liberties.
Remove impurities from silver, and a vessel will be produced for a silversmith. Proverbs 25:4
From Charles Spurgeon’s devotional
God will visit his children’s transgressions. He will frequently let common sinners go on throughout life unrebuked, but not so his children.
If you were going home today and saw a number of boys throwing stones and breaking windows, you might not interfere with them. But if you saw your own lad among them, I will be bound you would fetch him out and make him repent of it.
Perhaps chastisement may be sent by reason of sin as yet undeveloped, some latent proneness to evil. Grief may be sent to unearth the sin, that you may hunt it down.
Have you any idea what a devil you are by nature? None of us know what we are capable of if left by grace. We think we have a sweet temper, an amiable disposition! We shall see.
We fall into provoking company, and are so teased and insulted, and so cleverly touched in our raw places, that we become mad with wrath. And our fine, amiable temper vanishes in smoke, not without leaving blacks [misdeeds, sins etc] behind.
Is it not a dreadful thing to be so stirred up? Yes it is, but if our hearts were pure, no sort of stirring would pollute them. Stir pure water as long as you like and no mud will rise.
Evil is bad when seen, but it was quite as bad when not seen. It may be a great comfort to a man to know what sin is in him, for then he will humble himself before his God and begin to combat his propensities.
Sometimes, therefore, trial may be sent that we may discern the sin that dwells in us and may seek its destruction.
Two personal thoughts
1) The following advice by John Flavel is one I should always remember. Yet I often fail to heed it:
Avoid every thing which is calculated to irritate your feelings. It is true spiritual valour to keep as far as we can out of sin’s way.
2) Sometimes I come across the idea (in certain circles) that a person can express faith in Christ once. But that it doesn’t have to be a continual (lasting) belief for them to remain saved.
No one should judge a person’s salvation based on what appears to be backsliding. However Spurgeon makes a good point in his opening comments. God disciplines those He loves. The following verses are sobering.
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. 1 John 2:19
For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives. It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Heb 12:6-8
Maranatha!
Further Resources:
Can a believer lose their salvation?
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