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May 22nd, 2026
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Socialism
by Pilgrim - Mon Aug 17, 2026 2:55 PM
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"The sweet psalmist of Israel."
Pilgrim
4 hours ago
08/20/AM
"The sweet psalmist of Israel."
—2 Samuel 23:1-2 (KJV) "1 Now these [be] the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man [who was] raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, 2 The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word [was] in my tongue."
Among all the saints whose lives are recorded in Holy Writ, David possesses an experience of the most striking, varied, and instructive character. In his history we meet with trials and temptations not to be discovered, as a whole, in other saints of ancient times, and hence he is all the more suggestive a type of our Lord. David knew the trials of all ranks and conditions of men. Kings have their troubles, and David wore a crown: the peasant has his cares, and David handled a shepherd's crook: the wanderer has many hardships, and David abode in the caves of Engedi: the captain has his difficulties, and David found the sons of Zeruiah too hard for him. The psalmist was also tried in his friends, his counsellor Ahithophel forsook him, "He that eateth bread with me, hath lifted up his heel against me." His worst foes were they of his own household: his children were his greatest affliction. The temptations of poverty and wealth, of honour and reproach, of health and weakness, all tried their power upon him. He had temptations from without to disturb his peace, and from within to mar his joy. David no sooner escaped from one trial than he fell into another; no sooner emerged from one season of despondency and alarm, than he was again brought into the lowest depths, and all God's waves and billows rolled over him. It is probably from this cause that David's psalms are so universally the delight of experienced Christians. Whatever our frame of mind, whether ecstasy or depression, David has exactly described our emotions. He was an able master of the human heart, because he had been tutored in the best of all schools--the school of heart-felt, personal experience. As we are instructed in the same school, as we grow matured in grace and in years, we increasingly appreciate David's psalms, and find them to be "green pastures." My soul, let David's experience cheer and counsel thee this day.
- Charles H. Spurgeon
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"He shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord."
Pilgrim
Yesterday at 09:45 AM
08/19/AM
"He shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord."
—Micah 5:2-4 (KJV) " 2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, [though] thou be little among the thousands of Judah, [yet] out of thee shall he come forth unto me [that is] to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth [have been] from of old, from everlasting. 3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time [that] she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. 4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth."
Christ's reign in His Church is that of a shepherd-king. He has supremacy, but it is the superiority of a wise and tender shepherd over his needy and loving flock; He commands and receives obedience, but it is the willing obedience of the well-cared-for sheep, rendered joyfully to their beloved Shepherd, whose voice they know so well. He rules by the force of love and the energy of goodness.
His reign is practical in its character. It is said, "He shall stand and feed." The great Head of the Church is actively engaged in providing for His people. He does not sit down upon the throne in empty state, or hold a sceptre without wielding it in government. No, He stands and feeds. The expression "feed," in the original, is like an analogous one in the Greek, which means to shepherdize, to do everything expected of a shepherd: to guide, to watch, to preserve, to restore, to tend, as well as to feed.
His reign is continual in its duration. It is said, "He shall stand and feed"; not "He shall feed now and then, and leave His position"; not, "He shall one day grant a revival, and then next day leave His Church to barrenness." His eyes never slumber, and His hands never rest; His heart never ceases to beat with love, and His shoulders are never weary of carrying His people's burdens.
His reign is effectually powerful in its action; "He shall feed in the strength of Jehovah." Wherever Christ is, there is God; and whatever Christ does is the act of the Most High. Oh! it is a joyful truth to consider that He who stands to-day representing the interests of His people is very God of very God, to whom every knee shall bow. Happy are we who belong to such a shepherd, whose humanity communes with us, and whose divinity protects us. Let us worship and bow down before Him as the people of His pasture.
- Charles H. Spurgeon
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Holy comfort
chestnutmare
Tue Aug 18, 2026 10:52 PM
Holy comfort leads the believer to regularly examine themselves honestly, while false joy encourages the hypocrite to avoid such self-examination. True consolation is lasting, fixed in the heart by the Holy Spirit so that it is never completely lost, and it is so strong that it overcomes almost all fear and sorrow. If a believer loses sight of their relationship with Christ, they may lose the sense of joy, but the root of that joy still remains. On the other hand, the hypocrite’s sense of comfort vanishes even if they still think they have God’s favor—the joy itself turns empty. The more a believer experiences holy comfort, the more their duty becomes their delight. Renewed in mind and heart, the clearer they see God’s beauty in Christ, and the more firmly they believe in his love for them, the more they love and delight in God. As they recognize the infinite goodness and holiness of God, and truly believe in His redeeming love, their approval and joy in God grows. The more they are able to trust that God loves them in Christ, the richer their spiritual comfort. And the more they rejoice in God, the more they delight in Him as their own Father.
~ John Colquhoun
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True consolation
chestnutmare
Tue Aug 18, 2026 10:49 PM
True consolation is glorious; it is both the beginning and the promise of future glory. Counterfeit joy is base and fleeting. True comfort is holy—it promotes holiness and a willingness to obey God. It energizes and motivates believers in their pursuit of holiness. The joy of the hypocrite is not holy. It leaves the heart just as worldly and the life just as unholy as before—sometimes even strengthening selfish desires and encouraging laziness or secret wrongdoing. True comfort humbles the sincere Christian, bringing them low before God’s holiness and grace, while counterfeit joy only makes the hypocrite proud and self-satisfied. Real consolation is always accompanied by a reverent fear of displeasing God; fake joy only fears God’s punishment, not His displeasure. Spiritual comfort cannot be maintained without a sensitive conscience and a continual struggle against sin, but hypocritical joy needs neither. True comfort makes every sin more hateful, while false joy allows the hypocrite to continue loving sin, especially their favorite hidden sins.
~ John Colquhoun
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True spiritual comfort
chestnutmare
Tue Aug 18, 2026 10:47 PM
The distinguishing qualities of true spiritual comfort, as opposed to the fleeting joy of the hypocrite, are these: True consolation is real and solid; even when the believer’s sadness seems deep, his joy is deeper and more genuine. The hypocrite’s joy is only on the surface and quickly fades. True joy is rooted in the beauty and excellence of Christ Himself, not just in the experience of joy. The true Christian delights most in who Christ is, not merely in the benefits received. A hypocrite delights more in his own experience or supposed interest in Christ than in Christ Himself. True comfort usually comes along with, or after, genuine sorrow for sin. The hypocrite’s joy appears quickly and without repentance. If the hypocrite tries to mourn for sin, it takes away his joy, but the believer finds joy even in repentance and a softened heart. True comfort is hidden from those who are not born again. The world cannot understand or interfere with the spiritual joy of a true Christian. The comfort of the sincere Christian is deep and inexpressible, while the joy of the hypocrite and worldling is shallow and easily explained.
~ John Colquhoun
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