You must be close to Him to see Him as He is. He is Love. No effort of your own but to stay close to Him.
If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful —
for he cannot deny himself.
— 2 Timothy 2:11–13 🙏
✦ A Sunday of Delight
The Lord's Day at the foot of Mont-Saint-Michel — and Spurgeon brings three readings that move like a Sunday service: first we look at Christ, then we confess we cannot stand without Him, then we are commanded to be glad.
Four days at the rock, and the readings have climbed: the new heart (October 1), His happy people (October 2), the illuminated Word (October 3) — and now, on Sunday, the glad command. God has made it our duty to be happy. 🙏
"A view of Christ is always beneficial to a Christian — we can never have too much of Christ. There is no repetition where His name is mentioned. Give us Christ always, Christ forever. The 'monotony' of Christ is sweet variety, and even the unity of Christ contains every element of harmony. Christ on His cross and on His throne, in the manger and in the tomb — Christ everywhere is sweet to us."
"There are some who complain that their love for the Savior is faint and cold. But this would not be the case if they spent more time with Jesus. The closer you live to Christ, and the more you know Him, the better you will love Him. Do not try to produce in yourself a certain degree of love for Christ by some extraordinary effort. Instead, go into His presence, meditate on Him continually, picture His sufferings for you, and then you will love Him — it will become natural... And your love for Him will grow in direct proportion to how much you grasp His love for you."
"We love him, because he first loved us."
"God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."
✦ Close Enough to See Him as He Is
Spurgeon gives the secret of a warm heart — and it is not effort. Do not try to produce in yourself a certain degree of love by some extraordinary effort. And Le says it in one line: no effort of your own but to stay close to Him.
Distance distorts. From far away, God can look like a judge, a rule-giver, a silence. Up close, He is seen as He is — and He is Love. Le's word is the key to Spurgeon's: love for Christ grows not by straining but by nearness, because the One we draw near to is Love itself. Stand close to a fire and you are warmed. That is not your effort. That is the fire.
Two days ago — I will obey because I love You. Today Spurgeon shows where that love comes from: it grows in direct proportion to how much we grasp His love for us. September 29 — the intercession understood for the first time. The love grew that day, because the grasp grew. Le loves much because she has seen much. We love him, because he first loved us. 🙏
"O Lord! How small the best of us are without You! How high we rise when You lift us up! How low we fall if You withdraw Your hand! It is our joy, in the midst of distress, when You enable us to say, 'Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him' (Job 13:15). But if You take away Your Spirit, we cannot even trust You on the brightest day.
When storms gather around us, we can smile at them if You are with us. But on the fairest morning that ever shone on a human heart, we doubt and we fail if You are not with us still — to preserve and strengthen the faith that You Yourself have given."
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
✦ Even the Faith Is His
Spurgeon's prayer is a confession — and a relief. The faith we have is not ours to keep alive. He authored it. He finishes it. He preserves it. We can smile at storms if He is with us — and doubt on the brightest morning if He is not.
So the question is never is the weather fair? — the house found, the road clear, the waiting over. The question is only: is He with us? And He is. The High Priest who always lives to intercede (September 29). The Advocate who stops the mule's foot (October 3). Looking unto Jesus — the same looking that grows love also keeps faith. 🙏
"If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful — for he cannot deny himself."
✦ He Remains Faithful
Le brings Paul's hymn — and it answers Spurgeon's prayer. Spurgeon confessed: we doubt and we fail if You are not with us. Paul replies: even when we are faithless, He remains faithful — for He cannot deny Himself.
The faithfulness does not rest on us. It rests on who He is. And Le has already said who He is: He is Love. Love cannot deny itself. So the One who authored our faith will finish it — not because our grip is strong, but because His nature is unchangeable.
Died with Him — the old house demolished (October 1). Live with Him — the new heart given. Endure — walking patiently. Reign with Him — the crown already made, hanging in glory (October 2). Paul's four lines hold the whole week. 🙏
"'Delight yourself also in the LORD' (Psalm 37:4). This single command is no harsh law to be carved on tablets of stone. It contains a commandment so bright it is worthy to be written on jewels and pearls. When delight becomes a duty, duty must certainly be a delight. When it becomes my obligation to be happy, and I have an express command to be glad, I must indeed be foolish if I refuse my own joy and turn away from my own happiness.
What a God we have, who has made it our duty to be happy! What a gracious God, who considers no obedience so worthy of His acceptance as the glad obedience of a joyous heart."
✦ Commanded to Be Glad
Not carved on stone — written on jewels and pearls. The God who commands obedience commands this: be happy in Me. Spurgeon's logic is irresistible: if delight is a duty, then duty is a delight. Refusing joy would be the disobedience.
October 2 — Comfort, yes, comfort My people... His happy people. October 2 — I will obey because I love You. And now the two meet: the obedience God accepts most gladly is the glad obedience of a joyous heart. Love obeys. Joy obeys. And on this Sunday at the foot of the rock, the command is simple: delight thyself also in the LORD. 🙏
"You must be close to Him to see Him as He is. He is Love. No effort of your own but to stay close to Him."
Le · Beauvoir · Mont-Saint-Michel · Sunday · If we are faithless, He remains faithfulClose Enough to See
No effort but to stay close. Up close, He is seen as He is — and He is Love. Love for Him grows by nearness, not by straining.
He Remains Faithful
He authors our faith and finishes it. Even when we are faithless, He remains faithful — for He cannot deny Himself.
The Glad Command
Written on jewels and pearls, not stone. When delight becomes a duty, duty becomes a delight. God accepts most gladly the obedience of a joyous heart.
A Sunday sequence: Look at Christ. Confess you cannot stand without Him. Be glad in Him. Spurgeon's three readings follow the shape of worship itself — and they land on the Lord's Day.
Le's word — stay close: Spurgeon frees the heart that feels cold from trying harder. Le says it more simply: no effort of your own but to stay close to Him. Nearness is the only discipline — because up close, He is seen as He is, and He is Love. That is what this journal has been for seven months: a daily look at Christ. And the fruit came two days ago in seven words — I will obey because I love You.
The fair morning and the storm: Spurgeon's honesty is a gift for a season of transition. The fair weather does not guarantee faith, and the storm does not destroy it. Only His presence decides. The house, the road, the waiting — none of these is the measure. He is.
Paul's answer to Spurgeon's fear: Spurgeon prayed honestly — without You we doubt even on the brightest day. Le answered with 2 Timothy: if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. Love cannot deny itself. The faith He began, He keeps.
Happiness as obedience: The arc of these four days at the rock: a new heart, a comforted people, an illuminated Word — and now a command to be glad. God does not merely permit joy. He requires it. 🙏