Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

April 18
He Never Fails

I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. (Joshua 1:5)

This word to Joshua is often quoted; it is the basis of that New Testament word "He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

Beloved, a life of warfare is before us, but the Lord of Hosts is with us. Are we called to lead a great but fickle people? This promise guarantees us all the wisdom and prudence that we shall need. Have we to contend with cunning and powerful enemies? Here is strength and valor, prowess and victory. Have we a vast heritage to win? By this sign we shall achieve our purpose; the Lord Himself is with us.

It would be woe to us indeed if Jehovah could fail us; but, as this can never be, the winds of disquietude are laid to sleep in the caverns of divine faithfulness. On no one occasion will the Lord desert us. Happen what may, He will be at our side. Friends drop from us, their help is but an April shower; but God is faithful, Jesus is the same forever, and the Holy Spirit abideth in us.

Come, my heart, be calm and hopeful today. Clouds may gather, but the Lord can blow them away. Since God will not fail me, my faith shall not fail; and as He will not forsake me, neither will I forsake Him. Oh, for a restful faith!

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

April 17
Enemies at Peace

When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. (Proverbs 16:7)

I must see that my ways please the Lord. Even then I shall have enemies; and, perhaps, all the more certainly because I endeavor to do that which is right. But what a promise this is! The Lord will make the wrath of man to praise Him and abate it so that it shall not distress me.

He can constrain an enemy to desist from harming me, even though he has a mind to do so. This He did with Laban, who pursued Jacob but did not dare to touch him. Or He can subdue the wrath of the enemy and make him friendly, as He did with Esau, who met Jacob in a brotherly manner, though Jacob had dreaded that he would smite him and his family with the sword. The Lord can also convert a furious adversary into a brother in Christ and a fellow worker, as He did with Saul of Tarsus. Oh, that He would do this in every case where a persecuting spirit appears!

Happy is the man whose enemies are made to be to him what the lions were to Daniel in the den, quiet and companionable! When I meet death, who is called the last enemy, I pray that I may be at peace. Only let my great care be to please the Lord in all things. Oh, for faith and holiness; for these are a pleasure unto the Most High!

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Kyrie Eleison

 Kyrie Eleison--Lord Have Mercy

When senseless things make no sense, we look to You, our Sovereign God, and rest in the knowledge that You are  Holy and Your judgments are righteous.  We trust You, Lord, and ask that You would comfort those who mourn, heal those who are injured in body and mind, and cause each one of us to consider our days and serve You out of changed hearts.

In Christ's matchless Name, Amen

The Experimental Pickle

Sounds like a good name for a "SPONGEBOBsquarepants" episode, doesn't it?  Well, it's not.  Last week, Rebecca posted a recipe for pickled eggs.  Now, I am a famous pickled eggs fan, so when I read that she made hers by soaking them in pickle juice instead of in a bottle of pickled beets, like I do, I was curious.  So curious that I promptly boiled some eggs and set about doing an experiment.  I decided to do dill pickle eggs and beet pickle eggs.  While I was searching in the 'fridge for dill pickle juice, I found a jar of hot garden mix juice, which I saved the last time I made Jules' Macaroni Salad.  Two more eggs went into that jar and then I waited.

 

 

My mom, sister, and niece were here for a visit and we sampled on Friday.  We liked them all.  My personal favorite is the hot pickled egg made in the garden mix.  They are hot and yummy and would be a fantastic addition to  Jules' Macaroni Salad (I already have made an addition to her macaroni salad recipe by adding two links of Hormel pepperoni, cut into cubes--maybe I should start calling it Kim's Macaroni Salad. . .)

Doxological Hymn: Awake, My Soul, and With the Sun

I found this hymn this morning at The Happy Wonderer, where you can learn the whole story.  

 

 AWAKE, MY SOUL, AND WITH THE SUN

 

Awake, my soul, and with the sun
Thy daily stage of duty run;
Shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise,
To pay thy morning sacrifice.

Thy precious time misspent, redeem,
Each present day thy last esteem,
Improve thy talent with due care;
For the great day thyself prepare.

By influence of the Light divine
Let thy own light to others shine.
Reflect all Heaven’s propitious ways
In ardent love, and cheerful praise.

In conversation be sincere;
Keep conscience as the noontide clear;
Think how all seeing God thy ways
And all thy secret thoughts surveys.

Wake, and lift up thyself, my heart,
And with the angels bear thy part,
Who all night long unwearied sing
High praise to the eternal King.

All praise to Thee, Who safe has kept
And hast refreshed me while I slept
Grant, Lord, when I from death shall wake
I may of endless light partake.

Heav’n is, dear Lord, where’er Thou art,
O never then from me depart;
For to my soul ’tis hell to be
But for one moment void of Thee.

Lord, I my vows to Thee renew;
Disperse my sins as morning dew.
Guard my first springs of thought and will,
And with Thyself my spirit fill.

Direct, control, suggest, this day,
All I design, or do, or say,
That all my powers, with all their might,
In Thy sole glory may unite.

I would not wake nor rise again
And Heaven itself I would disdain,
Wert Thou not there to be enjoyed,
And I in hymns to be employed.

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Thomas Ken,1674 

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

April 16
All Turned to Holiness

In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, holiness unto the Lord, (Zechariah 14:20)

HAPPY day when all things shall be consecrated, and the horses' bells shall ring out holiness to the Lord! That day has come to me. Do I not make all things holy to God? These garments, when I put them on or take them off, shall they not remind me of the righteousness of Christ Jesus my Lord? Shall not my work be done as unto the Lord? Oh, that today my clothes may be vestments, my meals sacraments, my house a temple, my table an altar, my speech incense, and myself a priest! Lord, fulfill Thy promise, and let nothing be to me common or unclean.

Let me in faith expect this. Believing it to be so, I shall be helped to make it so. As I myself am the property of Jesus, my Lord may take an inventory of all I have, for it is altogether His own; and I resolve to prove it to be so by the use to which I put it this day. From morning till evening I would order all things by a happy and holy rule. My bells shall ring—why should they not? Even my horses shall have bells—who has such a right to music as the saints have? But all my bells, my music, my mirth, shall be turned to holiness and shall ring out the name of "the happy God."

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Quote of the Week

The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one's own or real life. The truth is, of course, that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one's real life - the life God is sending one day by day.

C. S. Lewis

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

April 15
Desires of Righteous Granted

The desires of the righteous shall be granted. (Proverbs 10:24)

Because it is a righteous desire it is safe for God to grant it. It would be neither good for the man himself, nor for society at large, that such a promise should be made to the unrighteous. Let us keep the Lord's commands, and He will rightfully have respect to our desires.

When righteous men are left to desire unrighteous desires, they will not be granted to them. But then these are not their real desires; they are their wanderings or blunders, and it is well that they should be refused. Their gracious desires shall come before the Lord, and He will not say them nay.

Does the Lord deny us our requests for a time? Let the promise for today encourage us to ask again. Has He denied us altogether? We will thank Him still, for it always was our desire that He should deny us if He judged a denial to be best.

As to some things, we ask very boldly. Our chief desires are for holiness, usefulness, likeness to Christ, preparedness for heaven. These are the desires of grace rather than of nature—the desires of the righteous man rather than of the mere man. God will not stint us in these things but will do for us exceeding abundantly. "Delight thy self also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." This day, my soul, ask largely!

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

April 14
My Choice Is His Choice

He shall choose our inheritance for us. (Psalm 47:4)

Our enemies would allot us a very dreary portion, but we are not left in their hands. The Lord will cause us to stand in our lot, and our place is appointed by His infinite wisdom. A wiser mind than our own arranges our destiny, The ordaining of all things is with God, and we are glad to have it so; we choose that God should choose for us. If we might have our own way we would wish to let all things go in God's way.

Being conscious of our own folly, we would not desire to rule our own destinies. We feel safer and more at ease when the Lord steers our vessel than we could possibly be if we could direct it according to our own judgment. Joyfully we leave the painful present and the unknown future with our Father, our Savior, our Comforter.

O my soul, this day lay down thy wishes at Jesus' feet! If thou hast of late been somewhat wayward and willful, eager to be and to do after thine own mind, now dismiss thy foolish self, and place the reins in the Lord's hands. Say, "He shall choose." If others dispute the sovereignty of the Lord and glory in the free will of man, do thou answer them, "He shall choose for me." It is my freest choice to let Him choose. As a free agent, I elect that He should have absolute sway.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Snow in April: No Joke

drawn by my son, Sam, who does NOT like snow in April. 

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

April 13
This Body Fashioned Anew

Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body. (Philippians 3:21)

Often when we are racked with pain and unable to think or worship, we feel that this indeed is "the body of our humiliation," and when we are tempted by the passions which rise from the flesh we do not think the word vile at all too vigorous a translation. Our bodies humble us; and that is about the best thing they do for us. Oh, that we were duly lowly, because our bodies ally us with animals and even link us with the dust!

But our Savior, the Lord Jesus, shall change all this. We shall be fashioned like His own body of glory. This will take place in all who believe in Jesus. By faith their souls have been transformed, and their bodies will undergo such a renewal as shall fit them for their regenerated spirits. How soon this grand transformation will happen we cannot tell; but the thought of it should help us to bear the trials of today and all the woes of the flesh. In a little while we shall be as Jesus now is. No more aching brows, no more swollen limbs, no more dim eyes, no more fainting hearts. The old man shall be no more a bundle of infirmities, nor the sick man a mass of agony. "Like unto his glorious body." What an expression! Even our flesh shall rest in hope of such a resurrection!

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

April 12
He Remembers No More

For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. (Jeremiah 31:34)

When we know the Lord, we receive the forgiveness of sins. We know Him as the God of grace, passing by our transgressions. What a joyful discovery is this!

But how divinely is this promise worded: the Lord promises no more to remember our sins! Can God forget? He says He will, and He means what He says. He will regard us as though we had never sinned. The great atonement so effectually removed all sin that it is to the mind of God no more in existence. The believer is now in Christ Jesus, as accepted as Adam in his innocence; yea, more so, for he wears a divine righteousness, and that of Adam was but human.

The great Lord will not remember our sins so as to punish them, or so as to love us one atom the less because of them. As a debt when paid ceases to be a debt, even so doth the Lord make a complete obliteration of the iniquity of His people.

When we are mourning over our transgressions and shortcomings, and this is our duty as long as we live, let us at the same time rejoice that they will never be mentioned against us. This makes us hate sin. God's free pardon makes us anxious never again to grieve Him by disobedience.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Recipe: Cherry Cheesecake Cups

If you've got thirty minutes and a few ingredients, you can rustle up a batch of Cherry Cheesecake Cups.

I saw "Powla" Dean make these desserts yesterday on her show, Paula's Home Cooking.  I took a few hurried notes on the back of a grocery receipt.  You can find the "real" recipe here, along with a very pretty picture of the finished product.  It made one dozen.

Cherry Cheesecake Cups

2 cream cheese (8 oz., softened)

1 cup sugar

1 t vanilla

2 eggs.

Cream sugar and cream cheese until fluffy, add vanilla and eggs, one at a time.  Beat well each addition.

Line muffin tins with paper or foil liners, lay one vanilla wafer on the bottom and fill cups with cream cheese mixture, almost to the top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes.  

As the cheesecake cups cool, the middle will fall, leaving a little cup for cherry pie filling.  Easy as pie. 

I'm thinking that these would be good with a ginger snap in the bottom and Pumpkin Marble Cheesecake filling.  But with what would you  fill the little cup?  Cherries don't sound very good with pumpkin.  Any ideas? 

Oh, NO! Snow!

Snow, snow, snow.  Go, Snow, go!

So, I'm standing at my kitchen window, glumly staring out at the snow blowing sideways, sticking to the trees, slushing up the roads, covering the grass and potentially making a mess of my family's travel plans.  And I noticed something strange.  What's that?  A little rodent, hopping in the snow covered grass.   Looks like a gerbil; no, wait, there's another, slowing climbing up the tree, and another!

All in all there were four tiny little squirrels out galivanting in the snow, playing and chasing and hopping around.  Silly things.   They were acting as if they'd never seen snow before.  Well, maybe they hadn't!

Morning Scriptures: James 1

Annette of Fish and Cans wrote this morning of the times she comes to the Word, well, less than prepared, and how God opens her eyes to His Word anyway.  I start the day with a chapter from the Word, delivered by email.  It's not the passage I am studying, but I read that first, emailed  chapter each day as a discipline.  Sometimes I have to admit, I read it and do not allow it to sink into my thoughts, nor let it inform my day.   

Today was not one of those days.  I've known it was coming. As sure as Wednesday follows Tuesday, James chapter one follows Hebrews chapter 13.

The book of James has always seemed like an assault--it hits the ground running and never lets up. 

1 James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad:
Greetings.

 The introductory greeting is short, blunt, and seems a bit perfunctory.  It has a "listen up" quality to it.  You can almost hear James saying, "Now that we've got the greetings out of the way, everyone sit down and listen fast, because here it comes."

 And what comes is real life--real trials and real temptations and real sin to overcome.  Real personal examination to discover real religion--or not.  Real life that needs real sanctification.

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. (vs.27)

I read down to the bottom of the chapter and thought, 'my religion is neither pure nor undefiled.  I do not visit orphans and I rarely visit widows in their trouble.  And to live in this world is to be spotted by this world.  Is my religion useless?' (vs 26) 

If my religion were dependent upon my works and my ability to keep myself unspotted by this world, then I would be without hope in this world.  But thanks be to God!, James follows Hebrews. 

Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

My religion rests on One who offered Himself without spot to God and it is He Who cleanses my conscience from dead works to serve the living God.  Good thing, because James has quite a bit to say about works coming up in tomorrow's chapter.  As sure as Thursday follows Wednesday, James 2 follows James 1.

 Like Annette, my thoughts were captured.  I'll be thinking of "spots" today:

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

April 11
Close Fellowship

And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 31:34)

Truly, whatever else we do not know, we know the Lord. This day is this promise true in our experience, and it is not a little one. The least believer among us knows God in Christ Jesus. Not as fully as we desire; but yet truly and really we know the Lord. We not only know doctrines about Him, but we know Him. He is our Father and our Friend. We are acquainted with Him personally. We can say, "My Lord, and my God." We are on terms of close fellowship with God, and many a happy season do we spend in His holy company. We are no more strangers to our God, but the secret of the Lord is with us.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Recipes: Cooking for Company

Tomorrow my mom, sister, and niece are coming for a visit.  I haven't seen them since before Christmas, so you can imagine how excited I am!  They will only be here until Saturday morning, so in the interest of having as much time as possible to spend with them that does NOT include kitchen chores, I am preparing most of the food ahead.  It's been a while since I've posted a recipe, so I thought I'd share a couple.

The first recipe is one I made up myself this morning.  I started with the Oatmeal Currant Scones recipe I posted for St. Patrick's day and left out the sugar, currants, and orange zest.  I substituted ham, cheese, and grated onion.  I added a little extra flour to make up for the missing sugar.  These have been taste tested (by me, of course!) and they are delicious.  I bet you could make them with crumbled bacon and brush the tops with bacon drippings instead of butter. 

OATMEAL HAM AND CHEESE SCONES

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 45 min
 
Scant 2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
2/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk plus additional for brushing
1/3 c. finely diced ham
1/3 c. grated sharp cheddar
1 T. grated onion 

Preheat oven to 425ºF.
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt into a food processor, then add oats and pulse 15 times. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with small (pea-size) lumps, then transfer to a bowl.
Toss ham and cheese with oat mixture, then add buttermilk, stirring with a fork just until a dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead 6 times.
Pat dough into a 1-inch-thick round, dusting surface with more flour if necessary. Cut out as many scones as possible with cutter, dipping it in flour before each cut, and transfer scones to a lightly buttered large baking sheet. Gather scraps into a ball, then pat into a round and cut out more scones in same manner.
Brush tops of scones with butter. Bake in middle of oven until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes, and transfer to a rack.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Cooks' note:
• Scones can be made 2 hours ahead, cooled, and kept at room temperature.

The next recipe I am going to share is one of my new favorites.  I got it from my friend, Shannon.  It really is a spectacular, easy dish.

CHICKEN LASAGNA FLORENTINE

9 lasagna noodles (cooked)
1 10 oz. pkg  frozen chopped spinach (squeezed dry)
2 c chopped chicken (4 breasts) (I use more)
8 oz. shredded cheddar (extra sharp) (again, I use a little more)
1/3 c onion
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
1 T soy sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
 8 oz. sour cream
4.5 oz. jar drained sliced mushrooms ( I use 2 jars)
1/3  c mayo
1 c fresh grated parmesan (divided )
1 c chopped pecans (sauteed in butter)

Directions:
Preheat oven 350.
Combine spinach, chicken and next 10 ingredients. (1/2 of parmesan cheese)
Arrange 3 noodles in greased 11 x 7 pan.
Spread 1/3 of mixture .
Repeat layers.
Sprinkle on the rest of parmesan cheese and pecans.
Cover and bake 55 min.
Let stand for 15 min.

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

April 10
Look and Live

And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shalt come to pass, that everyone that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. (Numbers 21:8)

THIS is a glorious gospel type. Jesus, numbered with the transgressors, hangs before us on the cross. A look to Him will heal us of the serpent-bite of sin; will heal us at once—"When he looketh upon it, he shall live." Let the reader who is mourning his sinfulness note the words—"Everyone that looketh upon it shall live." Every looker will find this true. I have found it so. I looked to Jesus and lived at once, I know I did. Reader, if you look to Jesus you will live, too. True, you are swelling with the venom, and you see no hope, True, also there is no hope but this one. But this is no doubtful cure—"Everyone that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live."

The brazen serpent was not lifted up as a curiosity to be gazed upon by the healthy; but its special purpose was for those who were "bitten." Jesus died as a real Savior for real sinners. Whether the bite has made you a drunkard, or a thief, or an unchaste or a profane person, a look at the great Savior will heal you of these diseases and make you live in holiness and communion with God. Look and live.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Dictionary Word of the Day

abecedarian \ay-bee-see-DAIR-ee-uhn\, noun:
1. One who is learning the alphabet; hence, a beginner.
2. One engaged in teaching the alphabet.

adjective:
1. Pertaining to the letters of the alphabet.
2. Arranged alphabetically.
3. Rudimentary; elementary.

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

April 9
The Bible's Supreme Place

Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. (Psalm 119:165)

YES, a true love for the great Book will bring us great peace from the great God and be a great protection to us. Let us live constantly in the society of the law of the Lord, and it will breed in our hearts a restfulness such as nothing else can. The Holy Spirit acts as a Comforter through the Word and sheds abroad those benign influences which calm the tempests of the soul.

Nothing is a stumbling block to the man who has the Word of God dwelling in him richly. He takes up his daily cross, and it becomes a delight. For the fiery trial he is prepared and counts it not strange, so as to be utterly cast down by it. He is neither stumbled by prosperity—as so many are—nor crushed by adversity—as others have been—for he lives beyond the changing circumstances of external life. When his Lord puts before him some great mystery of the faith which makes others cry, "This is an hard saying; who can hear it?" the believer accepts it without question; for his intellectual difficulties are overcome by his reverent awe of the law of the Lord, which is to him the supreme authority to which he joyfully bows. Lord, work in us this love, this peace, this rest, this day.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon