C.H. Spurgeon's Morning Devotional
Wednesday August 13, 2025

"The cedars of Lebanon which He hath planted."-Psalm 104:16
    
    Lebanon's cedars are emblematic of the Christian, in that they owe their planting entirely to the Lord. This is quite true of every child of God. He is not man-planted, nor self-planted, but God-planted. The mysterious hand of the divine Spirit dropped the living seed into a heart which He had Himself prepared for its reception. Every true heir of heaven owns the great Husbandman as his planter. Moreover, the cedars of Lebanon are not dependent upon man for their watering; they stand on the lofty rock, unmoistened by human irrigation; and yet our heavenly Father supplieth them. Thus it is with the Christian who has learned to live by faith. He is independent of man, even in temporal things; for his continued maintenance he looks to the Lord his God, and to Him alone. The dew of heaven is his portion, and the God of heaven is his fountain. Again, the cedars of Lebanon are not protected by any mortal power. They owe nothing to man for their preservation from stormy wind and tempest. They are God's trees, kept and preserved by Him, and by Him alone. It is precisely the same with the Christian. He is not a hot-house plant, sheltered from temptation; he stands in the most exposed position; he has no shelter, no protection, except this, that the broad wings of the eternal God always cover the cedars which He Himself has planted. Like cedars, believers are full of sap having vitality enough to be ever green, even amid winter's snows. Lastly, the flourishing and majestic condition of the cedar is to the praise of God only. The Lord, even the Lord alone hath been everything unto the cedars, and, therefore David very sweetly puts it in one of the psalms, "Praise ye the Lord, fruitful trees and all cedars." In the believer there is nothing that can magnify man; he is planted, nourished, and protected by the Lord's own hand, and to Him let all the glory be ascribed.
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Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

Sorry no picture for this cake as I made a big goof. Though it was still good I forgot to remove it from the pan so it stuck real good. It wasn't picture worthy. Maybe next time.

Topping:

1/2 cup margarine

2 cups brown sugar

8-12 stalks rhubarb

Cake Batter:

2 cups all purpose flour

1&1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup oil

3 teaspoons baking powder

4 egg whites (unbeaten)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Procedure:

Cut fresh rhubarb into approximately 1/2 inch long pieces

Pre-heat over to 350F. In a 9x13 cake pan, melt 1 stick of margarine. This can be done in the oven while pre-heating it.

Brush the sides of the pan with the melted margarine so that the cake will not stick.

Coat the bottom of the pan with a layer of brown sugar (2 cups)

Cover the layer of brown sugar with the cut rhubarb. Cover the entire bottom of the pan.

Mix cake batter:

combine the flour and sugar then add the oil and 1/2 cup of mile. Stir until the flour is damp - then beat for one minute. Stir in the baking powder, the remaining milk, the unbeaten egg whites, and the vanilla. Beat for two minutes. Pour over the rhubarb in the cake pan.

Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes (making sure a cake tester comes out clean. The center section will be the last to cook.) Mine took more like 65-75 minutes.

Remove from oven, cool slightly, run a knife around the sides to make sure it will come out cleanly, and invert it onto a serving plate. I use a cookie sheet. (This is step I forgot to do ;P) (If you have never removed an upside-down cake before it can be a little unnerving. You are dealing with hot melted sugar. So place the serving plate (cookie sheet) upside-down on the cake - grasp the cake pan an plate together - hold this at arms length while you quickly invert it. If you skip this step your caramel topping will stick itself to the pan. I know :P It is very hard to get out of the pan we had to eat it up-side down after we dug it out. This step is very important. Ask me I know from experience.

I top with cool whip when serving. I refrigerate cake too.


1 comment:

  1. Oh I love rhubarb, and your recipe sounds delicious! Never mind if it stuck - as long as it tastes good it doesn't matter!

    ReplyDelete

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