C.H. Spurgeon's Morning Devotional
Monday June 23, 2025

"Ephraim is a cake not turned."-Hosea 7:8
    
    A cake not turned is uncooked on one side; and so Ephraim was, in many respects, untouched by divine grace: though there was some partial obedience, there was very much rebellion left. My soul, I charge thee, see whether this be thy case. Art thou thorough in the things of God? Has grace gone through the very centre of thy being so as to be felt in its divine operations in all thy powers, thy actions, thy words, and thy thoughts? To be sanctified, spirit, soul, and body, should be thine aim and prayer; and although sanctification may not be perfect in thee anywhere in degree, yet it must be universal in its action; there must not be the appearance of holiness in one place and reigning sin in another, else thou, too, wilt be a cake not turned.
    
    A cake not turned is soon burnt on the side nearest the fire, and although no man can have too much religion, there are some who seem burnt black with bigoted zeal for that part of truth which they have received, or are charred to a cinder with a vainglorious Pharisaic ostentation of those religious performances which suit their humour. The assumed appearance of superior sanctity frequently accompanies a total absence of all vital godliness. The saint in public is a devil in private. He deals in flour by day and in soot by night. The cake which is burned on one side, is dough on the other.
    
    If it be so with me, O Lord, turn me! Turn my unsanctified nature to the fire of Thy love and let it feel the sacred glow, and let my burnt side cool a little while I learn my own weakness and want of heat when I am removed from Thy heavenly flame. Let me not be found a double-minded man, but one entirely under the powerful influence of reigning grace; for well I know if I am left like a cake unturned, and am not on both sides the subject of Thy grace, I must be consumed for ever amid everlasting burnings.
Brought to you by

Put this devotional on your site or Subscribe




Thursday, October 6, 2016

Jesus and the Beanstalk by: Lori Stanley Roeleveld

Jesus and the Beanstalk: Overcoming Your Giants and Living a Fruitful Life (Abingdon Press, September 2016)

What if a fairy tale and ten Bible verses could free you to live an effective, fruitful life in Christ?

We live in unsettling, challenging times. Everywhere we look, we see giant problems: giant obstacles to sharing faith, giant barriers to peaceful lives, giant strongholds of fear. But what if you knew eight small secrets to unlocking a strength big enough to overcome whatever obstacle life may bring?
Using allegory and a bit of humor, Jesus and the Beanstalk explores a passage in 2 Peter 1 to uncover eight truths that will help you unleash a larger-than-life faith:

—Faith
—Goodness
—Knowledge
—Self-control
—Perseverance
—Godliness
—Affection for others
—Love

In this creative, refreshing perspective on spiritual growth, you will discover an unyielding strength when you tap the power of a God who is stronger than any beanstalk and bigger than your biggest giants.
 Oh, what a powerful book resource Lori's book Jesus and the Beanstalk is.  This book came at the most needed time in my life.  It was a time when I was faced with one of life's giants.  It helped strengthen my faith, helping me persevere when I just wanted to crawl into a hole and give up as well as showed me how to show affection to others at a time that was hard to do so.  The small steps to slaying the giants were excellent, practical and exactly what I needed at the time.  Easy to use for reflection and enhanced the text greatly.  The questions were very thought provoking.  Many books that I've read with questions at the end of each chapter didn't seem to move me to action, but Roeleveld's questions caused me to take notice and do. Jesus and the Beanstalk teaches and inspires the reader.  

Lori Stanley Roeleveld is the author of "Running from a Crazy Man (and other adventures traveling with Jesus)" and "Red Pen Redemption." Her blog, LoriRoeleveld.com, was voted Top 100 Christian Blogs by Redeeming God.com and has enjoyed over 1.5 million views. Lori lives in Hope Valley, RI.


Join the Flock! LitFuse Publicity Group blogger

photo flwline2_zps4ae8834d.gif

Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for adding a Scrap of your Life.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)