C.H. Spurgeon
Checkbook of the Bank of Faith
A daily promise from Scripture, with Spurgeon's counsel on how to receive it — endorsed by faith and presented to God in prayer.
September 14
James 1:12
"Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him."
YES, he is blessed while he is enduring the trial. No eye can see this until it has been anointed with heavenly eye-salve. But he must endure it, and neither rebel against God, nor turn aside from his integrity. He is blessed who has gone through the fire, and has not been consumed as a counterfeit.
When the test is over, then comes the hallmark of divine approval—"the crown of life." As if the Lord said, "Let him live; he has been weighed in the balances, and he is not found wanting." Life is the reward: not mere being; but holy, happy, true existence, the realization of the divine purpose concerning us. Already a higher form of spiritual life and enjoyment crowns those who have safely passed through fiercest trials of faith and love.
The Lord has promised the crown of life to those who love him. Only lovers of the Lord will hold out in the hour of trial; the rest will either sink, or sulk, or slink back to the world. Come, my heart, do you love your Lord? Truly? Deeply? Wholly? Then that love will be tried; but many waters will not quench it, neither will the floods drown it. Lord, let your love nourish mine to the end.
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Checkbook of the Bank of Faith
C.H. Spurgeon
A year of daily promise-based devotions drawn from Spurgeon's own Bible — each entry brief, pointed, and grounded in a specific word from God. A quiet daily companion for those learning to walk by faith.
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