Overview
This sermon by C.H. Spurgeon examines Psalm 26:3, emphasizing the importance of both meditating on God's loving kindness and living according to His truth. Spurgeon urges believers to align their thoughts and actions, reflecting God's grace through persistent contemplation and consistent conduct.
The Fear of Being Condemned with the Wicked
- David fears being counted among the ungodly and prays to be separated from sinners.
- He distinguishes himself by his thoughts and actions, focusing on God's loving kindness and truth.
The Value of Thoughtful Meditation
- Regularly contemplating God's loving kindness is essential for spiritual health and growth.
- Idle or empty minds are prone to doubts, fears, and sinful thoughts.
- Meditating on scripture fills the mind, pushing out vanity and evil.
Choosing a Worthy Subject: God’s Loving Kindness
- God's loving kindness is a rightful, beneficial, wide, and inexhaustible subject for meditation.
- Remembering God’s mercy encourages humility, comfort, gratitude, and practical kindness toward others.
- This subject is suitable for all believers, young or mature, in every circumstance of life.
A Life Ordered by God's Truth
- True faith is demonstrated by worshiping and living according to God’s revealed truth, not mere tradition.
- A sincere Christian strives to maintain a clear conscience and live righteously toward others.
- Obedience to God should mirror His faithfulness to us, both in major duties and in the smallest details.
The Connection Between Meditation and Conduct
- Consistent meditation on God’s loving kindness naturally leads to a life lived in truth and obedience.
- Thoughts profoundly impact actions, just as nourishment influences health.
- Reflecting on God's eternal, free, certain, faithful, and detailed loving kindness inspires gratitude and faithful living.
Warnings Against Imbalance
- Professing God’s love without holy living is hypocrisy, and such faith is empty.
- Relying solely on personal goodness without contemplating God’s grace leads to self-righteousness and spiritual blindness.
- True Christianity requires both grace-driven meditation and consistent obedience.
Practical Advice for Spiritual Revival
- When spiritual fervor wanes, reflecting on God’s loving kindness is the most effective way to rekindle devotion.
- The Holy Spirit uses remembrance of God’s grace to quicken and renew the believer’s heart.
- Believers are encouraged to cling to Christ’s love, even in spiritual dullness, trusting that joy and vitality will return.