All streams flow into the sea,
    yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
    there they return again.

Ecclesiastes 1:7

Everything under the sky is constantly moving; time itself knows no rest. The solid earth rolls along like a ball, and even the great sun is just a star following its path around some greater light. The tides move the seas, winds stir the air, and friction wears down the rocks—change and death are everywhere. The sea is not a miser hoarding water; just as one force pulls water in, another lifts it away. People are born only to die; life is full of hurry, worry, and anxiety.

But, friend of the unchanging Jesus, what joy there is in thinking about your eternal inheritance: a sea of bliss that will never run dry, because God himself will pour out endless rivers of joy into it. We look for a lasting city beyond the skies, and we will not be disappointed. The natural world around us can teach us gratitude. Father Ocean is a great receiver, yet also a generous giver. What the rivers bring him, he returns to the earth as clouds and rain.

A person is out of harmony with the universe who takes without giving back. Giving to others is like planting seeds for ourselves. Whoever wisely uses their resources for the Lord will be entrusted with more. Friend of Jesus, are you giving back to Him in proportion to all you’ve received? Much has been given to you—what fruit have you produced? Have you done everything you can? Could you do more? To be selfish is to be wrong.

If the ocean kept all its water for itself, it would bring disaster to humanity. May none of us follow the destructive path of living only for ourselves. Jesus did not please Himself. All fullness lives in Him, and from His fullness we have all received. Oh, for the spirit of Jesus, that from now on we may live not for ourselves, but for Him!

You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.

Haggai 1:9

Stingy people limit what they give to the church and to mission work, calling their tightfistedness “good financial sense.” They don’t realise that by doing so, they are actually making themselves poorer. Their excuse is often that they need to look after their own families—but they forget that neglecting God’s work is the surest way to bring hardship on their own homes.

God, in His providence, can either bless our efforts far beyond our expectations or frustrate our plans completely. With a simple turn of His hand, He can guide our lives toward success and abundance, or allow us to run aground in poverty and failure. Scripture teaches that the Lord enriches those who are generous, while those who hold back too tightly end up in want.

In all my experience, I’ve noticed that the most generous Christians I’ve known are also the happiest—and almost always the most prosperous. I’ve seen open-handed givers rise to wealth they never imagined, and I’ve just as often seen the stingy and selfish fall into poverty through the very miserliness by which they hoped to prosper. Just as people trust faithful stewards with greater and greater responsibility, so the Lord often entrusts more to those who give freely. He gives in abundance to those who give generously.

Even when great wealth isn’t granted, God blesses what little we have, filling it with contentment when our hearts are devoted to Him and when we’ve set apart a portion for His work. Selfishness focuses on one’s own needs first, but godliness puts God’s kingdom and righteousness before all else—and in the end, selfishness leads to loss, while godliness brings great gain.

It takes faith to give freely to God, but surely He deserves no less from us. Even our greatest generosity is only a small token of gratitude for the vast goodness and mercy He has shown us.

“Father God. I thank you that are a generous God who delights in pouring out good gifts onto his children. I thank you for the gift of your life on the Cross, for the gift of your Holy Spirit who’s constantly teaching me your ways and every other lavish gift you’ve bestowed on me. Help me to be generous in the same Spirit, help me to be a cheerful giver, help me to put your Kingdom and helping others beyond my own needs. And as I give I trust that you will continue to give to me so that I give and give again. Amen“

Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:1

Are you feeling sorrowful, believer, because your spiritual life feels weak—because your faith seems small and your love faint? Take heart, for you still have every reason to be thankful. Remember that in many ways, you stand equal with the strongest and most mature Christian.

You have been bought with the same precious blood as they have. You are just as much a child of God as any other believer. A newborn child is just as truly a son or daughter as a full-grown adult. You are just as fully justified before God, for justification doesn’t come in degrees—your small faith has made you completely clean.

You have the same right to the blessings of God’s covenant as the most spiritually advanced believer, for that right depends not on your maturity, but on the covenant itself. Your faith in Jesus is not the measure of your inheritance, but the sign of it.

You are as truly rich in Christ as the richest saint—if not yet in experience, still in possession. The smallest star in the sky belongs to the heavens just as much as the brightest one; the faintest ray of light is still of the same nature as the sun. In God’s book of life, the great and the small are written with the same pen.

You are just as dear to your Father’s heart as the greatest in His family. Jesus is deeply gentle toward you. You may be like a smoldering wick—some would snuff it out because it gives off an unpleasant smell—but He will not quench it. You may be like a bruised reed—others might break or discard you—but He, the Master Musician, will never do so.

So rather than being discouraged by your weakness, take joy in Christ.
Am I small among God’s people? Yet in Christ, I am seated in heavenly places. Am I poor in faith? Still, through Jesus, I am heir of all things. Though I have nothing in myself to boast of, if the root of faith is truly in me, I will rejoice in the Lord and glory in the God of my salvation.

I meditate on your precepts
    and consider your ways.

Psalm 119:15

There are times when being alone is better than being with others, and when keeping silent is wiser than speaking. We would be stronger Christians if we spent more time in solitude—waiting on God and drawing spiritual strength through meditating on His Word, so we can serve Him more faithfully.

We should reflect deeply on the things of God, because that is how we truly draw nourishment from them. Truth is like a cluster of grapes on the vine: if we want the wine, we must press and crush the grapes; we must work them again and again.

The one who treads the grapes must do so eagerly and thoroughly, or the juice will not flow freely, and much will be wasted. In the same way, we must meditate on the truths of Scripture—pressing them in our hearts—if we are to receive from them the wine of comfort and joy.

Just as our bodies are not sustained merely by eating food, but by digesting it—turning it into strength for muscle, nerve, and bone—so our souls are not nourished merely by hearing or reading the Word. Listening, reading, marking, and learning are all important, but their true value comes when we inwardly digest what we take in, and that happens through meditation.

Why is it that some Christians, though they listen to many sermons, grow so little in their spiritual lives? It is because they neglect time alone with God and do not thoughtfully reflect on His Word. They love the grain but will not grind it; they desire the corn but will not go to the fields to gather it; the fruit is within reach, but they do not pick it; the water flows beside them, but they will not stoop to drink.

Save us, Lord, from such foolishness. Let this be our resolve today: “I will meditate on Your precepts.”

“So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he travelled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.”

1 Kings 19:8

All the strength that our gracious God gives us is meant for service — not for self-indulgence or pride.

When the prophet Elijah found the bread baked on the coals and the jar of water by his head as he rested under the juniper tree, it wasn’t a luxury meant for his comfort. Rather, God gave it so he could journey forty days and nights to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God.

In the same way, when Jesus invited his disciples to “Come and dine” with him, the meal was followed by a command to Peter: “Feed my sheep,” and then, “Follow me.” Likewise, we are nourished with the bread of heaven so that we might use our strength in serving Christ.

When we come to the Lord’s table, we eat with readiness—our loins girded and staff in hand—prepared to go wherever he sends us once we’ve been fed. Yet some Christians are eager to live on Christ, but not as eager to live for Christ.

This life on earth should prepare us for heaven. And heaven itself is a place of both feasting and serving. There, the saints dine at the Lord’s table and serve him day and night in his temple. They are nourished with heavenly food and give perfect service in return.

Believer, use the strength you receive from Christ each day to labor for him. Many of us still have much to learn about the purpose for which God gives his grace. We are not meant to store up the truth, keeping it unused like the grain found sealed in Egyptian tombs for centuries. We are to plant it, nurture it, and let it bear fruit.

Why does the Lord send rain on the dry earth and the warmth of the sun? It is so that the earth may bring forth food for humankind. In the same way, God refreshes and strengthens our souls so that we might use that renewed strength to bring glory to him.

Charles Spurgeon

1 John 2:1

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

If anyone sins, we have an advocate. Yes—even though we sin, we still have Him. John does not say, “If anyone sins, he loses his advocate,” but rather, “we have an advocate,” even though we are sinners. No sin a believer has committed, or will be allowed to commit, can take away their standing in the Lord Jesus Christ as their advocate.

The name given to our Lord here is meaningful: “Jesus.” That tells us He is exactly the kind of advocate we need, because the name Jesus means “Savior”—the one whose work and delight is to save. As Scripture says, “They shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Even His very name promises His success.

Next, He is called “Jesus Christ”—Christ meaning “the Anointed One.” This shows His authority to plead for us. Christ has the right to be our advocate because He is the Father’s own chosen and appointed High Priest. If we had chosen Him ourselves, He might fail us; but since God has laid help upon One who is mighty, we can safely place our troubles where God has placed His help. He is Christ, and therefore authorized; He is Christ, and therefore fully equipped, because His anointing has perfectly prepared Him for His work. He can plead in a way that moves the heart of God and prevails. What tender words, what persuasive sentences will the Anointed One use when He stands to plead for me!

Finally, He is called “Jesus Christ the Righteous.” This is not only His character but also His argument. It is His character—if the Righteous One is my advocate, then my case is good, or He would not have taken it up. It is also His plea—He answers the charge of my unrighteousness by standing as the Righteous One in my place. He declares Himself my substitute and credits His obedience to my account.

My soul, you have a Friend perfectly suited to be your advocate. He cannot fail. Place yourself entirely in His hands.

Charles Spurgeon