Feet and Footsteps

"Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God."  (Eph. 5:1-2)

Spurgeon's thoughts: "Meditation is a happy, holy, profitable engagement; and it will instruct us, strengthen us, comfort us, inspire our hearts, and make our souls steadfast. But we may not stop at meditation. We must go on to imitation of the character of God. We must let our spiritual life not only bud and blossom in devout thought, but let it bring forth fruit in holy action. We must not be satisfied with feeding the soul by meditation but rise up from the banquet and use the strength we have gained. Sitting at the feet of Jesus must be succeeded by following the footsteps of Jesus."

Candy's thoughts: This quote of Charles Spurgeon immediately brought to mind the Mary/Martha relationship that seems to always have women groaning as they try to assess which woman they are more similar to concerning their own overall way of life. Are we more like Mary who spends so much time at Jesus' feet listening and learning that her poor sister Martha is stressed at trying to get dinner on the table without any help from Mary? When Martha demands that Jesus do something about this situation, his answer always cuts to the heart of all the Marthas in the world:

But the Lord answered her, 

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 

but one thing is necessary. 

Mary has chosen the good portion, 

which will not be taken away from her.”  

(Luke 10: 41-42)

Sigh. Since I identify as a Martha, I always respond by muttering "OUCH" or something like that after reading this gentle rebuke by Jesus. I know that both personal devotions and service to others are necessary in our Christian lives, but I just love Spurgeon's wording: "Sitting at the feet of Jesus must be succeeded by following the footsteps of Jesus." What a beautiful visual analogy to remind us that we need to both learn from the Lord and also obey his precepts. Can we all agree on this? First be a Mary, then be a Martha. Listen at his feet, then follow in his footsteps.

Happy Birthday, Steve!

Have you ever wondered what my favorite paragraph is of all the books I've ever read? (You haven't? I'm shocked! 😎)  It is found in a book entitled Ten Angels in a Pontiac, written by Grace Spencer Magee, Steve's mom. This story chronicles the cross-country trip that their family took in 1960. At that point in time, there were ten children ages 17 and younger, plus two parents, all traveling from New Jersey to California and back in a Pontiac station wagon.

In Chapter 1, Steve's mom listed all the children, their ages, and their enthusiasm level (or lack thereof) for this trip. Predictably, the older ones thought this was a crazy idea, and the younger ones saw nothing but exciting adventures ahead. But here is what she writes about Steve:

"Steve, age two, agreed, but he was happy no matter what, so the 'when do we start' question was not nearly so pressing. Just being included was enough to keep his happiness at the peak and his security at its' usual high level. In addition to the twinkle in his eyes, he was born with a pleasant, jolly disposition. I'm sure that he was sent by God as a special messenger of the very nicest form of happiness, and all of us knew that he had been doing a first-rate job of fulfilling his mission."

For those of you who personally know Steve, isn't it remarkable that this was written nearly 60 years ago? How incredible is it that the description that his mom wrote would involve language such as this - language that very clearly tells of being "sent by God as a special messenger of the very nicest form of happiness."  For many reasons I wish that she were still alive, one among them being that she would be able to see that as a minister her youngest son is still doing a "first-rate job of fulfilling his mission."  Only God could have guided Grace Magee to write about the amazing grace that Steve is now proclaiming. WOW.

Bonus: Steve still has that twinkle in his eyes. See below! 

Quotables 2

I love my smart phone because it enables me to save so much time! I like being able to take a 'screenshot' of many things I find on the internet. I no longer have to scramble for a piece of paper and some writing utensil in order to remember facts or ideas, because with technology I can just take a picture of it. 😉

Here are the last few months of screenshots that I've collected featuring quotes from modern and not-so-modern theologians. I'd like to hear from you as to which ones you found most inspiring, memorable, convicting or thought provoking.

My favorites are the screenshot from above, then #1, #6, #9, #10. What about all you CandyceLand readers?


1.  "If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you'll be at rest."  Corrie ten Boom

2.  "We all agree that forgiveness is a beautiful idea until we have something to forgive."  CS Lewis

3.  "Psalms teach us how to worship: Proverbs, how to behave; Job, how to suffer; Song of Solomon, how to love; and Ecclesiastes, how to live."  J. I. Packer

4.  "The ultimate aim is not to escape anxiety but to allow it to usher us into the healing presence of Jesus Christ."  Charles Spurgeon

5.  "In the end, the heart longs not for any of God's gifts, but for God Himself. To see him, know him, and be in his presence is the soul's final feast."  John Piper

6.  "To pray, 'thy will be done,' I must be willing, if the answer requires it, that my will be undone."  Elisabeth Elliott.

7. "The greatest nightmare of the approval addict is rejection; of the power addict, humiliation; of the comfort addict, suffering; and of the control addict, uncertainty."  Tim Keller

8.  "God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him."  Jim Elliot

9. "People will notice your faith, not when it gets you something, but when it costs you something."  Kevin DeYoung

10.  "Those who leave everything in God's hands will eventually see God's hands in everything."  Author Unknown

His Adorable Name

"And in the place where it was said to them, "You are not my people,' it shall be said to them, 'Children of the living God.'"  Hosea 1:10

Spurgeon's thoughts: "Sovereign grace can make strangers into sons.  And the Lord declares here his intent to deal in this way with rebels, and to ensure they know what he has done. Beloved reader, the Lord has done this in my case. Has he done this for you? Then let us join hands and hearts in praising his adorable name.

Some of us were so decidedly ungodly that the Lord's word most truly said to our conscience and heart, "You are not my people." In the house of God, and in our own homes, when we read the Bible, this was the voice of God's Spirit in our soul, "You are not my people." But now, in the same places, from the same ministry and Scripture, we hear a voice which says, "You are the children of the living God." Can we be grateful enough for this? Is it not wonderful? Does it not give us hope for others? Who is beyond the reach of almighty grace? How can we despair of anyone, since the Lord has brought about such a marvelous change in us?

He who has kept this one great promise will keep every other. Therefore let us go forward with songs of adoration and confidence."

Candy's thoughts: There is so much that could be said of this wonderful commentary by Charles Spurgeon on Hosea 1:10, but I will concentrate on just two points. The first that struck me was the phrase, "...praising his adorable name." Perhaps in previous generations this was a common way of speaking of God's name, but I had never heard it referred to as "adorable." I am very accustomed to speaking this way about cute babies and playful puppies, but God's name? Of course it makes sense. Adorable means 1."Extremely charming and appealing. 2. Worthy of adoration and veneration."  The God of creation and providence is indeed worthy to be adored. So I hope to use this wording when speaking of God's name in the future. I like it!

The second is the sentence: "How can we despair of anyone, since the Lord has brought about such a marvelous change in us?"  Perhaps my deepest prayers are reserved for the prodigals in our lives. I have such a long list, and after many years I can get discouraged when I (think) I see no progress in those I know who have rejected Him or see Almighty God as irrelevant and therefore unworthy of attention at all. But those of us who have been saved by Him should never think it impossible that others might be saved as well. After all, as Isaiah 59:1 states: "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear."

Praise be to God that He has rescued us from the place where it was said of us "You are not my people" but delivered us to the place where we can be called "Children of the living God." And let's pray in confident expectation that He will rescue our loved ones as well. In His adorable name, AMEN!

Labor Day 2019

Did you know that today is the 125th Anniversary of the federal holiday known as Labor Day?  Well, neither did I until I started researching the history of this annual celebration. Wikipedia informs us that "It honors the American labor movement and the power of collective action by laborers who are essential for the workings of society." Following my own rabbit trail of musings on this definition, I began to wonder about "labor in the Lord" and how that kind of work is essential for the workings of God's kingdom and society. Here is a smattering of verses related to that idea:


Exodus 20:9 - Six days you shall labor, and do all your work.

Psalm 104:23 - Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening.

Ecclesiastes 2:20 - So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun.

Isaiah 13:8 - They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame.

Isaiah 55:2 - Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?

Daniel 6:14 - Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him.

Matthew 9:37 - Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

James 5:4 - Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

1 Corinthians 15:58 - Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Matthew 11:28 - Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.


There is much to say about all these verses, but let me close with some thoughts on the last two listed. First, we all need to remember that God is pleased to use our labors. He does not need us, but He has determined to give us the privilege of working for His kingdom. In the Lord, your labor is not in vain. 

Second, if you want to know who really did all the heavy lifting for us, think about Jesus. Because He labored so well, we are invited to enjoy perfect rest in Him. So to all who labor, hear His wonderful words: "Come to me" and "I will give you rest."