The ladder, Christ Jesus ― C.H. Spurgeon

“Sinner, you have not to deal with an absolute God; you have to deal with God in Jesus, the man. Come, then, to him, for he has come to you. The ladder, Christ Jesus, you know has its foot on earth, and its top in heaven; the higher we ascend the more we shall delight to think of the glory of Christ, but our first business is to think of the foot of the ladder, and I want you to-night to know that its foot stands on earth, just in front of you. Jesus was such as you are; not sinful, that he could not be; but in all else like you — poor, and suffering, as you are. Now, put your foot on the first rung of the ladder, his manhood, and his bloody sacrifice upon the cross. Trust that, and you shall climb till you ascend where the full deity of the incarnate Savior blazes forth; and you shall rejoice in his second advent, and all the splendours of his future reign. To-night you may leave those higher things alone. Begin at the bottom of the ladder, and commence to climb. The Lord help thee! The Lord bless thee! May he lay his hand on thee at this moment, poor sinner! That will melt thy heart, that fill cheer thy spirit, that will give thee life from the dead. May he do it for his name’s sake. Amen.”

― C.H. Spurgeon, Our Lord’s humanity: a sweet source of comfort

daily rehearsings of the gospel ― Milton Vincent

“The New Testament teaches that Christians ought to hear the gospel as much as non-Christians do….In most of Paul’s letters to churches, sizeable portions of them are given over to rehearsing gospel truths. For example, Ephesians 1-3 is all gospel, Colossians 1-2 is gospel, and Romans 1-11 is gospel. The remainder of such books shows specifically how to bring the gospel truths to bear on life. Re-preaching the gospel and then showing how it applied to life was Paul’s choice method for ministering to believers, thereby providing a divinely inspired pattern for me to follow when ministering to myself and to other believers.

The gospel is so foolish (according to my natural wisdom; 1 Corinthians 1:21-23), so scandalous (according to my conscience; 1 Corinthians 1:23), and so incredible (according to my timid heart; 1 John 3:19-20), that it is a daily battle to believe the full scope of it as I should. There is simply no other way to compete with the forebodings of my conscience, the condemnings of heart, and the lies of the world and the Devil (2 Corinthians 4:4) than to overwhelm such things with daily rehearsings of the gospel…

The glory of God is the most powerful agent of transformation available to mankind.  It is so powerful that it transforms those who merely gaze upon it.  The Apostle Paul gives personal testimony concerning this stunning fact.  "But we all," he says, "beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, and being transformed into the same image from glory to glory." (2 Corinthians 3:18)  From Paul's testimony I learn that if I wish to become all that God wants me to be, I must behold His glory each day.

 But where do I find God's glory to behold?  Indeed, the glory of God is revealed throughout all of Creation, (Psalm 19:1, Isaiah 6:3) but the Bible indicates that, outside of heaven, the glory of God in its thickest density dwells inside the gospel.  It is for this reason that the gospel is described in Scripture as "the gospel of the glory of Christ" and "the gospel of the glory of the blessed God." (2 Corinthians 4:4, 1 Timothy 1:11)  Consequently, as I habitually gaze upon the glory of the Lord revealed in the gospel, I can know the actual deposits of God's very glory are attaching themselves to my person and transforming me from one level of glory to another. (2 Corinthians 3:18) This transformation is deep and abiding, and unfadingly displays the glory of God to others. (2 Corinthians 3:13)”

― Milton Vincent. A Gospel Primer for Christians: Learning to See the Glories of God’s Love. Focus Publishing (MN), 2008.