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Look Unto Me: The Devotions of Charles Spurgeon
Charles Haddon Spurgeon was known as the Prince of Preachers, stirring audiences from his London pulpit from 1854 to 1892. Millions more who never heard him preach read his weekly sermons. Morning by Morning, one of Spurgeon's best known classic devotionals, has now been updated in today's language with contemporary application commentary. Look Unto Me represents some of Spurgeon's most powerful devotions, with added Scripture references and quotes in the NIV, and contemporary commentary and insight by Jim Reimann, editor of the bestselling updated editions of Streams in the Desert and My Utmost for His Highest. This edition also includes these new * Scripture quotes referenced in the context of each devotion * Scripture and subject indexex * Hymn quotes referenced with composer names and dates With fresh, contemporary wording and precise NIV text, the timeless message of the original devotions flows unhindered through these pages, lending guidance and hope to a new generation of believers. It is a rich spiritual resource for every Christian who longs for a deeper walk with Christ and a fuller understanding of the Christian faith. With Scripture references from literally every book of the Bible, it makes a great tool to help believers dig more deeply into God's Word.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2008
94 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
Jim Reimann
46 books4 followersJames Gilbert Reimann, 63, of Atlanta GA. He was born in Chattanooga, TN. He graduated from Georgia State University receiving a bachelor’s degree in finance. He married Pamela in 1972.
He founded and owned The Christian Armory, “1988-1989 Store of the Year” by the Christian Booksellers Association, was the C.O.O. of Family Christian Stores, the editor of “My Utmost for His Highest”, “Streams in the Desert”, “Morning by Morning” and “Evening by Evening”, and led 26 Bible-teaching tours to Israel.
He is survived by his wife, Pam Reimann. He is also survived by his children, Jeremy Reimann, Aaron Reimann and Bethany Belt, all of Atlanta GA. He is also survived by eight grandchildren, Taylor, Lillian, Morgan, Kaley, Aubrey, Sabrina, Teagan and Israel.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be given to the “Digging Deeper Fund” as to further the good news, which was his full purpose in life.
All are cordially invited to visit with the family Saturday afternoon from four until six o’clock and on Sunday evening from six until eight o’clock at H. M. Patterson & Son Arlington Chapel, 173 Allen Road, NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. Funeral services will be held Monday afternoon, the 23rd of December at one o’clock at Mount Vernon Baptist Church, 850 Mount Vernon Highway NW, Sandy Springs, GA 30327. A private interment will follow for the family.
He founded and owned The Christian Armory, “1988-1989 Store of the Year” by the Christian Booksellers Association, was the C.O.O. of Family Christian Stores, the editor of “My Utmost for His Highest”, “Streams in the Desert”, “Morning by Morning” and “Evening by Evening”, and led 26 Bible-teaching tours to Israel.
He is survived by his wife, Pam Reimann. He is also survived by his children, Jeremy Reimann, Aaron Reimann and Bethany Belt, all of Atlanta GA. He is also survived by eight grandchildren, Taylor, Lillian, Morgan, Kaley, Aubrey, Sabrina, Teagan and Israel.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be given to the “Digging Deeper Fund” as to further the good news, which was his full purpose in life.
All are cordially invited to visit with the family Saturday afternoon from four until six o’clock and on Sunday evening from six until eight o’clock at H. M. Patterson & Son Arlington Chapel, 173 Allen Road, NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. Funeral services will be held Monday afternoon, the 23rd of December at one o’clock at Mount Vernon Baptist Church, 850 Mount Vernon Highway NW, Sandy Springs, GA 30327. A private interment will follow for the family.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 30, 2020
It was a gift to my late father from someone who knew he loved the Bible, but didn’t realize how aggressive his personal program to reading the Bible through two and three times per year really was. So, Mom found Look Unto Me: The Devotions of Charles Spurgeon still shrink-wrapped and tucked away more than a year after his death. She offered it to me and I accepted for two reasons. The first, the memory of my Dad, is obvious. The second was that I had used the reading through the Bible each year approach for several years and wanted a change of pace. Look Unto Me: The Devotions of Charles Spurgeon is definitely a significantly slower pace. On the other hand, I had hoped (and I was right) that his sermon-like comments on just portions of verses of scripture might give me a more reflective than aggressive approach to my morning discipline.
For years, I questioned the usefulness of a person commenting on a phrase of scripture. I am a person who believes in context, both the historical and literary context of a verse or passage. I like to see the connections between verses, phrases, and terms. A few critics have accused me of dissecting a frog in the way I study the Bible (That’s ironic since I used to tell my students when I taught in seminary that we taught them the critical tools much the same way as surgeons are taught surgical techniques, to benefit the patients rather than dissect the cat in front of an audience!). Yet, my view of scripture is so high that my sometimes overly detailed approach is one way that I believe God keeps my interpretation honest.
So, it is with that cautionary introduction that I admit that, as great as Spurgeon’s reputation is, I believe these devotional readings are “hit and miss.” They hit in that they are grounded in Jesus as the Christ, Savior and Lord, foundation of our faith. They miss in that by sometimes wrenching the phrases of Bible verses out of context, they miss the richness of how God’s plan spans the scope of eternity and intersects with history at specific points with specific people. As a result, I want to share with you some hits and some misses from my year-long journey into an old-fashioned devotional guide.
Hits
On January 17 (2020 for me, though these devotional readings are not attached to a specific year), we read the first verse of Revelation 14. For those who know the passage, it begins with the Lamb of God setting aside a symbolic 144,000 prior to the vivid images of judgment in the rest of the chapter. Spurgeon inspirationally focuses on the 144,000 rescued rather than the judgment and he rightly emphasizes the presence of Jesus as the focal point of salvation in the first section of the chapter. In doing so, he foreshadows a message that is repeated throughout John’s Apocalypse—the presence of Jesus, the reality of God is what is really heaven, not the symbols of giant pearls for gates and golden streets. He quotes the 17th century Scottish pastor, Samuel Rutherford, as saying that heaven and Christ are the same thing and he goes on to write, “To be with Christ is to be in heaven, and to be in heaven is to be with Christ.” (Day 17) To emphasize the point (and many points throughout the book), Spurgeon quotes a bit of verse from 19th century poet William Walker:
Not all the harps above
Can make a heavenly place,
If God his residence remove,
Or but conceal His face.
Again, most of us are aware of Jeremiah’s “New Covenant” passage in Jeremiah 31. This is where God’s promise is to transform the covenant, the partnership with Israel, from the stones of the law which had been ignored or rebuffed enough to turn Israel’s will and behavior (hearts) to stone into a will and behavior which would come more naturally as a will and behavior in line with God’s purpose. Spurgeon rightly emphasizes God’s covenant love (often translated as “loving kindness”). In so doing, he quotes:
Law and terror do but harden
All the while they work alone,
But a sense of blood-bought pardon
Will dissolve a heart of stone. -- Joseph Hart, 18th century (Day 60)
Although I could give many examples, one of my favorite verses is Proverbs 16:33. To paraphrase it, we throw the die but the Lord determines the result. Spurgeon chides us, “When you worry about your circumstances and lot in life, you’re meddling in Christ’s business and neglecting your own. This is nothing but attempting to provide what only God can provide while forgetting that your only role is to obey.” (Day 354)
Misses
One of the types of biblical interpretation which has always been bothersome to me is the treatment of Song of Songs. This beautiful Hebrew love poem has been tortured and twisted to deliver a Christological meaning since the early church fathers and particularly in the medieval church. It’s a very easy way to avoid the emphasis on human love and jump to the idea of the church as the Bride of Christ. That is somewhat valid, but it ignores the significance of the poem within the Wisdom tradition of ancient Israel.
Spurgeon is guilty of jumping past the meaning to Israel and its Wisdom tradition on Day 19, Day 61, Day 69, Day 80, Day 92 (particularly weird since it deals with “kissing” which becomes a metaphor for reconciliation), Day 104 (particularly dubious since it equates the myrrh used as perfume between the lover’s breasts with the myrrh used to bury Jesus), Day 116, Day 122 (where the lover describes her “man” as having a pleasant fragrance and Spurgeon uses it to talk about God’s fragrance), Day 151 (somewhat strangely using the little foxes in the vineyard as a metaphor for sins), Day 220, Day 235 (naturally, the desperate seeking for her lover in 5:8 becomes the seeking of the believer for Jesus, according to Spurgeon), Day 238, Day 247 (where the lover’s statement that she knows the one she loves becomes a reference to Job’s assurance that he knows about his deliverer), Day 275, Day 323 (the enclosed spring serves as a metaphor for holiness), Day 337, and Day 338.
I can’t criticize Spurgeon too much for how he takes a line describing a victory in battle from I Corinthians and spiritualizes it to the believer’s war with sin (Day 160). I’m guilty of spiritualizing holy war as well. That’s the only way it is relevant to us today. After Jesus’ death, God doesn’t want the “New Israel” of the church physically killing people. Circumstances aren’t the same and the hostility we face from our spiritual enemies isn’t (generally) the same. So, Spurgeon’s emphasis on the victory belonging to God actually does apply to the struggles we have today. He just gets there faster in his devotional than I would, even in a sermon.
On Day 185, Spurgeon obviously assumes everyone knows the context of the Pharaoh’s dream to be interpreted by Joseph. Yet, he leaps immediately to the idea of human responsibility for the famines experienced in one’s life. For me, this is problematic because the Joseph narrative nowhere suggests that the seven years of famine are because of human responsibility. It seems to be arranged by God as part of an intricate plan for miraculously providing for Israel. Still, even in this interpretation that rubs me the wrong way, Spurgeon has an interesting description. “When the slowly moving caterpillars of indifference, worldliness, and self-indulgence render my heart completely desolate and cause my soul to languish, all my past fruitfulness and growth in grace benefit me nothing whatsoever.” (Day 185) While I like the metaphor, I take umbrage at the idea that past blessings have no benefit. It has been my experience (and I believe the Bible makes it clear) that God wastes nothing of our experiences, good or bad.
Another devotion (Day 364) does a good job of inspiring readers based on 1 Samuel 7:2 where the prophet-priest erects a standing stone called “Ebenezer.” Neither Spurgeon nor his editor, Jim Reimann, translated the name which incorporates the noun for “stone” with the root for “helping.” Yet, both do a good job of explaining the significance of placing memorial stones as Spurgeon reminds us that an event marked by a stone allows one to both look back and look forward since the placing of the stone is not the end. Then, Reimann’s wrap-up reminds us Joshua’s placement of memorial stones at Gilgal. It would have been nice to have
Evaluation
For me, Look Unto Me: The Devotions of Charles Spurgeon is an experience as mixed as his metaphorical interpretations. Some mornings, I have been overjoyed to “hear” what he was saying about a familiar (or unfamiliar) verse. Other mornings, my stomach was upset by the disregard for what the verse would have signified to those who originally heard or read it. I want to rate the book higher because of the impact on my life over this devastating year, but the balance in the writings force me to give it a balanced review. [Confession: I read the devotional for December 31 on December 30, 2020 so I could finish this review and post it in a timely fashion.
For years, I questioned the usefulness of a person commenting on a phrase of scripture. I am a person who believes in context, both the historical and literary context of a verse or passage. I like to see the connections between verses, phrases, and terms. A few critics have accused me of dissecting a frog in the way I study the Bible (That’s ironic since I used to tell my students when I taught in seminary that we taught them the critical tools much the same way as surgeons are taught surgical techniques, to benefit the patients rather than dissect the cat in front of an audience!). Yet, my view of scripture is so high that my sometimes overly detailed approach is one way that I believe God keeps my interpretation honest.
So, it is with that cautionary introduction that I admit that, as great as Spurgeon’s reputation is, I believe these devotional readings are “hit and miss.” They hit in that they are grounded in Jesus as the Christ, Savior and Lord, foundation of our faith. They miss in that by sometimes wrenching the phrases of Bible verses out of context, they miss the richness of how God’s plan spans the scope of eternity and intersects with history at specific points with specific people. As a result, I want to share with you some hits and some misses from my year-long journey into an old-fashioned devotional guide.
Hits
On January 17 (2020 for me, though these devotional readings are not attached to a specific year), we read the first verse of Revelation 14. For those who know the passage, it begins with the Lamb of God setting aside a symbolic 144,000 prior to the vivid images of judgment in the rest of the chapter. Spurgeon inspirationally focuses on the 144,000 rescued rather than the judgment and he rightly emphasizes the presence of Jesus as the focal point of salvation in the first section of the chapter. In doing so, he foreshadows a message that is repeated throughout John’s Apocalypse—the presence of Jesus, the reality of God is what is really heaven, not the symbols of giant pearls for gates and golden streets. He quotes the 17th century Scottish pastor, Samuel Rutherford, as saying that heaven and Christ are the same thing and he goes on to write, “To be with Christ is to be in heaven, and to be in heaven is to be with Christ.” (Day 17) To emphasize the point (and many points throughout the book), Spurgeon quotes a bit of verse from 19th century poet William Walker:
Not all the harps above
Can make a heavenly place,
If God his residence remove,
Or but conceal His face.
Again, most of us are aware of Jeremiah’s “New Covenant” passage in Jeremiah 31. This is where God’s promise is to transform the covenant, the partnership with Israel, from the stones of the law which had been ignored or rebuffed enough to turn Israel’s will and behavior (hearts) to stone into a will and behavior which would come more naturally as a will and behavior in line with God’s purpose. Spurgeon rightly emphasizes God’s covenant love (often translated as “loving kindness”). In so doing, he quotes:
Law and terror do but harden
All the while they work alone,
But a sense of blood-bought pardon
Will dissolve a heart of stone. -- Joseph Hart, 18th century (Day 60)
Although I could give many examples, one of my favorite verses is Proverbs 16:33. To paraphrase it, we throw the die but the Lord determines the result. Spurgeon chides us, “When you worry about your circumstances and lot in life, you’re meddling in Christ’s business and neglecting your own. This is nothing but attempting to provide what only God can provide while forgetting that your only role is to obey.” (Day 354)
Misses
One of the types of biblical interpretation which has always been bothersome to me is the treatment of Song of Songs. This beautiful Hebrew love poem has been tortured and twisted to deliver a Christological meaning since the early church fathers and particularly in the medieval church. It’s a very easy way to avoid the emphasis on human love and jump to the idea of the church as the Bride of Christ. That is somewhat valid, but it ignores the significance of the poem within the Wisdom tradition of ancient Israel.
Spurgeon is guilty of jumping past the meaning to Israel and its Wisdom tradition on Day 19, Day 61, Day 69, Day 80, Day 92 (particularly weird since it deals with “kissing” which becomes a metaphor for reconciliation), Day 104 (particularly dubious since it equates the myrrh used as perfume between the lover’s breasts with the myrrh used to bury Jesus), Day 116, Day 122 (where the lover describes her “man” as having a pleasant fragrance and Spurgeon uses it to talk about God’s fragrance), Day 151 (somewhat strangely using the little foxes in the vineyard as a metaphor for sins), Day 220, Day 235 (naturally, the desperate seeking for her lover in 5:8 becomes the seeking of the believer for Jesus, according to Spurgeon), Day 238, Day 247 (where the lover’s statement that she knows the one she loves becomes a reference to Job’s assurance that he knows about his deliverer), Day 275, Day 323 (the enclosed spring serves as a metaphor for holiness), Day 337, and Day 338.
I can’t criticize Spurgeon too much for how he takes a line describing a victory in battle from I Corinthians and spiritualizes it to the believer’s war with sin (Day 160). I’m guilty of spiritualizing holy war as well. That’s the only way it is relevant to us today. After Jesus’ death, God doesn’t want the “New Israel” of the church physically killing people. Circumstances aren’t the same and the hostility we face from our spiritual enemies isn’t (generally) the same. So, Spurgeon’s emphasis on the victory belonging to God actually does apply to the struggles we have today. He just gets there faster in his devotional than I would, even in a sermon.
On Day 185, Spurgeon obviously assumes everyone knows the context of the Pharaoh’s dream to be interpreted by Joseph. Yet, he leaps immediately to the idea of human responsibility for the famines experienced in one’s life. For me, this is problematic because the Joseph narrative nowhere suggests that the seven years of famine are because of human responsibility. It seems to be arranged by God as part of an intricate plan for miraculously providing for Israel. Still, even in this interpretation that rubs me the wrong way, Spurgeon has an interesting description. “When the slowly moving caterpillars of indifference, worldliness, and self-indulgence render my heart completely desolate and cause my soul to languish, all my past fruitfulness and growth in grace benefit me nothing whatsoever.” (Day 185) While I like the metaphor, I take umbrage at the idea that past blessings have no benefit. It has been my experience (and I believe the Bible makes it clear) that God wastes nothing of our experiences, good or bad.
Another devotion (Day 364) does a good job of inspiring readers based on 1 Samuel 7:2 where the prophet-priest erects a standing stone called “Ebenezer.” Neither Spurgeon nor his editor, Jim Reimann, translated the name which incorporates the noun for “stone” with the root for “helping.” Yet, both do a good job of explaining the significance of placing memorial stones as Spurgeon reminds us that an event marked by a stone allows one to both look back and look forward since the placing of the stone is not the end. Then, Reimann’s wrap-up reminds us Joshua’s placement of memorial stones at Gilgal. It would have been nice to have
Evaluation
For me, Look Unto Me: The Devotions of Charles Spurgeon is an experience as mixed as his metaphorical interpretations. Some mornings, I have been overjoyed to “hear” what he was saying about a familiar (or unfamiliar) verse. Other mornings, my stomach was upset by the disregard for what the verse would have signified to those who originally heard or read it. I want to rate the book higher because of the impact on my life over this devastating year, but the balance in the writings force me to give it a balanced review. [Confession: I read the devotional for December 31 on December 30, 2020 so I could finish this review and post it in a timely fashion.
January 14, 2023
Food for the soul
Read this book alongside your Bible and live in abundance. But be saved First! Then, memorize the Christian writings
of C. S. Lewis.
Read this book alongside your Bible and live in abundance. But be saved First! Then, memorize the Christian writings
of C. S. Lewis.
April 17, 2026
Full of deep theological richness. Definitely a treasure.
December 29, 2019
Based on Spurgeon's well-loved Morning by Morning devotional, this updated version has language for today's reader as well as a few paragraphs of reflection and further application from Jim Reimann, who has updated other devotionals, such as My Utmost for His Highest. There is a devotion for each day of the year, many of which were incredibly powerful. Spurgeon was a brilliant preacher and author who dug deep into various Christian doctrines and beliefs in this devotional that can still be followed today. I enjoyed reading this in 2019 and look forward to reading more of his books.
November 12, 2016
Aplicación practica y profundidad teológica equilibrada.
Recomiendo mucho este devocional de 90 días , ideal para profundizar y descansar en la gracia de nuestro Señor valdrá la pena cada unidad monetaria invertida.
Léelo con mucha oración y disfruta de las gloriosas verdades de nuestro Padre celestial.
Eres amado.
Recomiendo mucho este devocional de 90 días , ideal para profundizar y descansar en la gracia de nuestro Señor valdrá la pena cada unidad monetaria invertida.
Léelo con mucha oración y disfruta de las gloriosas verdades de nuestro Padre celestial.
Eres amado.
March 11, 2019
Excelente
Es un libro perfecto para devocional, cortos pero profundos sin desperdicios algunos. Es un libro que te lleva a querer llegar al próximo devocional y hasta querer adelantarte para leer mas.
Es un libro perfecto para devocional, cortos pero profundos sin desperdicios algunos. Es un libro que te lleva a querer llegar al próximo devocional y hasta querer adelantarte para leer mas.
March 22, 2021
Directo al corazón
Gracias a Dios por la vida de CH Spurgeon y hasta la fecha sus escritos siguen edificando. Tomar una pequeña porción de la Biblia y recibir del autor una explicación del autor de verdad que es una bendición.
Gracias a Dios por la vida de CH Spurgeon y hasta la fecha sus escritos siguen edificando. Tomar una pequeña porción de la Biblia y recibir del autor una explicación del autor de verdad que es una bendición.
January 2, 2009
Already a MUST read!
December 11, 2010
Great Devotional Really enjoyed this one!!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews