“You Forget…There are Two of Us.”

Charles Spurgeon is one of, if not the most, famous preachers to have ever walked on the Earth. From the time he was 19 years old until his death thirty-eight years later, his kingdom impact is public and trackable.

He wrote 150 books and read 6 per week. He preached four to ten times a week, edited a magazine, revised sermons for lecture, issued addresses, directed a theological college, ran an orphanage, and led the largest Protestant church in the world (6,000 members; not attenders. MEMBERS). Yet, he still had time for his personal walk with God and his personal life with his wife Susanna and his twin sons.

The title of this article derives from a conversation Spurgeon had with David Livingstone, a missionary in the rural areas of Africa, on how much Spurgeon worked. Here is how the exchange went.

Livingstone- “How can you accomplish so much in one day?”

Spurgeon- “You forget, Mr. Livingstone, there are two of us working.”

Spurgeon knew and acknowledged that his success and ability to spend 18 hours each day on his ministry was only because God was with him. Spurgeon knew that he was just a chess piece in the scheme of reality. (Now, I would say that he was a pretty important chess piece).

The difference was Spurgeon did everything “to the glory of God.”

This isn’t to say that Spurgeon never messed up, but it does say that he had the proper perspective in the midst of his success and his suffering.

This is a lesson that Christians, leaders, and humans in general tend to forget. We want all the credit for our success. We want to place the blame for our failures on outside entities (“society,” enemies, “people who just don’t understand”). We want to be self-sufficient in the good and to delegate in the bad. We emphasize autonomy and independence when we should recognize that we should never desire to be truly independent.

I am not saying that personal independence is a bad thing. Becoming your own man or woman is extremely important and valid in every person’s spiritual growth and maturity.

What I am saying is that we are not accountable only to ourselves anymore. As children, we are to accountable to our parents and honoring them. As employees, we are accountable to our bosses and our customers. As leaders, we are accountable to our teams and boards. As Christians, we are accountable to (1) Christ first and foremost and (2) others who have not heard the good news of Jesus’s gift of salvation and those who have heard and desire to be discipled.

But here is the good news- if we are in Christ, then we are in the same spot Spurgeon was and is currently in.

There are two of us working.

The first is the Trinity- God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. They are all working together for our good and their glory. If we are born again in Jesus, then the Holy Spirit is with us. Jesus left us the great Helper. “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). We are not alone. Think about it. We have CHRIST IN US. The Holy Spirit is One who makes God’s presence personal for each and every follower of Christ. He knows how we are feeling. He knows what we need in every moment. He knows how to comfort us in suffering. He is also working so that we can glorify God.

The second is us- the Christian. God has chosen each and every Christian to be a part of His story. As we walk through our lives in the middle, we still have to make decisions and choices that will affect how our lives progress. God has given us the free will to choose. The question is “What are we going to choose?”

Will you choose obedience in pursuing the ultimate glory of God in your life? Will you choose what makes you “happy” right now, or will you choose what is best in the end?

Spurgeon knew the right answer. He lived his life pointing people to Christ in every facet of his time on Earth from the time He was 15 until his death.

The comforting thing is to know that, if we make the right decision, the burden is not just on us.

Don’t forget. There are two of us working.

Source: https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/blog-entries/how-spurgeon-scheduled-his-week/