Amusement should be used to do us good “like a medicine”: it must never be used as the food of the man...Many have had all holy thoughts and gracious resolutions stamped out by perpetual trifling. Pleasure so called is the murderer of thought. This is the age of excessive amusement: everybody craves for it, like a babe for its rattle.
Oh that I could have the cross painted on my eyeballs, that I could not see anything except through the medium of my Savior’s passion!
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a desire to view the world solely through the lens of faith and the suffering of Christ.
In this quote, Charles Spurgeon conveys a profound longing to immerse himself entirely in the teachings and sacrifices of Jesus Christ. By desiring to have the 'cross painted on his eyeballs,' he wishes to see everything in life filtered through the lens of Christ's passion, suggesting that the understanding of worldly experiences should be deeply rooted in spirituality and faith. Spurgeon emphasizes the importance of aligning one's perception with divine love and sacrifice, elevating the impact of faith in everyday life.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a sermon about the importance of viewing life through faith, I shared this quote to emphasize the message.
More from Charles Spurgeon
All quotes →When you see no present advantage, walk by faith and not by sight. Do God the honor to trust Him when it comes to matters of loss for the sake of principle.
It is far easier to fight with sin in public than to pray against it in private.
You will never glory in God till first of all God has killed your glorying in yourself.
After faith comes repentance, or, rather, repentance is faith's twin brother and is born at the same time.
["All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant."] The original Hebrew word that has been translated "paths" means "well-worn roads' or "wheel tracks," such ruts as wagons make when they go down our green roads in wet weather and sink in up to the axles. God's ways are at times like heavy wagon tracks that cut deep into our souls, yet all of them are merciful.
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Twin-sister of Religion, Selfishness.
Best of an island is once you get there - you can't go any farther...you've come to the end of things.