Ten months ago, I renamed my blog, Back to the Old Paths, to reflect its new theme and purpose. My blog used to be more a place to share my thoughts, and sometimes my writing, fiction or otherwise. But in the situation we currently find ourselves in, in our society and in the world at large, I have a desire to share the truth as it is found in God’s Word, the Bible. Even as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we often find ourselves straying from the path as we are drawn to this or that “truth” in the world around us. Society and culture will always change, but God never changes. We need a compass to guide us along the path of life, and the only true compass is God’s Word.

The new name for my blog came from this song in the 1945 edition of The Salvation Army Chorus Book.

I love the song as is — just the chorus. But I was delighted one day to find it is part of a whole song with three verses. There is so much truth and beauty in this song. If you have ever truly known the Lord, you will know that walking with Him is no hardship, because not only does He give the guidance and perseverance needed to get back on the path and stay there, but fellowship with Him is sweet when it is not marred by sin.

Charles Spurgeon came to faith in Christ as a teenager. He heard the call of the Saviour in these words:

“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” ~ Isaiah 14:22

God has provided salvation in one way only — through the death and resurrection of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. When we turn from our sin and place our faith in Him for salvation, He makes us His own. He frees us from the penalty for our sin, because He paid the price for it on the cross. But as long as we are in this life, we still sin, and need His daily cleansing and forgiveness. We continue to look to Him to bring us back to the paths of righteousness again and again.

Following is the sermon preached by Spurgeon, where he tells the story of how the Lord saved him when he answered that call to “Look unto me.” He preached this sermon on January 6th, 1856, exactly six years after his conversion, and just two days before his marriage to Susannah Thompson.