Good Time Charlie
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
“Man’s life is a cask full of bitter wine; he who looks for joy in it would be better looking for honey in a salty ocean.” – C.H. Spurgeon
At first glance, Charles Spurgeon sounds like an eternal pessimist and a real killjoy, the last person you’d want to invite to a get-together at your house. Not exactly “Good Time Charlie”, if you know what I mean.
But if you look beneath the surface and really mediate on his words – taking them to heart – they are 100% biblical.
For instance, compare what Spurgeon wrote to what Job said in 14:1… “Man, who is born of woman, is short of days and full of trouble.” Sounds like they are singing from the same song sheet, doesn’t it?
Spurgeon, who admitted to suffering from deep bouts of depression throughout his life, also wrote the following…
“Frail flowers of the field, we must not reckon upon blooming forever. There is a time appointed for weakness and sickness, when we will have to glorify God by suffering and not by earnest activity.”
Not the most uplifting words, right? But once again, Spurgeon is spot-on scripturally. Compare his quote to Job 14:2… “Like a flower, he comes forth, then withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.”
Not only do Spurgeon’s words – and the Bible verses they support – poke holes in the modern-day heresy known as the prosperity gospel, but they also prove the futility of those individuals who spend their lives (and their vast fortunes) in a vain attempt to reverse the aging process and to cheat death. Both of them are unavoidable, so it’s better to prepare for them than to “kick against the goads.”
The saving grace in all of this is found in John 16:33, which reads as follows… “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!”
Trials and tribulations are part of life, especially for believers who are trying to buck this world’s value system. But Jesus – the One who promises to never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5); but rather to stick closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24) – has overcome this world in which we live.
Take comfort in THAT, my friend!
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
