Be encouraged and have your faith strengthened in your daily walk with Jesus Christ, through these quotations on the Christian devotional life.
10/15/2014
John 8:32 "You will know the truth...."
"He who comes to the Bible with a humble, teachable spirit, with a heart that prefers truth to error, and the favor of God to the friendship of the world, will know of the doctrine. He will not be left to be deceived by the enemy, or to be swayed hither and thither by false doctrines. Christ will guide him day by day, and he will enter the strait gate, to walk in the narrow path that leads to life. {ST, September 17, 1902 par. 4}
2/16/2014
Ps. 119:11 "Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You."
"The Bible, and the Bible only, studied on your knees, laid up in your heart, and practiced in your life, attended by the Holy Spirit's power, can be your safeguard. It alone can make you righteous and holy and keep you thus. Every human influence is weak and varying unless the truth of God's word is brought home to the soul, and placed upon the throne. Not till this is done, will the heart be sanctified, purified and made holy, a fountain out of which are the issues of life."—Paulson Collection, p. 57.3
1/29/2014
John 6:63 "The words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are life."
John 5:24 "He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life."
"In every command and in every promise of the word of God is the power, the very life of God, by which the command may be fulfilled and the promise realized. He who by faith receives the word is receiving the very life and character of God."—Christ Object Lessons, p. 38.1
8/29/2011
"I will delight myself in Your Statutes, I will not forget Your Word." Ps. 119:16
“Don’t study the Bible to find texts to preach upon, or chapters to expound; but study it to find something that will feed your own heart. If you do this, you will find it a most delightful book, and when it is a delight to you, God will enable you to make it a delight to others.”—J. Hudson Taylor
4/17/2011
"This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.” John 6:58
"God hath appointed that the way of strength should be by the bread of heaven. Those only are strong who eat of this blessed bread. If you eat little you have little strength—the Word of God is the bread. If you keep your faith down, half-starved, you have no strength, no power; everything becomes impossible with you. Faith eats deeply; faith hath a great appetite, and demands continual supplies of God's Word, so that you may grow your own faith."—Charles Fox
1/28/2011
"For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." 1 Cor. 2:2
"I am pent up here amid the venerable lore of ages, and hurried from field to field of metaphysical, ethical and theological research. After examining the various and contending theories, the magisterial dogmas, the abstruse and subtle disquisitions, the vain and unsatisfying speculations, the grave and confident conclusions of numerous theological disputants, I gain relief from their perplexing speculations by taking my precious Bible and stealing away close to the feet of Jesus. He has told me, when I want anything, to ask Him, and His promise never fails, He never upbraids. He does not, indeed, answer all my irreverent inquiries, but He teaches me not to dive beyond my depth, nor soar amid brightness too dazzling. With Jesus for my teacher, I can sit and quiet myself as a wearied child." Titus Coan
10/2/2010
"...Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?" 1 Thess. 3:10
“It is true that I suffer much everyday,” he said, “and more every night. I do not wish it otherwise. My Savior is my physician. I love to lie awake the entire night, because I can then commune with Him.”—Louis Harms, Pastor and founder of the Hermannsburg Mission (Read his story at path2prayer.com)
10/10/2010
“The general rule of interpreting Scripture is this: the literal sense of every text is to be taken, if it be not contrary to some other texts. But in that case, the obscure text is to be interpreted by those which speak more plainly” John Wesley
7/15/2010
"As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." John 20:21
"We should never leave our room until we have seen the face of our dear Master, Christ, and have realized that we are being sent forth by Him to do His will, and to finish the work which He has given us to do. He who said to His immediate followers, “As my Father hath sent me, even so I send you,” says as much to each one of us, as the dawn summons us to live another day. We should realize that we are as much sent forth by Him as the angels who “do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word.” There is some plan for each day’s work, which He will unfold to us, if only we will look up to Him to do so; some mission to fulfill; some ministry to perform; some lesson patiently to learn, that we may be able to “reach others also” As to our plans we need not be anxious; because He who sends us forth is responsible to make the plan, according to His infinite wisdom; and to reveal it to us, however dull and stupid our faculties may be. And as to our sufficiency, we are secure of having all needful grace; because He never sends us forth, except He first breathes on us and says, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost” There is always a special endowment for special power." — F. B. Meyer
5/29/2010
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." John 16:13
"We cannot attain to the understanding of Scripture either by study or by strength of intellect. Therefore your first duty must be to begin with prayer.Entreat the Lord to deign to grant you, in his rich mercy, rightly to understand his Word. There is no other interpreter of the Word but the Author of that Word himself. Even as he has said, 'They shall all be taught of God.' Hope nothing from your study and the strength of your intellect; but simply put your trust in God, and in the guidance of his Spirit. Believe one who has made trial of this matter." Martin Luther
3/5/2010
"So Cornelius said, 'Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my ouse, and behold a man stood before me in bright clothing, and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard...." Acts 10:30
"My chief help is prayer. I have NEVER in my life begun to study one single part of divine truth, without gaining some light about it, when I have been able really to give myself to prayer and meditation over it. But that I have often found a difficult matter, partly on account of the weakness of the flesh, and partly also on account of bodily infirmities and multiplicity of engagements. This I most firmly believe, that no one ought to expect to see much good resulting from his labours in word and doctrine, if he is not much given to prayer and meditation."—George Müller
2/28/2010
"Thy Word is a lamp...." Ps. 119:105
"Read it as a book by which you must be judged: John xii. 48. ‘The word that I have spoken shall judge him at the last day.’ They who live according to the rules of this book, shall be acquitted; they who live contrary to them, shall be condemned. There are two books God will go by, the book of Conscience, and the book of Scripture: the one shall be the witness, and the other the judge. How should every Christian then provoke himself to read this book of God with care and devotion! This is that book which God will judge by at the last. — They who fly from the word as a guide, shall be forced to submit to it as a judge.—Thomas Watson (Read more on reading the word from Watson)
2/8/2010
"In Thy presence is fullness of joy." Ps. 16:11
"The presence of God appeared to be deeply impressed upon his heart. He knew that God saw all that passed within him: he therefore laid open his inmost soul to this Sun of Righteousness, in order to be enlightened, warmed, and renovated by its beams. Hence his actions proceeded not from a constrained obedience, nor from the impulse of his own spirit, but were the result of the influence of the love of God. Besides this, he exercised himself constantly in looking unto God alone; in order that by the contemplation of him, he might become more and more enlightened, and imbibe fresh vigour from the immediate presence of his God and Saviour. He also recommended to others the divine presence in the soul, as an especial favor, and at the same time reminded them, that life from above is not the result of our own efforts, but must be produced in us by the sweet, and powerful, and vivifying presence of God; and this he endeavoured as much as possible, in all his writings, to impress upon the minds of his readers. On which occasions, he also called to their remembrance, that besides the special presence of God within us, we must likewise believe in his universal presence: that God fills heaven and earth, that he is about us and in us, and has his hand in all the events and circumstances which occur to us. “It is true, there are seasons,” said he, “in which God withdraws his lovely presence from us for a while, or in which it is concealed from us by outward extremity, deep affliction, fear, and dread. It is then necessary to believe, in the absence of feeling, that God is present, even under such circumstances; that his paternal love overrules all things for our good, defends us from a variety of evils, and graciously supports us under all our trials.”—Gerhard Tersteegen
12/13/2009
"Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day." Ps. 25:5
“The great importance of perseverance in the exercise of prayer and inward retirement may be sufficiently learnt,” he declares, “next to the experience of it,merely from the tempter’s artifices and endeavors to allure us from it and make us negligent of it. He knows that by this delightful exercise alone his gloomy empire in the soul will necessarily be destroyed, through the imperceptible influx of the light, love, and life of Jesus; and that all the flowers and fruits of the fairest gifts of grace and virtue fade of themselves, if he can only break them off from this their root.” Gerhard Tersteegen, quoted by Govan, Gerhard Tersteegen, p. 49
9/28/2009
"...not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart," Ephesians 6:6
"There is no work so small, no art so mean, but it all comes from God, and is a special gift from Him." John Tauler
8/4/2009
‘Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." Psalm 27:14
An intensity such as never before was seen is taking possession of the world. In amusement, in moneymaking, in the contest for power, in the very struggle for existence, there is a terrible force that engrosses body and mind and soul. In the midst of this maddening rush, God is speaking. He bids us come apart and commune with Him. “Be still, and know that I am God.” Ps. 46:10.
Many, even in their seasons of devotion, fail of receiving the blessing of real communion with God. They are in too a great haste. With hurried steps they press through the circle of Christ’s loving presence, pausing perhaps a moment within the sacred precincts, but not waiting for counsel. They have no time to remain with the divine Teacher. With their burdens they return to their work…. Not a pause for a moment in His presence, but personal contact with Christ, to sit down in companionship with Him - this is our need. We may bring Him our little cares and perplexities as well as our greater troubles. Whatever arises to disturb or distress us, we should take it to the Lord in prayer.
Calmly, yet fervently, the soul is to reach out after God; and sweet and abiding will be the influence emanating from Him who sees in secret, whose ear is open to the prayer arising from the heart. He who in simple faith holds communion with God will gather to himself divine rays of light to strengthen and sustain him in the conflict with Satan.
If we keep the Lord ever before us, allowing our hearts to go out in thanksgiving and praise to Him, we shall have a continual freshness in our religious life. Our prayers will take the form of a conversation with God as we would talk with a friend. He will speak His mysteries to us personally. Often there will come to us a sweet, joyful sense of the presence of Jesus… Prayer turns aside the attacks of Satan. The Faith I Live By, p 225
6/31/2009
"Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said...." Acts 4:8
“When the Spirit enters into the heart, He fills it entirely, so that the world finds no more room or place in it, because this Guest makes Himself sole Lord and Master of it. The first disciples and believers were so entirely taken possession of by this blissful dominion of the Pentecostal Spirit that they were no longer masters of their own tongues or any other member. They were compelled, as it were, to speak, even as the Spirit gave them utterance. They could not long speak according to their own judgment, knowledge, and learning. No! They were constrained to do and speak as the Holy Spirit would have them. Thus it is with every one with whom the Holy Spirit takes up His residence. He then experiences the blissful dominion of our Lord Jesus Christ in his heart. The Holy Spirit is then the scepter which is sent forth out of Zion into our hearts. He takes possession of all our will and desire, all our actions and deportment, all our inclinations and affections and makes us entirely subject to Him. He dwells in our hearts like a king in the realm of his palace. He ordains and accomplishes in us that which is pleasing and acceptable to Him. He creates in us another principle and beginning of life. He becomes to the soul, as it were, the life of her life. He renews her daily more and more in the image of Him that created her, and forms her into a temple of truth and righteousness—yea, to a living temple of God in Jesus Christ. All the glory of earthly kings and princes are only vain shadows and child’s-play compared with the single Pentecostal heart which is deemed worthy of receiving the Sprit of Jesus Christ in such plenitude.” Gerhard Tersteegen
6/30/2009
"Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance." Ps. 42:5
"Why should we fret and chafe, or beat our breasts against the bars, or allow our souls to be disquieted within us. All is under law, all under love, all things are working together for good. He will give grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold from those to whom he has given his only begotten Son. In him the tenderness of a motherhood and of fatherhood blend. There is not a step he does not weigh; not a path he does not winnow; not a tear, the shedding of which has not been to him a subject of anxiety; not a stab of pain, the edge of which he has not felt before it touches us; not a sorrow, the weight of which he has not felt before he allowed it to impinge. Such a God is thine, O my soul! Hush thee; trust him; he is doing all things well; be still and be at rest! Thou art as safe as if the gate of pearl were behind thee; thy joy cannot rust or be stolen; every wind is a south wind; every shore thy native land; every circumstance a rough-packing case containing the gifts of thy Father’s love.” F B Meyer, Joshua, p. 188.
5/28/2009
"Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. " Prov. 4:7
“I truly pity those who rise early and study late—with no higher prize and prospect in view, than the obtaining of academic honors! Such pursuits will before long appear (as they really are) as vain as the foolish games of children! May the Lord impress them with the noble ambition of living to and for Him. If these scholars, who are laboring for pebbles under the semblance of goodly pearls, had a discovery of the Pearl of great price—how quickly and gladly would they lay down their admired attainments, and become fools—that they might be truly wise! Their academic studies, if taken in the aggregate, are little better than splendid trifles!—Friend, what a snare have you escaped! You would have been nothing but a scholar—had not God visited your heart and enlightened you by His grace! Now I trust you account your former academic gains, but loss—compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus. What you have attained in the way of learning, will be useful to you—if sanctified, and chiefly so by the knowledge which you have of its insufficiency to any valuable purpose in the great concerns of life—knowing God and walking with Him!” John Newton
5/22/2009
"“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name." Ps. 91:14
"'Because he hath set his love upon Me,' 'because he hath known My name,' the two folding doors of the secret place of the Most High." Andrew Bonar, Heavenly Springs
4/3/2009
"Communion with Chrsit requires our coming to Him. Meditating upon His person, and His work requires the diligent use of the means of grace; and specially the prayerful reading of His Word. Many fail to abide abecause they habitually fast instead of feed." Hudson Taylor
2/26/2009
"A Christian must be as a revolving circle, the central point fixed and immovable, whilst at the same time each point of the circumference performs its constant round. Thus, for the Christian, the central point is the still abiding in the presence of God,and with the outer man, with all the power of body, soul, and spirit, must he ever be occupied in the work of God. But all that is good and divine that is found in our outward life is purely the effect of the supernatural power of God. Therefore it is needful to abide quietly and fixedly in Christ, that this power may be manifested in us. The outer man would move as a door does that is fixed upon its hinge, but move in quietness and without violence for the door might be wrenched form its hinge by that energy of nature." Gerhard Tersteegen
2/19/2009
"Meditation has a transforming power in it. The hearing of the Word may affect us:, but the meditating upon it doth transform us." Thomas Watson
12/2/2008
"Many of us are giving ourselves too good a grade in our Bible study! We believe we are good students of the Bible, but in many cases we only know what others have told us." Tom Brundrett
9/16/2008
"Strive to make prayer and reading and holy company and holy conference your delight; and when delight cometh in, ye shall by little and little smell the sweetness of Christ, till at length your soul be over head and ears in Christ's sweetness. Then shall ye be taken up to the top of the mountain with the Lord, to know the ravishments of spiritual love, and the glory and excellency of a seen, revealed, felt, and embraced Christ: and then ye shall not be able to loose yourself off Christ, and to bind your soul to old lovers." Rutherford, Samuel Letters
9/10/2008
In all who are under the training of God is to be revealed a life that is not in harmony with the world, its customs, or its practices; and everyone needs to have a personal experience in obtaining a knowledge of the will of God. We must individually hear Him speaking to the heart. When every other voice is hushed, and in quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of God. He bids us, "Be still, and know that I am God." Ps. 46:10. Here alone can true rest be found. And this is the effectual preparation for all who labor for God. Amid the hurrying throng, and the strain of life's intense activities, the soul that is thus refreshed will be surrounded with an atmosphere of light and peace. The life will breathe out fragrance, and will reveal a divine power that will reach men's hearts.Desire of Ages, p 363
8/1/2008
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!¨ You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness." Matthew 23:23
Take heed of spending too much of your precious time about circumstantials, about the minor things of religion--as "mint, dill, and cumin;" or in searching into the circumstances of worship, or in standing stoutly for this or that ceremony, or about inquiring what fruit it was which Adam ate in paradise, or in inquiring after things which God in His infinite wisdom has concealed. It is one of Satan's great designs, to hinder men in the great and weighty duties of religion, by busying them most about the lowest and least matters of religion.
Satan is never better pleased, than when he sees Christians puzzled and perplexed about those things in religion, which are of no great consequence or importance. Such as are more busied about ceremonies, than substances; about the form of godliness than the power. Such are more taken up with the outward dress and garb of religion, than they are with the spirit, power, and life of religion. There cannot be a surer nor a greater character of a hypocrite, than to make a great deal of stir about little things in religion, and in the mean while, neglect the great and main things in religion. Thomas Brooks, The Privy Key of Heaven
8/1/2008
"There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God...." Ps. 46:4
The River of God
From the Rock that God has riven
Flows the sacred river,
Through the wastes of barren ages,
Ever and for ever.
Still on this side and on that side,
Grow the healing trees-
Bearing fruit for all the hunger
Leaves for all Disease.
From the everlasting fountains
Still it flows along,
Making glad the holy city
Of eternal song.
From the throne of Christ in glory,
Rock that God has riven,
Onward still the crystal river
Bears the life of Heaven.
Sheep lie yet in quiet pastures
By the waters still,
Lilies grow in God’s green meadows,
Cedars on His hill.
Still to drink the living waters
Come the souls athirst,
Eyes behold the Face of Jesus
Even as at first.
Clad in white there walk beside Him
Still the blessed throng-
Through the ages sound unsilenced
Psaltery and song.
Onwards weary generations
Pass through deserts dread.
Void and silent skies above them,
Under them the dead.
Whilst unseen the Lord’s fair garden
Round about them glows,
And the barren wilderness
Blossom as the rose.
Whilst beside them unimagined
Glide the waters fair-
Whilst around, the psalms ascending
Tell that Christ is there.
C.P.C., From Hymns of Tersteegen, Suso and Others.
4/10/2008
“Let us remember that in the last judgment we shall not be asked how learned we were and whether we displayed our learning before the world; to what extent we enjoyed the favor of men and knew how to keep it; with what honors we were exalted and how great a reputation in the world we left behind us; or how many treasure of earthly good we amassed for our children and thereby drew a curse upon ourselves. Instead we shall be asked how faithfully and with how childlike a heart we sought to further the kingdom of God; with how pure and godly a teaching and how worthy an example we tried to edify our hearers amid the scorn of the world, denial of self, taking up of the cross, and imitation of our Savior; with what zeal we opposed not only error but also wickedness of life; or with what constancy and cheerfulness we endured the persecution or adversity thrust upon us by the manifestly godless world or by false brethren, and amid such suffering praised our God.” Philip Spener
3/30/2008
"He hath made us accepted in the beloved." Ephesians 1:6
"If you cannot bring to your beloved God many and great offerings such as meditation, prayer, and thanksgiving, bring to him what you have and can, and with these, a good will and holy desires; and hope that you might please him in your worship. To have such a holy desire, indeed, to wish to have one, is not a small gift or sacrifice. It too pleases God. ... God does not demand more from you than his grace works in you and you cannot give him more than he has given you. Pray to your Lord Jesus Christ that he make your sacrifice and gifts perfect with his perfect sacrifice, for your perfection is in him; in us, it is in part. Speak as follows: Dear God and Father, take my meditation, faith, prayer, and thanksgiving in your dear Son, and do not look on it as it is in itself but [as it is] in Christ; thus, it will give you pleasure as a perfect work; my Lord Jesus will make that perfect which is lacking in me. Thus, your meditation, prayer, and thanksgiving succeeds and even if it is in itself weak and dark, and has its shortcomings, it is a great perfection, a great light and glory from the merit of Christ. ... Your old acts are in themselves nothing, but if they are adorned with Christ's perfection, all your works truly please God. Apples that are brought in in golden trays are seen as particularly valuable. Apples in themselves are not considered so great, but they are more lovely if they are brought in in golden rays. So it is with our prayer, meditation and thanksgiving in Christ." Johann Arndt, True Christianity, p. 180
2/26/2008
"Yield yourself meekly and obediently to the authority and teaching of Christ, accepting human guidance only so far as it comes with a “thus says the Lord” as its divine endorsement. Our only safeguard in a matter of such infinite moment as our future well being, is God’s pure Word; our only secure place, the feet of the Savior. Sitting there as His lowly disciple, the Holy Spirit will lead our minds into the truth, even “the truth as it is in Jesus,” as it emanates from Jesus, as it speaks of Jesus, as it strengthens our faith in, and inspires our love to, Jesus, and as it prepares us to go and be with Jesus forever."
12/3/2008
“Our best work for God cannot be done unless we have learned to be quiet; still, that God may mold us; tranquil, that the tremor of our nerves may not interfere with the thrill of his energy; calm that we may drop the silt and mud, which make our hearts so dull and so inapt to mirror the deep blue of the heavens above.... The restful heart lives above the storm and strife, with Christ; sensitive to human sorrow and to its own, but able to discern the purposes of divine wisdom; to await the unfolding of the divine plan; and to trust the love of the divine heart. It keeps silence for his word. Its daily task is holy. It is not disturbed by emotional change. Such is its acquiescence in the divine will that it is content with whatever comes. Its winters are always going, its springs always coming; the turtles call softly within its woods, the flowers deck its soil. ‘I felt,’ said Fletcher, ‘the will of my God like unto a soft pillow, upon which I could lie down and find rest and safety in all circumstances....’ There is not unnatural quietism in this life—rather the most intense earnestness and activity. When the nature is yielded up completely to the Holy Ghost, it attains to a speed of movement and a strength of endeavor, which can only be accounted for by remembering that when once a man has surrendered himself to the current of the divine nature, he will acquire something of its velocity and force. But in the midst of the most rapid and vehement movement there is rest—deep, sweet rest.” F B Meyer, Joshua, (Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1977), p. 145.
11/5/2007
You ask why I follow this Jesus?
Why I love Him the way I do?
When the world's turned away from His teachings
And the people who serve Him are few.
It's not the rewards I'm after
Or gifts that I hope to receive
It's the Presence that calls for commitment
It's the Spirit I trust and believe.
The Lord doesn't shelter His faithful
Or spare them all suffering and pain,
Like everyone else I have burdens,
And walk through my share of rain.
Yet He gives me a plan and a purpose,
And that joy only Christians have known,
I never know what comes tomorrow,
But I do know I'm never alone.
It's the love always there when you need it;
It's the words that redeem and inspire,
It's the longing to ever be with Him
That burns in my heart like a fire.
So you ask why I love my Lord Jesus?
Well, friend, that's so easy to see,
But the one thing that fills me with wonder is
Why Jesus loves someone like me.
—Paul Ciniraj, Salem Voice Ministries
10/29/2007
O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!
My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honors of Thy name.
Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’Tis life, and health, and peace.
He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.
He speaks, and, listening to His voice,
New life the dead receive,
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
The humble poor believe.
Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb,
Your loosened tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Savior come,
And leap, ye lame, for joy.
In Christ your Head, you then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven.
Glory to God, and praise and love
Be ever, ever given,
By saints below and saints above,
The church in earth and heaven.
On this glad day the glorious Sun
Of Righteousness arose;
On my benighted soul He shone
And filled it with repose.
Sudden expired the legal strife,
’Twas then I ceased to grieve;
My second, real, living life
I then began to live.
Then with my heart I first believed,
Believed with faith divine,
Power with the Holy Ghost received
To call the Savior mine.
I felt my Lord’s atoning blood
Close to my soul applied;
Me, me He loved, the Son of God,
For me, for me He died!
I found and owned His promise true,
Ascertained of my part,
My pardon passed in heaven I knew
When written on my heart.
Look unto Him, ye nations, own
Your God, ye fallen race;
Look, and be saved through faith alone,
Be justified by grace.
See all your sins on Jesus laid:
The Lamb of God was slain,
His soul was once an offering made
For every soul of man.
Awake from guilty nature’s sleep,
And Christ shall give you light,
Cast all your sins into the deep,
And wash the Ethiop white.
Harlots and publicans and thieves
In holy triumph join!
Saved is the sinner that believes
From crimes as great as mine.
Murderers and all ye hellish crew
In holy triumph join!
Believe the Savior died for you;
For me the Savior died.
With me, your chief, ye then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven.
—Charles Wesley on the first anniversary of his conversion, inspired by a conversation with Peter Boehler who stated that if he had a 1,000 tongues, they would all be dedicated to God.
9/30/2007
"The golden rule for understanding in spiritual matters is not intellect, but obedience." Oswald Chambers
9/28/2007
“WELL What are ages and the lapse of time
Match’d against truths, as lasting as sublime?
Can length of years on God Himself exact?
Or make that fiction, which was once a fact?
No marble and recording brass decay,
And, like the graver’s memory, pass away;
The works of man inherit, as is just,
Their author’s frailty, and return to dust;
But Truth divine forever stands secure,
Its head is guarded as its base is sure;
Fix’d in the rolling flood of endless years,
The pillar of the eternal plan appears,
The raving storm and dashing wave defiles,
Built by that Architect who built the skies.”
—William Cowper
9/27/2007
"None of them that wait on him shall be ashamed...." Ps. 69:6
"Never trust your own judgment. When your common sense is most sure of the rightness of a certain course of action, it will be best to make assurance doubly sure by lifting up your soul to God, that it may dim with his No, or glisten with his Yes.When voices within or without would hasten you to decide on the strength of your own conclusions, then be careful to refer the whole matter form the lower court of your own judgment to the supreme tribunal of God’s. If there is any doubt or hesitation left after such reference, be sure that as yet the time has not come for you to understand all God’s will. Under such circumstances-wait.There the responsibility of the pause, and all it may involve, is on God; and dare still to wait…. If you trust God absolutely, it is for him to give you clear directions as to what you should do. And when the time for action arrives, he will have given you such unmistakable indications of his will that you will not be able to mistake them or err therein. ‘None of them that wait on him shall be ashamed.’ Before entering into any alliance-taking a partner in life, going into a business with another, yielding assent to any proposition which involves confederation with others-be sure to ask counsel at the mouth of the Lord. He will assuredly answer by an irresistible impulse-by the voice of a friend; by a circumstance strange and unexpected; by a passage of Scripture. He will choose his own messenger; but he will send a message.” Meyer, Joshua, p. 118,119.
9/7/2007
“O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” Psalms 8:1-4
"God has stamped his image upon every work of his hand. In every object in nature, we see evidences of his mighty power. The fields of waving grain bow their heads in acknowledgment of the God who gives to man his bread in due season. The trees, bending beneath their weight of precious fruit, bear unmistakable evidence of the love of a beneficent Creator. Every tree and shrub declares the work of infinite power. Upon every blade of grass God's name is written. The opening buds and blooming flowers, with their varied tints, outvying even the glory of Solomon, show forth the skill of the divine Artist. The cattle upon a thousand hills, all with their distinctive characteristics, express the wonders of their Maker, and declare that he is God indeed." Ellen White, Youth Instructor, December 24, 1896
"The book of nature is a fruitful study. That heart is dull indeed, which marks unmoved the varied beauties of recurring seasons. But they who ascribe these lovely scenes to nature's course, pause at the threshold of delight. The infidel's cold creed can thus praise verdant and luxuriant charms. He only gleans real joy, who everywhere beholds the hand, the care, the love, the power, the truth, the wise decree of God." Henry Law, Christ is All: Leviticus, p. 106
8/6//2007
“It will cost something to walk slow in the parade of the ages, while excited men of time rush about confusing motion with progress. But it will pay in the long run and the true Christian is not much interested in anything short of that.” A. W. Tozer
8/05/2007
“Those who decide to do nothing in any line that will displease God, will know, after presenting their case before Him, just what course to pursue. And they will receive not only wisdom, but strength. Power for obedience, for service, will be imparted to them, as Christ has promised.” Desire of Ages, p.391
7/22/2007
"They blessed the people" Lev. 9:23
“The blessed of the Lord bless earth. And they are the most blessed, who most throng the mercy seat. The wise the rich, the learned, and the strong, are tools employed by God to move the world’s machine. but it is PIETY, which strews real weal (blessings) on men. They, who descend from Zion’s heights, are, as clouds, which drop refreshing rain.” Henry Law Christ is All: Leviticus
7/20/2007
“Remember that it is not hasty reading, but serious meditation on holy and heavenly truths, that makes them prove sweet and profitable to the soul. It is not the mere touching of the flower by the bee that gathers honey, but her abiding for a time on the flower that draws out the sweet. It is not he that reads most, but he that meditates most, that will prove to be the choicest, sweetest, wisest and strongest Christian.” Thomas Brooks
5/29/2007
It is impossible to rush into God's presence, catch up anything we fancy, and run off with it. To attempt this will end in mere delusion and disappointment.Nature will not unveil her rarest beauty to the chance tourist. Pictures which are the result of a life of work do not disclose their secret loveliness to the saunterer down a gallery. No charter can be read at a glance. And God's best cannot be ours apart from patient waiting in His Holy Presence. The superficial may be put off with a parable, a pretty story, but it is not given such to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. F B Meyer, Fact, Faith, Feeling
5/2/2007
"To walk before God and in His presence, is the ground and the costly jewel of true Christian living. I would have you above all things to grasp this firmly,because, when it is rightly understood and practiced, it includes all else." Gerhard Tersteegen
4/28/2007
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalms 91:1
“Prayer is a necessity; for it is the life of the soul. Family prayer, public prayer, have their place; but it is secret communion with God that sustains the soul-life.” R&H Dec. 31, 1908
4/17/2007
"We must be cautioned against the "common and perilous error of mistaking increase of light for increase of life; conviction for conversion; gratification for sanctification; knowing about Christ for knowing Christ." Theodore Monod
4/16/2007
"You will never get at the truth upon any matter of divine revelation unless you lay aside your prejudices and like a little child ask simply what is the testimony of Scripture." George Müller
4/12/2007
"Heart-work is hard work indeed. To shuffle over religious duties with a loose and careless spirit, will cost no great difficulties; but to set yourself before the Lord, and to tie up your loose and vain thoughts to a constant and serious attendance upon him: this will cost you something. To attain ease and dexterity of language in prayer and to be able to put your meaning into appropriate and fitting expressions is easy; but to get your heart broken for sin while you are actually confessing it; melted with free grace even while you are blessing God for it; to be really ashamed and humbled through the awareness of God's infinite holiness, and to keep your heart in this state not only in, but after these duties, will surely cost you some groans and travailing pain of soul." John Flavel
4/5/2007
"If anyone loves Me, he will keep my word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him." John 14:23
"I have neither tongue nor pen to express to you the happiness of such as are in Christ. When ye have sold all that ye have, and bought the field wherein this pearl is, ye will think it no bad market; for if ye be in Him, all His is yours, and ye are in Him; therefore, 'because He liveth, ye shall live also' (John 14.19). 'Father, I will that those whom Thou hast given Me be with Me when I am, to behold My glory that Thou hath given me' (John 17.24). Amen, dear Jesus, let it be according to that word. I wonder that ever your heart should be cast down, if ye believe this truth." Samuel Rutherford
4/2/2007
Whitefield's unparalleled success in evangelistic labours was plainly traceable to two causes and could not be separated from them as direct effects; namely, his unusual prayerfulness, and his habit of reading the Bible on his knees."
3/29/2007
We must make time to be alone with God. The closet and the shut door are indispensable. We must lose the glare of the sunny piazza that we may see the calm angel-figures bending above the altar. We must escape the din of the world, to become accustomed to the accents of the still, small voice. Like David, we must sit before the Lord. Happy are they who have an observatory in their heart-house to which they can often retire beneath the great arch of Eternity, turning their telescope to the mighty constellations that turn beyond life's fever, and reaching regions where the breath of human applause or censure cannot follow! It is only in such moments that the best spiritual gifts will loom on our vision, or we shall have grace to receive them. F B Meyer, Secret of Guidance, "Fact, Faith, Feeling"
3/25/2007
"I saw that the Bible did bring to view just such a Saviour as I needed; and I was perplexed to find how an uninspired book should develop principles so perfectly adapted to the wants of a fallen world. I was constrained to admit that the Scriptures must be a revelation from God. They became my delight; and in Jesus I found a friend. The Saviour became to me the chiefest among ten thousand; and the Scriptures, which before were dark and contradictory, now became a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. My mind became settled and satisfied. I found the Lord God to be a Rock in the midst of the ocean of life. The Bible now became my chief study, and I can truly say, I searched it with great delight. I found the half was never told me. I wondered why I had not seen its beauty and glory before, and marveled that I could ever have rejected it. I found everything revealed that my heart could desire, and a remedy for every disease of the soul. I lost all taste for other reading, and applied my heart to get wisdom from God." William Miller
3/22/2007
“But you, when you pray, go into your room and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Matthew 6:6
“A holy life would not be so rare or so difficult a thing if our devotions were not so short and hurried.... We live shabbily because we pray meanly. Plenty of time to feast in our closets will bring marrow and fatness to our lives.” E. M. Bounds