God can gift people, but it is something else when a man is in favour with God; when God can say “For this man’s sake, I will not judge this city or will show favour to this church.”
– Greg Gordon –
Jesus Must Be Your First Love – Leslie Ludy
Until Jesus Christ is the obsession of your heart, you’ll always be looking to mere men to meet your needs that only Him can fill. Only when you make Jesus Christ your first love, will you be ready for a love story that reflects His glory.
– Leslie Ludy –
How to Choose Friends – Thomas Brooks
Let those be thy choicest companions who have made Christ their chief companion.
– Thomas Brooks –
from Smooth Stones taken from Ancient Brooks: Selections from the Writings of Thomas Brooks
Friendship with God Demands Obedience – Clovis Chappell
Whenever you make up your mind to refuse to go where God wants you to go and to do what God wants you to do, you must make up your mind at the same time to renounce the friendship of God. You cannot walk with Him and at the same time be in rebellion against Him … it is mere mockery, to say “Lord, Lord” and then refuse to do the things that He commands you to do.
– Clovis G. Chappell –
Faith Must Impact Everything – Elisabeth Elliot
A faith that doesn’t impact your daily life — your home, your marriage, your family, your work, etc — is no faith at all.
– Elisabeth Elliot –
Bury the Faults of Your Friends – Henry Ward Beecher
Every man should keep a fair sized cemetery in which to bury the faults of his friends.
– Henry Ward Beecher –
1813-1887
Names and Offices of Christ – JC Ryle
The names and offices of Christ, as laid down in Scripture, appear to me to show unmistakably that this communion between the saint and his Savior is not a mere fancy, but a real true thing. Between the Bridegroom and His bride, between the Head and His members, between the Physician and His patients, between the Advocate and His clients, between the Shepherd and His sheep, between the Master and His scholars, there is evidently implied a habit of familiar communion, of daily application for things needed, of daily pouring out and unburdening our hearts and minds. Such a habit of dealing with Christ is clearly something more than a vague general trust in the work that Christ did for sinners. It is getting close to Him and laying hold on Him with confidence, as a loving, personal Friend. This is what I mean by communion.
– JC Ryle –
Martin Luther on Wives and Husbands
Let the wife make the husband glad to come home, and let him make her sorry to see him leave.
– Martin Luther –
A Backbone to Stand Alone – Leslie Ludy
A true leader must have enough backbone to stand alone—even when the crowd wants to take the easy road home. A true leader cannot be dependent on companionship for his or her security, but must learn to trust in God alone.
– Leslie Ludy –
from When God Writes Your Life Story