Learn to believe in God, take hold of God, let God take possession of your life, and it will be easy to take hold of the promises. He who knows and trusts God will find it easy to trust the promises too.
– Andrew Murray –
from Teach Me To Pray
Christian Life
Hope is Never Ill When Faith is Well – John Bunyan
Hope is never ill when faith is well.
– John Bunyan –
Cause Me To Draw Near – Richard Baxter
By thy blood we have “boldness to enter into the holiest, by a new and living way consecrated for us” (Hebrews 10:19-20). Cause me to draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith. Thy name is faithful and true.
– Richard Baxter –
from Dying Thoughts, 1683
The Sweeter Are Our Reliefs – John Flavel
The more prayers and searchings of heart come between our needs and supplies, our afflictions and reliefs, the sweeter are our reliefs and supplies thereby made to us. “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us; this is the Lord, we have waited for him, we will rejoice and be glad in his salvation” (Isaiah 25:9).
– John Flavel –
from The Mystery of Providence, 1678
The Gospel Changes – Samuel Bolton
The law may chain up the wolf, but it is the Gospel that changes the wolfish nature.
– Samuel Bolton –
from The True Bounds of Christian Freedom, 1645
Compare Yourself Only With Christ – Ralph Venning
There are some poor souls, and I believe there are some among the Corinthians, that are apt to become discouraged when they compare themselves with others. When a dwarf stands by a giant, a man of low stature by a tall one, as David by Goliath, he seems to be nobody; yet he is a man, a perfect man, in spite of the vast difference between them.
Many poor souls, when they see themselves outstripped in knowledge, faith, love and patience by some that came into Christ long after them, are apt to think that they are not saints because they are not saints such as those.
– Ralph Venning –
from Learning in Christ’s School, 1675
Hope fills the afflicted soul – William Gurnall
Hope fills the afflicted soul with such inward joy and consolation, that it can laugh while tears are in the eye, sigh and sing all in a breath; it is called “the rejoicing of hope.” (Hebrews 3:6)
– William Gurnall –
Prayer is a Golden Key – Thomas Brooks
Private prayer is a golden key to unlock the mysteries of the Word to us. The knowledge of many choice and blessed truths is but the outcome of private prayer. The Word most dwells richly in their hearts who are most in pouring out their hearts before God in their closets.
– Thomas Brooks –
from The Secret Key To Heaven, 1665
A debtor of mercy and grace to the last moment – JC Ryle
How true it is that the holiest saint is in himself a “miserable sinner,” and a debtor to mercy and grace to the last moment of his existence!
– JC Ryle –
from Holiness, 1879