And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
(Hebrews 11:6 ESV)
He is a rewarder of them that seek him; they shall not seek in vain, if they seek in truth.
– Ralph Venning –
from Learning in Christ’s School, 1675
Afflictions add to the saints’ glory. The more the diamond is cut, the more it sparkles; the heavier the saints’ cross is, the heavier shall be their crown.
– Thomas Watson –
Oh what bitterness do I now find in that which Satan, the world, and my own deluded heart told me I should find sweetness in.
– Thomas Brooks –
from Heaven on Earth: A Treatise on Christian Assurance, 1654
The purest and most exhilarating joy is the delight of glorifying God and anticipating the time when we will enjoy Him forever.
– Charles Spurgeon –
from Spurgeon on Praise
True repentance will entirely change you; the bias of your souls will be changed, then you will delight in God, in Christ, in His law, and in His people.
– George Whitefield –
True piety hath true pleasure in it.
– Matthew Henry –
from The Pleasantness of a Religious Life, 1714
Even a doubtful principle of life, harbored in the heart, is perilous to the peacefulness of devotion. May not many of us find the cause of our joylessness in prayer, in the fact that we are living upon some unsettled principles of conduct?
– Austen Phelps –
from The Still Hour: Communion with God in Prayer, 1859
Time is short. Eternity is long. It is only reasonable that this short life be lived in the light of eternity.
– Charles Spurgeon –
A soul-winner can do nothing without God. He must cast himself on the Invisible, or be a laughing-stock to the devil, who regards with utter disdain all who think to subdue human nature with mere words and arguments. To all who hope to succeed in such a labour by their own strength, we would address the words of the Lord to Job, “Canst thou draw out leviathan with a hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens? Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more. Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?” Dependence upon God is our strength, and our joy: in that dependence let us go forth, and seek to win souls for Him.
– Charles Spurgeon –