It was strictly forbidden to preach to other prisoners. It was understood that whoever was caught doing this received a severe beating. A number of us decided to pay the price for the privilege of preaching, so we accepted their [the communists’] terms. It was a deal; we preached and they beat us. We were happy preaching. They were happy beating us, so everyone was happy.
– Richard Wurmbrand –
from Tortured for Christ
Never think little of praise, since holy angels and saints made perfect count it their lifelong joy. Even the Lord Himself said, “Whoso offereth praise, glorifieth me” (Psalms 50:23).
– Charles Spurgeon –
from Spurgeon on Praise
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