Posted in prayer, Scriptures on April 12, 2010| Leave a Comment »
I — Incline my heart to His testimonies (Psalm 119:36),
O — Open my eyes that I might behold the wonderful things in His Word (Psalm 119:8),
U — Unite my heart to fear His name (Psalm 86:11), and
S — Satisfy me in His steadfast love (Psalm 90:14).
source: John Piper
Posted in providence, Puritans, Scriptures, sin on March 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »
The Word is not only a guide to knowledge, but a guide to obedience. A holy reading of God’s Word, results in our fleeing from sins, and practicing the duties commanded. “Give me understanding, and I will keep Your law and obey it with all my heart.”
Source: Thomas Watson Psalm 119:34
“The Spirit of God must come, and make the letter alive to you, transfer it to your heart, set it on fire and make it burn within you, or else its divine force and majesty will be hid from your eyes.”
Source: C.H. Spurgeon
“Every event is the product of God’s providence; not a sparrow, much less a saint, falls to the ground by poverty, sickness, persecution, but the hand of God is in it.”
Source: William Gurnall (1617-1679) The Christian In Complete Armour
“…if ever the Spirit of God hath begun a sanctifying or comforting work, causing thee to hope in his mercy, he never is, will, or can be the messenger to bring contrary news to thy soul; his language is not yea and nay, but yea and amen for ever.”
Source: William Gurnall (1617-1679) The Christian In Complete Armour
“The Lord discovers a sight of men’s sin and misery to them, to chase them out of themselves, and to put them out of conceit of their own righteousness … therefore discovers to them so much of their sin and corruption … that they are made to … despair of relief in themselves; and …so … prize Christ highly, who alone can set the wretch at liberty.”
Source: William Guthrie (1620 – 1665) The Christian’s Great Interest
Posted in Scriptures on December 16, 2009| Leave a Comment »
What portion of my reading stands out to me?
Why does this part have my attention?
Is there an example for me to follow?
Is there an error for me to avoid?
Is there a duty for me to perform?
Is there any promise for me to claim?
Is there a sin for me to confess?
(source: unknown)
Posted in Scriptures on December 4, 2008| Leave a Comment »
Two things are important with the Bible.
WHAT God says and HOW he chooses to say it !
Posted in Lloyd-Jones, Martyn, reading, Scriptures on August 7, 2007| Leave a Comment »
We can summarise it like this. The best way is to consult the textbook on this subject. Here it is perfectly clear: the more I read the Bible and see the picture of the Christian man, the more I understand the nature of sin and life in this world, and what God has done for me in Christ, then the more I shall desire the things of God and hate the other. So I suggest that the best practical step is to read God’s word, and to be thoroughly soaked in it. There is a very simple, practical test that one can apply at this point. I wonder what the result would be if we all kept a chart for one week and put down on paper the amount of time which we spent in reading God’s word and things which help us to understand it, and the time we spent reading newspapers and novels or watching films? Now I am just asking the question. We say we believe in salvation. We believe God has given us this gift, so then, I ask, what are the relative amounts of time that we give to these things? Working out our own salvation means that we do everything we can to feed this life, to stimulate it, to enable it to extend and develop and grow.
And the other thing, clearly, is prayer: prayer for an increasing knowledge of God, for a greater measure of the Holy Spirit and for a greater understanding of this word; prayer for guidance, for leading and for understanding. If I believe in God and that he has done this for me, why do I spend so little time with him? Why do I not long for him more and more? That is how we work it out and I must follow and obey every prompting and leading that I am conscious of in this direction. The fathers used to regard the Christian life as a wholetime occupation. They used to spend their time with it and, I feel, it is one of the greatest condemnations of us today that we are guilty of not working out this amazing salvation that God has given to us.
Posted in Bonar, Horatius, Puritans, reading, Scriptures on August 3, 2007| Leave a Comment »
Specially beware of light reading. Shun novels; they are the literary curse of the age; they are to the soul what ardent spirits are to the body. If you be a parent, keep novels out of the way of your children. But whether you be a parent or not, neither read them yourself, nor set an example of novel-reading to others.
Don’t let novels lie on your table, or be seen in your hand, even in a railway carriage. The ‘light reading for the rail’ has done deep injury to many a young man and woman. The light literature of the day is working a world of harm; vitiating the taste of the young, enervating their minds, unfitting them for life’s plain work, eating out their love of the Bible, teaching them a false morality, and creating in the soul an unreal standard of truth, and beauty, and love.
Don’t be too fond of the newspaper. Yet read it, that you may know both what man is doing and what God is doing; and extract out of all you read matter for thought and prayer.
Avoid works which jest with what is right or wrong, lest you unconsciously adopt a false test of truth and duty, namely, ridicule, and so become afraid to do right for right’s sake alone; dreading the world’s sneer, and undervaluing a good conscience and the approving smile of God.
Let your reading be always select; and whatever you read, begin with seeking God’s blessing on it. But see that your relish for the Bible be above every other enjoyment, and the moment you begin to feel greater relish for any other book, lay it down till you have sought deliverance from such a snare, and obtained from the Holy Spirit an intenser relish, a keener appetite for the Word of God (Jeremiah 15:16; Psalm 19:7-10).
-Edited from Chapter 6 of Follow the Lamb by Horatius Bonar, 1861.
Posted in Baxter, Richard, Puritans, reading, Scriptures on April 25, 2007| Leave a Comment »
Make careful choice of the books which you read: let the holy Scriptures ever have the preeminence. Let Scripture be first and most in your hearts and hands and other books be used as subservient to it.
While reading ask yourself:
1. Could I spend this time no better?
2. Are there better books that would edify me more?
3. Are the lovers of such a book as this the greatest
lovers of the Book of God and of a holy life?
4. Does this book increase my love to the Word of God,
kill my sin, and prepare me for the life to come?
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | ||
Andrew Groves 