Right reception of the Lord’s Supper has a sanctifying effect on the soul.
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Friday, December 30, 2016
Applying Your Bible Reading
“Next to praying there is nothing so important in practical religion as Bible reading.
Thursday, December 29, 2016
The True Cause of Self-Righteousness
What is the true cause of self-righteousness? How is it that such a poor, weak, erring creature as man can ever dream of deserving anything at God’s hands?
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
The Holy Believer is a Walking Sermon
The world knows little of Christ, beyond what it sees of Him in His people. Oh, what plain clearly written epistles they ought to be! A holy believer is a walking sermon.
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
The Eternal Councils of the Trinity
“There is a mine of deep truth in the words before us, which deserves close attention. They show us plainly that all our Lord’s sufferings were undergone voluntarily, and of His own free will. He did not go to the cross because He could not help it.
Monday, December 26, 2016
Sanctified Suffering
Suffering is a part of the process by which the children of God are sanctified. They are chastened to wean them from the world, and make them partakers of God’s holiness.
Friday, December 23, 2016
Having the Head Affect the Heart
When knowledge only sticks in a man’s head, and has no influence over his heart and life, it becomes a most perilous possession.
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Laboring for the Good of Our Soul
How are we to labor? There is but one answer. We must labor in the use of all appointed means. We must read our Bibles, like men digging for hidden treasure.
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
The Great Cloud of Witnesses
Take courage, fainting Christians: you are encompassed with a great cloud of witnesses! The race that you are running has been run by millions before;
Monday, December 19, 2016
The Almighty Power of our Lord
“We learn lastly, from these verses, the Almighty power of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are told of a miracle which Jesus wrought at the marriage feast, when the wine failed.
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Rising to Christ at Death
The death of true Christians is “sleep,” and not annihilation. It is a solemn and miraculous change, no doubt, but not a change to be regarded with alarm.
Friday, December 16, 2016
Putting Your Heart on Trial
Think not to say within yourself, “No one can know what his heart is. We must hope the best. No one can find out with any certainty the state of his own soul.” Beware, I say again—beware of such thoughts.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Follow Christ’s Example: Speak of Hell
Settle it firmly in your mind that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has spoken most plainly about the reality and eternity of hell.
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
The True Christian Loves Christ
“A true Christian loves Christ for all He has done for him. He has suffered in his stead, and died for him on the cross. He has redeemed him from the guilt, the power, and the consequences of sin, by His blood.
Monday, December 12, 2016
Live As If Christ Will Appear Today
Live as if you thought that Christ might come at any time. Do everything, as if you did it for the last time. Say everything, as if you said it for the last time.
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Know the Truth About Carrying the Cross
Christ would have all who profess and call themselves Christians reminded that they must carry the cross. They must lay their account to be despised, afflicted and tried, like their Master.
Thursday, December 8, 2016
The Cross as the Way of Peace
Look steadily at Jesus on the cross, if you want to feel inward peace. Look to anything of your own, and you will never feel comfortable.
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
A Comparison of Two Funerals
Let us take care that we do not regard a magnificent funeral as an atonement for a life wasted in carelessness and sin.
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
The Shallowness of Worldly Possessions
The possession of the whole world, and all that it contains, will never make a person happy. Its pleasures are false and deceptive.
Monday, December 5, 2016
Bear Fruit to Stand at the Last Day
Let us always remember, that baptism, church-membership, reception of the Lord’s Supper, and a diligent use of the outward forms of Christianity, are not sufficient to save our souls.
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Seek the Grace of Humility
There is no grace which should distinguish the Christian so much as humility. He that would be great in the eyes of Christ, must aim at a totally different mark from that of the Pharisees.
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Remember the Blood of Christ
I charge you never to give up the old doctrine of the blood of Christ, the complete satisfaction which that atoning blood made for sin, and the impossibility of being saved except by that blood.
Friday, December 2, 2016
The Dead Are Still Alive
“Let us settle it in our minds, that the dead are in one sense still alive. From our eyes they have passed away, and their place knows them no more.
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Looking Firmly at the Cross of Christ
Look at the cross, think of the cross, meditate on the cross, and then go and set your affections on the world if you can.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Pondering the Lord’s Prayer
“Let us strive to make the Lord’s Prayer our model and pattern in all our approaches to God. Let it suggest to us the sort of things which we should pray for and pray against.
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Assurance in the Hour of Death
The strong consolation which assurance can give in the hour of death is a point of great importance. We may depend on it, we shall never think assurance so precious as when our turn comes to die.
Monday, November 28, 2016
Testing Your Conversion With Humility
Would we know whether we are really converted? Would we know the test by which we must try ourselves? The surest mark of true conversion is humility.
Friday, November 25, 2016
The Cross of Doctrine and Practice
Salvation is undoubtedly all of grace. It is offered freely in the Gospel to the chief of sinners, without money and without price.
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
The Reality of Suffering on the Cross
What was a crucifixion? Let us try to realize it, and understand its misery.
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
5 Essential Doctrines to Believe In
1. The Absolute Supremacy of Holy Scripture
Show us anything, plainly written, in that Book, we will receive it, believe it, and submit to it. Show us anything contrary to that Book, and however sophisticated, plausible, beautiful and apparently desirable, we will not have it at any price.
Monday, November 21, 2016
Content in the Holy Spirit, Not Feelings
Feelings, no doubt, fill a most important office in our personal Christianity. Without them there can be no saving religion. Hope, joy, peace, confidence, resignation, love and fear, are things which must be felt, if they really exist.
Sunday, November 20, 2016
The Important Doctrine of Christ Crucified
“There is no doctrine in Christianity so important as the doctrine of Christ crucified. There is none which the devil tries so hard to destroy.
Friday, November 18, 2016
Do Not Tolerate False Teaching
If we would hold fast that which is good, we must never tolerate or support any doctrine which is not the pure doctrine of Christ’s Gospel.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
The Mighty Truth of Christ’s Cross
Let us set fully before our eyes the doctrine of Christ dying in our place – His substituted death, and rest our souls on it. Let us hold on firmly to the mighty truth, that Christ on the cross:
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
The World is Watching the Christian
Let us often ask ourselves whether we are doing good or harm in the world. We cannot live to ourselves, if we are Christians.
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Unity in the Cross of Christ
Does a man really and sincerely boast in the cross of Christ? That is the grand question. If he does, he is my brother – we are traveling on the same road; we are journeying towards a home where Christ is all, and everything outward in religion will be forgotten.
Monday, November 14, 2016
Three Essentials in a True Christian
“There are three things which, according to the Bible, are absolutely necessary to the salvation of every man and woman in Christendom.
Sunday, November 13, 2016
True Conversion Always Shows Fruit
I admit fully that the manner of the Spirit’s working is invisible. It is like the wind. It is like the attractive power of the magnet.
Saturday, November 12, 2016
We Must Feed on Christ Crucified
Let us never doubt for a moment, that the preaching of Christ crucified – the old story of His blood, righteousness, and substitution – is enough for all the spiritual necessities of all mankind.
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Expecting the Trials of Life
Trials, we must distinctly understand, are a part of the diet which all true Christians must expect. It is one of the means by which their grace is proved, and by which they find out what there is in themselves.
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Christ Will Return By Surprise!
I do not know when Christ will come again. I would think it most presumptuous if I said that I did. I am no prophet, though I love the subject of prophecy.
Monday, November 7, 2016
Humbly Reading Your Bible
He that desires to read his Bible with profit, must first ask the Lord Jesus to open the eyes of his understanding by the Holy Spirit.
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Never Forget Your Debt to Christ
“Cling to Christ, I say, and never forget your debt to Him. Sinners you were, when you were first called by the Holy Ghost, and fled to Jesus.
Friday, November 4, 2016
The Great Privilege of God’s Election
Listen not for a moment to those who tell you that in this life we can never be sure of our own spiritual state, and must always be in doubt. The Roman Catholics say so.
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Don’t Be Selfish…Share Christ
Let us not only think of ourselves. Let us also think of others. There are millions in the world who have no spiritual light at all. They are without God, without Christ, and without hope. (Eph. 2:12) Can we do nothing for them?
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Do Not Neglect the Cross of Christ
I declare I know no greater proof of a person’s depravity than the fact that thousands of so-called Christians see nothing lovely in the cross.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
The Intercession of Christ For You
Would you know the secret of daily comfort in all the toil, and business, and distractions we have to go through? We all know that they who have to do work in any secular calling, find the work oftentimes a sore burden to their souls.
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Leave This World a Better Place
I charge you never to neglect the duty of brotherly love, and practical, active, sympathetic kindness towards every one around you, whether high or low, or rich or poor.
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
The Plan of the Cross
People seem to forget that all Christ’s sufferings on the cross were fore-ordained. They did not come on Him by chance or accident—they were all planned, counseled, and determined from all eternity.
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Our Chief Danger: Our Heart
Let it be a settled resolution with us to “keep our hearts with all diligence,” all the days of our lives. (Prov. 4:23.) Even after renewal they are weak.
Friday, October 21, 2016
Love For God Results in Obedience
Love is the grand secret of true obedience to God. When we feel towards Him as children feel towards a dear father, we shall delight to do His will.
Thursday, October 20, 2016
To Be A True Christian Will Cost You
UPDATE: A new J.C. Ryle 365 Day Devotional has been released from Reformation Heritage Books. This devotional was taken from hundreds of J.C. Ryle's sermons. You can order the devotional HERE.
It costs something to be a true Christian. Let that never be forgotten. To be a mere nominal Christian, and go to church, is cheap and easy work.
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
The Secret of Boldness in Prayer
Would you know the secret of the believer’s boldness in prayer? It is a marvel how a man that feels his sin so deeply as the believer does, can speak with the confidence the believer frequently does.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Grasp the Truth of the Cross
Let us never forget the sacrificial character of Christ’s death. Let us reject with abhorrence the modern notion that it was nothing more than a mighty instance of self-sacrifice and self-denial.
Monday, October 17, 2016
6 Marks of the Believers' Growth in Grace
Let me take it for granted that we do not question the reality of growth in grace, and its vast importance. So far so good. But you now want to know how anyone may find out whether he is growing in grace or not?
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Christ’s View of His Servants
“The least and lowest of believers will find that he is counted among Christ’s servants, and that his labor has not been in vain in the Lord.
Friday, October 14, 2016
Grasping Biblical Christianity
“Hundreds of professed converts, under religious revivals, go back to the world after a time, and bring disgrace to religion. They begin with a sadly mistaken notion of what is true Christianity. They fancy it consists in nothing more than a so-called ‘coming to Christ’, and have strong inward feelings of joy and peace.
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Steadily Following Christ
Oh that Christians, the very best of them, were not so slack in following! Some stop to trifle with the perishable things of earth. Some stop to pick up the gaudy, scentless flowers by the wayside.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Equal Before Christ
“There is no royal road to rest of soul. Let that never be forgotten. There is only one way to the Father – Jesus Christ. One door into heaven – Jesus Christ. One path to heart-peace and rest – Jesus Christ. By that way all laboring and heavy-laden ones must go, whatever their rank or condition.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
We Cannot Know This Christ Too Well!
“He that would be conformed to Christ’s image, and become a Christ–like man, must be constantly studying Christ Himself. Now the Gospels were written to make us acquainted with Christ. The Holy Spirit has told us the story of His life and death, His sayings and His doings, four times over.
Monday, October 10, 2016
Wealth and Poverty from God’s View
Let us never give way to the common idea that people are to be valued according to their income, and that the person who has most money is the one who ought to be the most highly esteemed.
Sunday, October 9, 2016
The Tender Mercy of Christ
“Never, never let us curtail the freeness of the glorious Gospel, or clip its fair proportions. Never let us make the gate more straight and the way more narrow than pride and the love of sin have made it already.
Saturday, October 8, 2016
The Right Heart in Prayer
Of all the list of Christian duties there is none to which there is such abounding encouragement as prayer. It is the duty which concerns all.
Friday, October 7, 2016
7 Marks of a Right Heart Before God
1) A right heart is a NEW heart (Ezek. 36:26). It is not the heart with which a person is born—but another heart put in them by the Holy Spirit.
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Desire Holiness? Start with Christ
Would you be holy? Would you become a new creature? Then begin with Christ! You will do nothing, until you feel your sin and weakness—and flee to Him! He is the beginning of all holiness.
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
No Holy Spirit = No Christ = No Heaven
Let it be distinctly understood that the person who does not have the Spirit, does not have Christ. They who do not have Christ have no pardon of their sins—no peace with God—no title to heaven—no well-grounded hope of being saved.
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Getting Beyond A Hearer of Truth
The man who hears Christian teaching, and never gets beyond hearing, is like “a foolish man who built his house on the sand” [Matt. 7:26]. He satisfies himself with listening and approving, but he goes no further.
Monday, October 3, 2016
Are You a Noble-Minded Berean?
The state of mind we should always desire to possess is that of the noble-minded Bereans.
Sunday, October 2, 2016
The Finished Work of Christ
“We rest our souls on a ‘finished work,’ if we rest them on the work of Jesus Christ the Lord.
Saturday, October 1, 2016
It Is Well With My Soul
A saved soul has many sorrows. He has a body like other men – weak and frail. He has a heart like other men – and often a more sensitive one too.
Friday, September 30, 2016
You HAVE a Bible But Do You READ It?
There is more Bible buying, Bible selling, Bible printing and Bible distributing than ever before in our nation.
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Influenced By the Holy Spirit
“Be filled with the Spirit. Seek to be more and more under His blessed influence. Strive to have every thought, word, action, and habit brought under the obedience to the leading of the Holy Ghost.
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Having Perspective in Light of Eternity
O Christian, what is our light affliction when compared to eternity? Shame on us if we murmur and complain and turn back – with heaven before our eyes!
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
The Habit of Private Prayer
“What is the reason that some believers are so much brighter and holier than others?
Monday, September 26, 2016
No Love for Christ? Anathema!
If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha. -1 Corinthians 16:22 (KJV)
Paul allows no way of escape to the man who does not love Christ. He leaves no loophole or excuse. A man may lack clear head-knowledge and yet be saved.
Paul allows no way of escape to the man who does not love Christ. He leaves no loophole or excuse. A man may lack clear head-knowledge and yet be saved.
Grow In Your Sanctification
“Let your repentance be a growing habit, your faith an increasing faith, your holiness a progressive holiness,
Sunday, September 25, 2016
No More Sorrow In Heaven
Blessed be God! There shall be no sorrow in heaven. There shall not be one single tear shed within the courts above. There shall be no more disease and weakness and decay.
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Anchored In Christ’s Hands
I want you to know the length and breadth of your portion in Christ. I want you to understand the full amount of the treasure to which faith in Jesus entitles you. You have found out that you are a great sinner.
Friday, September 23, 2016
The Courage to Confess Christ
“Let us all pray daily for faith and courage to confess Christ before all men. Of sin, or worldliness, or unbelief, we may well be ashamed.
Thursday, September 22, 2016
The Main Cause of Backsliding
What is the cause of most backslidings? I believe, as a general rule, one of the chief causes is neglect of private prayer.
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
The Correlation of Happiness and Holiness
How is it, people often ask, that so many professing believers have so little happiness in their religion? How is it that so many know little of joy and peace in believing, and go mourning and heavy-hearted towards heaven?
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
The Mindset of a Pilgrim
“A holy man will follow after spiritual mindedness. He will endeavor to set his affections entirely on the things above, and to hold things on earth with a very loose hand.
Monday, September 19, 2016
The Dreadful Truth of Coming Judgment
There is a judgment coming! People have their reckoning days, and God will at last have His. The trumpet shall sound. The dead shall be raised incorruptible.
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Ministers: Preach the Gospel!
I am satisfied that the happiest minister is the man who most diligently discharges the office committed to him.
Saturday, September 17, 2016
Act Like a Soldier of Christ
Every professing Christian is the soldier of Christ. He is bound by his baptism to fight Christ’s battle against sin, the world and the devil.
Friday, September 16, 2016
The Highest Degree of Knowledge
Heart-knowledge, we must always remember, is the one thing needful. It is something which schools and universities cannot confer. It is the gift of God.
Thursday, September 15, 2016
There Is Not Enough Private Prayer!
There are few professing Christians, it may be feared, who strive to imitate Christ in the matter of private devotion. There is abundance of hearing, reading, talking, professing, visiting, contributing to the poor, subscribing to societies and teaching at schools.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
The Practical Side of Holiness
Scriptural holiness will make a man do his duty at home and by the fireside, and adorn his doctrine in the little trials of daily life.
Monday, September 12, 2016
Let Us Learn to Exalt Christ More
“It is written that ‘no man hath seen God at any time: the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.’ (John 1:18) The eye of mortal man has never beheld God the Father. No man could bear the sight. Even to Moses it was said, ‘Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.’ (Exodus 33:20.)
Sunday, September 11, 2016
The Responsibility of the Minister
Christian ministers are not priests, nor mediators between God and man. They are not agents into whose hands men may commit their souls, and carry on their religion by deputy. They are witnesses.
Saturday, September 10, 2016
Search Your Heart: Are You Alive or Dead?
All professing Christians should examine themselves and try their own state.
Friday, September 9, 2016
Do You Want To Be Holy?
Do you want to attain holiness? Do you feel this day a real hearty desire to be holy? Would you be a partaker of the Divine nature? Then go to Christ.
Thursday, September 8, 2016
In Need of a New Heart
Would you know the reason why so many hear the Gospel year after year, and yet remain unmoved by it? Their minds seem like Bunyan’s “slough of despond.”
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
The Happiness of Following God
Happiness is the gift of God—but that there is the closest connection between full following of God and full happiness, let no person for an instant doubt.
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Do You Ignore the Lord’s Table?
“Nothing can possibly be of small importance which the Lord Jesus Christ ordained and appointed. Our Lord most distinctly commanded His disciples to ‘eat bread’ and ‘drink wine’ in remembrance of Him. What right has any Christian to disobey this commandment?
Monday, September 5, 2016
Suffering is the Diet of the Lord's Family
“All the sons of God take part in suffering with Christ. What says the Scripture? ‘If children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with Him.’ (Rom. 8:17.) All the children of God have a cross to carry.
Sunday, September 4, 2016
The Process of Holiness
We ask that God would make us holy. It is a good request indeed. But are we prepared to be sanctified by any process that God in His wisdom may call on us to pass through?
Saturday, September 3, 2016
Christ is a Complete Savior
“Christ is a Saviour. He did not come on earth to be a conqueror, or a philosopher, or a mere teacher of morality. He came to save sinners.
Friday, September 2, 2016
Receive Christ’s Full Purchase of Forgiveness
Christ has purchased a full forgiveness, if we are only willing to receive it. He has done all, paid all, suffered all that was needful to reconcile us to God.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Passionate Preaching For Lost Souls
Would you like to know the reason why we who preach the Gospel, preach so often about conversion? We do it because of the necessities of men’s souls.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Resolve to Be More Holy
I want your Christianity to be unmistakable. I want you all to really grow, and to do more than others. Let us all then remember Sardis and Laodicea
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
A Man of One Thing
“I want to strike a blow at the lazy, easy, sleepy Christianity of these latter days, which can see no beauty in zeal, and only uses the word ‘zealot’ as a word of reproach….
Monday, August 29, 2016
The Struggle to Come Out From the World
To come out from the world is not an easy thing. It cannot be easy so long as human nature is what it is, and a busy devil is always near us.
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Proving Your Profession
Repentance towards God, faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ, holiness of life and character, prayerfulness, humility, charity, spiritual-mindedness–these are the only satisfactory proofs that the seed of God’s word is doing its proper work in our souls.
Saturday, August 27, 2016
The Pardoned Soul
Where must a person go for pardon? Where is forgiveness to be found? There is a way both sure and plain, and into that way I desire to guide every inquirers feet.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Never Lose Your Zeal For Christ
“I have but one request to make, and that is that you will persevere. I implore you to maintain your zeal and never let it go.
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Convinced of Sin, Then You Believe
True belief in Christ is the unreserved trust of a heart convinced of sin—in Christ, as an all-sufficient Savior. It is the combined act of the entire person’s mind, conscience, heart, and will.
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
The Bible as the Rule for Faith and Practice
Let the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible, be the rule of our faith and practice. Holding this principle, we travel upon the king’s highway.
Monday, August 22, 2016
Tell Them ALL!
"Tell the young, tell the poor, tell the aged, tell the ignorant, tell the sick, tell the dying — tell them all about Christ.
Sunday, August 21, 2016
The Reality of Your Eternal Portion
Resurrection and judgment await you. All is not over when the last breath is drawn and your body becomes a lump of cold clay. No: all is not over!
Saturday, August 20, 2016
Strong Faith Produces Strong Character
Do you desire to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ? Would you bring forth much fruit? Would you be eminently holy and useful?
Friday, August 19, 2016
Packer on Ryle
Bishop J. C. Ryle was The Puritan Bishop, that is the Puritan Bishop par excellence, said Dr. James I Packer, Professor of Theology at Regent College, Vancouver, speaking in Liverpool on 9 September at a meeting chaired by the present Bishop of that city. His subject was “J. C. Ryle, the Puritan Bishop”. Dr. Packer asked, “What is a Puritan?”
Articulating Your Prayers
Let us pray more, and let us pray more earnestly. Let those who never prayed begin to pray. Let those who have prayed pray better.
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Pastors: Learn From Spurgeon
“I have often thought that one great secret of the marvelous honor which God has put on a man who is not in our denomination (I allude to Mr. Charles Spurgeon) is the extraordinary boldness and confidence with which he stands up in the pulpit to speak to people about their sins and their souls. It cannot be said he does it from fear of any, or to please any.
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
The Double Nature Christian
There is a double nature in all believers. Converted, renewed, sanctified as they are, they still carry about with them a mass of indwelling corruption, a body of sin.
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Lay Aside Every Distraction
“We must cast away everything which hinders us upon our road towards heaven
Monday, August 15, 2016
True Repentance Produces a Breaking Off From Sin
True repentance shows itself in a thorough breaking off from sin. The life of a repentant person is altered. The course of their daily conduct is entirely changed.
Sunday, August 14, 2016
The Doctrine of Perseverance
When I speak of the doctrine of perseverance, I mean this. I say that the Bible teaches that true believers, real genuine Christians, shall persevere in their religion to the end of their lives. They shall never perish.
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Looking Ahead To Christ’s Return
A true Christian has a good hope when he looks ahead: the worldly man has none. A true Christian sees light in the distance: the worldly man sees nothing but darkness. And what is the hope of a true Christian?
Friday, August 12, 2016
Christ Our Great Substitute
The Lord Jesus Christ, in great love and compassion, has made a full and complete satisfaction for sin, by suffering death in our place upon the cross.
Thursday, August 11, 2016
God’s Intention Through Sickness
Sickness, in the very nature of things, can never be anything but trying to our flesh. Our bodies and souls are strangely linked together, and that which vexes and weakens the body can hardly fail to vex the mind and soul.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
The Secret to Spiritual Success
Prayer is the main secret of success in spiritual business. It moves Him who can move heaven and earth.
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
True Faith is a Matter of the Heart
True faith does not depend merely on the state of man’s head and understanding, but on the state of his heart. His mind may be convinced.
Monday, August 8, 2016
Feel the Importance of Your Sins Forgiven
Do you feel anything of the importance of being forgiven? Then, in the name of God, I call upon you to encourage that feeling more and more. This is the point to which we desire to bring all people’s souls.
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Inward Peace
“To be without Christ is to be without peace. Every man has a conscience within him, which must be satisfied before he can be truly happy. So long as this conscience is asleep or half dead, so long, no doubt, he gets along pretty well.
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Christ is the Sum and Substance of the Old Testament
“Christ is the sum and substance of the Old Testament. To Him the earliest promises pointed in the days of Adam, and Enoch, and Noah, and Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. To Him every sacrifice pointed in the ceremonial worship appointed at Mount Sinai.
Friday, August 5, 2016
He and Sin Must Quarrel
“Our sins are often as dear to us as our children: we love them, hug them, cleave to them, and delight in them. To part with them is as hard as cutting off a right hand, or plucking out a right eye.
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Remember Christ’s Resurrection
Let us beware of regarding the Lord Jesus Christ, only as one that is dead. Here, I believe, many greatly err. They think much of His atoning death, and it is right that they should do so. But we ought not to stop short there.
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
The Reality of Death Bed Repentance
I know well that many do not believe what I am saying, because they think there is an immense quantity of death-bed repentance. They flatter themselves that multitudes who do not live religious lives will yet die religious deaths.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Do You Pray?
Never be surprised if you hear ministers of the gospel dwelling much on the importance of prayer. This is the point we want to bring you to; we want to know that you pray. Your views of doctrine may be correct.
Monday, August 1, 2016
Teaching Your Child to Love Others
Teach love to others. Press it continually on your children. Tell them the great duty of kindness, helpfulness, and considerateness, one for another. Remind them constantly that kindness, good nature, and good temper, are among the first evidences which Christ requires in children.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Is Your Faith Towards Christ Real?
Would you like to know whether your faith is real? Then try it by the feelings toward Christ which it produces. Nominal faith may believe that such a person as Christ existed, and was a great benefactor to mankind.
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Pray With a Forgiving Heart
The value of our prayers, we can all understand, depends exceedingly on the state of mind in which we offer them. But the point before us is one which receives far less attention than it deserves.
Friday, July 29, 2016
Being Thankful For the Faith To Believe
To believe Christ’s power and willingness to help, and to make a practical use of our belief, is a rare and precious gift. Let us be ever thankful if we have it.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
5 Marks of a Forgiven Soul
There is a clause near the end of the Apostle’s Creed, which, I fear, is often repeated without thought or consideration. I refer to the clause which contains these words, “I believe in the forgiveness of sins”.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Greater Love Than This Cannot Be Known
“Christ’s love is an active, working love. Just as the shepherd did not sit still bewailing his lost sheep, and the woman did not sit still bewailing her lost money, so our blessed Lord did not sit still in heaven pitying sinners.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Seeing Him, He Cheerfully Fights On
“A special faith in our Lord Jesus Christ’s person, work and office is the life, heart and mainspring of the Christian soldier’s character.
Monday, July 25, 2016
Do Not Delay in Coming to Christ
Let me speak to those who have not come to Christ—but mean to some day. I marvel at your presumption. Who are you, that talk of some day? You may be dead in a week.
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Training Children To Pray
“Parents, if you love your children, do all that lies in your power to train them up to a habit of prayer. Show them how to begin.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Tell Them All About Christ!
“Do you ever try to do good to others? If you do, remember to tell them about Christ. Tell the young, tell the poor, tell the aged, tell the ignorant, tell the sick, tell the dying—tell them all about Christ.
Friday, July 22, 2016
Characteristics of Being Born Again
The change which our Lord here declares needful to salvation is evidently no slight or superficial one. It is not merely reformation, or amendment, or moral change, or outward alteration of life.
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Stirring Up Faith In A Moment’s Notice
To have true saving faith is one thing. To have that faith always ready for use is quite another. Many receive Christ as their Savior, and deliberately commit their souls to Him for time and eternity,
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Contentment Through Pain
If God has given His Son to die for us, let us beware of doubting His kindness and love in any painful providence of our daily life. Let us never suppose that He can give us anything that is not really for our good.
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
The Old Serpent
“Let us first mark in this passage, the power and unwearied malice of the devil. That old serpent who tempted Adam to sin in Paradise, was not afraid to assault the second Adam, the Son of God.
Monday, July 18, 2016
The Priority of Bible Reading
“Read the Bible daily. Make it part of every day’s business to read and meditate on some portion of God’s Word. Gather your manna fresh every morning.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Pray Daily For More Faith
Do we desire to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ? Do we wish to make progress in our religion, and become strong Christians, and not mere babes in spiritual things?
Saturday, July 16, 2016
The Plain Truth of False Doctrine
“The plain truth of false doctrine has been the chosen engine which Satan has employed in every age to stop the progress of the Gospel of Christ.
Friday, July 15, 2016
Hypocricy Exposed on Judgement Day
There will be no deception at the last day. The unerring eye of God will discern who are His own people, and who are not. Nothing but true faith shall abide the fire of His judgment.
Thursday, July 14, 2016
True Repentance Produces Confession of Sin
True repentance proceeds to produce confession of sin. The tongue of a repentant person is loosed. They feel they must speak to that God against whom they have sinned.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Our Merciful, Compassionate Christ
Let us take comfort in the thought that the Lord Jesus does not cast off His believing people because of failures and imperfections. He knows what they are.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Do Not Be Surprised If the World Hates You
Let it be a settled principle in our minds that the true Christian must always enter the kingdom of God “through much tribulation” (Acts 14:22). Their best things are yet to come. This world is not our home.
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Fighting the Unholy Trinity
The principal fight of the Christian is with the world, the flesh, and the devil. These are their never-dying foes. These are the three chief enemies against whom the Christian must wage war. Unless they get the victory over these three, all other victories are useless and vain. If they had a nature like an angel, and were not a fallen creature, the warfare would not be so essential. But with a corrupt heart, a busy devil, and an ensnaring world, the Christian must either fight or be lost.
Saturday, July 9, 2016
The Crown of Glory for the Persecuted
Let us gather comfort from these comfortable promises for all true-hearted servants of Christ. Persecuted, vexed, and mocked, as they are now, they shall find at length they are on the victorious side.
Friday, July 8, 2016
The Subtle Disease of Loving Money
Let us watch and pray against the love of money. It is a subtle disease, and often far nearer to us than we suppose. A poor man is just as liable to it as a rich man.
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Search Your Heart for Self-Righteousness
You cannot search your heart too diligently, for self-righteousness is the subtlest enemy of all. Beware of thinking, as the devil would have you, that the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector is a very good one for everybody else, but does not exactly touch your case.
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Ever Growing in Our Walk With Christ
Let us learn to live the life of faith in Jesus more than we have up to this point. Ever to be found by the fountain side—ever to be eating Christ’s body by faith, and drinking Christ’s blood by faith
Monday, July 4, 2016
J.C. Ryle on the Government's Role
UPDATE: A new J.C. Ryle 365 Day Devotional has been released from Reformation Heritage Books. This devotional was taken from hundreds of J.C. Ryle's sermons. You can order the devotional HERE.
Comments on John 18:36 by J. C. Ryle
“My Kingdom is Not of This World”
But our Lord did not intend to teach
that the kings of this world have nothing to do with religion, and ought to ignore
God altogether in the government of their subjects. No such idea, we may be
sure, was in His mind.
How God Views a Right Heart
When the heart is right — God can look over many things that are defective. There may be faults in judgment, and infirmities in practice.
Sunday, July 3, 2016
The Perfect Unison of the Trinity
I hold that there is a perfect harmony and unison in the action of the three People of the Trinity, in bringing any person to glory, and that all three cooperate and work a joint work in his deliverance from sin and hell. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit.
Saturday, July 2, 2016
Lot Lingered. Do Not Be A Lingering Soul!
Would you know what the times demand?—The shaking of nations,—the uprooting of ancient things,—the overturning of kingdoms,—the stir and restlessness of men’s minds—what do they say? They all cry aloud,—Christian! do not linger!
Friday, July 1, 2016
Looking Forward to Christ’s Return
Let me entreat all right-hearted readers to look onward and forward to the day of Christ’s second coming. A time draws near when Satan shall be bound, and Christ’s saints shall be changed
Thursday, June 30, 2016
The World’s Opposition To Christ’s Work
Let all who are attacked by the world for trying to do good, take comfort in the thought that they are only drinking of the cup which Christ drank.
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Ignorance of the Bible Leads to Error
Let us read our Bibles in private more, and with more pains and diligence. Ignorance of Scripture is the root of all error, and makes a person helpless in the hand of the devil.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
The Beautiful Variety of Christ’s Children
We must never forget that there are varieties in character, and that the grace of God does not cast all believers into one and the same mold.
Monday, June 27, 2016
Persevere in Love
We are not to suppose that Christian love can exist independently of faith. Paul did not intend to set up one grace in rivalry to the other.
Sunday, June 26, 2016
The Sinfulness of Sin
“No proof of the fullness of sin, after all, is so overwhelming and unanswerable as the cross and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ and the whole doctrine of His substitution and atonement. Terribly black must that guilt be for which nothing but the blood of the Son of God could make satisfaction. Heavy must that weight of human sin be which made Jesus groan and sweat drops of blood in agony at Gethsemane and cry at Golgotha, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’
Saturday, June 25, 2016
The Small First Steps Towards Conversion
The first beginnings of the work of grace in a sinner are generally exceedingly small. It is like the mixture of leaven with a lump of dough:
A single sentence of a sermon…
A single verse of Holy Scripture…
Friday, June 24, 2016
5 Principles for Christian Growth
The words of James must never be forgotten: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). This is no doubt as true of growth in grace, as it is of everything else. It is the “gift of God.” But still it must always be kept in mind that God is pleased to work by means. God has ordained means as well as ends. He that would grow in grace must use the means of growth.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
The Results of a Cross-less Church
Whenever a Church keeps back Christ crucified, or puts anything whatsoever in that foremost place which Christ crucified should always have, from that moment a Church ceases to be useful. Without Christ crucified in her pulpits, a Church is little better than a dead carcass, a well without water, a barren fig-tree, a sleeping watchman, a silent trumpet, a dumb witness, an ambassador without terms of peace, a messenger without tidings, a lighthouse without fire, a stumbling-block to weak believers, a comfort to unbelievers, a hot-bed for formalism, a joy to the devil, and an offence to God.
~ J.C. Ryle
Tract: Christ Crucified
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
All Believers Are Not Alike
We must not expect all believers in Christ to be exactly like one another. We must not set down others as having no grace, because their experience does not entirely tally with our own. The sheep in the Lord’s flock have each their own peculiarities. The trees in the Lord’s garden are not all precisely alike. All true servants of God agree in the principal things of religion. All are led by one Spirit. All feel their sins, and all trust in Christ. All repent, all believe, and all are holy. But in minor matters they often differ widely. Let not one despise another on this account. There will be Martha’s and there will be Mary’s in the Church until the Lord comes again.
~ J.C. Ryle
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke volume 1, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1986], 384,385. {Luke 10:38-42}
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Gratitude For the Cross
Let us turn from the story of the crucifixion, every time we read it, with hearts full of praise. Let us praise God for the confidence it gives us, as to the ground of our hope of pardon. Our sins may be many and great, but the payment made by our Great Substitute far outweighs them all. Let us praise God for the view it given us of the love of our Father in heaven. He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, will surely with Him give us all things. Not least, let us praise God for the view it gives us of the sympathy of Jesus with all His believing people. He can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He knows what suffering is. Jesus is just the Savior that an infirm body, with a weak heart, in an evil world, requires.
~ J.C. Ryle
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1986], 397, 398.
Monday, June 20, 2016
This is Meant to Make Me Grow
“Sicknesses and losses and crosses and anxieties and disappointments seem absolutely needful to keep us humble, watchful and spiritual–minded. They are as needful as the pruning knife to the vine and the refiner’s furnace to the gold.
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Ryle on the "pressing dangers" Facing the Church in 1884
Writing about the one of the "pressing dangers" facing the Church in 1884 J. C. Ryle wrote:
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Watch Over Your Heart
“Is your heart right? Then be humble and watchful. You are not yet in heaven, but in the world. You are in the body. The devil is near you, and never sleeps. Oh, keep your heart with all diligence! Watch and pray lest you fall into temptation. Ask Christ Himself to keep your heart for you. Ask Him to dwell in it, and reign in it, and garrison it, and to put down every enemy under His feet.”
~ J.C. Ryle
Old Paths, “The Heart”, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1999], 356.
Friday, June 17, 2016
Are You Fit To Enjoy Heaven?
You and I, it may be said, know little about heaven. Our notions of heaven may be very dim and unclear. But at all events, I suppose we are agreed in thinking that heaven is a very holy place—that God is there—and Christ is there—and saints and angels are there—that sin is not there in any shape—and that nothing is said, thought, or done, which God does not like. Only let this be granted, and then I think there can be no doubt the great majority of professing Christians are as little fit for heaven as a bird for swimming beneath the sea, or a fish for living upon dry land. And what is it they need in order to make them fit to enjoy heaven? They need to be regenerated or born again.
~ J.C. Ryle
Tract: Are You Regenerate?
Thursday, June 16, 2016
The Best Friend in the World
“Do we want an unfailing friend? Such a friend is the Lord Jesus Christ. The saddest part of all the good things of earth is their instability. Riches make themselves wings and flee away; youth and beauty are but for a few years; strength of body soon decays; mind and intellect are soon exhausted. All is perishing. All is fading. All is passing away. But there is one splendid exception to this general rule, and that is the friendship of Jesus Christ.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
True Repentance Produces a Deep Hatred of Sin
True repentance shows itself by producing in the heart a settled habit of deep hatred of all sin. The mind of a repentant person becomes a mind habitually holy. They abhor that which is evil, and cleaves to that which is good.
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