Our Lord does not promise to change life for us; He does not promise to remove difficulties and trials and problems and tribulations; He does not say that He is going to cut out all the thorns and leave the roses with their wonderful perfume. No; He faces life realistically, and tells us that these are things to which the flesh is heir, and which are bound to come. But He assures us that we can so know Him that, whatever happens, we need never be frightened, we need never be alarmed.-Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Psalm 71:6 From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you

A Pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself, but a spiritual man is easy on others and hard on himself.

A.W. Tozer

Trials come to prove and improve us.- Augustine

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

The Christian who has stopped repenting has stopped growing.-A.W. Pink

"If the natural man has a free will to believe the gospel, then why does he need grace? If his will is naturally free then it would do away with the need for grace altogether." -C.H. Spurgeon

"Rome was not built in a day, nor will a parish be saved in a week. Men do not always receive all the gospel the first time they hear it. To break hearts for Jesus is something like splitting wood: we need to work with wedges that are very small at one end, but increase in size as they are driven in." -C.H. Spurgeon

It really is an astounding truth that the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. He lives in me. I do not know what the Spirit will do or where He'll lead me each time I invite Him to guide me. But I am tired of living in a way that looks exactly like people who do not have the Holy Spirit of God living in them.. -Francis Chan

I believe that one reason why the church of God at this present moment has so little influence over the world is because the world has so much influence over the church. -- Charles Haddon Spurgeon

In the maxims of the law, God is seen as the rewarder of perfect righteousness and the avenger of sin. But in Christ, His face shines out, full of grace and gentleness to poor, unworthy sinners.
-John Calvin

Jesus is no security against life's storms, but He is perfect security in them. -Author Unknown

Have you read your Bible today?

Jesus was serious about sin...

Matt. 18:9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

“Begin with not honoring God’ s day, and you will soon not honor God’s house; cease to honor God’s house, and you will soon cease to honor God’s book; cease to honor God’s book, and by-and-by you will give God no honor at all. Let a man lay the foundation of having no sabbath, and I am never surprised if he finishes with the top-stone of no God.” -- J.C Ryle

Faith is the flip side of repentance. While repentance speaks of turning from sin, faith is turning to the Savior. The object of saving faith is not a creed, not a church, not a pastor, not a set of rituals or ceremonies. Jesus is the object of saving faith.- John MacArthur

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:27)

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Today's church wants to be raptured from responsibility..

Leonard Ravenhill

A ministry which is weak and flabby on the subject of sin is a useless ministry. A preaching ministry that does not result in conviction of sin is useless. If it does not wound, how can it heal? The good news is only for sinners.

-Erroll Hulse

Who Are the Puritans? Evangelical Press, p. 172.

The great mistake made by most of the Lord’s people is in hoping to discover in themselves that which is to be found in Christ alone.- A.W. Pink

Knowing God without knowing our own wretchedness makes for pride. Knowing our own wretchedness without knowing God makes for despair. Knowing Jesus Christ strikes the balance because He shows us both God and our own wretchedness. -Blaise Pascal

It takes 90 gallons of water to baptize a Christian and only 9 drops of rain to keep him at home! --Author Unknown

1 Peter 1:18-19 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers,but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

There is no panic in Heaven.. Just plans.

If we ask God to give us stuff that we desire more than God Himself, we're basically asking God to finance our idolatry..

"Doctrine is not an affair of the tongue, but of the life; is not apprehended by the intellect and memory merely, like other branches of learning; but is received only when it possesses the whole soul, and finds its seat and habitation in the inmost recesses of the heart." -John Calvin

There is nothing wrong with men possessing riches. The wrong comes when riches possess men. -Billy Graham

"Jesus didn't come into the world to make bad men good; He came to make dead men live!"

Isaiah 26:3-4 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD for ever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.

Continue in our John series, our latest episode "Come and See!"

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