“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.”
~ 1 Corinthians 16:13
“True holiness does not make a Christian evade difficulties, but face and overcome them. Christ would have His people show that His grace is not a mere hothouse plant, which can only thrive under shelter, but a strong, hardy thing which can flourish in every relation of life.”
~ J.C. Ryle
The toils of day are over;
We raise our hymn to Thee,
And ask that free from peril
The hours of dark may be.
O Jesus, keep us in Thy sight,
And guard us through the coming night.
Be Thou our souls’ Preserver,
O God, for Thou dost know
How many are the perils
Through which we have to go.
Lord Jesus Christ, O hear our call
And guard and save us from them all.
~ Prayer of Anatolius (5th Century)
“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
~ Colossians 3:32
“Fellowship with God is like a delicate little plant, for a long nurturing is the price of having it, while it vanishes in a second of time, as soon as we try to seat some other unworthy affection beside Him.”
~ Frank C. Laubach
“He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul”
~ Proverbs 19:16a
There is something spiritually healthy about keeping God’s commands near and dear to our heart and mind. The Word of the Lord, His Law, His principles and precepts, the wisdom of God, are all divine nourishment to the soul. They bring vitality and strength to the faithful. By keeping the commands, one keeps, nurtures and renews their very soul.
The application of this verse isn’t to be understood in a legalistic manner where we believe we obtain greater grace or spiritual position simply because we adhere to the Lord’s Word. Rather, believers should come to understand keeping God’s commands is a privilege and spiritual benefit. God’s Word is sustenance. Therefore, let us keep the command as we keep our soul.
~ apl
“He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God… because for this purpose I have been sent.”
~ Luke 4:43
“The whole of the preaching of Jesus Christ and His apostles is concerned with the kingdom of God.”
~ Herman Ridderbos
“The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life.”
~ Proverbs 14:15a
As the waters of all true wisdom find their original source in God alone, so the many streams which flow out from wise godly people serve as a refreshing supply of the Lord’s spring. The teaching of the wise, of those who first seek God’s face and depend on His counsel, can be a blessing to others. God grants His people the privilege of sharing in His wisdom and He gifts Christ’s church with the knowledge and understanding to accomplish all His holy will. May we find and keep company with the wise, and drink deeply thereof, for there is a fountain of life.
~ apl
“I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.”
~ Psalm 9:1-2
“But there are times when those who sing, and sing well, have too much praise in their soul for it to enclose itself in words. Like some strong liquors which cannot use a little vent, but foam and swell until they burst each hoop that binds the barrel; so, sometimes, we want a larger channel for our soul than that of mouth and tongue, and we long to have all our nerves and sinews made into harpstrings, and all the pores of our body made mouths of thankfulness. Oh, that we could praise with our whole nature, not one single hair of our heads, or drop of blood in our veins, keeping back from adoring the Most High. When this desire for praise is most vehement, we fall back upon silence, and quiver with the adoration which we cannot speak.”
~ Charles Spurgeon
“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling…”
~ Philippians 2:12
“You cannot take Christ for justification unless you take Him for sanctification… You can no more separate justification from sanctification than you can separate the circulation of the blood from the inhalation of the air. Breathing and circulation are two different things, but you cannot have the one without the other; they go together, and they constitute one life. So you have justification and sanctification; they go together, and they constitute one life.”
~ A.A. Hodge (1823-1886)
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.”
~ 1 Corinthians 15:22
“The Christ of God was not then first crucified when the Jews brought Him to the Cross; but Adam and Eve were His first real murderers; for the death which happened to them in the day when they did eat of the earthly tree was the death of the Christ of God or the divine life in their souls. For Christ had never come into the world as a second Adam to redeem it, had He not been originally the life and perfection and glory of the first Adam.”
~ William Law
“You shall receive power…”
~ Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
The Christian life is lived out in the power ‘δύναμις‘ of God. Namely, this power is the inner presence of the Holy Spirit. The believer who seeks to live a spiritual life by natural means will find himself weak and ill-equipped for such an undertaking. Therefore, through the enabling gift, strength and ability of the Spirit, we can live unto the Lord by the power He grants. This is power to endure trials, power over sin, power for ministry, power to worship, power to bear forth fruits of the Spirit, power to boldly witness for Christ and His Church. Let us then live by faith in a strong Savior that has sent His people such wonderful, gracious and holy power.
~ apl
A Prayer Life 