Humility and love are precisely the graces which the men of
the world can understand, if they do not comprehend doctrines.
They are the graces about which there is no mystery, and they
are within reach of all classes. The poorest... Christian can
every day find occasion for practicing love and humility.-J. C. Ryle (1816-1900), Expository thoughts on the Gospels, with the text complete, St. John, v. III, London: William Hunt, 1873, p. 16

We have no control over how we feel, how we act- our attitudes, and actions- except as they are determined by our thoughts. All these elements are irrevocably tied together. But since we do have control over what we think, it is possible to control our attitudes and actions…All thoughts can be divided into two basic categories: true and false. The thoughts that come from God are true. He is the God of all truth and has sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and to guide us into all truth. If I can receive God’s thoughts, I can think the truth. Therefore I will have the right attitudes and actions. How do you get the air out of a glass? By filling it with water. How do you get rid of wrong and untrue thoughts? By filling your mind with true and right thoughts from God. The control of our thought life, then, comes by thinking God’s thoughts with Him.- Peter Lord

Oh, what a blessed and comfortable thing to be known by Christ, known and marked as His friends, His relations, His dear children, His beloved family, His purchased possession! Here we are often cast down, often discouraged, often persecuted, often spoken against, often misunderstood—but let us take courage, our Lord and Master knows all. A day shall come when we shall no longer see through a glass darkly—but face to face—a day when we shall know even as we are now known; for the union between us and our Redeemer, which we so often feel disposed to doubt, shall then be clearly seen, and we shall no more go out to battle.~ J.C. Ryle,The Christian Race & Other Sermons, “The Privileges of the True Christian”, [Moscow, ID: Charles Nolan Publishing, 2002], 107.

Faith is the avenue to salvation. Not intellectual understanding. Not money. Not your works. Just simple faith. How much faith? The faith of a mustard seed, so small you can hardly see it. But if you will put that little faith in the person of Jesus, your life will be changed. He will come with supernatural power into your heart. It can happen to you.- Billy Graham

"There shall be no night there!" Revelation 21:25
My soul! is it night with you here? Are you wearied with these midnight tossings on life's tumultuous sea? Be still! The day is breaking! Soon shall your Lord appear! That glorious appearing shall disperse every cloud, and usher in an eternal noontide which knows no twilight. "The Lord will be your everlasting light--and your God will be your glory! Your days of sorrow will come to an end!" Everlasting light! Wondrous secret of a nightless world--the glories of a present God!
Strange realities! A world without night! A heaven without a sun! And, greater wonder still, yourself in this world--a joyful citizen of this nightless, sinless, sorrowless, tearless Heaven--basking underneath the Fountain of uncreated light! No exhaustion of glorified body and spirit to require repose; no lassitude or weariness to suspend the ever-deepening song, "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain--to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"- John MacDuff, "The Faithful Promiser")

Jesus Christ can so interfere in a human life that it can
look up and say, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all
His benefits," even in the midst of sorrow or suffering.-Robert Pierce (1914-1978), founder and president, World Vision, in a private communication from World Vision

Oh, what a blessed and comfortable thing to be known by Christ, known and marked as His friends, His relations, His dear children, His beloved family, His purchased possession! Here we are often cast down, often discouraged, often persecuted, often spoken against, often misunderstood—but let us take courage, our Lord and Master knows all. A day shall come when we shall no longer see through a glass darkly—but face to face—a day when we shall know even as we are now known; for the union between us and our Redeemer, which we so often feel disposed to doubt, shall then be clearly seen, and we shall no more go out to battle.~ J.C. Ryle,The Christian Race & Other Sermons, “The Privileges of the True Christian”, [Moscow, ID: Charles Nolan Publishing, 2002], 107.

Short is the joy that guilty pleasure brings.-Euripides, 480 - 406 BC

There is a covenant, ... and God is faithful to His
covenant. But the substance of that covenant is all pure mercy
and grace. If men presume to claim for themselves, upon the
basis of the covenant, some relationship with God other than
that of the sinner needing God's grace, the covenant has been
perverted. And where that has happened, God, in the sovereign
freedom of His grace, destroys these pretensions, calls "No
people" to be His people, breaks off natural branches and
grafts in wild slips, filling them with the life which is His
own life imparted to man. There is no law in His Kingdom save
the law of pure grace. That is why they come from east and west
to sit down with Abraham and Isaac, while the sons of the
Kingdom are cast out; for the sons of the Kingdom have no place
there unless they are willing to sit down with all whom the
Lord of the feast shall call, and to receive His mercy in
exactly the same way as the publicans and sinners.-Lesslie Newbigin (1909-1998), The Household of God, London, SCM Press, 1953, New York: Friendship Press, 1954, p. 90-91

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. Our prayers must not only be earnest, fervent, sincere, and in the name of Christ. They must contain one more ingredient besides. They must come from a forgiving heart. We have no right to look for mercy, if we are not ready to extend mercy to our brethren. We cannot really feel the sinfulness of the sins we ask to have pardoned if we cherish malice towards our fellow men. We must not flatter ourselves that we have the Spirit of adoption if we cannot bear and forbear.~ J.C. Ryle,Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1985], 239, 240.

The best birthdays of all are those that haven't arrived yet.- Robert Orben

Let us walk as stewards and not act as owners, keeping for ourselves the means with which the Lord has entrusted us. He has not blessed us that we may gratify our own carnal mind but for the sake of using our money in His service and to His praise.-George Muller, The Autobiography of George Muller, 1984, p. 195.

The Christian should never worry about tomorrow or give sparingly because of a possible future need. Only the present moment is ours to serve the Lord, and tomorrow may never come. Money is really worth no more than as it can be used to accomplish the Lord’s work. Life is worth as much as it is spent for the Lord’s service.-George Muller,The Autobiography of George Muller, 1984, p. 212

We should not shrink from opportunities where our faith may be tried. The more I am in a position to be tried in faith, the more I will have the opportunity of seeing God’s help and deliverance. Every fresh instance in which He helps and delivers me will increase my faith. The believer should not shrink from situations, positions, or circumstances in which his faith may be tried, but he should cheerfully embrace them as opportunities to see the hand of God stretched out in help and deliverance. Thus his faith will be strengthened.- George Muller, The Autobiography of George Muller, 1984, p. 159.

It is impossible to describe the abundance of peace and heavenly joy that often flows into my soul because of the answers I obtain from God after waiting on Him for help and blessing. The longer I have had to wait on Him or the greater my need it, the grater the enjoyment when at last the answer came.-George Muller, The Autobiography of George Muller, 1984, p. 190.

It is not darkness you are going to, for God is Light. It is not lonely, for Christ is with you. It is not unknown country, for Christ is there.- Charles Kingsley

Let us determine by God's grace to forgive, even as we hope to be forgiven. This is the nearest approach we can make to the mind of Christ Jesus. This is the character which is most suitable to a poor sinful child of Adam. God's free forgiveness of sins is our highest privilege in this world. God's free forgiveness will be our only title to eternal life in the world to come. Then let us be forgiving during the few years that we are here upon earth.~ J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1985], 240, 241.

Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues.-John R. W. Stott

Happiness is a great love and much serving.-Olive Schreiner

A child educated only at school is an uneducated child.- George Santayana, 1863 - 1952

To be a king and wear a crown is a thing more glorious to them that see it than it is pleasant to them that bear it.-Elizabeth I of England, 1533 - 1603

If I follow the inclination of my nature, it is this: beggar-woman and single, far rather than queen and married.- Elizabeth I of England, 1533 - 1603

There is no marvel in a woman learning to speak, but there would be in teaching her to hold her tongue.- Elizabeth I of England, 1533 - 1603

It often astonishes me that I did not see the importance of meditation upon Scripture earlier in my Christian life. As the outward man is not fit for work for any length of time unless he eats, so it is with the inner man. What is the food for the inner man? Not prayer, but the Word of God – not the simple reading of the Word of God, so that it only passes through our minds, just as water runs through a pipe. No, we must consider what we read, ponder over it, and apply it to our hearts.- George Muller,The Autobiography of George Muller, 1984, p. 139.

How desperately difficult it is to be honest with oneself. It is much easier to be honest with other people.- Edward Benson

God is the author of the Bible, and only the truth it contains will lead people to true happiness. A Christian should read this precious Book every day with earnest prayer and meditation. But like many believers, I preferred to read the works of uninspired men rather than the oracles of the living God. Consequently, I remained a spiritual baby both in knowledge and grace.- George Muller'The Autobiography of George Muller, 1984, p. 21

If anyone thinks that on account of our trials of faith during this year we have been disappointed in our expectations or discouraged in the work, my answer is that the very opposite is true. Such days were expected from the beginning. The chief end for which the institution was established is that the Church would see the hand of God stretched out on our behalf in answer to prayer. Our desire, therefore, is not that we may be without trials of faith, but that the Lord would graciously support us in the trial and that we may not dishonor Him by distrust.- George Muller,The Autobiography of George Muller, 1984, p. 130

It has been a frequent trait in Christian theologians down
the ages to commit themselves whole-heartedly to the
fashionable philosophies of their day, while passing severe
judgments on their predecessors for adopting precisely the same
attitude.-E. L. Mascall (1905-1993), The Secularization of Christianity, London: Darton, Longman Todd, 1966, p.103

Above all, let us pray daily that our own Christianity may at any rate be genuine, sincere, real and true. Our faith may be feeble, our hope dim, our knowledge small, our failures frequent, our faults many. But at all events let us be real and true. Let us be able to say with poor, weak, erring Peter, "You, Lord, who know all things, know that I love You." (John 21:17.)~ J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John, volume 3, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1987], 5.

Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore do not seek
to understand in order to believe, but believe that you may
understand.-Augustine of Hippo (354-430), Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel according to St. John, vol. i, Marcus Dods, ed., as vol. x of The Works of Aurelius Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, Edinbugh: T & T Clark,
1873, p. 405

Satan’s “fiery darts” do not easily penetrate a mind captivated by the beauty of Christ. When our hearts beat with perpetual fascination and our thoughts are filled with the beauty and splendor and adequacy of God, little room is left for the devil to gain a foothold (see Phil. 4:8).-Sam Storms Tactics of Temptation, November 8, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com

Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another mind.- James Russell Lowell, 1819 - 1891

I can let Christ grip me; but I cannot grip him. I love...
to sit on Christ's knee; but I cannot set my feet to the
ground, for afflictions bring the cramp upon my faith. All I
now do is to hold out a lame faith to Christ, like a beggar
holding out a stump, instead of an arm or leg, and cry, Lord
Jesus, work a miracle.- Samuel Rutherford (1600-1664), Letters of Samuel
Rutherford, Edinburgh: William Whyte & Co., 1848, letter, Feb. 9, 1637, p. 178

Temptation, in and of itself, is not sin. This is critically important, especially for those who suffer from an overly sensitive and tender conscience. Jesus was repeatedly tempted (Heb. 2:17-18; 4:15; Mt. 4), but he was sinless. We must resist thinking that we are sub-Christian or sub-spiritual simply because we are frequently tempted. It was the great reformer Martin Luther who first said, “You can't prevent the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.” His point is that a temptation only becomes a sin when you acquiesce to it, as it were “fondle” it and “enjoy” it.-Sam Storms, Tactics of Temptation, November 8, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com

Hope is a vigorous principle; it sets the head and heart to work, and animates a man to do his utmost. It makes a seeming impossibility give way.- Jeremy Collier

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? Then let us pray daily for more faith, and watch our faith with most jealous watchfulness. Here is the corner-stone of our religion. A flaw or weakness here will affect the whole condition of our inner man. According to our faith will be the degree of our peace, our hope, our joy, our decision in Christ's service, our boldness in confession, our strength in work, our patience in trial, our resignation in trouble, our sensible comfort in prayer. All will hinge on the proportion of our faith. Happy are they who know how to rest their whole weight continually on a covenant God, and to walk by faith, not by sight.~ J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1985], 238, 239.

What makes the Dead Sea dead? Because it is all the time receiving, but never giving out anything. Why is it that many Christians are cold? Because they are all the time receiving, never giving out.- Dwight L. Moody

In his old age, when he could no longer see to read, John Newton heard someone recite this text, "By the grace of God I am what I am." He remained silent a short time and then said: "I am not what I ought to be. Ah, how imperfect and deficient! I am not what I wish to be. I abhor that which is evil, and I would cleave to that which is good. I am not what I hope to be. Soon, soon I shall put off mortality, and with mortality all sin and imperfection. Though I am not what I ought to be, what I wish to be, and what I hope to be; yet I can truly say, I am not what I once was--a slave to sin and Satan! I can heartily join with the apostle and acknowledge--By the grace of God I am what I am!" Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.- William Plumer, "Sinners Saved by Unmerited Kindness"

There is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more
than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no
repentance. But what is Repentance? Not the last and noblest
and most refined achievement of the righteousness of men in the
service of God, but the first elemental act of the
righteousness of God in the service of men; the work that God
has written in their hearts and which, because it is from God
and not from men, occasions joy in heaven; that looking forward
to God, and to Him only, which is recognized only by God and by
God Himselm. -Karl Barth (1886-1968), The Epistle to the Romans translated from the 6th edition by Edwyn C. Hoskyns, London: Oxford University Press, H. Milford, 1933,6th ed., Oxford University Press US, 1968, p. 68

How do we distinguish between satanic accusation and divine conviction? Among other things, the former comes in the shape of condemnation that breeds feelings of hopelessness. We are told that our sin has put us beyond the hope of grace and the power of forgiveness. Satan’s accusations are devoid of any reference to the sufficiency of the cross. Divine conviction for sin, on the other hand, comes with a reminder of the sufficiency and finality of Christ’s shed blood, together with a promise of hope and the joy of forgiveness.-Sam Storms, Tactics of Temptation, November 8, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com.

Our first priority in times of adversity is to honor and glorify God by trusting Him. We tend to make our first priority the gaining of relief from our feelings of heartache or disappointment or frustration. This is a natural desire, and God has promised to give us grace sufficient for our trials and peace for our anxieties (2 Corinthians 12:9, Philippians 4:6-7). But just as God's will is to take precedence over our will (Jesus Himself said, "Yet not as I will, but as you will" Matthew 26:39), so God's honor is to take precedence over our feelings. We honor God by choosing to trust Him when we don't understand what He is doing or why He has allowed some adverse circumstance to occur. As we seek God's glory, we may be sure that He has purposed our good and that He will not be frustrated in fulfilling that purpose.-Jerry Bridges,Trusting God, 1988, p. 52.

If we want proof of God's love for us, then we must look first at the Cross where God offered up His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. Calvary is the one objective, absolute, irrefutable proof of God's love for us.-Jerry Bridges,Trusting God, 1988, p. 138.

Until our Master summons us, not a hair on our head can perish, not a moment of our life be snatched from us. When He sends for us, it should seem by the message that the child is wanted at home.-Anthony Thorold

Love is a grace which many professing Christians think far too little about; but it is of infinite value in the eyes of God. Love is the most characteristic feature of Christ’s image in a renewed man. Love is the most precious fruit of grace; and yet the fruit which too many of His professed followers seem to think themselves hardly under any obligation to cultivate.- John Angell James

If by doing some work which the undiscerning consider “not spiritual work” I can best help others, and I inwardly rebel, thinking it is the spiritual for which I crave, when in truth it is the interesting and the exciting, then I know nothing of Calvary love.- Amy Carmichael

Nothing is a surprise to God; nothing is a setback to His plans; nothing can thwart His purposes; and nothing is beyond His control. His sovereignty is absolute. Everything that happens is uniquely ordained by God. Sovereignty is a weighty thing to ascribe to the nature and character of God. Yet if He were not sovereign, He would not be God. The Bible is clear that God is in control of everything that happens.- Joni Eareckson Tada, Is God Really in Control, Joni and Friends, 1987, p. 1

Are we honest and sincere in our professed desire to be true Christians? Have we given up all our idols? Is there no secret sin that we are silently clinging to, and refusing to give up? Is there no thing or person that we are privately loving more than Christ and our souls? These are questions that ought to be answered. The true explanation of the unsatisfactory state of many hearers of the Gospel, is spiritual idolatry. We need not wonder that John says, "Keep yourselves from idols." (1 John 5:21.) ~ J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1986], 240, 241.

Do not let us fail one another in interest, care and practical help; but supremely we must not fail one another in prayer.-Michael Baughen

God takes life’s pieces and gives us unbroken peace.-W. D. Gough

Would you have perfect peace in life? Then lay hold on this doctrine of perseverance. Your TRIALS may be many and great. Your cross may be very heavy. But the business of your soul is all conducted according to an "everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure." (2 Sam. 23:5.) All things are working together for your good. Your sorrows are only purifying your soul for glory. Your bereavements are only fashioning you as a polished stone for the temple above, made without hands. From whatever quarter the storms blow, they only drive you nearer to heaven. Whatever weather you may go through it is only ripening you for the garner of God. Your best things are quite safe. Come what will, you shall "never perish.~ J.C. Ryle, Old Paths, “Perseverance”, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1999], 516, 517.

Christian leadership models itself upon our Lord Jesus Christ. One of the paradoxes of His ministry was that although He was so obviously the leader, He was conspicuously the servant. He illustrated and underlined this truth when He washed the disciples’ feet (John 13). We are spiritually effective as leaders as we follow His example. Although leaders, we are first and foremost servants.- Derek Prime and Alistair Begg, On Being a Pastor, Moody Press, 2004, p. 219.

The wise man in the storm prays to God, not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear. It is the storm within which endangers him, not the storm without.- Ralph Waldo Emerson

To be at peace with the world, the flesh, and the devil, is to be at enmity with God, and in the broad way that leads to destruction. We have no choice or option. The promises to the Seven Churches in Revelation are only "to him that overcomes." We must fight or be lost. We must conquer or die eternally. We must put on the whole armor of God. "He who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one" (Eph. 6:11; Luke 22:36).~ J.C. Ryle , The Upper Room, “Victory”, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1970], 144, 145.

There's plenty of intelligence in the world, but the courage to do things differently is in short supply.- Marilyn vos Savant

Be able to notice all the confusion between fact and opinion that appears in the news.- Marilyn vos Savant

[Affliction] brings out graces that cannot be seen in a time of health. It is the treading of the grapes that brings out the sweet juices of the vine; so it is affliction that draws forth submission, weanedness from the world, and complete rest in God. Use afflictions while you have them.- Robert Murray McCheyne, Comfort in Sorrow, Christian Focus, 2002, p. 25

We are all strings in the concert of His joy.- Jacob Boehme

When it comes to finding available men in Minnesota, the odds are good, but the goods are odd.- Garrison Keillor

Intelligence is like four-wheel drive. It only allows you to get stuck in more remote places.- Garrison Keillor

I never knew all there was in the Bible until I spent those years in jail. I was constantly finding new treasures.-John Bunyan (1628-1688), quoted in A Treasury of Sermon Illustrations, Charles Langworthy Wallis, ed., Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1950, p. 27

The doctrine of Christ crucified is the strength of a Minister. I, for one, would not be without it for all the world. I would feel like a soldier without arms, like an artist without his pencil, like a pilot without his compass, like a laborer without his tools. Let others, if they will, preach the law and morality; let others hold forth the terrors of hell, and the joys of heaven; let others dwell on the sacraments and the Church. Give me the cross of Christ. This is the only lever which has ever turned the world upside down up to this point, and made men forsake their sins: and if this will not, nothing will.~ J.C. Ryle, Tract: Christ Crucified

How is the will of God done in heaven? Sadly? Burdensomely? Begrudgingly? No! It is done gladly! If I then pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” how can I not be motivated by a desire to be glad? It is a contradiction to pray for the will of God to be done in my life the way it is done in heaven, and then to say I am indifferent to whether I am glad or not. When the earth rejoices to do His will and does it perfectly, His will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven.-John Piper,Desiring God, p. 140-41

It is grace at the beginning, and grace at the end. So that when you and I come to lie upon our death beds, the one thing that should comfort and help and strengthen us there is the thing that helped us in the beginning. Not what we have been, not what we have done, but the grace of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. The Christian life starts with grace, it must continue with grace, it ends with grace. Grace, wondrous grace. By the grace of God I am what I am. Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.- D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

To him that chose us first,
Before the world began;
To him that bore the curse
To save rebellious man;
To him that form'd
Our hearts anew
Is endless praise
And glory due.

The Father's love shall run
Through our immortal songs;
We bring to God the Son
Hosannahs on our tongues:
Our lips address
The Spirit's name
With equal praise,
And zeal the same.

Let every saint above,
And angel round the throne,
For ever bless and love
The sacred Three in One;
Thus heav'n shall raise
His honors high,
When earth and time
Grow old and die.
Isaac Watts (1674-1748), Hymns and Spiritual Songs [1707], in Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, ed. Samuel Melanchthon Worcester, Boston: Crocker & Brewster, 1834, book III, hymn 39, p. 494-495

In Christ, as a great storehouse, lie all the riches of spiritual wisdom, the massive ingots of solid gold which when coined into creeds and doctrines are the wealth of the Church. All which we can know concerning God and man, concerning sin and righteousness and duty, concerning another life, is in Him Who is the home and deep mine where truth is stored... The central fact of the universe and the perfect encyclopedia of all moral and spiritual truth is in Christ, the Incarnate Word, the Lamb slain, the ascended King.- Alexander MacLaren

Kind words produce their own image in men's souls; and a beautiful image it is. They soothe and quiet and comfort the hearer. They shame him out of his sour, morose, unkind feelings. We have not yet begun to use kind words in such abundance as they ought to be used.-Blaise Pascal

Gold is a living god and rules in scorn,
All earthly things but virtue.- Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1792 - 1822

Never cease loving a person, and never give up hope for him, for even the Prodigal Son who had fallen most low, could still be saved. The bitterest enemy and also he who was your friend could again be your friend; love that has grown cold can kindle again.-Soren Kierkegaard

The Scriptures recognize both the Sovereignty of God, and the free agency and accountability of man. Consciousness assures us of the latter. The nature of God proves the former. The Bible makes no attempt to reconcile the two. ~ James P. Boyce

If we have anything to tell others about Christ, let us resolve to tell it. Let us not be silent, if we have found peace and rest in the Gospel. Let us speak to our relations, friends, families and neighbors, according as we have opportunity, and tell them what the Lord has done for our souls. All are not called to be ministers. All are not intended to preach. But all can walk in the steps of the man of whom we have been reading, and in the steps of Andrew, and Philip, and the Samaritan woman. (John 1:41, 45; 4:29.) Happy is he who is not ashamed to say to others, "Come and hear what the Lord has done for my soul." (Psalm. 66:16.)~ J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1985], 97, 98.

I do believe that we slander Christ when we think that we are to draw the people by something else but the preaching of Christ crucified. We know that the greatest crowd in London has been held together these thirty years by nothing but the preaching of Christ crucified. Where is our music? Where is our oratory? Where is anything of attractive architecture, or beauty of ritual? “A bare service,” they call it. Yes, but Christ makes up for all the deficiencies-C.H. Spurgeon

The way to think about self-denial is to deny yourself only a lesser good for a greater good... In other words, Jesus wants us to think about sacrifice in a way that rules out all self-pity.-John Piper, Desiring God 1996, p. 202

Pleasure-seeking, as we learn from experience, is a barren business; happiness is never found till we have the grace to stop looking for it and to give our attention to persons and matters external to ourselves.-J. I. Packer

Revenge indeed seems often sweet to men, but oh, it is only sugared poison, only sweetened gall. Forgiving enduring love alone is sweet and blissful and enjoys peace and the consciousness of God’s favor. By forgiving it gives away and annihilates the injury. It treats the injurer as if he had not injured and therefore feels no more the smart and sting that he had inflicted.- William Arnot, The Parables of our Lord, 1884.

Some of us think at times that we could cry, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?"  There are seasons when the brightness of our Father's smile is eclipsed by clouds and darkness; but let us remember that God never does really forsake us.  It is only a seeming forsaking with us, but in Christ's case it was a real forsaking.  We grieve at a little withdrawal of our Father's love; but the real turning away of God's face from His Son, who shall calculate how deep the agony which it caused Him?  In our case, our cry is often dictated by unbelief; in His case, it was the utterance of a dreadful fact, for God had really turned away from Him for a season.  O thou poor, distressed soul, who once lived in the sunshine of God's face, but art now in darkness, remember that He has not really forsaken thee.  God in the clouds is as much our God as when He shines forth in all the luster of His grace; but since even the thought that He has forsaken us gives us agony, what must the woe of the Savior have been when He exclaimed, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?"-C. H. Spurgeon

To all the crofters of Lorgill. Take notice that you are hereby duly warned that you will be rqdy to leave Lorgill at 12 o'clock on the 4th August with all your baggage but no stock and proceed to Loch Snizort, where you will board the ship Midlothian that will take you to Nova Scotia, where you are to receive a free grant of land from Her Majesty's government. Take further notice that any crofter disobeying the order will be immediately arrested and taken to prison. All persons over the age of seventy and who have no relatives to look after them will be taken care of in the county poorhouse. This order is final and no appeal to the government will be considered. God save the Queen.- Proclamation on Skye, 3rd August 1830 (Any moral difference between this and the slave trade?)

The basis for our security in salvation is not ultimately our righteousness or obedience but God's promise, God’s power, God’s purpose, and most of all God’s passionate love for us in Christ. God is committed to preserving us in faith, for if we were to stumble so as to fully and finally fall away, God stands more to lose than we do.- Sam Storms, A Defense of the Perseverance of the Saints – Part II, November 6, 2006,

Christ chargeth me to believe His daylight at midnight.- Samuel Rutherford

Better that we should err in action than wholly refuse to perform. The storm is so much better than the calm, as it declares the presence of a living principle. Stagnation is something worse than death. It is corruption also.- Simms.

If I were but sure that I should live to see the coming of the Lord, it would be the joyfulest tidings in the world. O that I might see His kingdom come! It is the characteristic of His saints to love His appearing, and to look for that blessed hope. `The Spirit and the bride say, Come.' "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."- Richard Baxter.

God brings men into deep waters, not to drown them, but to cleanse them.- Aughey.

Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortunes; but great minds rise above them.- Washington Irving.

The brightest crowns that are worn in heaven have been tried and smelted and polished and glorified through the furnace of tribulation.- Chapin.

So we’re not to ask, “What did Jesus do?” so we could copy what he did. But we’re to ask, “What has Jesus done?” because he has done all for our salvation. The gospel is Christ’s life, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension and session at God’s right hand. There’s nothing in that gospel that we could do.– unk.

Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. -Sir Winston Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (Can). (Prime Minister 1940-1945, 1951-1955)

I am a Conservative to preserve all that is good in our constitution, a Radical to remove all that is bad. I seek to preserve property and to respect order, and I equally decry the appeal to the passions of the many or the prejudices of the few.- 
Benjamin Disraeli KG, PC, FRS, Earl of Beaconsfield. (Prime Minister 1868, 1874-1880)

We must never flatter ourselves that God cannot be angry. He is indeed a God of infinite grace and compassion. But it is also written, that He is "a consuming fire." (Heb. 12:29.) His spirit will not always strive with men. (Gen. 6:3.) There will be a day when His patience will come to an end, and when He will arise to dreadfully judge the earth. Happy will they be who are found hidden in the ark, in the day of the Lord's anger! Of all wrath, none can be conceived so dreadful as "the wrath of the Lamb." ~ J.C. Ryle Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke volume 2 , [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1998], 328.

Public opinion is a compound of folly, weakness, prejudice, wrong feeling, right feeling, obstinacy, and newspaper paragraphs.- 
Sir Robert Peel, Bt. (Prime Minister 1834-1835, 1841-1846)

"No one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this." 1 Thessalonians 3:3
Man is born to trouble--as the sparks fly upward. Affliction does not comes not forth from the dust--neither does trouble spring out of the ground. Trouble is the natural consequence of sin--and all trouble springs from this bitter root. But God makes our trouble--our medicine, and uses it for our present and everlasting welfare.
Our troubles are not the inflictions of an angry God--but the chastisements of a loving Father! He foresaw what we would be, and what would be necessary for us--and consequently He has appointed . . . the number, the nature, and the length of our troubles.
Every Christian has his 'cup of trials'--it is mixed by his Father's wisdom, and put into his hand by his Father's providence. He should therefore take it, endeavor to acquiesce in it, and say with Jesus, "The cup that My heavenly Father gives me--shall I not drink it?" Every trouble . . . comes from God's appointment, is intended to do us good, and will be overruled for our real welfare!
Every trial is labeled "LOVE"--if only we could but read the writing! And in every affliction God calls to us, saying, "Come near unto Me, My son--that I may bless you!"
Let us, then, draw near unto God, and show our trouble to Him!
Let us entreat him to sanctify it to us, that it may . . . wean us from earth, consecrate us to Jesus, and fit us for heaven!
All is love--which comes from the God of love!
"He is unchangeable; who can oppose Him? He does what He desires. He will certainly accomplish what He has decreed for me." Job 23:13-14 - James Smith, "Our Father and Comforter"

When Christians take counsel together, their purpose should not be to ascertain what is the mind of the majority, but what is the mind of the Holy Spirit- something which may be quite different.- Margaret Hilda Thatcher