A holy person is reminded of the evil in their own heart when they see others sin. Bernard tells of an old man who would weep whenever he saw someone sin. When asked why he grieved so deeply over another’s wrongdoing, the man replied, “He fell today, and I may fall tomorrow.” The sins of … Continue reading A Holy Heart’s Response to the Sins of Others
One of the most important questions we can ask ourselves is what God thinks of us. One has pointed out that in every man, there are four different men: the man whom the neighbors see, the man whom one's family sees, the man whom the person himself sees, and the man whom God sees. The … Continue reading Trust the One Who Knows You Best
God will grant us, in response to our prayers, the blessings He knows are best for us. If He does not give us exactly what we ask for, He will provide something even better—something we would have asked for ourselves if we understood what was truly best, as He does. The timing of God's answer … Continue reading God’s Perfect Answer to Our Imperfect Prayers
Merely going through the motions is unacceptable in the Christian life. This truth is a key part of what Paul tells Titus when he says, “To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure (Titus 1:15).” This statement presents such a severe dichotomy that it should leave our … Continue reading A Ritualistic Heart is an Impure Heart
In our church services, we go through all the external bodily motions, but as to the prostration of the soul, we are, for the most part, oblivious and unconcerned. We think that we have done our duty to God if we have gone through the appointed external rituals, though our heart has not accorded with … Continue reading When Church Becomes an Empty Ritual
He sat in church while the pastor delivered eternal truths but could not stay awake. Soul-saving exhortation was coming at him, but he was busy catching his head every time he nodded off. It wasn’t that he had had a busy week or even stayed up too late the night before; it was that he … Continue reading Stay Awake
Everything short of hell is mercy. This one truth should change the way we view our hardships and frustrations, no matter how terrible they may be. If we, as sinners, are not facing the wrath of the infinitely Holy God at this moment, our life is better than we deserve. That is true for every … Continue reading Everything Short of Hell is Mercy
What is all this struggle in the world for? Why so many attempts to be something and have something in a realm that will not last? This struggle for passing vanities is like foam and bubbles contending for a place on a rapid stream—gone in a moment! We forget that we are here today and … Continue reading How to Spend this Short Life
He always said his heart was satisfied in Christ alone—that he needed nothing else. He even believed it was true until the Lord enrolled him in the school of contentment. It is easy to boast when things are good, but the believer must often be trained by many hardships to make contentment a reality. Our … Continue reading In the School of Contentment
If a Christian is facing an illness that will not go away and needs encouragement, the Lord healing the paralytic who was lowered through the roof in Mark 2:1-12 can touch our deepest wounds but not in the way many might think. When the man who could not move of his own volition was lowered … Continue reading Sin is Worse than Sickness
The Fight of Faith 