One generation will commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. Psalm 145:5
What is worth enough to make you joyfully sell everything you own? Seriously. Think about it. Is there anything you could obtain that would make selling all your possessions a joy?
At Gospel Centered Discipleship, Nancy Guthrie has written about this subject. Using three biblical examples where men were faced with the same question. Go read it to find out how their decisions could help us.
Scott Hubbard encourages us to deny ourselves in order to find ourselves, defy the devil, join heaven’s side and destroy our sorrow. Read his article at Desiring God.
I ran across the Discipleship Explored series today on YouTube. The series is free for the remainder of August. There are eight individual episodes. They each average approximately 15 minutes. Here is the trailer.
Episode One Discipleship Explored
Episode Four Obedient in Christ
Episode Five Righteous in Christ
Episode Six Transformed in Christ
“We don’t just need male friends; we need male friends on fire for God.”
At desiringgod.com Marshal Segal considers the importance of having true brothers in Christ in our lives.
Tim Challies writes:
“I have a deep desire to be godly. This is the one thing in life I long for the most. At least, I think it is. But I wonder what my habits tell me. Do they prove or disprove my desire? Am I actually disciplining myself to achieve what I claim to want?”
While he wrote those words in July, 2017, they may ring true for you (and me) today. Are we settling for less in our spiritual lives simply because we don’t desire a relationship with God enough to take action? Read the entire post here.
“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
Psalm 34:18
This is the last in a series of posts using quotes from J.C Ryle’s Holiness. This can be found on page 185 of the e-book edition. Ryle’s book is so good, this series could have easily gone on for several more weeks or months. I hope these quotes have not only made you curious about Ryle’s work, but more importantly, that God used them to encourage, challenge and strengthen your faith.
“You must learn to believe that God’s promises are better than worldly possessions, that things unseen are better than things seen, that things in heaven not yet in sight are better than things on earth before your eyes, and that the praise of the invisible God is better than the praise of visible man. Then, and only then, will you make a choice like Moses and prefer God to the world.”
“One thing essential to growth in grace is the diligence in the use of private means of grace……….This includes private prayer, private reading of the Bible, and private meditation and self-examination. The person who does not exert any effort about these three things must never expect to grow.”
J.C. Ryle, Holiness, page 134
“According to the standard of the Bible, it does cost something to be a real Christian. There are enemies to be overcome, battles to be fought, sacrifices to be made, Egypt to be forsaken, a wilderness to be passed through, a cross to be carried, and a race to be run.”
J.C. Ryle, Holiness, page 108
Today, we get two quotes from J.C. Ryle’s on our fight for holiness. They can be found on Pages 93 and 94, respectively, from his book Holiness.
“The believer is a solider. There is no holiness without warfare. Saved souls will always be found to have fought a fight.”
“We can take comfort about our souls if we daily experience anything of an inward fight and conflict. It is the invariable companion of genuine Christian holiness.”
