Verse 4

"...Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies."-1st Corinthians 8:1

John Owen

I have been slowly reading an updated version of John Owen's classic works on sin and temptation. Here is a wonderful part in the means of mortification section.
"Let faith look on Christ in the gospel as he is set forth dying and crucified for us. Look on him under the weight of our sins, praying, bleeding, dying; bring him in that condition into your heart by faith; apply his blood so shed to your corruptions. Do this daily."

Verse 3

"For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body."-1st Corinthians 6:20

Jonathan Edwards paragraph-

I was reading a sermon from Edwards called 'Christ's Agony', and I wanted to share a powerful part of that sermon.-

" From what has been said, we may see the wonderful strength of the love of Christ to sinners. What has been said shows the strength of Christ's love two ways.

1. That it was so strong as to carry him through that agony that he was then in. The suffering that he then was actually subject to, was dreadful and amazing, as has been shown; and how wonderful was his love that lasted and was upheld still! The love of any mere man or angel would doubtless have sunk under such a weight, and never would have endured such a conflict in such a bloody sweat as that of Jesus Christ. The anguish of Christ's soul at that time was so strong as to cause that wonderful effect on his body. But his love to his enemies, poor and unworthy as they were, was stronger still. The heart of Christ at that time was full of distress, but it was fuller of love to vile worms: his sorrows abounded, but his love did much more abound. Christ's soul was overwhelmed with a deluge of grief, but this was from a deluge of love to sinners in his heart sufficient to overflow the world, and overwhelm the highest mountains of its sins. Those great drops of blood that fell down to the ground were a manifestation of an ocean of love in Christ's heart."

Second Verse of the week

"Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life."-Proverbs 4:23

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

I have been reading an amazing book called studies in the sermon on the mount by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. I just have to share one of the paragraphs that I read on Thursday night that blew me away.

"..;for we shall see him as he is.' This is surely the most amazing thing that has ever been said to man, that you and I, such as we are, pressed with all the problems and troubles of this modern world, are going to see Him face-to-face. If we but grasped this, it would revolutionize our lives. You and I are meant for the audience chamber of God; you and I are being prepared to enter into the presence of the King of kings. Do you believe it, do you know it as true of you? Do you realize that a day is coming when you are going to see the blessed God face-to-face? Not as in a glass, darkly; but face-to-face. Surely the moment we grasp this, everything else pales into insignificance. You and I are going to enjoy God, and to spend our eternity in His glorious and eternal presence...The blessedness is inconceivable, beyond our imagination." If I could keep this in the front of my mind it would change my life. Then he says this at the very end of the chapter-"Don't you feel ashamed at this moment that you are wasting your time on things that not only will be of no value to you on that great occasion, but of which you will then be ashamed."

Whitefield and Spurgeon on Henry

I just bought a book with 3000 quotes from Matthew Henry's commentary arranged by topic. I found it online for less than 3 dollars, which is crazy. At the start of the book the author who compiled the quotes said a couple of things that just blew me away. I knew Spurgeon was a big Matthew Henry fan, but here are the quotes that I hadn't read from him on Henry. This is Spurgeon's advice to his son concerning Matthew Henry's commentary-"Read it all before you get married." Then his advice to his students-"Read it in the first year of your ministry." Spurgeon may be referring to the abridged version of his commentary. I hope to finish the unabridged version in my lifetime, however I don't think I will finish it before I am married. George Whitefield read the unabridged version 4 times through in his lifetime. He read it on his knees. The thing I didn't know was the price Whitefield paid for the commentary. Here is what I found out-"In Whitefield's days the commentary cost about sixteen weeks of a working man's wages, but he bought it, and read it, and preached it." That just blew me away. Sixteen weeks of wages, and I paid less than 20 dollars for this amazing work from Henry. I felt convicted that I don't read his commentary near as much as I should.

Verse for the week

I just thought I would post one verse a week. This verse will be a verse that I will try and focus on during the week. Here is the verse for this week. "Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments,.."-1st Kings 8:61