Month: October 2010

Joy in Our Sorrows

Church Blog, Puritans / September 2, 2012 / , ,
“Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope…” (Rom.5:2-4). “Christians, do not envy the world’s happiness and success. You have advantages they do not. You have joy in your sorrows; in the midst of sorrows, you may have joy.” Christians have something that unbelievers do not: joy in suffering. In the midst of suffering, we can be joyful because (1) we know Christ and can draw nearer to him and become like him now; and (2) we have the promise that our suffering will soon end in unmatched, limitless joy. No unbeliever will ever know such joy.
Richard Alleine

Sin is always acting

Church Blog, Puritans / September 2, 2012 / ,

“So then I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand” (Rom.7:21). “Sin is always acting, always conceiving, and always seducing and tempting. This battle will last more or less all our days. If sin is always acting, we are in trouble if we are not always putting it to death. He that stands still and allows his enemies to exert double blows upon him without resistance will undoubtedly be conquered in the end.”

John Owen

Make Good Use of the Word

Church Blog, Puritans / September 15, 2012 / , ,

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable…” (2Tim.3:16). “Everyone should work to make the best use of what they hear and read. All Scripture is profitable; therefore, everyone should make a good use of every sermon they hear” What have you done with the message you last heard?

Ralph Venning, 1675