Years ago, my grandfather-in-law, Pete Austin, gave me this prayer/poem from Henry van Dyke that he cherished and memorized. I came across it today in my studies. It encouraged and challenged my heart again and I hope it will do the same for you: "These are the gifts I ask Of thee, Spirit serene: Strength … Continue reading A Treasured Prayer from My Grandfather-in-Law
Author: 2cherish2commend
The Antidote for Anxious, Fearful Hearts
In corporate worship, we invest time in prayer. We do this because God commands us to seek Him in prayer. Prayer also serves as one of the main ways that we exercise our faith in His promises as well as an antidote for our anxious hearts (Luke 18:1; Philippians 4:6-7). Prayer is hard work and … Continue reading The Antidote for Anxious, Fearful Hearts
The Fundamental Reason of a Ruinous Revolution & the Need for Prayer
When he received the Templeton Prize in Religion in 1981, Alexandr Solzhenitsyn explained concisely the demise of Russia and the extermination of 60 million of her citizens: “Over half a century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of older people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that … Continue reading The Fundamental Reason of a Ruinous Revolution & the Need for Prayer
Hungry Hearts
Like Bruce Springsteen said, all of us have hungry hearts. We have a hunger to experience the transcendent. We have a hunger to love and be loved. We have a hunger for purpose and meaning in life. Left to ourselves, we generally look to satisfy our hungry hearts with the treasures and pleasures of this … Continue reading Hungry Hearts
The Major Markers of Spiritual Progress
Have you ever wondered what does it really look like to make spiritual progress in your journey? What kind of Christians does the Holy Spirit want to develop? Christians whose lives display the following seven features: Doxology, the habit taught and modeled by Paul of constantly praising God and giving him thanks; Humility, the downward … Continue reading The Major Markers of Spiritual Progress
The Fear that Releases Us from All Other Fears
The fear of the Lord releases us from the bondage to all other fears. What does Jesus tell us his followers when he wants to calm our fearful hearts? When Jesus wants to calm the fearful hearts of His followers, he tells us to fear God! He says in Luke 12:4-5: “I tell you, my … Continue reading The Fear that Releases Us from All Other Fears
If You Have Ever Questioned the Practice of Infant Baptism…
Here is an excellent, brief, biblical rationale that answers the question: Why Christians baptize their babies? The Controversy of Infant Baptism
An Increasing View of the Infinite Dignity of Jesus Christ
Thanks to my good friend David Elmore I know of the esteemed Robert Hawker, an evangelical Anglican minister back in the late 1700s and early 1800s. His devotional The Poor Man's Morning & Evening Portions can be assessed here: Poor Man's Morning & Evening Portions Here is a lovely thought of his that I am thinking about … Continue reading An Increasing View of the Infinite Dignity of Jesus Christ
Temptation & the Loveliness of Jesus
The below three quotations remind us of the only real, lasting cure for resisting temptation. To respond to the distorting nature of temptation and sin you must set your affections on the beauty and glory of God, the loveliness of Christ, and the wonder of the gospel: Were our affections filled, taken up, and possessed … Continue reading Temptation & the Loveliness of Jesus
A Prayer to Align Our Hearts with God’s
Lord of the nations, You are pursuing with omnipotent passion the worldwide purpose of gathering joyful worshippers for Yourself from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. As we prepare to worship You today, grant us to share in Your inexhaustible enthusiasm for the supremacy of Your name among the nations. Bring our affections … Continue reading A Prayer to Align Our Hearts with God’s
