Results

There are twenty beggars in the street and I determine to give one of them a shilling. But will anyone say that I determined to give that one a shilling, that I elected him to have the shilling, because I foresaw that he would have it? That would be talking nonsense. In like manner, to say that God elected…

(I heard Smith share this funny quip when he preached at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in the early 1980’s. I was an aspiring theology student at the time and was listening to the message in the overflow area since the Southwestern Chapel was at full capacity. I loved that quote then and I love it to this day!)

The greatest evangelist of the Twentieth Century, without question, was Billy Graham. The greatest evangelist before him of the Nineteenth Century undoubtedly was Dwight L. Moody. Both shared a common trait. They were criticized because of a particular subject they preached about. When Billy Graham was…

I remember well going to speak to the minister and telling him that I hoped I had found the Savior, and begging him to ask me such questions as he thought fit to test me. The true pilgrim never wishes to enter the house Beautiful if he does not have a right to be there; he is afraid that he may be guilty…

When a man ran in the Grecian games, if he had run halfway, and passed most of his fellows, and had then turned to look round and to rejoice over the distance which he had already covered, he would have lost the race. Suppose he had commenced singing his own praises, and said, “I have come down the hill,…

That was an eloquent speech of Henry VI of France, when on the eve of battle, he said to his soldiers, “Gentlemen, you are Frenchmen. I am your King. There is the enemy!” Jesus Christ says, “You are my people. I am your leader. There is the foe!” How shall we dare to do anything unworthy of such a Lord…

I have read of a competition of certain young plowmen who were set to plow for a prize. Most of them made very crooked work of it. After they had ended, one of the judges said, “Young man, where did you look while you were ploughing?” “I kept my eyes on the plow handles, sir, and saw what I had to hold.”…

Remember John Bunyan when he refused to give up preaching. They put him in prison and said to him, “Mr. Bunyan, you can come out of prison whenever you will promise to cease preaching the gospel.” He said, “If you let me out of prison today, I will preach again tomorrow, by the grace of God.” “Well,”…

A good old minister was once asked whether he believed in the final perseverance of the saints. “Well,” said he, “I do not know much about that matter, but I firmly believe in the final perseverance of God, that where He has begun a good work He will carry it on until it is complete.” To my mind, that…

There was a crest and motto that some of the old Reformers used to use, and that I commend to any of you who are under trial. It was an anvil with a number of hammers, all broken, lying around; and this was the motto when translated, “The anvil breaks many hammers.” And how does it do this? Not by striking:…

~~~ Here's to Mom! ~~~ My mother taught me IRONY - "Keep laughing and I'll give you something to cry about." My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE WHAT I HAVE - "It's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick." My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE - "If you're going to kill each other…

A student at the university, hoping to gain a prize, uses his best endeavors, burns the midnight oil, and strains all his faculties that he may reach the mark that will ensure his passing the examinations. Even thus the Christian with a lively hope devotes himself to obtaining the blessings that God…

If any of you should be well assured that, in a certain line of business, you would make a vast sum of money, would that confidence lead you to refuse that business? Would it lead you to lie in bed all day, or to desert your post altogether? No, the assurance that you would be diligent and would prosper…

We are sometimes apt to think that a charge that is unfounded is very cruel to us. I have heard people say sometimes, and I have laughed when I have heard them say it, “Mr. So-and-so has charged me with such-and-such a thing, but I am quite innocent. I should not have minded if I had been guilty.” I…

He who would be a great artist must not follow low models. The artist must have a perfect model to copy; if he does not reach to it, he will reach far further than if he had an inferior model to work by. When a man once realizes his own ideal, it is all over with him. A great painter once had finished…

There was a good old soul whose minister called to see her when she was dying. Among other things he said to her, “My sister, you are very weak; don’t you feel yourself sinking?” She looked at him, and gave no answer, but said, “Did I understand you, minister? Please tell me what you said—I hope you…

The hammer said, “I will break the anvil.” The anvil did not answer, but abode in its place, while the hammer smote it day after day. Month after month, year after year, the anvil patiently received the blows, but after a while the hammer broke. And though it did not say so, for it was too quiet to speak,…

Many Christians resemble the nautilus, which in fine smooth weather swims on the surface of the sea in a splendid little squadron, like the mighty ships. But the moment the first breath of wind ruffles the waves, they take in their sails and sink into the depths. Many Christians are the same. In good…

It is like John Bunyan’s parable of Passion and Patience in Pilgrim’s Progress. Passion would have his best things first; Patience would have his best things last. Passion had all his best things, and laughed at Patience as Patience sat there. But after a while, Passion had used up all his best things…

It is no new thing for men to attempt to escape the army by pretending to be in bad health, but we must have none of this cowardly malingering in Christ’s army. We must be ready for anything and everything. We must compel ourselves to duty when it goes against the grain. When it is a clear duty, obedience…

Especially at this present time it is incumbent upon Christians to learn how to use the discerning faculty with regard to what is, and what is not, truth. Would you eat all meat indiscriminately without tasting and testing its quality? If so, would you not soon be ill? Does a man take any drug that may…

A certain monk went to a monastery, determined to give himself up entirely to contemplation and meditation. When he reached the place he saw all the monks at work, tilling the ground, plowing, or trimming the vines round the monastery. He very solemnly observed as he entered, “Do not work for the food…

THE STORY I was born in 1725, and I died 1807. The only godly influence in my life, as far back as I can remember, was my mother, whom I had for only seven years. When she left my life through death, I was virtually an orphan. My father remarried, sent me to a strict military school, where the severity…

“From the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born from Hebrews.” Paul shakes out the whole lot for the dogs, and is glad to be rid of it all for Christ’s sake. It reminds me of a ship in a storm. When the captain leaves the harbor he has a cargo on board of which he takes great care,…

In You'll Get Through This: Hope and Help for Your Turbulent Times, Max Lucado writes, “Your pain won’t last forever, but you will. What is coming will make sense of what is happening now. Let God finish his work. Let the composer complete his symphony. The forecast is simple. Good days. Bad days. But…