…Less of Our Hearts (Wilberforce)

 I appreciate the following section of William Wilberforce's book called "A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians, in the Higher and Middle Classes in This Country, Contrasted with Real Christianity."  I've edited it slightly: True, practical Christianity consists in devoting the heart and life to God.  It is governed supremely and …

Devoted to Christ; Serving Him (Calvin)

The wonderful truth of the gospel is that those whom Christ died for are not their own, but belong to him, body and soul, in life and in death (see 1 Cor. 6:19-20 and Q/A one of the Heidelberg Catechism).  This is comforting and also motivating.  Comforting because it means my body and soul are …

Vigor, Exertion, Diligence, Faith

 William Wilberforce’s Real Christianity is a fascinating and helpful book first published in England in 1797 (with this title: “A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians, in the Higher and Middle Classes in This Country, Contrasted with Real Christianity”).  In this book Wilberforce criticizes the notion of being a Christian in …

Joy and God’s Omniscience

Here’s an excerpt from a daily devotional book containing various writings of James Montgomery Boice.  This is a commentary of sorts on John 21:15, where Peter says to Jesus, You know that I love you!“There is joy in an awareness of God’s omniscience – for two reasons.”“First, God knows the worst about us and loves …