Heart-work is hard work, indeed. To shuffle over religious duties with a loose and needless spirit will cost no great pains, but to set yourself before the Lord, and tie up your loose and vain thoughts to a constant and serious attendance upon him, will cost you something. To attain a facility and dexterity of language in prayer and put your meaning into apt and descent expressions is easy; but to get your heart broken for sin while you are confessing it and melted with free grace while you are blessing God for it, to be really ashamed and humble through the apprehensions of God's infinite holiness, and to keep your heart in this frame not only in, but after duty will surely cost you some groans and travailing pain of soul. - John Flavel from Keeping the Heart.Our lives as Christians are no walk in the park as Flavel here points out. It is hard work and takes much thought and great pains all the day to persevere. May I encourage you to read John Flavel's, Keeping The Heart. Digest it, savor it and apply it to your own life. It is a great encouragement to me and I often refer back to it to be reminded and strenghtened what the Word says about keeping the heart (Prov. 4:23).
2 comments:
No question, this is one of the best books I've ever read. I read one reviewer who said that other than the bible and maybe Pilgrims Progress, this would be the one book he couldn't do without if he were stranded on a desert island.
I'm glad to see you posting excerpts here; it will edify those who read...
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Nathan White
Nathan, Thanks for stopping by. I agree with that reveiwer except that I would take it over Pilgrim's Progress. :-)
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