speak to Christ, cry to Christ, just as you are; confess your sin, your impenitence, your unbelief, and cast yourself on His mercy; ask Him to give you a new heart, working in you true repentance and firm faith; ask Him to take away your evil heart of unbelief and to write His law
within you, that you may never henceforth stray from Him. Turn to Him and trust Him as much you can, and pray for grace to turn and trust more thoroughly; use the means of grace expectantly, looking to Christ to draw near to you as you seek to draw near to Him; watch, pray, read and hear God’s Word, worship and commune with God’s people, and so continue till you know in yourself beyond doubt that you are indeed a changed being, a penitent believer, and the new heart which you desired has been put within you. ....do not postpone action till you think you are better, but honestly confess your badness and give yourself up here and now to the Christ Who alone can make you better; and wait on Him till His light rises in your soul .... "
-J. I. Packer--
"It must be evident to all, that marriage is a step of incalculable importance, and ought never to be taken without the greatest consideration and utmost caution. ...Yet, observation proves how rarely judgment is allowed to give counsel, and how generally the imagination and the passion settle the business. ...
"If, however, it were merely the comfort of the married pair themselves that was concerned, it would be a matter of less consequent, ...but the well-being of a family, not only for this world, but for the next, and equally so the well-being of their descendants, even to a remote period, depends upon this union. In the ardor of passion, few are disposed to listen to the counsels of prudence, and perhaps there is no advice, generally speaking, more thrown away, than that which is offered on the subject of marriage.
"Most persons, especially if they are already attracted to a selected person ...will go on in the pursuit ...to accomplish, if possible, their purpose. Upon such individuals reasoning is wasted, and they must be left to gain wisdom in the only way by which they will acquire it, --painful experience.
--Excerpts from John Angell James
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JANUARY
1, 1484 --Ulrich Zwingli, the great reformer of Switzerland, is born to a shepherd. He is the 3rd of eight children and is named after his father.
1748 --John Colquhoun is born at Luss in Dunbartonshire to a farmer. Soon after his conversion to Christ, he will walk nearly 50 miles to purchase a copy of Thomas Boston’s masterpiece, The Fourfold State. He will become a powerful preacher of God’s Word.
5, 1739 --The First Methodist Conference convenes in England.
6, 1521 --A second Bull of Excommunication comes from the Pope denouncing Martin Luther and all his adherents.
1850 --On this snowy, Sunday evening, a fifteen year old boy makes his way into the Primitive Methodist Church on Artillery Street. The snow has hindered the pastor and nearly every member from coming tonight, so a deacon will assume the responsibility of preaching. His text will be Isaiah 45:22 –"Look unto Me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth; for I am the Lord, and there is none else." This very sermon will be used by the Spirit of God to convert Charles Haddon Spurgeon. He will become the best-known Baptist preacher perhaps of all time.
7, 1715 --Fenelon will die at Cambrai, France. This Roman Catholic archbishop has caused much furor by his defense of Madame Guyon’s writings as she belonged to that sect of his church known as the "Quietists" or "Mystics." His charitable attitude toward the French Protestants in his day has made him even more unpopular.
8, 1650 --Parliament appoints Thomas Goodwin as president of Magdalene College, Oxford. This college will become widely known for its strict adherence to the Scriptures.
1856 --Charles Spurgeon and Miss Susannah Thompson are married in the new Park Street chapel. Nearly two thousand people have had to be turned away!
9, 1700 --Miss Sarah Pierrepoint, who will become the distinguished wife of Jonathan Edwards, is born in New Haven, Connecticut. Her early piety will bring her wide acclaim.
11, 1817--Timothy Dwight, President of Yale College, dies. God has used him to bring about revival at this school during this age of French infidelity. His works include Conquest of Canaan, Theology Defended, and The Triumph of Infidelity. Perhaps he is best known for the hymn, "I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord." He dies without a struggle or a groan. His funeral will be held on Tuesday the 14th, and will be attended by a large concourse of people from New Haven. In respect for the doctor, shops will be shut and businesses suspended.
*13, 1406 B.C.-- Moses, the man of God, dies at age 120 years. (Deuteronomy 1:3). "His eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated." (Deuteronomy 34:7b). This is the first day of the 11th month called "Shevat."
1691 --George Foxe dies in London. He has been the founder of the "Society of Friends" also known as the "Quakers."
1856 --Alexander Whyte is born in the Southmuir of Kirriemuir. "In God’s providence I was born in a poor rank of life."
14, 1739 --George Whitefield is ordained a preacher of the Church of England.
1893 --The New Orleans police chief is fined for not enforcing Sunday laws.
1907 --Seven hundred Christians gather for Bible study in Pyeng Yang, Korea, and the Korean Revival begins.