Grace Gems

The cultivation of an insignificant life

(J.H. Jowett)

It is possible to evade a multitude of trials by the cultivation of an insignificant life.

Only One Life!

Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life's busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart:
Only one life, 'twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last!

Only one life, yes only one,
Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in 'that day' my Lord to meet,
And stand before His Judgment seat.
Only one life, 'twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last!

Only one life, the still small voice,
Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave,
And to God's holy will to cleave.
Only one life, 'twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last!

Only one life, a few brief years,
Each with its burdens, hopes and fears;
Each with its days I must fulfill,
living for self, or in His will.
Only one life, 'twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last!

When this bright world would tempt me sore,
When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way,
Then help me Lord with joy to say:
Only one life, 'twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last!

Give me Father, a purpose deep,
In joy or sorrow Your word to keep;
Faithful and true what e'er the strife,
Pleasing You in my daily life.
Only one life, 'twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last!

Oh let my love with fervor burn,
And from the world now let me turn;
Living for You, and You alone,
Bringing You pleasure on Your throne.
Only one life, 'twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last!

Only one life, yes only one,
Now let me say, "Your will be done!"
And when at last I'll hear the call,
I know I'll say "twas worth it all!"
Only one life, 'twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last!
Author unknown


"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you.
Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you
know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58

Alas! how we forget!

(Octavius Winslow)

Alas! how we forget . . .
that we are but strangers and pilgrims on the earth;
that we are journeying to our eternal home, and will soon be there!

"Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul!" 1 Peter 2:11

"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth!" Hebrews 11:13

"One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus!" Philippians 3:13-14

Meditate a little on the mercy of God!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever!" Psalm 52:8

Meditate a little on the mercy of God.

It is tender mercy. With gentle, loving touch, He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds. He is as gracious in the manner of His mercy--as in the matter of it.

It is great mercy. There is nothing little in God; His mercy is like Himself--it is infinite. You cannot measure it. His mercy is so great,
that it forgives great sins of great sinners,
after great lengths of time, and then
gives great favors and great privileges, and then
raises us up to great enjoyments in the great Heaven of the great God!

It is undeserved mercy, as indeed all true mercy must be, for deserved mercy is only a misnomer for justice. There was no right on the sinner's part, to the sovereign mercy of the Most High God. Had the rebel been doomed at once to eternal fire--he would have justly merited the doom. If the evildoer is delivered from wrath--then sovereign mercy alone has found a cause.

It is rich mercy. Some things are great, but have little efficacy in them--but God's mercy is a cordial to your drooping spirits. Saving mercy is . . .
a golden ointment for your bleeding wounds,
a heavenly bandage for your broken bones,
a royal chariot for your weary feet,
a bosom of love for your trembling heart!

It is manifold mercy. There is no single mercy. You may think you have but one mercy--but you shall find it to be a whole cluster of mercies!

It is abounding mercy. Millions have received it, yet far from its being exhausted--it is as fresh, as full, and as free as ever!

It is unfailing mercy. It will never leave you. If saved by sovereign mercy, it will be . . .
with you in temptation--to keep you from yielding,
with you in trouble--to prevent you from sinking,
with you living--to be the light and life of your countenance, and
with you dying--to be the joy of your soul when earthly comfort is ebbing fast!

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever!" Psalm 23:6

"I have trusted in Your mercy--my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation!" Psalm 13:5

What more can any Christian desire?

(Thomas Brooks, "The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures")

"As for me, God forbid that I should boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!" Galatians 6:14

There is enough in a sin-atoning Christ, to fill us and satisfy us to the full. He has the greatest worth and wealth in Him. Look, as the worth and value of many pieces of silver is to be found in one piece of gold--just so, all the petty excellencies which are scattered abroad in the creatures, are to be found in a bleeding, dying Christ! Yes, all the whole volume of perfections which is spread through Heaven and earth--is epitomized in Him who suffered on the cross! A man cannot exaggerate, in speaking of the glories of Christ. Certainly it is easier to contain the sea in a sea-shell--as to fully relate the transcendent excellencies of a suffering Christ!

O sirs! there is in a crucified Jesus--something proportionate to all the difficulties, needs, trials, and desires of His poor people. He is . . .
bread to nourish them,
a garment to cover and adorn them,
a physician to heal them,
a counselor to advise them,
a captain to defend them,
a prince to rule them,
a prophet to teach them,
a priest to atone for their sin,
a husband to protect them,
a father to provide for them,
a brother to relieve them,
a foundation to support them,
a head to guide them,
a treasure to enrich them,
a sun to enlighten them, and
a fountain to cleanse them!

What more can any Christian desire . . .
to satisfy him and save him,
to make him holy and happy,
both in time and in eternity!

"Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God!" Ephesians 5:2

The truths which we know will never affect our hearts

(Thomas Watson)

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Without meditation the truths which we know will never affect our hearts.

As a hammer drives a nail to the head, so mediation drives a truth to the heart!

Reading Scripture furnishes with matter--it is the oil that feeds the lamp of meditation.

Be sure your meditations are founded upon Scripture.

Reading without meditation is useless.
Meditation without reading is dangerous.

The reason we come away so cold from reading the Word is, because we do not warm ourselves at the fire of meditation.

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His Law he meditates day and night." Psalm 1:1-2

The worst viper in the human heart!

(Jonathan Edwards)

Pride is a person having too high an opinion of himself.

Pride is the worst viper in the human heart!

Pride is the greatest disturber of the soul's peace, and of sweet communion with Christ.

Pride is with the greatest difficulty rooted out.

Pride is the most hidden, secret, and deceitful of all lusts!

Pride is a secret and subtle sin, and appears in a great many shapes which are undetected and unsuspected.

Pride often creeps insensibly into the midst of religion--even, sometimes, under the disguise of humility itself!

Pride is the first sin that ever entered into the universe, and the last sin that is rooted out.

Pride is the worst sin.

Pride is the most secret of all sins. There is no other matter in which the heart is more deceitful and unsearchable.

Alas, how much pride the best have in their hearts!

Pride is God's most stubborn enemy!

There is no sin so much like the devil, as pride!

"I hate pride and arrogance!" Proverbs 8:13

Enough to put them into a cold sweat!

(Thomas Watson)

"These will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life!" Matthew 25:46

The sinner takes liberty to sin; he breaks God's laws with greediness, as if he could not sin fast enough.

Remember--the pleasures of sin are but for a season, but the torments of the wicked are forever!

Sinners have a short feast--but a long reckoning!

Here is thunder and lightning to the wicked. God is eternal, therefore the torments of the wicked are eternal! God lives forever; and as long as God lives, He will be punishing the damned! Remember, one of God's names is Eternal, and as long as God is eternal, He has time enough to reckon with all of His enemies!

Origen erroneously thought that after a thousand years, the damned would be released out of their misery. But the worm, the fire, and the prison--are all eternal!

Eternity is a sea without bottom and banks. After millions of years, the damned must be ever burning, but never consumed; always dying, but never dead. "They shall seek death, but shall not find it."

The fire of Hell is such, as multitudes of tears will not quench it; and length of time will not finish it! The vial of God's wrath will be always dropping upon the sinner! As long as God is eternal, He lives to be avenged upon the wicked.

Oh eternity! eternity! Who can fathom it? Mariners have their plummets to measure the depths of the sea; but what line or plummet shall we use to fathom the depth of eternity? The breath of the Lord kindles the infernal lake, and where shall we get buckets to quench that fire?

Oh eternity! If all the body of the earth and sea were turned to sand, and all the air up to the starry heaven were nothing but sand--and a little bird should come every thousand years, and fetch away in her bill but the tenth part of a grain of all that heap of sand; what numberless years would be spent before that vast heap of sand would be fetched away! Yet, if at the end of all that time, the sinner might come out of Hell--there would be some hope.

But that word "FOREVER!" breaks the heart!

What a terror is this to the wicked--enough to put them into a cold sweat--to think, as long as God is eternal, He lives forever to be avenged upon them!

The sin before us is a very old one!

(J.C. Ryle, "The Gospel of Luke" 1858)

"Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them." Luke 22:24

We see in this passage how firmly pride and love of preeminence can stick to the hearts of Christian men. The strife was one which had been rebuked by our Lord on a former occasion. The Lord's Supper which the disciples had just been receiving, and the circumstances under which they were assembled--made the strife particularly inappropriate.

And yet at this very season, the last quiet time they could spend with their Master before His death--this little flock begins to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest!

Such is the heart of man--ever weak, ever prideful, ever ready, even at its best times, to turn aside to what is evil!

The sin before us is a very old one. Ambition, self-esteem, and self-conceit--lie deep at the bottom of all men's hearts, and often in the hearts where they are least suspected! Thousands imagine that they are humble, who cannot bear to see an equal more honored and favored than themselves. Few indeed can be found who rejoice heartily in another's promotion over themselves.

If we make any profession of serving Christ, then let us live on our guard against this great evil. The harm that it has done to the Church of Christ, is far beyond calculation. Let us learn to take pleasure in the prosperity of others, and to be content with the lowest place for ourselves. The rule given to the Philippians should be often before our eyes, "In lowliness of mind--let each esteem others better than themselves." The example of John the Baptist is a bright instance of the spirit at which we should aim. He said of our Lord, "He must increase, but I must decrease."

Saving grace makes a man willing to leave his lusts!

(Thomas Brooks)

Saving grace makes a man as willing to leave his lusts as a . . .
slave is willing to leave his galley,
or a prisoner is willing to leave his dungeon,
or a thief is willing to leave his chains,
or a beggar is willing to leave his rags!

Pithy gems from John Trapp, 1601-1669

Pleasure, profit and preferment are the worldling's trinity!

Better be pruned to grow, than cut up to burn!

Conscience is God's spy in the bosom.

God casts away many in anger for their supposed goodness, but none for their confessed badness.

A circle cannot fill a triangle, so neither can the whole world fill the heart of a man.
You may as easily fill a chest with goodness, as the heart with gold.

He who will be angry and not sin, must not be angry at nothing but sin.

Be careful what books you read; for as water tastes of the soil though which it runs, so does the soul taste of the books that a man reads.

Truth must be spoken, however it is received.

It is in mercy and in measure, that God chastises His children.

A man may go to Hell with baptismal water upon his face!

A sermon that will make the devils in Hell laugh, and the angels of God weep!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." 1 Corinthians 2:2

The best sermons are the sermons which are most full of Christ.
A sermon without Christ it is a horrible thing! It is . . .
an empty well;
a cloud without rain;
a tree twice dead, plucked by the roots.

It is abominable to give men stones for bread, and scorpions for eggs--and yet they do so who preach not Jesus.

A sermon without Christ! As well talk of a loaf of bread without any flour in it. How can it feed the soul? Men die and perish because Christ is not there, and yet His glorious gospel is the easiest thing to preach, and the sweetest thing to preach--there is most variety in it, there is more attractiveness in it than in all the world besides!

The sermon which does not lead to Christ, or of which Jesus Christ is not the top and the bottom--is a sort of sermon that will make the devils in Hell laugh, and the angels of God weep!

The mark of true Gospel preaching is where Christ is everything, and the creature is nothing; where salvation is all of grace, through the work of the Holy Spirit applying to the soul the precious blood of Jesus.

"We preach Christ crucified!" 1 Corinthians 1:23

New methods, new plans, new organizations!

(E.M. Bounds)

The young preacher has been taught to lay out all his strength on the form, style, and beauty of his sermon as an oratorical performance.

We have thereby cultivated a worldly taste in the church and raised the clamor for . . .
talent, instead of grace;
eloquence, instead of piety;
rhetoric, instead of revelation;
brilliancy, instead of holiness.

What the Church needs today is not more or better machinery, nor new organizations, nor novel methods--but men whom the Holy Spirit can use, men of prayer, men mighty in prayer.

The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods, but through men.
He does not anoint church machinery, but men, men of prayer.

We are constantly straining to devise new methods, new plans, new organizations to advance the Church and secure enlargement and efficiency for the gospel.

The Church is looking for better methods--God is looking for holier men.

Pithy gems from Hudson Taylor

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Many Christians estimate difficulties in the light of their own resources, and thus attempt little and often fail in the little they attempt. All of God's giants have been weak men who did great things for God, because they reckoned on His power and presence with them.

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I am often so weak that I can't read my Bible or even pray.
I can only lie still in God's arms like a little child and trust.

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Whatever is your best time in the day, give that to communion with God.

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Depend on it! God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply!

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I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize the Lord is able to carry out His will--and His will is mine. It makes no matter where He places me, or how. That is rather for Him to consider than for me; for in the easiest positions, He must give me His grace; and in the most difficult, His grace is ever sufficient.

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Christ is either Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all.

Why do we love Jesus?

(Charles Spurgeon)

"You whom my soul loves." Song of Solomon 1:7

Why do we love Jesus?

"We love Him, because He first loved us!" 1 John 4:19

We love Him, because He "gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own!" Titus 2:14

We love Him, because we have life through His death, and forgiveness through His blood.

We love Him, because "though He was rich, yet for our sake He became poor, so that we through His poverty might become rich!" 2 Corinthians 8:9

We love Him, because of the excellency of His person. We are filled with . . .
a sense of His beauty,
an admiration of His charms,
a consciousness of His infinite perfections!

We love Him, because His greatness, goodness, and loveliness, in one resplendent ray--combine to enchant our soul until it is so ravished that it exclaims, "Yes, He is altogether lovely!"

We love Him, because His love binds our hearts with chains more soft than silk, and yet stronger than iron!

"To you who believe, He is precious!" 1 Peter 2:7

I do not believe that our heavenly Father will ever forget His redeemed children

(Hudson Taylor)

"Can a mother forget the baby at her bosom and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget, I will not forget you!" Isaiah 49:15

It is not difficult for me to remember that my little ones need breakfast in the morning, dinner at midday, and something before they go to bed at night. Indeed I could not forget it.

In the same way, I find it impossible to suppose that our heavenly Father is less tender or mindful than I am.
I do not believe that our heavenly Father will ever forget His redeemed children.

I am as very poor father, but it is not my habit to forget my children.
God is a very, very good Father. It is not His habit to forget His children.

"Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you. I will sustain you and I will rescue you!" Isaiah 46:4

"Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are Mine!
When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.
For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior!" Isaiah 43:1-3

It is not a loss to die!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"The day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth!" Ecclesiastes 7:1


"I do not want to live forever." Job 7:16


It is the very joy of this earthly life, to think that it will come to an end.


The best moment of a Christian's life is his last one, for then he is nearest Heaven.


The only people for whom I have felt any envy have been dying Christians.

It is not a loss to die--it is a lasting, perpetual gain.


"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21


"My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better!" Philippians 1:23

Pithy gems from Spurgeon #3

(Charles Spurgeon)

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I feel that, if I could live a thousand lives, I would like to live them all for Christ.
Even then, I would feel that they were all too little a return for His great love to me!

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It is better to preach five words of God's Word--than five million words of man's wisdom!

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What sin is worth being eternally damned for?

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Let us never think that we have learned a doctrine, until we have seen its fruit in our lives.

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A large part of the professing church is nothing better than the world, wrongfully named with Christ's name.

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Anything that makes us pray is a blessing!

The Bible, the Word of God!

(John Mason's Spiritual Sayings)


The Word of God must be . . .
nearer to us than our friends,
dearer to us than our lives,
sweeter to us than our liberty, and
pleasanter to us than all earthly comforts.


Take the candle of God's Word and search the corners of your heart.


We speak to God in prayer.
God speaks to us in His Word.


All arguments against the Word of God are fallacies;
all ideas against the Word are delusions;
all derision against the Word is folly; and
all opposition against the Word is madness.


When God threatens, that's a time to repent;
when He promises, that's a time to believe;
when He commands, that's a time to obey.


If a man believed the threatenings of the Word of God,
he would tremble and fly to the promises for refuge.


As Christ came out of His Father's bosom, so
the promises came out of Christ's riven side.

Pithy gems from Matthew Henry #2

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We cannot expect too little from man--nor too much from God!

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A garment that is double-dyed, dipped again and again--will retain the color a great while. Just so will a truth which is the subject of meditation.

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A life spent in the service of God and communion with Him is the most pleasant life that anyone can live in this world.

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The Bible is a letter God has sent to us.
Prayer is a letter we send to Him.

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Nature is content with little;
grace is content with less;
lust is content with nothing!

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Christ's followers cannot expect better treatment in the world than their Master had.

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Whatever we have of this world in our hands, our care must be to keep it out of our hearts--lest it come between us and Christ.

I need to be daily kept!

(James Smith's autobiography, "Marvelous Mercy!" 1862)

The following in an excerpt from the diary of James Smith:

April 16, 1854.
During the past week I have had one of the most severe asthmatic attacks I ever experienced. How painful to labor and gasp for breath, as I then did. How different the things of time appear under such circumstances! How soon one feels willing to spread the wings and fly away. May I daily live under the impression I then felt.

How I long . . .
for closer communion with God,
to feel more of the sweet power of piety in my own heart,
to walk with God in confidence,
to lean upon Him,
to cast every care upon Him,
to leave everything with Him,
to aim always, and in everything to glorify Him,
to walk through the world as if one was walking straight home to God--to dwell with and to enjoy Him forever!

Yet I feel that I need to be daily kept--to have the Lord's eye constantly upon me, and His everlasting arms always beneath me!

"Hold me up--and I shall be safe!" Psalm 119:117