John R. Rice Quotes of the Week

In those days when children were taught to mind, taught to obey, mothers were rarely frantic to get a baby-sitter so they could get away, and never anxious to see school start so children would be out from underfoot. Oh, a godly mother with well-reared children delights in their presence, and they in hers. - John R. Rice

In the old days there was no sill talk of "population explosion." Good people thought then, as sensible people still believe, there are not too many godly Christian children raised up to serve God in our country. - John R. Rice 

Queen Victoria of England was a noble Christian. To her son Albert she said, "I want you to promise me that you will read the Bible every day of your life." He did; then when he was king of England, he still read the Bible daily. - John R. Rice

Now in creation the Spirit of God had a part. 
Then how much more He has a part in the inspiration of the Bible! In I Corinthians 2 the Lord talks about inspiration, and Paul, by divine inspiration, tells us in verse 9:

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."

A preacher, preaching about Heaven used that text. Now Heaven is a wonderful subject but that is not what the Scripture is talking about here. God is speaking here about the things revealed in the Bible by the Spirit. The next verse says"

"But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."

Since the Holy Spirit is God, then He knows all that the Father knows. He inspired the Bible. In verse 13 Paul said, "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual." Who is this who gives the words when a prophet of God writes down part of Scripture? The Holy Ghost. He did not say "I have seen it," and then give a verbal report of what he saw. No, no. - John R. Rice

We read in I Corinthians 3:17, after talking about the judgment seat of Christ, "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." The Spirit of God dwells in the body of a Christian. Your body is the temple of God. And if you defile that temple, then the temple of God, which is holy, will be destroyed,
If you use tobacco, there is a curse on it. It will bring lung cancer, or emphysema, or something else will be wrong with you. And if you drink, there will be all the troubles that drink brings. So with other sins. Put it down - the temple of God is holy. If you defile that temple, you will suffer for it. The Spirit of God now lives in the Christian's body. - John R. Rice

Christian, if you are going to win people to Christ, you must have the Spirit of God to work with you. I made God a vow many, many years ago, and I have repeated it many times. I made a vow I would never set out to preach, I would never set out to win souls, I would never set out to write a book, except as I prayed earnestly that the Spirit of God would be upon me. It is "not by might, not by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." If you are going to get people saved, you must have the Holy Spirit. - John R. Rice

So, through the Spirit one is convicted. Then when the Spirit of God makes it clear and your heart turns in repentance to trust in Jesus, then the miracle of regeneration takes place and God makes you a new creature and gives you a new heart and you become partaker of the divine nature. The Spirit of God lives within you, and now you are a child of God. And when that Holy Spirit comes to convict and then to regenerate, He says, "I will bring along My suitcase and hang up My clothes because I am going to live in the body of this Christian." Ah, let us not defile Your temple, blessed Spirit of God. We ought to keep it clean. - John R. Rice