John R. Rice Quotes of the Week

It is a horrible thing that some of you people who claim to be Christians - there are those in your own home and of your own blood who have no confidence in the way you live and in the way you serve God. Lot was "as one that mocked unto his sons in law." - John R. Rice

A woman came to me the other day about her poor, troubled boy. God bless her, I wouldn't embarrass her at all, I am anxious to help her. Her boy is now in the penitentiary, and she urged me to pray for him, but I told her she had better go home and get down on her knees before God in tears and confess to God she had failed, that she put her boy in the pen, didn't rear him right.
"Oh, but I did rear him right," she said.
"No, you didn't." I said, "The Bible says, 'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
"Oh," but she said, "I did train him right."
"You have come to me for help, and I will talk plainly to you. Did you have a family altar?"
"No, I never did."
"You didn't win him to Christ, did you?"
"No, but I have a good boy."
"He is in the pen at any rate. you didn't get him saved."
She needed to confess her failure And some of you men here tonight ought to confess your failure to God. I would go home with a broken heart and confess, "Lord, I have failed. My family is going to Hell. I have led them into Sodom. I didn't have enough religion that they could have confidence in me."
You remember Lot was as one that mocked unto his own children and sons-in-law. If that is your case, it is time for old-fashioned repentance and confession in sackcloth and ashes. - John R. Rice

Lot didn't lose his soul, but he lost his family and his influence, and he lost his joy. And as he went out of Sodom that day his wife turned and looked back and became a pillar of salt. Others of his daughters burned to a crisp in the fire and brimstone from God out of Heaven that destroyed that city. Only two daughters remained and they went with him into a mountain and there Lot had to have his wine.
Somebody says, "I don't see any harm in wine." If you read the 19th chapter of Genesis, you will find plenty of harm in wine. Those poor, silly, worldly girls, brought up in Sodom, made their father drink wine and committed incest with him. Read the 19th chapter of Genesis. - John R. Rice 

Fathers, listen to me. Unless you want to ruin your family, I would not touch it. I wouldn't do it- not a glass of wine, not a glass of beer, not a toddy at Christmas, nor eggnog. If you do, a time will come when you reap it in your children. - John R. Rice

The subject this morning is, "God-First or Second?" Everybody feels that nobody would put God last, that everybody loves God to some extent. It is not a question of whether you put God last or not. Nobody wants to put God last. But you have a temptation to put Him AFTER your business, or AFTER your wife or your children and AFTER a few other things. It is not even a question of whether you are going to put Him before the first things, but whether you are going to put Him before the first of the first things and the best of the best. That is what He demands and He has a right to it, "the first of the firstfruits." - John R. Rice

It is self or the Lord today. Let's put first things first. He that is first will be last. If you put yourself first, you will come out last. - John R. Rice 

A young woman came weeping and asking me, "What shall I do? I don't know what to do. I didn't dream when my mother told me not to go to that country club dance it would turn out this way."
No, and nobody ever dreamed sin would turn out like that. But it does. Adam didn't believe it. Eve didn't believe it when the Lord said, "Thou shalt surely die."
Self means ruin, poverty, heartbreak. I wouldn't go on in my selfish way. I would say, "Today, come in, Lord Jesus, take charge of my life. You can have the first today." - John R. Rice