John R. Rice Quotes of the Week

A Christian, then, ought to go to Heaven sitting down. I do not mean we are not to work but we are not to work FOR SALVATION. I work pretty hard. I believe in working hard to win souls because I love the Lord. He has done so much for me I ought to work day and night for Him. I hope He lets me live a long time to preach the gospel. I want to work for Him. But, thank God, I have long since found out I do not need to do a thing to get saved. I am just taking what Jesus is giving. I have already accepted what He has already done.I am saved already. I am going to Heaven sitting down. The Saviour rests, so why shouldn't I rest? Jesus is satisfied; why shouldn't I be satisfied? The Father is satisfied with what happened at Calvary. That settled it for Him, and it ought to be settled in my mind, too. Thank God, I can depend on what He has done. I am glad that He is mine. That means I do not have to work to get saved. I am going to Heaven sitting down. - John R. Rice

I hope you will make a definite engagement with the Lord and spend some time in secret prayer every day. If you could have it at the same time every day, the first thing in the morning, that would be better. But you ought to have some time in secret prayer every day, a private consultation alone with God. I find that when I do not do that, or when I postpone it until afternoon, I often fall into sin, and I do not get as much work done as I do when I have prayed. A Christian will most likely deny Jesus somewhere during the day if he forgets to pray. - John R. Rice

A Christian cannot succeed and not pray. - John R. Rice

A Christian cannot whip the devil unless he prays. Someone has said,

The devil trembles when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees.

If a saint really prays with sincere devotion and contrite heart, the devil may well tremble, because he cannot get the man who holds on to God in prayer. Peter lost out by not praying. - John R. Rice

How much do you pray? Do you pray fifteen minutes a day? Most of us do not.Do you pray five minutes a day? Most of us do not. Three minutes? No, most of us do not spend that much time in honest, real, secret prayer to God, begging God for help in time of need and for strength in time of temptation. God help us to pray! If you want to whip the devil, you must pray. If you want to please God, if you want to have strength for temptations, then you must pray. Those who fail to pray through may deny Christ as Peter did. - John R. Rice

My friends, I beg you, do not neglect the Word of God. "Sin will keep you from the Bible or the Bible will keep you from sin," someone has well said. The man who goes on in sin and likes sin and holds on to it will have no taste for that Book. There is something badly wrong with you when the Bible is dry to you. When you take up this holy Book, this Book written by the Holy Spirit (men wrote down the words of God) and you read here about redemption, about salvation, about God's love, about the romance of creation and about a thousand mysteries and glories of the world to come, and it is dry to you - brother, you have being doing something you ought not to do! Something is wrong in your life or that Book would be sweet and fresh and fascinating and lovely beyond compare. Get this now: the Word of God is a safeguard against sin. - John R. Rice

Another factor in Peter's sin was bad company. Peter thought, "There is danger if I just walk right in where Jesus is being tried; I had better stay out here." So he sat with Satan's crowd by the fire. And friend, you may think it dangerous to go all the way with Jesus. That may be so. I frankly admit to you, sometimes if you are close enough to Jesus you will suffer for it. You had just as well face that. But I will tell you the other side of it, brother. Just as certain as you run with the devil's crowd, you will suffer for it. You will suffer more by running with the devil's crowd than by keeping close to Jesus. Yes, you will! - John R. Rice