Voices From The Past

Jan 1 "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom 8:31) Do not be discouraged at the difficulties and oppositions that will rise up before you when you begin resolvedly to walk with God. In the day you entered into a covenant with God, and He with you, you entered into the most impregnable rock and fortress, and covered yourself in a castle of defense, where you may (modestly) defy all adverse powers of earth or hell. Jan 16 God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4). O, how God must love that creature He has carried so long in the womb of His eternal purpose! Jan 18 "Do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31). The best of us, when we come to pray, what a deep sense we have of our own needs, and no desire of the glory of God. How necessary it is that the Lord should have His glory. The world serves no other purpose; it was made and continues for God's glory. "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen" (Rom 11:36). Feb 2 "'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul" (Lam 3:24) All that the soul needs is found in God. There is light to enlighten the soul, wisdom to counsel the soul, power to support the soul, goodness to supply the soul, mercy to pardon the soul, beauty to delight the soul, glory to ravish the soul, and fullness to fill the soul. Nothing can satisfy the soul without God. Feb 8 "Why are you cast down, O my soul?...Hope in God" (Ps 43:5). It is a sin for a child of God to be too much discouraged and cast down in afflictions. The soul is cast down too much when our sorrow does not bring us to God, but away from God. We must trust Him for new supplies of grace. Feb 11 "But when you pray, go into your room" (Mt 6:6). God reveals Himself most to His people when they have been in secret prayer. Ah! How often has God kissed a poor Christian at the beginning of private prayer, and spoken peace to him in the midst of private prayer, and filled him with light and joy and assurance upon the close of private prayer! Ambrose said, "I am never less alone, then when I alone; for then I can enjoy the presence of my God most freely, and sweetly, without interruption." Feb 26 "You who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart" (Rom 6:17). You cannot mortify a specific lust that is troubling you, unless you are seeking to obey the Lord from the heart in all areas. If we seek to correct a coarse or filthy outbreak of sin in the soul, but neglect basic duties of prayer and reading the Scriptures that promote spirituality, we labor in vain. Mar 5 "Lord, teach us to pray" (Lk 11:1). To pray is not easy. To pour out your heart and soul before God, to believe He hears and will come to help you; to pray in faith and to wrestle with God; to strive for a blessing and hope against hope; being delayed, yet waiting for Him until He comes; this is exceedingly hard to be done. We have a false image of God, and view Him more like one of us, and not as one filling heaven and earth with His majesty and glory. Do not be discouraged. If you keep trying, your striving and endeavors shall bring you through at last. Mar 13 "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:6). All that we have is by His gracious gift. What can we be proud of? All of the excellencies that we might have, alas! they are borrowed. "What do you have that you did not receive?" (1 Cor 4:7). From the first to the last we are indebted to God's grace (Gal 2:20). We can do nothing without it. Mar 27 "Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more" (Rom 5:20). The Lord looks more upon your graces more than He does upon your weaknesses. The Lord did not cast off Peter for his horrid sins (his three-fold rejection of Jesus), but rather looked upon him with an eye of love and pity. "But go, tell Christ's disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee" (Mk 16:7). O admirable love! O matchless mercy! Christ looked more upon Peter's sorrow than his sin, more upon his tears than his oaths. May 14 "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us" (Gal 3:13). The curse of the Law condemns the sinner to death in soul and body. Nothing can free the soul, but Christ. The Law requires infinite satisfaction that no mere creature can give. Christ frees the believer from this curse. He dissolves the obligation to punishment and cancels all the bonds and chains of guilt. This is done by the full price being paid in place of the sinner, making a complete and full satisfaction. The ransom was paid in full and is sufficient. Christ was made a curse for us. It was an act of the God-man; no other was capable of giving satisfaction for an infinite wrong to God. May 15 "Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!'" (Gal 4:6). "Our Father" is the most proper name with which to address our prayers to God. If God does not give us what we ask, it is not for our good, and we have no reason to complain. But if we beg of Him those things which are most agreeable to His will, He will certainly roll and yearn towards you. Is it temporal mercies that you need? Why go about dejected and destitute, when you have a Father so able and so willing to relieve you? May 16 "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them" (Rev 21:3). The glorious and infinite God takes notice of your sorrows. He stands close by when you do not see Him and feel He has forsaken you (Ps 34:18). He attends you with the greatest tenderness when you say He has forgotten you. He numbers your sighs and bottles up your tears (Ps 56:8). May 17 "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God" (Col 3:1). It is contrary to the nature of faith for a believer to seek peace in his earthly enjoyments. We are grieved at crosses, losses, wrongs of our enemies, unkind dealings of our friends, sickness, or for contempt and scorn in the world. Was it property, riches, credit, and friends that God called for you to believe? Do you have any promises for these things in His Word? We must seek far more from God, and less from the earth. May 22 "I am mute; I do not open my mouth, for it is You who have done it" (Ps 39:9). It is the duty of gracious souls to see God as the author of all our afflictions. Instead of Job bemoaning the Chaldeans who plundered him, he discerned God's hand in his sufferings and said, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). Joseph saw the hand of God in his brothers selling him into Egypt. "It was not you who sent me here, but God" (Gn 45:8). Those who see the hand of God in their afflictions will, like David, be silent. "Let him alone and let him curse [me], for the Lord has told him" (2 Sam 16:11). May 26 & 27 "But if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 Jn 2:1). Christ stands as our advocate alone before God's bar and pleads before the Father. Whatever can be rightly charged upon us, He accepts the whole charge upon Himself, acknowledging the crimes to be His own. Having acknowledged them to be His own, the quarrel is no more between us and Satan, for the Lord Jesus has adopted our quarrel. Look then to Jesus when you have sinned. He will plead with the Father for you. Jun 17 God is my God. The pronoun "my" is worth so much to the soul. All our consolation indeed consists in this pronoun. I have sometimes thought how David rolls this word as a lump of sugar under his tongue. "I love you, O Lord my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, m shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold" (Ps 18:1,2). Jun 19 "They shall call His name Immanuel (which means, God with us)" (Mt 1:23). The clearest manifestation of God to us is made only in Jesus Christ, who is "the image of the invisible God" (Col 1:15). Christ is the exact copy or character of the Father's person and perfections (Heb 1:3). When Philip desired for Christ to show him the Father, Jesus said, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. Believe me, I am in the Father and the Father is in me" (Jn 14:9,11). In the works of creation, God is above us. In His works of providence He is outside us. In the Law, He is against us. In Himself, He is invisible to us. Only in Christ is God Immanuel, with us, in us, and for us. Jun 23 "Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil" (Eph 6:11). It is easier for Satan to tempt when he has the presence of an object to excite the lust that lies dormant in the heart. If the Christian lets the object of temptation draw near, Satan anticipates that his scheme will soon be effective. Therefore, if it is our desire to not yield to sin, we must not walk by or sit at the door of occasion. Do not look with a wandering eye at the beauty by which you would be taken captive. Do not parley in your thoughts with that which you do no wish to take into your heart. Jul 8 "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving" (Col 4:2). Distractions haunt us in prayer. Out thoughts stray in and out. What causes these vain thoughts in our prayers? 1. Satan is ready to resist us in prayer. He is afraid of prayer. 2. We are restless creatures. It is difficult for us to concentrate on one subject for any length of time. 3. We are distracted by practical atheism. We have little sense of the unseen world of spirits. Things we see have a greater force upon us than the true God who is Spirit and invisible power. 4. Lust will distract us – the covetous man about the world, the fleshly about his pleasures, and the ambitious about his honors. If distractions are resisted, God will gather up the broken fragments of our prayers in mercy and answer us. Jul 20 If we fill ourselves with the world, the less we will delight in Christ. There is infinite fullness in Jesus Christ. He is suited to all the needs of poor undone sinners. No king was anointed with such power, no prophet with such wisdom, no priest with such grace, for God gave Him the Spirit without measure (Jn 3:34), and of His fullness we receive grace upon grace (Jn 1:16). Christ infinitely transcends all the beauty and glory of the world. Aug 19 "If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (I Jn 5:14). Nothing comes to pass without our heavenly Father's permission or ordination. There is nothing that comes to pass but God has His purpose in it. Though the world seems to run at random in blind confusion and rude disorder, yet God governs it to make perfect harmony out of the discord. We cannot even by our most fervent prayers alter God's decrees. So why pray? God has not only ordained all things, but appointed the means by which these things come about, including the means of prayer. We pray to obtain that which God has ordained us to receive when we pray. We ask God that we may be fit to receive what He from all eternity determined to give by prayer, and not otherwise. So when we lie under any affliction, prayer is necessary because God has possibly ordained not to remove it unless we pray. Aug 24 "Hallowed by Your name" (Mt 6:9). Honoring God's name is before all other petitions. In heaven, there will be no need to pray "give us our daily bread" or "forgive us our trespasses," because there will be no hunger or sin in heaven. To hallow His name is to set it apart from common use. We hallow and sanctify God's name when we never make mention of it but with the highest reverence. We praise God's name even under affliction, as Job did. "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). Sept 2 "They will perish, but You will remain" (Ps 102:26). God in His perfections is without any variation from eternity to eternity. He is the same in nature, and the same in will and purpose. He changes all other things as He pleases, but is immutable in every respect, and his wisdom, power and knowledge are always the same. God lacks nothing, loses nothing, and exists by Himself. He is without any new nature, new thought, new will, or new purpose. He is infinitely good, wise, holy, and without change. If God could change, He would not be a perfect being. Oct 3 "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are" (I Jn 3:1). "He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself" (Eph 1:5). "The Lord is my portion" (Ps 119:57). We are God's adopted children. What greater ground of joy imaginable is there than this? With God as our portion, all He is and all He has is our inheritance. We have title to all our Father's riches and honors. God is our Father forever. How we should rejoice in this! To be a son or daughter of God, our everlasting Father, is the highest title in the world. Oct 18 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13). You are not to conquer difficulties and oppositions in your own strength, but by the Spirit of God. The power of His grace is sufficient, and His strength appears the greatest in our weakness (2 Cor 12:9). All the saints in heaven have gone this way. They were tempted, troubled, scorned, opposed, and now they triumph in glory (Rev 7:14). Your enemies are like grasshoppers before the power of the Almighty (Isa 40:22). Oct 29 "Train yourself for godliness" (1 Tim 4:7). God is our chief good and portion. Godliness is the worshiping of God in our heart and action. In a godly person's heart, though some sin is left, no sin is liked; in his life, though sin remains, yet no sin reigns. He allots time every day for spiritual duties. Like the lark, he is up early, singly sweetly to the , or praise of His Maker; and often with the nightingale up late, singing the same pleasant tune. He gives God all the cream of his affection. He loves God without measure. Nov 5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart" (Prov 3:5). Satan seeks to stir up harsh thoughts of God when His providence is hard to understand. Some have questioned His care and faithfulness in not providing better for His servants or in allowing their afflictions. But what God takes from me is less than I owe Him, and what He leaves me is more than I deserve. It is fitting for Christians to bless God in the saddest condition that can befall them. Faith finds mercy in the greatest affliction and in the saddest mixture of providence. Praise God for His past mercies and it will not be long before you have a new song in your mouth for the present mercy. Nov 19 "You will find Him, if you search for Him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Dt 4:29). By prayer the Christian can open his heart to God as a friend, and obtain fresh testimony of God's friendship to Him. Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart to God through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit for such things as God promised, or that are according to God's Word for the good of the church, with submission in faith to the will of God. True prayer feels, sighs, groans, and bubbles out of the heart as some heavy burden lies upon it or some sweet sense of mercy received is appreciated. "As the deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God" (Ps 42:1). Dec 26 "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses" (Heb 4:15). We have a High Priest who knows all our infirmities. He knows what is it to be in need, to have nothing upon which to ride, and nowhere to lay His head. He knows what it is to be in pain, and to be despised, abused, reproached and hated. He knows what it is to be tempted by Satan. He knows what it is to be deserted by His friends and to be forsaken of God. He became like us in all things except sin. He suffers with us.

(4.75 stars) First, a practical point: potential buyers need to be aware that this is only Volume I of Voices from the Past. You are not buying both volumes. As of January 2022, the publisher (Banner of Truth) does offer a package deal at a discounted price for both books. The bottom line is that this is one of the best daily devotionals you can buy. The editor has accomplished a righteous task in mining the deep spiritual catalog of the Puritans to produce this biblically sound and rich theological compendium of God-glorifying meditations and golden nuggets of wisdom. For every day of the calendar year, the reader is treated to one Bible verse and then a 1-2 paragraph pastoral exposition that is both heavenly minded yet also ridiculously practical. Although not explicit, the devotionals are grouped around a theme: for example, faith, mortification of sin, temptation, perseverance under trial, comfort, contentment and how to pray. All of these reflections stir the soul, so remove the spiritual crust from your eyes and cobwebs from your heart and taste and see that the Lord is good. Furthermore, this book gives a synoptic view of who God is: awesome, holy, sovereign, merciful and good. Hence, you will undoubtedly read this book and be challenged to meditate on how big the God of heaven is compared to all your troubles and worries here on earth. And, for those readers who are unfamiliar with the Puritans, this book introduces you to these faithful pastors and preachers (e.g., Jonathan Edwards, John Owen, Richard Sibbes and Thomas Watson) and some of their most famous works (e.g., The Existence & Attributes of God, The Christian in Complete Armor). What oozes from every page is a sense of awe and a reverent “weightiness” of God’s glory; these are attributes often absent in the writings of modernity, whose authors are often flippant and treat the name of God with a cheeky casualness. Finally, this devotional is very well organized: it has a bibliography of all the works referenced, an author index, a topical index and a Scripture index. Clearly, the editorial team wanted to make this devotional as accessible as possible. Truly, this text will yield spiritual dividends for years to come.

Great Amazon service, wonderful book, needs to be read!

All believers desire to deepen their relationship with God. After the Bible, devotional books are popular among believers because it is quick and easy. However, not all devotional books are of equal worth. Some are fluff and others are motivational, but not necessarily Biblically deep. If you want to grow deeper, and become thoroughly Biblical in all aspects of devotional life, strongly consider Puritans. And this book, Voices From The Past meets that void. I was hooked on the Puritans after reading Richard Sibbes' The Bruised Reed and John Owen's The Mortification of Sin. And I longed to find a daily devotional reading that covered the Puritans. One was

I bought Voices From The Past after a VERY long search for a good devotional that is scripturally faithful, challenging, easy to read, and relevant. Now, this isn't exactly the thing you think of when you read the word "Puritan," but compared to every other devotional I've encountered, this is by far the best. I ended up purchasing about 3-4 more copies for some others who were looking for a good devotional as well. The format of the book is a one-page-per-day reading (around 300-350 words per day), like Faith's Checkbook by Charles Spurgeon. Each of the articles are taken directly from the work of a particular Puritan author. Sometimes they are re-worded, shortened, or made more understandable, in order to give the reader a good reflection for the day. Other times, the reading for the day is a more exact copy of what they wrote. If the reader pays careful attention, they'll be able to see various themes that the reflections focus upon, over a number of days. There are citations at the bottom of each page, so that the reader can have a reference as to where this particular reflection comes from, unlike The Valley of Vision (though this prayer book is a must-read for all, in my opinion). I give it five-stars because of its clarity, accessibility, relevancy, and integrity.

This volume and its companion are the two best devotional books I have read. The Puritans were careful physicians of the soul. Their writings are rich spiritual food. Richard Rushing draws out the cream from the riches of the Puritan writers. These books challenge, comfort and convict me. The theology is rich and the practical applications are pointed. Caution: This may tempt you to read the full sermons! I use them in my personal worship, in family worship and for devotionals in a variety of gatherings. The three indices in each volume (author, Scripture references, topic) are very helpful.

We all need to go back and listen to the voices, the writings of the Puritans. Get back to the real Word of God, all of it, live it, take it to heart, and in reading the writings of the Puritans anyone can see how off course and walking along the wrong path so many of us are on while still deluding ourselves we're Christians. The writings of the Puritans will help shed light, clean things up, purify the water to see the depths, and help get anyone back on the straight and narrow.

I only read books by the Puritans. I feel they are the closest thoughts to the Word of God. My favorite daily devotional for years has been My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. I never thought I’d find another to compare until I read this daily devotional. What a masterpiece it is! God bless Richard Rushing and Banner of Truth for this publication! It’s a true gem! Just as meaty as Oswald and a great opportunity to be exposed to many Puritan writings. Love this devotional!

I received this book as a gift from my ministry team at my church. I became familiar with it after reading excerpts quoted in another Bible study. I was thrilled to realize all these quotes from puritan authors had been compiled into one source: this devotional! As a disclaimer, I am usually not a fan of devotionals. I find them shallow and anecdotal. Not this one!! Day after day is packed with rich doctrinal truths which are edifying and truly encouraging. I cannot recommend this enough. I had previously purchased a copy for a friend, but had a hard time letting it go until I got my own copy! Highly recommended!

Very deep devotional that gets you thinking.

Jan 1 "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom 8:31) Do not be discouraged at the difficulties and oppositions that will rise up before you when you begin resolvedly to walk with God. In the day you entered into a covenant with God, and He with you, you entered into the most impregnable rock and fortress, and covered yourself in a castle of defense, where you may (modestly) defy all adverse powers of earth or hell. Jan 16 God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4). O, how God must love that creature He has carried so long in the womb of His eternal purpose! Jan 18 "Do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31). The best of us, when we come to pray, what a deep sense we have of our own needs, and no desire of the glory of God. How necessary it is that the Lord should have His glory. The world serves no other purpose; it was made and continues for God's glory. "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen" (Rom 11:36). Feb 2 "'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul" (Lam 3:24) All that the soul needs is found in God. There is light to enlighten the soul, wisdom to counsel the soul, power to support the soul, goodness to supply the soul, mercy to pardon the soul, beauty to delight the soul, glory to ravish the soul, and fullness to fill the soul. Nothing can satisfy the soul without God. Feb 8 "Why are you cast down, O my soul?...Hope in God" (Ps 43:5). It is a sin for a child of God to be too much discouraged and cast down in afflictions. The soul is cast down too much when our sorrow does not bring us to God, but away from God. We must trust Him for new supplies of grace. Feb 11 "But when you pray, go into your room" (Mt 6:6). God reveals Himself most to His people when they have been in secret prayer. Ah! How often has God kissed a poor Christian at the beginning of private prayer, and spoken peace to him in the midst of private prayer, and filled him with light and joy and assurance upon the close of private prayer! Ambrose said, "I am never less alone, then when I alone; for then I can enjoy the presence of my God most freely, and sweetly, without interruption." Feb 26 "You who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart" (Rom 6:17). You cannot mortify a specific lust that is troubling you, unless you are seeking to obey the Lord from the heart in all areas. If we seek to correct a coarse or filthy outbreak of sin in the soul, but neglect basic duties of prayer and reading the Scriptures that promote spirituality, we labor in vain. Mar 5 "Lord, teach us to pray" (Lk 11:1). To pray is not easy. To pour out your heart and soul before God, to believe He hears and will come to help you; to pray in faith and to wrestle with God; to strive for a blessing and hope against hope; being delayed, yet waiting for Him until He comes; this is exceedingly hard to be done. We have a false image of God, and view Him more like one of us, and not as one filling heaven and earth with His majesty and glory. Do not be discouraged. If you keep trying, your striving and endeavors shall bring you through at last. Mar 13 "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:6). All that we have is by His gracious gift. What can we be proud of? All of the excellencies that we might have, alas! they are borrowed. "What do you have that you did not receive?" (1 Cor 4:7). From the first to the last we are indebted to God's grace (Gal 2:20). We can do nothing without it. Mar 27 "Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more" (Rom 5:20). The Lord looks more upon your graces more than He does upon your weaknesses. The Lord did not cast off Peter for his horrid sins (his three-fold rejection of Jesus), but rather looked upon him with an eye of love and pity. "But go, tell Christ's disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee" (Mk 16:7). O admirable love! O matchless mercy! Christ looked more upon Peter's sorrow than his sin, more upon his tears than his oaths. May 14 "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us" (Gal 3:13). The curse of the Law condemns the sinner to death in soul and body. Nothing can free the soul, but Christ. The Law requires infinite satisfaction that no mere creature can give. Christ frees the believer from this curse. He dissolves the obligation to punishment and cancels all the bonds and chains of guilt. This is done by the full price being paid in place of the sinner, making a complete and full satisfaction. The ransom was paid in full and is sufficient. Christ was made a curse for us. It was an act of the God-man; no other was capable of giving satisfaction for an infinite wrong to God. May 15 "Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!'" (Gal 4:6). "Our Father" is the most proper name with which to address our prayers to God. If God does not give us what we ask, it is not for our good, and we have no reason to complain. But if we beg of Him those things which are most agreeable to His will, He will certainly roll and yearn towards you. Is it temporal mercies that you need? Why go about dejected and destitute, when you have a Father so able and so willing to relieve you? May 16 "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them" (Rev 21:3). The glorious and infinite God takes notice of your sorrows. He stands close by when you do not see Him and feel He has forsaken you (Ps 34:18). He attends you with the greatest tenderness when you say He has forgotten you. He numbers your sighs and bottles up your tears (Ps 56:8). May 17 "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God" (Col 3:1). It is contrary to the nature of faith for a believer to seek peace in his earthly enjoyments. We are grieved at crosses, losses, wrongs of our enemies, unkind dealings of our friends, sickness, or for contempt and scorn in the world. Was it property, riches, credit, and friends that God called for you to believe? Do you have any promises for these things in His Word? We must seek far more from God, and less from the earth. May 22 "I am mute; I do not open my mouth, for it is You who have done it" (Ps 39:9). It is the duty of gracious souls to see God as the author of all our afflictions. Instead of Job bemoaning the Chaldeans who plundered him, he discerned God's hand in his sufferings and said, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). Joseph saw the hand of God in his brothers selling him into Egypt. "It was not you who sent me here, but God" (Gn 45:8). Those who see the hand of God in their afflictions will, like David, be silent. "Let him alone and let him curse [me], for the Lord has told him" (2 Sam 16:11). May 26 & 27 "But if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 Jn 2:1). Christ stands as our advocate alone before God's bar and pleads before the Father. Whatever can be rightly charged upon us, He accepts the whole charge upon Himself, acknowledging the crimes to be His own. Having acknowledged them to be His own, the quarrel is no more between us and Satan, for the Lord Jesus has adopted our quarrel. Look then to Jesus when you have sinned. He will plead with the Father for you. Jun 17 God is my God. The pronoun "my" is worth so much to the soul. All our consolation indeed consists in this pronoun. I have sometimes thought how David rolls this word as a lump of sugar under his tongue. "I love you, O Lord my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, m shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold" (Ps 18:1,2). Jun 19 "They shall call His name Immanuel (which means, God with us)" (Mt 1:23). The clearest manifestation of God to us is made only in Jesus Christ, who is "the image of the invisible God" (Col 1:15). Christ is the exact copy or character of the Father's person and perfections (Heb 1:3). When Philip desired for Christ to show him the Father, Jesus said, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. Believe me, I am in the Father and the Father is in me" (Jn 14:9,11). In the works of creation, God is above us. In His works of providence He is outside us. In the Law, He is against us. In Himself, He is invisible to us. Only in Christ is God Immanuel, with us, in us, and for us. Jun 23 "Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil" (Eph 6:11). It is easier for Satan to tempt when he has the presence of an object to excite the lust that lies dormant in the heart. If the Christian lets the object of temptation draw near, Satan anticipates that his scheme will soon be effective. Therefore, if it is our desire to not yield to sin, we must not walk by or sit at the door of occasion. Do not look with a wandering eye at the beauty by which you would be taken captive. Do not parley in your thoughts with that which you do no wish to take into your heart. Jul 8 "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving" (Col 4:2). Distractions haunt us in prayer. Out thoughts stray in and out. What causes these vain thoughts in our prayers? 1. Satan is ready to resist us in prayer. He is afraid of prayer. 2. We are restless creatures. It is difficult for us to concentrate on one subject for any length of time. 3. We are distracted by practical atheism. We have little sense of the unseen world of spirits. Things we see have a greater force upon us than the true God who is Spirit and invisible power. 4. Lust will distract us – the covetous man about the world, the fleshly about his pleasures, and the ambitious about his honors. If distractions are resisted, God will gather up the broken fragments of our prayers in mercy and answer us. Jul 20 If we fill ourselves with the world, the less we will delight in Christ. There is infinite fullness in Jesus Christ. He is suited to all the needs of poor undone sinners. No king was anointed with such power, no prophet with such wisdom, no priest with such grace, for God gave Him the Spirit without measure (Jn 3:34), and of His fullness we receive grace upon grace (Jn 1:16). Christ infinitely transcends all the beauty and glory of the world. Aug 19 "If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (I Jn 5:14). Nothing comes to pass without our heavenly Father's permission or ordination. There is nothing that comes to pass but God has His purpose in it. Though the world seems to run at random in blind confusion and rude disorder, yet God governs it to make perfect harmony out of the discord. We cannot even by our most fervent prayers alter God's decrees. So why pray? God has not only ordained all things, but appointed the means by which these things come about, including the means of prayer. We pray to obtain that which God has ordained us to receive when we pray. We ask God that we may be fit to receive what He from all eternity determined to give by prayer, and not otherwise. So when we lie under any affliction, prayer is necessary because God has possibly ordained not to remove it unless we pray. Aug 24 "Hallowed by Your name" (Mt 6:9). Honoring God's name is before all other petitions. In heaven, there will be no need to pray "give us our daily bread" or "forgive us our trespasses," because there will be no hunger or sin in heaven. To hallow His name is to set it apart from common use. We hallow and sanctify God's name when we never make mention of it but with the highest reverence. We praise God's name even under affliction, as Job did. "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). Sept 2 "They will perish, but You will remain" (Ps 102:26). God in His perfections is without any variation from eternity to eternity. He is the same in nature, and the same in will and purpose. He changes all other things as He pleases, but is immutable in every respect, and his wisdom, power and knowledge are always the same. God lacks nothing, loses nothing, and exists by Himself. He is without any new nature, new thought, new will, or new purpose. He is infinitely good, wise, holy, and without change. If God could change, He would not be a perfect being. Oct 3 "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are" (I Jn 3:1). "He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself" (Eph 1:5). "The Lord is my portion" (Ps 119:57). We are God's adopted children. What greater ground of joy imaginable is there than this? With God as our portion, all He is and all He has is our inheritance. We have title to all our Father's riches and honors. God is our Father forever. How we should rejoice in this! To be a son or daughter of God, our everlasting Father, is the highest title in the world. Oct 18 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13). You are not to conquer difficulties and oppositions in your own strength, but by the Spirit of God. The power of His grace is sufficient, and His strength appears the greatest in our weakness (2 Cor 12:9). All the saints in heaven have gone this way. They were tempted, troubled, scorned, opposed, and now they triumph in glory (Rev 7:14). Your enemies are like grasshoppers before the power of the Almighty (Isa 40:22). Oct 29 "Train yourself for godliness" (1 Tim 4:7). God is our chief good and portion. Godliness is the worshiping of God in our heart and action. In a godly person's heart, though some sin is left, no sin is liked; in his life, though sin remains, yet no sin reigns. He allots time every day for spiritual duties. Like the lark, he is up early, singly sweetly to the , or praise of His Maker; and often with the nightingale up late, singing the same pleasant tune. He gives God all the cream of his affection. He loves God without measure. Nov 5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart" (Prov 3:5). Satan seeks to stir up harsh thoughts of God when His providence is hard to understand. Some have questioned His care and faithfulness in not providing better for His servants or in allowing their afflictions. But what God takes from me is less than I owe Him, and what He leaves me is more than I deserve. It is fitting for Christians to bless God in the saddest condition that can befall them. Faith finds mercy in the greatest affliction and in the saddest mixture of providence. Praise God for His past mercies and it will not be long before you have a new song in your mouth for the present mercy. Nov 19 "You will find Him, if you search for Him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Dt 4:29). By prayer the Christian can open his heart to God as a friend, and obtain fresh testimony of God's friendship to Him. Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart to God through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit for such things as God promised, or that are according to God's Word for the good of the church, with submission in faith to the will of God. True prayer feels, sighs, groans, and bubbles out of the heart as some heavy burden lies upon it or some sweet sense of mercy received is appreciated. "As the deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God" (Ps 42:1). Dec 26 "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses" (Heb 4:15). We have a High Priest who knows all our infirmities. He knows what is it to be in need, to have nothing upon which to ride, and nowhere to lay His head. He knows what it is to be in pain, and to be despised, abused, reproached and hated. He knows what it is to be tempted by Satan. He knows what it is to be deserted by His friends and to be forsaken of God. He became like us in all things except sin. He suffers with us.

(4.75 stars) First, a practical point: potential buyers need to be aware that this is only Volume I of Voices from the Past. You are not buying both volumes. As of January 2022, the publisher (Banner of Truth) does offer a package deal at a discounted price for both books. The bottom line is that this is one of the best daily devotionals you can buy. The editor has accomplished a righteous task in mining the deep spiritual catalog of the Puritans to produce this biblically sound and rich theological compendium of God-glorifying meditations and golden nuggets of wisdom. For every day of the calendar year, the reader is treated to one Bible verse and then a 1-2 paragraph pastoral exposition that is both heavenly minded yet also ridiculously practical. Although not explicit, the devotionals are grouped around a theme: for example, faith, mortification of sin, temptation, perseverance under trial, comfort, contentment and how to pray. All of these reflections stir the soul, so remove the spiritual crust from your eyes and cobwebs from your heart and taste and see that the Lord is good. Furthermore, this book gives a synoptic view of who God is: awesome, holy, sovereign, merciful and good. Hence, you will undoubtedly read this book and be challenged to meditate on how big the God of heaven is compared to all your troubles and worries here on earth. And, for those readers who are unfamiliar with the Puritans, this book introduces you to these faithful pastors and preachers (e.g., Jonathan Edwards, John Owen, Richard Sibbes and Thomas Watson) and some of their most famous works (e.g., The Existence & Attributes of God, The Christian in Complete Armor). What oozes from every page is a sense of awe and a reverent “weightiness” of God’s glory; these are attributes often absent in the writings of modernity, whose authors are often flippant and treat the name of God with a cheeky casualness. Finally, this devotional is very well organized: it has a bibliography of all the works referenced, an author index, a topical index and a Scripture index. Clearly, the editorial team wanted to make this devotional as accessible as possible. Truly, this text will yield spiritual dividends for years to come.

Great Amazon service, wonderful book, needs to be read!

All believers desire to deepen their relationship with God. After the Bible, devotional books are popular among believers because it is quick and easy. However, not all devotional books are of equal worth. Some are fluff and others are motivational, but not necessarily Biblically deep. If you want to grow deeper, and become thoroughly Biblical in all aspects of devotional life, strongly consider Puritans. And this book, Voices From The Past meets that void. I was hooked on the Puritans after reading Richard Sibbes' The Bruised Reed and John Owen's The Mortification of Sin. And I longed to find a daily devotional reading that covered the Puritans. One was

I bought Voices From The Past after a VERY long search for a good devotional that is scripturally faithful, challenging, easy to read, and relevant. Now, this isn't exactly the thing you think of when you read the word "Puritan," but compared to every other devotional I've encountered, this is by far the best. I ended up purchasing about 3-4 more copies for some others who were looking for a good devotional as well. The format of the book is a one-page-per-day reading (around 300-350 words per day), like Faith's Checkbook by Charles Spurgeon. Each of the articles are taken directly from the work of a particular Puritan author. Sometimes they are re-worded, shortened, or made more understandable, in order to give the reader a good reflection for the day. Other times, the reading for the day is a more exact copy of what they wrote. If the reader pays careful attention, they'll be able to see various themes that the reflections focus upon, over a number of days. There are citations at the bottom of each page, so that the reader can have a reference as to where this particular reflection comes from, unlike The Valley of Vision (though this prayer book is a must-read for all, in my opinion). I give it five-stars because of its clarity, accessibility, relevancy, and integrity.

This volume and its companion are the two best devotional books I have read. The Puritans were careful physicians of the soul. Their writings are rich spiritual food. Richard Rushing draws out the cream from the riches of the Puritan writers. These books challenge, comfort and convict me. The theology is rich and the practical applications are pointed. Caution: This may tempt you to read the full sermons! I use them in my personal worship, in family worship and for devotionals in a variety of gatherings. The three indices in each volume (author, Scripture references, topic) are very helpful.

We all need to go back and listen to the voices, the writings of the Puritans. Get back to the real Word of God, all of it, live it, take it to heart, and in reading the writings of the Puritans anyone can see how off course and walking along the wrong path so many of us are on while still deluding ourselves we're Christians. The writings of the Puritans will help shed light, clean things up, purify the water to see the depths, and help get anyone back on the straight and narrow.

I only read books by the Puritans. I feel they are the closest thoughts to the Word of God. My favorite daily devotional for years has been My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. I never thought I’d find another to compare until I read this daily devotional. What a masterpiece it is! God bless Richard Rushing and Banner of Truth for this publication! It’s a true gem! Just as meaty as Oswald and a great opportunity to be exposed to many Puritan writings. Love this devotional!

I received this book as a gift from my ministry team at my church. I became familiar with it after reading excerpts quoted in another Bible study. I was thrilled to realize all these quotes from puritan authors had been compiled into one source: this devotional! As a disclaimer, I am usually not a fan of devotionals. I find them shallow and anecdotal. Not this one!! Day after day is packed with rich doctrinal truths which are edifying and truly encouraging. I cannot recommend this enough. I had previously purchased a copy for a friend, but had a hard time letting it go until I got my own copy! Highly recommended!

Very deep devotional that gets you thinking.

Read anything by the Puritans and you will be richly blessed!

I am in my third time reading through this. I'm compelled to take notes and have resisted earmarking every page. These are wonderful thought provoking devotions that encourage faith and commitment to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The writing is full of beautiful gems of truth. This book has encouraged me to buy other works from many of these Puritan authors. I really feel that this is the first devotional I will never tire of and will always be reading. The authors are always pointing to the WORD and not using stories or outside illustrations. They are also good references tools for bible studies on particular passages. I think I have purchased 6 copies of this book and have given them as gifts. They have all been much appreciated.

If you're tired of cheesy, sappy devotionals that sound formulaic because they are, try this one! A daily Bible verse at the top, and then a full page excerpt from one of many godly Puritans from the past. Each day's page makes me want to keep reading into the next month. It's difficult to read just this single page on any given day, because you get to the end and immediately wish you could keep reading from that day's writer. And, no shallow "interpretations" of anecdotal chicken-soup stories at the end of each passage. JUST the passage and the Bible verse. I don't need modern writers to interpret the passages for me or put them in context. This stuff is pure gold.

This devotional is amazing. It’s not a surface, easy, feel good everyday devotional. It is full of theology and meaning. Wow. I find myself learning new insight and seeing things I have never seen in Gods word before. I highlight almost every page! Skip all other Christian devotional and get this one!

This is a must read for all Christians pursuing holiness. It's a life changing book.

Book came quickly and in good condition as described. Love the devotional readings - excellent.

Daily readings from Puritan writers that is a good companion to my daily Bible reading. The Puritans were spiritual giants, though not perfect by an means. This collection places their pearls of wisdom within reach for those of us who haven't the time to read their classic works for ourselves in order to glean these treasures. Well worth buying!

Simple and bite-sized devotional readings but with a load of depth for deep contemplation and reflection.

This is a great resource, even if you don't use it as a daily devotional. The topical index and Scripture reference index in the back make it a wonderful reference tool for personal study or devotions, as you can find readings on many important Scripture passages. This is a book I will use regularly for years to come.

This book is both a great entry-level introduction to the works of the Puritans, as well as the deepest and most spiritually helpful devotional book I've ever read. Worth reading through more than once. Challenging, convicting, encouraging, good seed to plant in your heart to transform your Christian life, not fluffy platitudes that leave the soul starving for something real. Many of the authors cited in this book had experienced real suffering in their lives, and the depth of their faith comes through, which is part of what puts this devotional head-and-shoulders above any other devotional I've read..

This book is helping me to see what i cant see, and to feel what i cant feel today.

I would buy this again and most likely will this is an awesome product

This has quickly become one of my all time favorite books. The brief daily readings are a wonderful way to introduce yourself and your family to the rich theology and deep practical piety of the Reformed Puritan tradition. This is particularly well suited for private or family worship as the selections are brief enough to be read quickly while still meaty enough to provide much food for thought and reflection. Buy a copy and get a few more to give away!

Great devotional. Book was in decent shape. Would buy again.

This is the best devotional I have ever read. Do yourself a favor and pick this book up for yourself and your loved ones.

Superb. I had never before considered the spiritual depth that sustained the English migrants who came to this challenging "new world" in the 1600s. I use this as a companion reader with "Valley of Vision," also highly recommended.

This is quickly becoming my favorite devotional apart form the bible. I wake up and look forward to spending time within these pages after the scriptures.

I use this book continually. I am a devoted reader of the Puritans and Rushing has done an excellent job of choosing positive passages which are meaty and give encouragement to the Christian. I usually read several pages each day. Repetition makes it even better. And I have given several books as gifts. The serious Christian will not be disappointed.

I have been reading these short daily devotionals (1 page for each day) before I do my bible readings as a sort of warm-up. I'm very glad a friend recommended it to me. When you are having trials, it is very encouraging. The Puritans had tough lives and very strong faith. They get an undeserved bad rap today.

Thought provoking and soul stirring

Love these thought provoking devotionals

This is a favorite devotional because it is so rich and insightful for a godly Christian walk. These men were intellectually astute in their ability to communicate great doctrines of the Christian faith for the men and women in their areas of influence which also has the same effect to today's Christian.

Have been reading this since October and it has given an amazing and encouraging word everyday. The authors from the past have a God given ability in writing and communicating very Biblical content. This works great for daily encouragement in Christ or for even a short Bible study.

I loved it so much I had to give it away as a gift before I finished reading it. The Puritans pass on a rich legacy, and I want to be part of it.

This collection of writings from some of the old Puritan writers is a great encouragement. This purchase was actually a gift.

I first heard of this devotional while reading Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert. Rosaria Butterfield's words were, "Buy this book and read it daily. You will thank me for this advice." Roger that!

Liked: an awesome Read! Use: Reading

Great Devotional, just what I needed. came in a timely fashion and in the shape you said. thanks

Must have for a Christian, if you’re looking for a true devotional book!

Best devotional on the market. Amazing insight into the spiritual world by the writings of the Puritans.

What a blessing! This book is an outstanding compilation of morsels of Biblical truths that are easy and quick to read, written by men of old who loved and studied God's Word. The selections are filled with encouragement, edification, insight, and much food for thought. It is a wonderful devotional, to be read over and over again.

This is our "go-to" book for devotions. Read through it every year, and the gems found in puritan writings shine brighter over time and life experiences. If you are a guest in our house, you don't leave our home without a copy!

Excellent Bible study reflection. I prefer using just the Bible for my study, but once in a while and as a family with an 8, 7 and 2 year old we read these together.

The Puritians are my favorite writers and this devotional was exactly what I wanted.

❤️

This is a favorite book of mine which I recommend often to ladies in my Bible study classes. It was wonderful to order these for them at a reduced price and they came in perfect condition. I will be ordering more of these from Amazon before the month is over! Thanks so much!

Wonderful book! And a great way to become familiar with the Puritan writers.

These old church leaders had a fine way of expressing their ideas about faith. These writings are very mentally & spiritually invigorating! A little package of new insight for every day. I love it & look forward to reading it every morning or evening.

This is an excellent daily devotional. It is amazingly pertinent to events occurring in our lives each day. I like this book so much, I have given it to a number of friends and relatives. This is one of the best devotional books that I have seen. I highly recommend it.

I have several daily devotional books using the works of famous people from the past. This one is from the Puritan era. All of the daily readings are concise and to the point without any motherhood-and-apple-pie blandness or spooky hocus pocus. They deal with useful points of doctrine and how to live a holy life pleasing to God.

Husband listens to pilgrim radio which did readings from this book. He could follow along and do extra reading.

Our church has distributed many of these! The one-page devotionals are very thought provoking, heart warming, and theologically rich! If you want a devotional book that is more than just a one-minute, feel-good pick-me-up daily paragraph, then this is it.

This is a great classic of puritan sermons in a book form . This a good book to read in the mornings before heading to work . It makes you think about life in God's sovereignty .

Buy it - will not be disappointed - everyday I fall further and further in love with our Father through the thoughts in this book.

Wonderful devotional for our after dinner prayers. Our Puritan forefathers in the faith are always relevant.

Great resource, thank you very much.

Great devotional.

Excellent daily readings from the Bible and short related comments from the minds of the great Puritans. I often give copies away as gifts to welcome newcomers to church, and for Christmas and birthdays.

Excellent. Highly recommend.

very well done.

Just as advertised. Good delivery and good product.

Thus is the best devotional I have ever read! The puritans have a way of writing that goes straight to the heart of things.

I have loved this book, bought this for a gift,

Outstanding daily readings.

It's a wonderful and very helpful daily devotional. Better than most - and I own a lot of different devotionals.

Words cannot adequately say how much I am enjoying this devotional.

A good devotional.

It was a gift for my husband. He loves it. Recommend you read it.

outstanding devotional!!!!

Puritans got it right on life. God is great and greatly to be praised. It is all about what glorifies God not how man feels or thinks.

My husband bought me this for Christmas. I love it! Each day the pages I read are so excellent and profound.

Excellent entries that push you to examine your walk with the Lord, that encourage you to have hope and persevere, that keep you hungering after the Word.

I was given this book as a gift and love it so much, I bought it as a gift for someone else!

Great devotional - Amazingly practical

To be highly recommended.

Excellent devotional with a different passage and puritan author for each day of the year.

Richard Rushing has done a great job selecting portions of Puritan writings to create this devotional. I was challenged, convicted, and encouraged the whole year through.

Excellent daily reminder of God's mercy and grace. Easy to understand, yet so thought provoking. This is one of my favorite devotions I have ever done!

I have never read a better book!!!!!

Very inspiring and on target for today's believer. Each day's devotion is full of insight and encouragement to live and think in ways that will glorify the Lord.

Excellent

Great devotional

An absolute must for your library. The compilation of reflections has been an enormous means of grace in our home. It is a can't miss.

This book is wonderful and was as advertised and arrived promptly. I think every Christian would benefit from this book.

One of the best devotional's I have experienced.

Incredible compilation of devotions to read and ponder of the wonderful nature of God and His working in our lives.

Wonderful devotional book, good subjects and very edifying.

What a feast!

I was going to start today with a deovotional, but the page is missing! The book goes to page 166 then skips to 199, I was really excited to start this but now I'll be waiting to return it and hopefully the next one comes with all of the pages. I will update my review when I receive it..

Just wonderful.

A great bible study resource

The Puritans…Really? Those unfamiliar with the Puritans may wonder if a book composed entirely of selections from their writings could possibly edify a Christian today. The answer is a resounding “Yes!” In this devotional volume Richard Rushing and the Banner of Truth have done the Church a great service. The work, ten years in-the-making, incorporates into one volume a variety of selections from over twenty different Puritan writers that address such relevant issues as: suffering, temptation, sin, imagination, contentment, fear, providence, and God’s will. Why should you care what some Puritan pastor who lived several centuries ago had to say about any of these issues? Because the Puritans, perhaps more than any group of Christians before or since, knew God and knew people. You will find passages in this book which so wonderfully depict God in all his glorious splendor that you cannot help but put the book down and respond in prayers of praise. You will also find passages that bring such light to the dark and sinful corners of your heart that it will feel as though a sword has pierced through your very soul, the only remedy for which is the gospel so readily offered by the authors. In a day and age in which devotional books rarely offer more than what could be found in the latest self-help manual, Voices from the Past offers the Word of God explained, illuminated, and applied to the Christian’s everyday life. This book is intended for Christians, and probably will be most appreciated by those who are not easily intimidated by theological language. However, I believe it also could be a useful tool in the hand of a more-mature Christian seeking to disciple a less-mature Christian. For example, reading a passage together and discussing the truths contained therein that otherwise may be too difficult for a new Christian to grasp on their own. You might use the same approach to incorporate these readings into your times of family worship if your children are a bit older. In short, these pages offer the meat of God’s Word broken up into very manageable bite-size pieces—about 350 words per reading, one for each day of the year. Richard Rushing not only desires to edify the Church through these daily readings from the Puritans, he also hopes that these readings would point the readers to the treasure trove of Puritan writings from which these selections come. To help the reader toward that end, he includes a bibliography of all the works referenced. Another useful feature that this volume contains are exhaustive author, Scripture, and topic indices. If you want to see what these Puritans had to say about a specific passage of Scripture or a particular topic, all you need to do is turn to these indices and you will more than likely find exactly what you are looking for. To top it all off, the quality of the book itself is superb. The hardback clothbound covers will ensure that the book will not fall apart in your lifetime, and the sewn-binding will effectively keep all the pages in the book exactly where they belong—between the two covers! If you are looking for something of substance to supplement your daily reading of God’s Word, I invite you to look no further than Voices from the Past.

My interest in the writings of the Puritans was sparked well over a year ago while reading prayers from The Valley of Vision. I had also read some excerpts of Voices From the Past on other blogs and knew I wanted to get a copy. Thank you Beth for sending me a copy of this amazing devotional! I have used this devotional in my quiet time every other day or so for about two months. Mr. Rushing has done an outstanding job of compiling works from Puritan writers such as Thomas Watson, Jonathan Edwards, John Bunyan, John Flavel, John Owen and many more. Voices From the Past is a dated devotional. A scripture passage is given followed by a short collection of insights from the particular Puritan writer being featured that day. What I really liked about this devotional is that Mr. Rushing compiled the devotionals by theme. For example for several days in a row you are able to gain an understanding from several different places in scripture and different Puritan perspectives (sometimes the same writer) say on the subject of delighting yourself in the Lord. So many people, so many Christians seem to be always looking for the next, newest way to enrich their lives. If "the thing" doesn't have all the bells and whistles then it surely can't be effective! The men that Mr. Rushing features in this devotional lived long ago. They didn't have all the bells and whistles, but what they did have was the Bible and a passion to preach and teach the truth of God's word unashamedly. Quite frankly, I think there is much we can learn from these "voices from the past". I want the kind of passion for reading and living out the word of God they seem to have had. I will be using this devotional in my quiet time during 2011. I would recommend it to you also.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I actually discovered it at another’s house while babysitting and decided to read it and found it so beneficial. I would even feel comfortable telling the youth in our church to read because of the language that has been accurately modified for today. I was skeptical at first mainly because much reading happens in the context of the full book but I humbly change my mind. This is a great resource that is very fitting for devotional aid.

This a great daily devotional put together by Puritan writings. I recommend this book for those looking for a devotional. Thank you to Richard Rushing and good reads.

There is a great deal of editorial skill and sensitivity in this volume. The compiler has not just selected apposite passages, but has sometimes condensed them or otherwise reworked them in order to give the essence of several pages. Unlike some other such works, the source of the material is given on each page, so particularly fruity portions may be traced to their root. Here you will find uniformly profitable substance in all the freshness and variety that different authors brought to their work. Well-known men jostle among lesser lights to provide the reader with a daily morsel of good things, stretching the soul in various directions over the course of time. If you seek something to spice up your morning or evening devotional material, then you would be well served by this excellent volume.

"Voices From The Past: Puritan Devotional Readings" will stir your heart and build your faith though 365 daily devotional readings form the Puritans on the attributes of the true and living God. The Puritans are biblical, reliable, and edifying writers who lift your soul in their simple expositions on the character of God. Your favorite Puritan will be among the 428 pages including: - Owen - Sibbes - Bunyan - Flavel - Baxter - and many additionally Puritans. "For their rock is not like our Rock" (Deuteronomy 32:40). This is an excellent devotional resource for teens, housewives, everyday Christians, and ministers. "Voices" offers selections on the providence of God, the Holiness of God, and various important attributes of the triune God. You will discover How to: - Improve your prayer life - Understand the sinfulness of sin as you crucify the sin-nature - Gain a passion for witnessing - Trust in God and His promises as you rest on the truth of His nature. The LORD is righteous in all His ways, Holy in all His works (Psalms 145:17).

This was such a great gift to receive! Each day a devotional by a favorite puritan, so doctrinally sound, uplifting, encouraging and at times convicting. I began reading it January 1 and have enjoyed daily readings by Sibbes, Owen, Flavel, Bunyan, Manton, Baxter, Gurnall, and so many more. This book could serve as a great intro to the puritans to those who just dont realize how wonderful their writings really are. Someone said, when it comes to theologians, the deader the better! So true of this book with such excerpts of their works! You'll be amazed at the depth of their hearts commitment to God and how they so clearly show what God desires in our own heart! I've only been reading in it two months and look forward to it each morning along with scripture. Treat yourself to some of the very best writings and gift someone else as well. They'll love you for it and God will bless you both. Come to appreciate in even greater ways the sovereignty of God, His attributes, holiness and heavenly mindedness.

I purchased this book at a conference and look forward to reading it each day. As a pastor/teacher in a local church, I not only endorse this book for those in of our church to read, but I am ordering copies for those who are looking to begin or end their day with both encouragement and exhortation.

This book has been such a blessing to our family, please produce more of them! There is so much rich treasure to mine from the works of these great men of the Faith, and they are so powerful in this format, more please :)

nice devotional

I enjoy reading the Puritan writers works! This is a daily part of my devotional reading and it helps me on my godly spiritual walk. A treasure for sure!

This is a Daily Devotional of the Great Puritans of the Past. This is True Devotion and Love for the LORD and The Things of God's Truth. Highly Recommended.