“The Lord and no one else shall save me. I desire no other helper, and would not trust in an arm of flesh even if I could. I will cry to him evening, and morning, and noon, and I will cry to no one else, for he is All-sufficient.” -CH Spurgeon

I read that early this morning before I had my quiet time. It’s a little snippet from his devotional based on Psalm 55:16, “As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.” Once again, Charles Haddon hit me right in the heart. He proclaims with such boldness and certainty that God alone will be his help and strength. I wish I could do the same. At the end of my last semester at the Grove and right before my third summer at camp, God kept pounding this very idea into my head – run…

You know how it is…..busy life, many books, little time.  You’ve skimmed through many a preface in your day, read a multitude of introductory chapters, even managed to reach page 100 (a milestone indeed) in several volumes you fully intended to complete.  But alas, you find that making real progress eludes you.  Too many choices, too much dabbling.  In your weaker moments, you think of it as a perusal paradise…but, more truthfully, it’s death by browsing.

What is the confounded reader to do?

Well, here are some principles that will help you stay on track.  None of them are laws which must never be broken.  So, if you don’t find them helpful, discard.  These are more narrowly for Christian readers, but the general principles apply to all readers as well.

1.  Know Thyself.  Self-knowledge will help you avoid the obvious pitfalls.  Don’t rationalize that you’re simply going to take a look at the new book you…