The Heart Taken Up: 90 Days with the Puritans

Description

It is one thing to know about God’s majesty, and another thing to behold its beauty; it is one thing to know that sin is the greatest evil, and another thing to feel its horror; it is one thing to know the excellency of God’s love, and another thing to taste its sweetness.

In The Heart Taken Up: 90 Days with the Puritans, Stephen Yuille challenges us to consider the difference between intellectual and experiential knowledge. Using anecdotes, illustrations, Scripture, and the writings of the Puritans, he encourages Christians to consider the glory of God, the severity of sin, the beauty of Christ, the mystery of providence, and the certainty of glory each day.

As you meditate on these five lively truths, your love will be kindled, your faith strengthened, your joy increased, and your hope renewed so that you may be filled with the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19).

Contents

Introduction

1. Our Most Loving Father
2. The Greatest Evil of All
3. True Religion
4. Special Providence
5. Falling into Trials
6. A Boundless God
7. Man’s Soul
8. Christ Crucified
9. Universally Effectual
10. God’s Smile
11. Forever the Same
12. Earthly Things
13. The True Rock
14. Our Keeper
15. Spiritual Decay
16. A Divine Sparkling
17. A Sincere Heart
18. Christ Alone
19. God for Us
20. Communion with God
21. All Good Things
22. True Greatness
23. Altogether Lovely
24. Our Help
25. The Cleansing Word
26. Perfect in Knowledge
27. Keeping the Heart
28. An Indissoluble Union
29. Mara
30. Our Adversary
31. A Sacred Mystery
32. A Divine Light
33. The Main Thing
34. Perspective
35. A Rare Jewel
36. An Ocean of Goodness
37. The Poor in Spirit
38. Justified Freely
39. Trusting in God
40. Blessed
41. God’s Beauty
42. Out of Order
43. Exceedingly Abundant
44. Sowing in Tears
45. Holy Meditation
46. Our Greatest Treasure
47. Radical Amputation
48. The Substance
49. A Present Reality
50. Christian Joy
51. True Blessedness
52. Unjust Anger
53. Our Passover Lamb
54. No Opposition to God’s Power
55. A Sweet Savior
56. The High and Lofty One
57. A Restless Evil
58. A Sweet-Smelling Aroma
59. Only Comfort in Life and Death
60. Filled with the Spirit
61. Our Portion
62. The Publican
63. A Merciful High Priest
64. Spiritual Revival
65. A Precious Treasure
66. Great Gain
67. Self-Seeking
68. Willing to Forgive
69. Lifting Our Eyes
70. The Filth of the World
71. The Crowning Blessing
72. Murmuring
73. A Threefold Office
74. Afflicted
75. Walking by the Spirit
76. The Incarnate Word
77. Enticed by Desire
78. The Merit of Christ
79. Eternal Grace
80. Delayed Answers to Prayer
81. A Fear Commended
82. Anxious Thoughts
83. Holy of Holies
84. A Sure and Steady Anchor
85. The Torments of the Second Death
86. The Crux of the Matter
87. The Way of Repentance
88. Raised from the Dead
89. Our Chief Business
90. Known by God

Read More from the Puritans

Endorsements

“The Puritans have left an indelible mark on my life, shaping my thoughts about God and deepening my affections toward Him. This collection of devotions, drawn from the rich well of Puritan piety, is a help in itself. It is made even richer because Stephen Yuille is one of the best guides I know to help us drink as deeply as we should.”
—Matthew Boswell, hymn writer; pastor of The Trails Church, Celina, Texas; professor of worship ministries, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

“In these short devotional readings, we’re given a delectable tasting menu of Puritan sweetnesses, stirring us not merely to know the truth in our minds but to long for a greater feast with the One whom we love. Even the busiest of us has time to sit with Stephen Yuille at this Puritan table and delight in each five-star course.”
—Becky Aniol, Living Heritage Homeschool Curriculum

“The doctrinal richness and warmth of pastoral application of the Puritans shines brightly in Stephen Yuille’s The Heart Taken Up. This ninety-day devotional masterfully guides the reader beyond mere intellectual knowledge to a true, experiential communion with God by focusing on the central themes of the Christian life. It is spiritually nourishing, theologically sound, and an ideal resource for daily devotion. I highly commend it.”
—Scott Aniol, president, G3 Ministries; professor of pastoral theology, Grace Bible Theological Seminary

“Simply stated, The Heart Taken Up is a treasure! Drawing from the writings of William Perkins, John Owen, Richard Sibbes, John Flavel, Richard Baxter, John Bunyan, Stephen Charnock, and numerous other Puritan voices, Stephen Yuille has put together ninety entries that offer encouragement for each day with truth for the heart. . . I gladly and heartily recommend this outstanding resource!”
—David S. Dockery, president and distinguished professor of theology, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

“A dry, daily devotional book doesn’t deserve to be in print. . . The Puritans had the pastoral and literary skills to write in ways that blended both heart and head, spirit and truth, piety and theology. Based on Puritan writings, this book by Stephen Yuille shows that he can do the same.”
—Donald S. Whitney, professor of biblical spirituality; John H. Powell Professor of Pastoral Ministry; and director of the Center for Biblical Spirituality, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

"I can’t think of a better way to spend the morning than with comrades in the faith on whose shoulders we stand, and I can’t think of a better guide than Stephen Yuille to introduce us to the Christ-saturated wisdom of the Puritans. If you want to be wise, then walk ninety days in the company of Yuille and the Puritans (Proverbs 13:20)."
—T. Dale Johnson, executive director of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors; professor of biblical counseling, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

About the Author

J. Stephen Yuille is director of Puritan publishing at Reformation Heritage Books. He also serves as a pastor at Fairview Covenant Church in Granbury, Texas, and as a professor of church history at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.