Thoughts for Young Men

Our children need wise counsel.   Do you agree?  The Bible should of course be our number one source, however sometimes we come across jewels that are written by men and women of God that pierce the heart and challenge us in our walks. 

"Value all books in proportion as they are agreeable to Scripture. Those that are nearest to it are the best, and those that are farthest from it, and most contrary to it, the worst." - J.C. Ryle

I thought I would share a jewel I have found recently.  The title is Thoughts for Young Men by J.C. Ryle  I actually have known about it but just didn't purchase it until a few weeks ago.  I will have to say, this is one of those situations where I wish I had bought it years ago.  Hindsight...... This is a small book just 89 pages, but  packed full of truth.



Here is a bit about the author.

  J.C. Ryle
       1816-1900
      
       John Charles Ryle was the first Anglican bishop of Liverpool. Ryle was a strong supporter of the evangelical school and a critic of Ritualism. Among his longer works are Christian Leaders of the Eighteenth Century (1869), Expository Thoughts on the Gospels (7 vols, 1856-69), Principles for Churchmen (1884).
      
       Thoroughly evangelical in his doctrine and uncompromising in his principles, J.C. Ryle was a prolific writer, vigorous preacher, and faithful pastor.
      
       In his diocese, he exercised a vigorous and straightforward preaching ministry, and was a faithful pastor to his clergy, exercising particular care over ordination retreats. He formed a clergy pension fund for his diocese and built over forty churches. Despite criticism, he put raising clergy salaries ahead of building a cathedral for his new diocese.
      
       Ryle combined his commanding presence and vigorous advocacy of his principles with graciousness and warmth in his personal relations. Vast numbers of working men and women attended his special preaching meetings, and many became Christians.

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If it was difficult to be a young man in the days of the nineteenth century when Ryle penned Thoughts for Young Men, it is all the more difficult to be a young man in the twenty-first century world of image overload, radical individualism, and rampant sensuality. Thanks be to God, the answers available for the boys of Ryle’s day remain every bit as potent for boys today. The reason, of course, is that these truths spring from an eternal font of life — the Word of God — which knows no historical boundaries.

Thoughts for Young Men addresses the four great temptations that plague most young men: sloth, lust, love of pleasure, and peer pressure. J.C. Ryle, the last of the great Puritans, tackles each of these subjects with a tenderness and tact that is unsurpassed. First written toward the end of the nineteenth century, it remains to this day the most relevant and helpful book on the subject in print.

There is more good news: it is wonderful to be a young man. Notwithstanding the many temptations and challenges that all young men face, there is a world of tremendous possibility in Jesus Christ. Young men are brimming with potential, in part because they have yet to be jaded by the cynicism and compromise that often cloud the thinking of adults. For this reason, we must never brush aside young men. We must invest in their lives, listen to their dreams, and encourage them to have a big vision for Jesus Christ.

There is great urgency for us to raise strong, courageous men of faith. The twenty-first century, with its terrorism, its changing cultural and social climate, and its technological and ethical challenges, demands a new type of Christian boy — a hearty, ferociously principled, chivalrous, Christ-loving boy who is willing to stand alone. Without such boys, our culture is doomed. It is these boys who will be the fathers of the next generation.-Vision Forum

If you have boys I highly recommend this jewel!  

Thoughts for Young Men by J.C. Ryle

-I receive NO compensation for this recommendation.