Hearts Aflame

Drawing from John Preston’s "The Breastplate of Faith and Love," this episode explores the living union believers have with Christ. All spiritual life flows from Him. Apart from Christ there is no true vitality, but in Him there is continual strength, growth, and renewal. The Christian life is not sustained by effort alone but by daily dependence on the One who is life eternal.

In this episode, we reflect on John Cotton’s teaching that Christ alone is the sure foundation of the soul. Every other ground—our duties, feelings, or inward resolve—will fail under the weight of eternity. But Christ, appointed by God Himself, is firm and unshakable. To rest on Him is to find a peace that does not depend on circumstances and a security that no storm can overthrow.

In this episode, we meditate on Christopher Love’s exaltation of the incomparable worth of Christ. Jesus is the Pearl of great price — glorious in His person, perfect in His natures, beautiful in His works, and unfathomable in His love. Every part of His saving work is precious beyond measure. To know Him is to treasure Him; to treasure Him is to long for Him. Nothing in this world compares to the sweetness of Christ. 

Isaac Ambrose reminds us in "Looking Unto Jesus" that Christ is never distant from His people. He dwells in us by His Spirit, walks with us in trials, counsels us in confusion, and comforts us in fear. His presence is real, constant, and deeply personal. When we fix our eyes on Jesus, burdens lighten and the path grows clear.

In this episode, we behold the astonishing humility of Jesus as described by Richard Baxter. The eternal Son stooped low — from heaven’s glory to a manger, from the praise of angels to the shame of the cross. His humility exposes our pride and invites us into a life shaped by His example. The One who made all things humbled Himself to save us. Such love melts the heart and transforms the life.

This episode draws from William Ames’s "The Marrow of Theology" and celebrates the complete sufficiency of Christ for every need of the believer. Jesus is our life, our righteousness, our wisdom, our Shepherd, our King, our peace. He is the fullness that never runs dry and the treasure that satisfies the soul completely. True Christian living is learning to draw everything from Him and seek nothing apart from Him.

In this episode, we reflect on Thomas Manton’s rich teaching on the mediating work of Christ. Jesus stands between a holy God and sinful people, bringing peace through His sacrifice and continual intercession. Every grace from God flows to us through Him, and every hope we possess rests on His advocacy. Christ is the door, the ladder, the way — the One who makes our worship possible and our salvation sure.

In this episode, we savor Samuel Rutherford’s reflections on the joy of Christ’s nearness. One moment with Jesus outweighs every earthly pleasure. His presence lightens burdens, sweetens suffering, and steadies the trembling heart. Christ may hide for a moment to awaken longing, but He never leaves His own. The deepest joy of the Christian life is Christ Himself.

Jeremiah Burroughs reminds us that Christ is not only necessary — He is enough. Every desire of the heart finds its answer in Him. He is wisdom, righteousness, peace, redemption, and joy for His people. When Christ is our portion, we lack nothing that truly matters. This episode calls us to let go of substitutes and rest in the fullness of Jesus.

In this episode, we reflect on Thomas Watson’s teaching that the righteousness which justifies believers is Christ’s perfect obedience. Jesus not only died for us — He lived for us. Every holy thought, word, and deed of His life now stands in place of ours. This truth frees us from the anxiety of self-righteousness and fuels a new life of grateful obedience.