5/12/25
The Holy Spirit reveals that God loved me not because I was lovable, but because it was His nature to do so. Now, He says to me, show the same love to others---"Love as I have loved you." "I will bring any number of people about you whom you cannot respect, and you must exhibit My love to them as I have exhibited it to you."
My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, May 11th
2/17/25
How else would a Creator reveal himself but through his creation? And to deny the mind of that creation is to deny the mind of God!
Larry Fleinhardt, Numb3rs: Season 4, Episode 16
12/18/20
The idea is not that we do work for God, but that we are so loyal to Him that He can do His work through us-- "I reckon on you for extreme service, with no complaining on your part and no explanation on Mine." God wants to use us as He used His own Son.
My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, Dec. 18th
5/8/20
A saint's life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see and He stretches and strains, and every now and again the saint says-- "I cannot stand any more." God does not heed, He goes on stretching till His purpose is in sight, then He lets fly.
My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, May 8th
2/4/20
Cause me to be Thine in the expression of Thy grace as well as in the experience of it.
My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, Feb. 4th
11/18/15
Life you can evade; death you cannot.
Brother Odd, by Dean Koontz
10/28/13
One of the immutable laws of nature is that people determined to demonstrate their leadership abilities usually don't have any in the first place.
Ghost Rider One, by Gerry Carroll, p. 436
5/16/13
And to us who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope that is set before us in the gospel, how unutterably sweet is the knowledge that our Heavenly Father knows us completely. No talebearer can inform on us, no enemy can make an accusation stick; no forgotten skeleton can come tumbling out of some hidden closet to abash us and expose our past; no unsuspected weakness in our characters can come to light to turn God away from us, since He knew us utterly before we knew Him and called us to Himself in the full knowledge of everything that was against us.
The Knowledge of the Holy, by A.W. Tozer, p. 57
1/7/13
When social forces press of the rejection of age-old Truth, then those who reject it will seek meaning in their own truth. These truths will rarely be Truth at all; they will be only collections of personal preferences and prejudices.
Forever Odd, by Dean Koontz, p. 494
12/26/12
He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even though his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial. God hates visionary dreaming; it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious. The man who fashions a visionary ideal of community demands that it be realized by God, by others, and by himself.
Life Together, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, p. 27
12/10/12
I counsel you first to thank God for such things as you understand; but as for all which is beyond the reach of your mind, pray for understanding from the Lord, observing, at the same time peace and love among yourselves; and until He Himself lead you to perceive what at present is beyond your comprehension, walk firmly on the ground of which you are sure.
Of Grace and Free Will, St. Augustine
4/17/12
What He wants of the layman in church is an attitude which may, indeed, be critical in the sense of rejecting what is false or unhelpful, but which is wholly uncritical in the sense that it does not appraise - does not waste time about what it rejects, but lays itself open in uncommenting, humble receptivity to any nourishment that is going.
The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis, p.61
4/7/12
The simplest woman who tries not to judge her neighbour, or not to be anxious for the morrow, will better know what is best to know, than the best-read bishop without that one simple outgoing of his highest nature in the effort to do the will of Him who thus spoke.
Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood, by George MacDonald
2/23/12
And I say to myself: 'My life is like a wind. It blows and will cease.' But something says in reply: 'Wouldst thou not be one of God's winds, content to blow, and scatter the rain and dew, and shake the plants into fresh life, and then pass away and know nothing of what thou has done?' And I answer: 'Yes, Lord.'
Adela Cathcart, by George MacDonald
4/2/11
As soon as men decide that all means are permitted to fight an evil, then their good becomes indistinguishable from the evil that they set out to destroy.
Christopher Dawson
2/21/11
'How shall a man judge what to do in such times?' 'As he has ever judged,' said Aragorn. 'Good and ill have not changed since yesteryear; nor are they one thing among Elves and Dwarves and another among men. It is a man's part to discern them, as much in the Golden Wood as in his own house.'
Eomer and Aragorn, The Two Towers, by J.R.R. Tolkien, p. 48
2/11/11
Failures will be forgiven; it is acquiescence that is fatal, the permitted, regularised presence of an area in ourselves which we still claim for our own. We may never this side of death, drive the invader out of our territory, but we must be in the Resistance, not the Vichy government. And this, so far as I can yet see, must be begun again every day.
The Weight of Glory, by C.S. Lewis, p.192
2/11/11
Real forgiveness means looking steadily at the sin, the sin that is left over without any excuse, after all allowances have been made, and seeing it in all its horror, dirt, meanness, and malice, and nevertheless being wholly reconciled to the man who has done it.
The Weight of Glory, by C.S. Lewis, p.181
2/8/11
Christianity does not simply replace our natural life and substitute a new one; it is rather a new organization which exploits, to its own supernatural ends, these natural materials.
The Weight of Glory, by C.S. Lewis, p.54
2/8/11
Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendours.
The Weight of Glory, by C.S. Lewis, p.46
2/6/11
He wants them to learn to walk and must therefore take away His hand; and if only the will to walk is really there He is pleased even with their stumbles.
The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis, p. 40
1/15/11
Most parents would like their children to have a chance of escaping eternal misery; but as to becoming sons and daughters of God, that is hardly worth their while!
The Shepherd's Castle, by George MacDonald, p. 281
1/15/11
He who will not let us out until we have paid the uttermost farthing, rejoices over the offer of the first golden grain in payment. Easy to please is he - hard indeed to satisfy.
The Shepherd's Castle, by George MacDonald, p. 268
1/13/11
Some would count it worthless the love of a man who loved every body. There would be no distinction in being loved by such a man!-and distinction, as a guarantee of their own great worth is what such seek.
The Baronet's Song, by George MacDonald, p. 199
1/8/11
It is easy to use the phrase "God's will for my life" as an excuse for inaction or even disobedience. It's much less demanding to think about God's will for your future than it is to ask Him what He wants you to do in the next ten minutes. It's safer to commit to following Him someday instead of this day.
Forgotten God, by Francis Chan, p. 120
10/31/10
Yet it is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.
Gandalf, The Return of the King, by J.R.R. Tolkien, p. 171
10/17/10
One cannot answer for his courage when he has never been in danger.
Francois, Duc De La Rochefoucauld
9/30/10
But thou art making me, I thank thee, sire. What thou hast done and doest thou know'st well, and I will help thee: gently in thy fire I will lie burning: on thy potter's wheel I will whirl patient, though my brain should reel. Thy grace shall be enough the grief to quell, and growing strength perfect through weakness dire.
George MacDonald
7/7/10
Thank God He does give us difficult things to do! His salvation is a glad thing, but it is also a heroic, holy thing. It tests us for all we are worth. Jesus is bringing many "sons" unto glory, and God will not shield us from the requirements of a son. God's grace turns out men and women with a strong family likeness to Jesus Christ, not milksops. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to live the noble life of a disciple of Jesus in actual thing. It is always necessary to make an effort to be noble.
My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, July 7
6/27/10
"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling, p. 333
5/18/10
Consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they simply are! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars and the moon - all these are, and what a ministration they exert. So often we mar God's designed influence through us by our self-conscious effort to be consistent and useful. Jesus says there is only one way to develope spiritually, and that is by consentration on God. "Do not bother about being of use to others; believe on Me"... The people who influence us most are not those who buttonhole us, but those who live their lives like the stars in heaven and the lilies in the field, perfectly simply and unaffectedly.
My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, May 18th
5/14/10
"...'He deserves death.' 'Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends. I have not much hope that Gollum can be cured before he dies, but there is a chance of it...'"
Frodo and Gandalf, The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien, p. 85
4/22/10
The sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of all sins. All the worst pleasures are purely spiritual: the pleasure of putting other people in the wrong, of bossing and patronising and spoiling sport, and back-biting, the pleasures of power, of hatred.
Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis, p. 102
4/22/10
You must ask for God's help. Even when you have done so, it may seem to you for a long time that no help, or less help than you need, is being given. Never mind. After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again. Very often what God first helps us towards is not the virtue itself but just this power of always trying again. For however important chastity (or courage, or truthfulness, or any other virtue) may be, this process trains us in habits of the soul which are more important still.
Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis, p. 101
4/14/10
It starts with you. In the end, God simply calls you to be faithful to the things He has given you to do. He doesn't require you to be a superstar, just faithful and obedient, by praying, loving, serving, giving, forgiving, healing, and caring--doing small things with great love.
The Hole in Our Gospel, by Richard Sterns, p. 277
4/14/10
The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
Abraham Lincoln
4/14/10
Are you gifted, attractive, eloquent, brilliant, creative, or clever? Are your opportunities in life favorable because you were born in the right family or the right country? If you have any of these traits or good circumstances, you have only God to thank for them. Even your hard work can be traced to the personality He gave you and perhaps the upbringing He arranged for you. Indeed, the very notion that we are entitled to anything that comes from God's hand is wrong.
The Hole in Our Gospel, by Richard Sterns, p. 205
4/14/10
Our Christian habit is to bewail the world's deteriorating standards with an air of rather self-righteous dismay. We criticize its violence, dishonesty, immorality, disregard for human life, and materialistic greed. "The World is going down the drain," we say with a shrug. But whose fault is it? Who is to blame? Let me put it like this. If the house is dark when nightfall comes, there is no sense in blaming the house; that is what happens when the sun goes down. The question to ask is "Where is the light?" Similarly, if the meat goes bad and becomes inedible, there is no sense in blaming the meat; that is what happens when bacteria are left alone to breed. The question to ask is "Where is the salt?" Just so, if society deteriorates and its standards decline until it becomes like a dark night or a stinking fish, there is no sense in blaming society; that is what happens when fallen men and women are left to themselves, and human selfishness is unchecked. The question to ask is "Where is the Church? Why are the salt and light of Jesus Christ not permeating and changing our society?" It is sheer hypocrisy on our part to raise our eyebrows, shrug our shoulders, or wring our hands. The Lord Jesus told us to be the world's salt and light. If therefore darkness and rottenness abound, it is largely our fault and we must accept the blame.
John Scott
4/13/10
A holy life will produce the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns; they only shine.
D. L. Moody
4/11/10
...I could hear the same voice in my heart I'd been hearing since I was in kindergarten: I carried you, Travis, just as a father carries his son, in all the way you went, until you came to this place. He was still the same old God, ordering my life and doing all things well.
The Visitation, by Frank Peretti, p. 600
4/11/10
There is but one good; that is God. Everything else is good when it looks to Him and bad when it turns from Him. And the higher and mightier it is in the natural order, the more demonic it will be if it rebels. It's not out of bad mice or fleas you make demons, but out of bad archangels. The false religion of lust is baser than the false religion of mother-love or patriotism or art: but lust is less likely to be made into a religion.
The Great Divorce, by C.S. Lewis, p. 106
4/1/10
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either.
Albert Einstein
3/27/10
When a man is getting better he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him. When a man is getting worse he understands his own badness less and less. A moderately bad man knows he is not very good: a thoroughly bad man thinks he is all right.
Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis, p. 93
3/19/10
The true work of art is but a shadow of the Divine perfection.
Michelangelo
9/7/09
...she wanted to say "I'm sorry" but she could not speak. Then the Lion drew them toward him with his eyes, and bent down and touched their pail faces with his tongue, and said: "Think of that no more. I will not always be scolding. You have done the work for which I sent you into Narnia."
The Silver Chair, by C.S. Lewis, p. 250
7/31/09
There is only one Being who can satisfy the last aching abyss of the human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Why our Lord is apparently so severe regarding every human relationship is because He knows that every relationship not based on loyalty to Himself will end in disaster. Our Lord trusted no man, yet He was never suspicious, never bitter. Our Lord's confidence in God and in what His grace could do for any man, was so perfect that He despaired of no one. If our trust is placed in human beings, we shall end up despairing of every one.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers, July 30th
7/13/09
The Church is the Lord's bride whom He so loves that in her no spot or wrinkle is endurable (Eph. 5:27). For the truth which this analogy serves to emphasize is that Love, in its own nature, demands the perfecting of the beloved; that mere 'kindness which tolerates anything except suffering in its object' is, in that respect, at the opposite pole from Love.
The Problem of Pain, by C.S. Lewis, p. 38
7/6/09
Every poet and musician and artist, but for Grace, is drawn away from the love of the thing he tells to love of the telling till, down in Deep Hell, they cannot be interested in God at all but only what they say about Him.
The Great Divorce, by C.S. Lewis, p. 85
6/18/09
You and I were created to tell the truth about God by reflecting His likeness. That is normality. How many lies have you told about God today?
Ian Thomas
3/2/09
I don't have to be right, first, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded.
Internet chain letter. Author unknown.
1/7/09
"You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve," said Aslan. "And that is both honor enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth. Be content."
Prince Caspian, by C.S. Lewis, p. 233
1/4/09
"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver; "don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the king I tell you."
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis, p. 86
12/16/08
(God speaking) Don't ever assume that my using something means I caused it or that I need it to accomplish my purpose. That will only lead you to false notions about me. Grace doesn't depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you find grace in many facets and colors.
The Shack, by WM. Paul Young, p. 185
11/16/08
O God, be Thou exalted over my possessions. Nothing of earth's treasures shall seem dear unto me if only Thou art glorified in my life. Be Thou exalted over my friendships. I am determined that Thou shalt be above all, though I must stand deserted and alone in the midst of the earth. Be Thou exalted above my comforts. Though it mean the loss of bodily comforts and the carrying of heavy crosses I shall keep my vow made this day before Thee. Be Thou exalted over my reputation. Make me ambitious to please Thee even if as a result I must sink into obscurity and my name be forgotten as a dream. Rise, O Lord, into Thy proper place of honor. Above my ambitions, above my likes and dislikes, above my family, my health and even my life itself. Let me decrease that Thou mayest rise above. Ride forth upon me as Thou didst ride into Jerusalem mounted upon the humble little beast, a colt, the foal of an ass, and let me hear the little children cry to Thee, "Hosanna in the highest."
A.W. Tozer