PRESUMPTUOUS PRAYING
Some people think the prayer of faith is crawling out on a limb and then begging God to keep someone from sawing it off. But that is not real prayer, that is presumption. If God makes it clear that he wants you out on a limb, fine–you will be perfectly safe there. If not, it is presumptuous to crawl out on that limb, expecting God to keep you there.
Ray C. Stedman in "Man of Faith"
WE NEED BETTER VISION
When we find ourselves deficient in wisdom, it is not because the Word of God has pages missing, but because we have not seen all there is on the pages we already have. It is not another book we need, but better attention to the book we have; it is not more knowledge we require, but better vision to see what has already been revealed in Jesus Christ.
Eugene H. Peterson in "Living the Message"
HEROES OR SAINTS?
The hero is one who kindles a great light in the world, who sets up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for men to see by. The saint is the man who walks through the dark paths of the world, himself a light.
Felix Adler, quoted in "Daily Guideposts" (1996)
SURPRISED BY JOY
The modern world has had far too little understanding of the art of keeping young. Its notion of progress has been to pile one thing on top of another, without caring if each thing was crushed in turn. People forgot that the human soul can enjoy a thing most when there is time to think about it and be thankful for it. And by crowding things together they lost the sense of surprise; and surprise is the secret of joy.
G. K. Chesterton in "More Quotable Chesterton"
BETTER SKEPTIC THAN CYNIC
Nathaniel [Nash] intuitively understood that there was a difference between skepticism and cynicism. . . . Skepticism is about asking questions, being dubious, being wary, not being gullible. Cynicism is about already having the answers–or thinking you do–about a person or an event. The skeptic says: "I don't think that's true; I'm going to check it out." The cynic says: "I know that's not true, it couldn't be. I'm going to slam him."
Thomas L. Friedman in memory of New York Times Frankfurt bureau chief Nathaniel Nash, killed with Commerce Secretary Ron Brown in a plane crash (NY Times, April 10, 1996)
FLEE CONTENTIOUSNESS
Eschew controversy, my brethren, as you would eschew the entrance to hell itself! Let them have it their own way. Let them talk, let them write, let them correct you, let them traduce you. Let them judge and condemn you, let them slay you. Rather let the truth of God itself suffer than that love suffer. You have not enough of the Divine nature in you to be a controversialist.
Alexander Whyte, quoted in "Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God"
AUTHORITY'S FRUIT
The Latin root of "authority" and "authentic" means "that which allows growth and life." Our resentment of the authority of God in Christ is, therefore, foolish.
Diogenes Allen in "Quest: The Search for Meaning through Christ"
RIGHTEOUS BIGOTRY
I am a Bible-bigot. I follow it in all things, both great and small.
John Wesley in his Journal
POOR IMITATIONS
Our little systems have their day;
They have their day
and cease to be;
They are but
broken lights of thee,
And thou, O Lord,
art more than they.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson; from "In Memoriam"
NOVICES NEED NOT APPLY
The great illusion of leadership is to think that man can be led out of the desert by someone who has never been there.
Henri Nouwen in "The Wounded Healer"
Getting "with it"
Malcolm Muggeridge once said that Mother Teresa never reads the newspaper, never listens to the radio and never watches television, so she's got a pretty good idea of what's going on in the world.
Martin Wroe in "Third Way"
Copyright © 1996 Christianity Today, Inc./CHRISTIANITY TODAY Magazine
June 17, 1996, Vol. 40, No. 7, Page 52
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