Real Power No one in the world today has such power as they who can make their fellow human beings feel that Christ is a reality.
—Henry van Dyke in The Upward Path
The Master’s Job It is not up to you to complete the work, nor are you at liberty to give it up.
—From the Pirke Avoth (2:18)
Knowing God I often wonder if my knowledge about God has not be come my greatest stumbling block to my knowledge of God.
—Henri Nouwen in A Cry for Mercy
Faith That Works The only thing that can defeat the faith God has given you … is you. You must use your faith, exercise your faith, en gage your faith. Until it is pressed into service, faith is only potential. To use the old exercise cliche, you must “use it or lose it!”
—Andrew Merritt in My Faith Is Taking Me Someplace
Two Predators The dogs of doubt never sleep long. Our peace is forever stalked by two predators. The first is our culture of convenience. We are the well-fed, the secure. We are lovers of the large plate and the broad sofa. Material abundance keeps us from seeking any other kind. … Our love of convenience trains us to believe that we can have as much as we want, of whatever we want, whenever we want it. … No matter what life gives us, we always want more. … We are the walking wanton.
The second predator that stalks our peace is narcissism. Narcissists worship themselves. This self-love produces only those inner values that we ourselves can create. … When our self-contrived image be gins to crumble, we always crave a more solid foundation; for “the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His’ ” (2 Tim. 2:19).
—Calvin Miller in The Unchained Soul
Sufficient Unto the Day … Today is mine. Tomorrow is none of my business. If I peer anxiously into the fog of the future, I will strain my spiritual eyes so that I will not see clearly what is required of me now.
—Elisabeth Elliot in Keep a Quiet Heart
Built-in Alarm System Many of the later-model cars are equipped with theft alarm systems. The more sensitive ones can be annoying to the general public. … But that obnoxious sensitivity is purposefully designed to be protection against unwanted entry.
God has built into each of us an alarm system to warn us of the unwanted entry of sin into our lives. The alarm system is called guilt. Guilt is our friend. Without it we would go on in sin until we were dominated and defeated by it.
In our pleasure-seeking, anything-goes, feel-good society, guilt is anathema. We run from it … but we can’t rid ourselves of it! … The only thing that can “wash away” our sin and guilt before God is the blood of Jesus Christ.
—Anne Graham Lotz in The Glorious Dawn of God’s Story
Fruitful Yield Obedience is the fruit of faith; patience, the bloom on the fruit.
—Christina Rosetti, quoted in Streams in the Desert
Three Related Virtues All things are possible to him who believes, yet more to him who hopes, more still to him who loves, and most of all to him who practises and perseveres in these three virtues.
—Brother Lawrence in The Practice of the Presence of God
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