Ideas

Spiritual Classics

Quotations to stir heart and mind.

IF WE ATTEMPT to comprehend God, the God we think we understand is not God. … God’s presence and activity are beyond our ability to comprehend. We can accept them with faith. We can be deeply thankful for them. But there is no way we can grasp them, describe them, and explain them. … The closer we are to God, the less we know about God.

Pseudo-Macarius, Homilies

WHEN THE END comes and we are taken for judgment above, we will then clearly understand in God the mysteries that puzzle us now. Not one of us will think to say, “Lord, if it had been some other way, all would be well.”

Julian of Norwich, Showings

IT IS POSSIBLE to learn all about the mysteries of the Bible and never be affected by it in one’s soul. Great knowledge is not enough.

John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress

IT IS a serious waste to let a day go by without allowing God to change us.

Richard Rolle, The Fire of Love

GOD has granted you the morning, but he does not promise the evening. Spend each day as if it were your last.

Lawrence Scupoli, The Spiritual Combat

OUR BODIES have one fault: The more we cater to them, the more things they want. … This is not a trifling matter. God will help us to gain mastery of our bodies.

Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection

GOD ALLOWS himself to be seen in ordinary things, even when they are darkened by shadows.

Jean-Pierre de Caussade, Abandonment to Divine Providence

IF YOU put up with yourself, why not put up with everyone else?

Guigo I, Meditations

FIRE TESTS IRON; temptation tests an honest person. Sometimes we don’t know what we can do until temptation shows us what we are.

Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

THE BEST TEACHERS are trouble and affliction. These alone give us understanding.

John Foxe, Christ Jesus Triumphant

IT IS NOT POSSIBLE to love an unseen God while mistreating God’s visible creation.

John Woolman, Journal

SPRINKLE a seasoning of short prayers on your daily living. If you see something beautiful, thank God for it. If you are aware of someone’s need, ask God to help. … You can toss up many such prayers all day long. They will help you in your meditation and in your secular employment as well. Make a habit of it.

Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life

I HAVE SEEN a fraction of [God’s] glory, and it is awesome.

Bernard of Clairvaux, On the Song of Songs

Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

Past Reflections columns include:

Proverbs (Aug. 15, 2006)

Summer (June 27, 2006)

Philosophers’ Potpourri (June 9, 2006)

Ponder These Things (May 17, 2006)

Holy Week (April 4, 2006)

Evening Prayer (March 10, 2006)

Morning Prayers (Feb. 6, 2006)

Hope (Jan. 16, 2006)

Christmas (Dec. 19, 2005)

Poetry (Dec. 12, 2005)

Grace that Surprises (Oct. 3, 2005)

Friendship (August 31, 2005)

Wisdom That Sticks (August 8, 2005)

His Body, His Blood (June 08, 2005)

On Baptism (April 25, 2005)

Discovering God (April 07, 2005)

Welcoming the Stranger (Feb. 22, 2005)

The Church and Mission (Feb. 02, 2005)

The Church (Jan. 11, 2005)

Word Made Flesh (Dec. 20, 2004)

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

Cover Story

Young, Restless, Reformed

'Divine Conspirator' Dallas Willard Dies at 77

It's All About God

Inside C.S. Lewis's Toolbox

Embrace Your Inner Pentecostal

China's New Legal Eagles

Class Warfare

What Happened to Religion in Canada?

Despair Not

The Call of Samuel

Logic Left Behind

The Whole Word for the Whole World

Jeffrey Dahmer's Story of Faith

For Shame?

Christ's Story

Postcard from Africa

Editorial

God's Will in the Public Square

The Truth Is Somewhere

Wrongful Love

Theology for an Age of Terror

News

Quotation Marks

The New Missions Generation

News

Go Figure

News

<em>Christianity Today</em> News Briefs

News

Passages

Excerpt

A Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future

Together in the Jesus Story

Nicholas Kristof on Evangelicals, China, and Human Rights

'Volcanic' Response

We're Not Spectators

Bygone Protests

Two Degrees of Separation

News

Scrubbing CleanFlicks

Thinking Straight

Echoes and Voices from Beyond

How to Create Cynics

Sermons of Frederick Buechner

Estranged Bedfellows

The Problem with Prophets

Sit Down, Sit Down for Jesus?

Pluralist Impotence

Dr. Willard's Diagnosis

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