Tag Quotes

Promises of Life, Godliness, and Excellence

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Fellow travelers,

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” – 2 Peter 1:3-4

We do not, and cannot, depend on our own merit to convince God to love us, therefore:
“This consolation I would wish all Christians in their prayers: the testimony of a good conscience to assure them of God’s promises. But to obtain what they ask must only depend upon him, all opinion and thought of our own justice being laid aside.” – John Knox

Today in prayer, seek His power in His promises.  He wants us to have “all things that pertain to life and godliness” and He is faithful.

Post inspired by McKim, Donald K.  Everyday Prayer with the Reformers (2020).  P. 115.

The Brief Joy of Falling Back

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English writer Samuel Johnson wrote sometime in the 1700’s:

“How small of all that human hearts endure,
That part which laws or kings can cause or cure.
Still to ourselves in every place consigned,
Our own felicity we make or find.
With secret course, which no loud storms annoy,
Glides the smooth current of domestic joy.”

Photo by Mike Labrum on Unsplash

By setting the clock back this week we get a bit of joy from an extra hour of sleep, an idea originally suggested by Ben Franklin to preserve candles. But the benefit will last only a few days. Similarly, our kings and other rulers may insist they can offer us lasting rest and joy, but their impact on our lives is much smaller than they (and often we) imagine.  But…

Jesus said, as recorded in Matthew 11:28-30 – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.“

May Jesus refresh us for the week and work ahead.  Only He can provide the rest and joy we truly desire and need.

Christians are So Unlikable (Repost)

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Mahatma Gandhi is sometimes quoted as saying “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

People often think this statement is shocking and the world is expert at finding hypocrisy, as if evidence of hypocrisy determines the loser of every argument.

But what’s really shocking is “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die – but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:6-8

The first quote exalts Jesus as an admirable example that others don’t live up to. The second quote explains that the only reason we are able to exalt Him at all is that He did not abandon us. The sins of mankind, including Christians, only amplify the magnitude of Christ’s love in His sacrifice. I wouldn’t be here to write this otherwise. Christians being bad people is not news, because everyone is a sinner.

Would anyone prefer that God judge everyone who was not like Christ on their own merits? Gandhi’s quote seems to want that, without considering the true implications.

Jesus alone, crucified and risen, is the Way. There is no other plan.

May His grace overwhelm us today. We all need it and need to share it.

[This is a Rewind Wednesday of a post originally shared in November 2021]

A Quint of Quotes #2

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Fellow travelers,

I started a new thing on the blog last week: “A Quint of Quotes” from my collection.  Five quotes somewhat related to each other, but not exactly in agreement.  These are also related to last weeks.  Enjoy!

“In theory there’s no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is.” – Yogi Berra

“Grace without truth would be deceitful, and truth without grace would be condemning.” – Warren Wiersbe

“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted” – William Bruce Cameron

“It is better to will the good than to know the truth” – Petrarch

“My lord, I leave the infinite to Thee, and pray Thee to put far from me such a love for the tree of knowledge might keep me from the tree of life.” – Charles Spurgeon

More to come!

A Quint of Quotes #1

Todd R 4 Comments

Fellow travelers,

Starting a new thing on the blog today: “A Quint of Quotes” from my collection.  Five quotes somewhat related to each other, but not exactly in agreement.  Enjoy!

“Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.” – Pascal (in 1670)

“People often use statistics like a drunk uses a lamppost; not for illumination but rather for support.” – Unknown

“When somebody persuades me that I am wrong I change my mind. What do you do?” – John Maynard Keynes

“Dogma does not mean the absence of thought, but the end of thought.” – G.K. Chesterton

“People are often willing to produce a lot of collateral damage if they can retain their theory” – Jordan Peterson

More next week.