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Quotes

The Importance of Justice Being Followed By Grace

The voice of the law should be brought forward, that men may be terrified and brought to a knowledge of their sins, and thereby be moved to sorrow…. But we must not stop here because that would be:
to wound only and not to bind up,
to strike and not to heal,
to kill and not to make alive,
to bring down to hell and not to bring back,
to humble and not to exalt.

Therefore the word of grace, and of the promised remission of sin, must also be preached, in order to teach and set up faith; since, without that word of grace… contrition, penitence, and all other duties, are performed and taught in vain.
–Martin Luther

What great wisdom from almost 500 years ago!

Categories
Quotes

How You Can Be Safe In Making Every Choice – Choose God’s Will

The man who really loves God can do as he chooses, for if he really loves God he will choose to do the will of God.
–Bruce Shelley

What will you choose to do today?

Categories
Quotes

How Well Do You Know Yourself?

Do you know yourself?
If we know ourselves at all, we know we are not fit to face Him.
What then are we to do?
The New Testament answer is: Call on the coming Judge to be your present Savior.
As Judge, He is the law, but as Savior He is the gospel.
Run from Him now, and you will meet Him as Judge then — and without hope.
Seek Him now, and you will find Him, and you will then discover that you are looking forward to that future meeting with joy, knowing that there is now “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
–J. I. Packer

Enough said!

Categories
Quotes

The Rule of Busyness and Efficiency

Busyness and efficiency rule in our American lives – and these two items thwart our ability to reach the deeper life. If a deeper relationship with God were able to be obtained through my willing it, then we would have it down pat – living the American Dream is about control.

However, true spirituality is counter-cultural – we must decide NOT to act. By choosing silence and solitude we have an opportunity to hear from God. But that is so out of the norm for us….

We decide that to have the silence and solitude to wait on and listen to God, we must take a vacation to somewhere…. That is not the case – owning more or having to go somewhere is not the way to get closer to God. We can find times to carve out during our day to listen to and wait for Him.

Without making time for solitude with God, time continues to slip by until years have passed and we realize that we wouldn’t know how to hear from God if He audibly spoke to us.
–David Goetz

Don’t let the years pass by without hearing from God.
Carve out time with Him today!

Categories
Christian Living

Dutiful and Obedient Love

A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none;
a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to every one.

Although these statements appear contradictory, yet, when they are found to agree together, they will be highly serviceable to my purpose. They are both the statements of Paul himself, who says: “Though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all,” and: “Owe no man anything, but to love one another.”

Now love is by its own nature dutiful and obedient to the beloved object. Thus even Christ, though Lord of all things, was yet made of a woman; made under the law; at once both free and a servant; at once both in the form of God and in the form of a servant.

–Martin Luther

Though you are a person who is free, have you placed yourself into a love relationship with God and others, choosing voluntary service to them?

You have told your spouse that you love her. Would she say that you serve her well?
You hug your children and tell them that you love them. Would they say that you serve them well?
You tell God that you love Him. Would He say that you serve Him well?

God told you that He loved you. Then He died on the cross for you. Jesus served you well with dutiful and obedient love! It is now my calling and your calling to go do the same for Him and for others.