Much of the impotence of American churches is tied to a profound ignorance and apathy about justification. Our people live in a fog of guilt. Or just as bad, they think being a better person is all God requires.
No matter how long we have been walking with Jesus, we need to hear again, do not love the world.
The kind of experience of humility and happiness that comes with gratitude tends to crowd out whatever is coarse, or ugly or mean.
We have been stuffed full of praise for mediocrity and had our foibles diagnosed away with hyphenated jargon and pop psychology.
Perhaps out inactivity is not so much waiting on God as it is an expression of the fear of man, the love of the praise of man, and disbelief in God’s providence.
The people on this planet who end up doing nothing are those who never realized they couldn’t do everything.
The only thing more important than ministry is being ministered to.
God is not a magic eight ball we shake up and peer into whenever we have a decision to make. He is a good God who gives us brains, shows us the way of obedience, and invites us to take risks for him.
Not only is holiness the goal of your redemption, it is necessary for your redemption.
If we do not worship God, God will not be the lesser for it. But we will.
Sincerity is a Christian virtue, as is honesty about our struggles. But my generation needs to realize that Christianity is more than chic fragility, endless self-revelation, and the coolness that comes with authenticity.
We take hold of Christ as his words take hold us.
Seek first the kingdom of God, and then trust that He will take care of our needs, even before we know what they are and where we’re going.
Stewarding my time is not about selfishly pursuing only the things I like to do. It’s about effectively serving others in the ways I’m best able to serve and in the ways I am most uniquely called to serve.
Just about the worst thing a leader can nurture in his heart is self-pity. And just about the worst thing a leader can do in front of his people is murmur and complain.
The world provides no cheerleaders on the pathway to godliness.
Sanctification is not by surrender, but by divinely enabled toil and effort.
To run hard after holiness is another way of running hard after God.
Sincere biblical repentance is as much a work of grace as not sinning in the first place. To err is human, to make progress is divine.
We may have the best of intentions in trying to discern God’s will, but we should really stop putting ourselves through the misery of overspiritualizing every decision. Our misdirected piety makes following God more mysterious than it was meant to be.
Obsessing over the future is not how God wants us to live, because showing us the future is not God’s way.