Henri J. Nouwen — Those who keep speaking…
Those who keep speaking about the sun while walking under a cloudy sky are messengers of hope, the true saints of our day.
Henri J. Nouwen
Joshua 24:20 — If you forsake the Lord…
“If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.”
Joshua 24:20 The English Standard Version
Angelus Silesius — Since God will be my end…
Since God will be my end
Let Him be my beginning.
So that I may now fully live
Instead of falling, straying, sinning.
Angelus Silesius
Mother Teresa — I always repeat…
I always repeat that we Missionaries of Charity are not social workers. We may be doing social work, but we are really contemplatives right at the heart of the world. We are with Jesus twenty-four hours a day. We do everything for Jesus. We do it to Jesus.
Mother Teresa
Isaiah 2:11 — The eyes of the arrogant man…
The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low: the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
Isaiah 2:11 The New International Version
Meister Eckhart — I am sure as I live…
I am sure as I live that nothing is so near to me as God. God is nearer to me than I am to myself.
Meister Eckhart
Colossians 1:12-14 — Giving thanks unto the Father…
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Colossians 1:12-14 The King James Version
Robert Murray M’Cheyne — If we only saw the whole…
If we only saw the whole, we should see that the Father is doing little else in the world but training his vines.
Robert Murray M’Cheyne
Donald C. Curtis — My chronological age…
My chronological age is of no importance to me whatsoever. I am a child of God, therefore I am eternally new. I am as young as time, I am as old as eternity. I have no age. I am as spontaneous as this moment. I live in the here and the now. I live each moment as it appears so I am always as young as the present. I cannot age because I am constantly in depth, not in time. No one has ever lived this life before. I do my best to make it a masterpiece. I am a child of the Infinite. I am eternally new.
Donald C. Curtis
Psalm 119:73 — Thy hands have made me…
Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.
Psalm 119:73 The King James Version
Mary Slessor — You thought God…
You thought God was to hear and answer you by making everything straight and pleasant-not so are nations or churches or men and women born; not so is character made. God is answering your prayer in His way.
Mary Slessor
Proverbs 22:29 — Do you know a hard-working man…
Do you know a hard-working man? He shall be successful and stand before kings!
Proverbs 22:29 The Living Bible
Hudson Taylor — I have learned…
I have learned to move man by prayer alone.
Hudson Taylor
Matthew 4:18-19 — And Jesus…
And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Matthew 4:18-19 The King James Version
Samuel Rutherford — Since He looked upon me…
Since He looked upon me, my heart is not my own. He hath run away to heaven with it.
Samuel Rutherford
Tryon Edwards — Heaven is like manna…
Happiness is like manna; it is to be gathered in grains, and enjoyed every day. It will not keep; it cannot be accumulated; nor have we got to go out of ourselves or into remote places to gather it, since it is rained down from Heaven, at our very doors.
Tryon Edwards
Job 28:18 — the price of wisdom…
the price of wisdom is above pearls.
Job 28:18 The Revised Standard Version
A. W. Tozer — God wants the whole person…
God wants the whole person and He will not rest till He gets us in entirety. No part of the man will do.
A. W. Tozer
Psalm 20:7 — Some trust…
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
Psalm 20:7 The New International Version
Unknown — A good example…
A good example is like a bell that calls many to church.
Unknown
Unknown — Prosperity simply means…
Prosperity simply means “Having enough to do the will of God” and that’s how much God wants you to have, no more and no less.
Unknown
Proverbs 16:24 — Kind words are like honey…
Kind words are like honey- sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.
Proverbs 16:24 The New Living Translation
Brother Lawrence — His prayer was nothing else…
His prayer was nothing else but a sense of the presence of God.
Brother Lawrence
Psalm 106:1 — Praise the Lord…
Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!
Psalm 106:1 The English Standard Version
Unknown — God has a bigger plan…
God has a bigger plan for me, than I have for myself.
Unknown
Rick Warren — If you aren’t serving…
If you aren’t serving, you’re just existing, because life is meant for ministry.
Rick Warren
Proverbs 14:27 — The fear of the Lord…
The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death.
Proverbs 14:27 The New King James Version
C. H. Spurgeon — Carve your name on hearts…
Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.
C. H. Spurgeon
Jonathan Edward — The heartfelt praises…
The heartfelt praises of one true believer are more precious to God than all the 220,000 oxen and the 120,000 sheep that Solomon offered to God at the dedication of the temple.
Jonathan Edward
Luke 12:15 — And he said to them…
And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Luke 12:15 The English Standard Version
Vance Havner — Our Lord worked with people…
Our Lord worked with people as they were, and He was patient-not tolerant of sin, but compassionate.
Vance Havner
Mark 3:11 — And unclean spirits…
And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.
Mark 3:11 The King James Version
Marie T. Freeman — You’re in a hurry…
You’re in a hurry.
God is not.
Trust God.
Marie T. Freeman
Hannah Whitall Smith — The last and greatest lesson…
The last and greatest lesson that the soul has to learn is the fact that God, and God alone, is enough for all its needs This is the lesson that all His dealings with us are meant to teach; and this is the crowning discovery of our whole Christian life. God is enough!
Hannah Whitall Smith
Ecclesiastes 7:20 — For there is…
For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
Ecclesiastes 7:20 The King James Version
Dan Allender — Strength is found in weakness…
Strength is found in weakness. Control is found in dependency. Power is found in surrender.
Dan Allender
Psalm 119:49-50 — Remember your word to your servant…
Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.
Psalm 119:49-50 The New International Version
Joseph Addison — What sunshine is to flowers…
What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. They are but trifles, to be sure; but, scattered along life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.
Joseph Addison
Martin Luther — Some asked Luther…
Someone asked Luther, “Do you feel that you’ve been forgiven?” He answered, “No, but I am as sure as there’s a God in Heaven!”
Martin Luther
Ephesians 5:5 — For you may be sure of this…
For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Ephesians 5:5 The English Standard Version
Max Lucado — Let God have you…
Let God have you, and let God love you- and don’t be surprised if your heart begins to hear music you’ve never heard and your feet learn to dance as never before.
Max Lucado
Bill Hybels — I can usually sense…
I can usually sense that a leading is from the Holy Spirit when it calls me to humble myself, to serve somebody, to encourage somebody, or to give something away. Very rarely will the evil one lead us to do those kind of things.
Bill Hybels
Matthew 7:3-5 — Why do you see the speck…
“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”
Matthew 7:3-5 The English Standard Version
John Charles Ryle — So long as you…
So long as you do not quarrel with sin, you will never be a truly happy man.
John Charles Ryle
1 Corinthians 10:24 — Let no one seek his own good…
Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.
1 Corinthians 10:24 The Revised Standard Version
Gigi Graham Tchividjian — Make the least of all that goes…
Make the least of all that goes and the most of all that comes. Don’t regret what is past. Cherish what you have. Look forward to all that is to come. And most important of all, rely moment by moment on Jesus Christ.
Gigi Graham Tchividjian
Augustine — God of our life…
God of our life, there are days when the burdens we carry chafe our shoulders and weigh us down; when the road seems dreary and endless, the skies gray and threatening; when our lives have no music in them, and our hearts are lonely, and our souls have lost their courage. Flood the path with light, run our eyes to where the skies are full of promise; tune our hearts to brave music; give us the sense of comradeship with heroes and saints of every age; and so quicken our spirits that we may be able to encourage the souls of all who journey with us on the road of life, to your honor and glory.
Augustine
Jeremiah 9:24 — But let him who glories glory in this…
“But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD.
Jeremiah 9:24 The New King James Version
Suzanne Woods Fisher — We fail in the work of grace…
We fail in the work of grace and love when there is too much of us and not enough of God.
Suzanne Woods Fisher
Proverbs 25:28 — Whoever has no rule over his own spirit…
Whoever has no rule over his own spirit Is like a city broken down, without walls.
Proverbs 25:28 The New King James Version
George Herbert — God sees hearts…
God sees hearts as we see faces.
George Herbert
Augustine — When God is our strength…
When God is our strength, it is strength indeed; when our strength is our own, it is only weakness.
Augustine
Psalm 34:17-18 — When the righteous cry for help…
When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit
Psalm 34:17-18 The English Standard Version
Heinrich Heine — The deepest truth…
The deepest truth blooms only from the deepest love.
Heinrich Heine
Shane Claiborne — Over and over…
Over and over, when I ask God why all of these injustices are allowed to exist in the world, I can feel the Spirit whisper to me, “You tell me why we allow this to happen. You are my body, my hands, my feet.”
Shane Claiborne
Ezekiel 20:20 — And hallow my sabbaths…
And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.
Ezekiel 20:20 The King James Version
M. R. DeHaan — Before an individual can be saved…
Before an individual can be saved, he must first learn that he cannot save himself.
M. R. DeHaan
Proverbs 13:21 — Evil pursueth sinners…
Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repaid.
Proverbs 13:21 The King James Version
Samuel Rutherford — Be not proud of race…
Be not proud of race, face, place, or grace.
Samuel Rutherford
Charles Kingsley — Thank God- every morning…
Thank God- every morning when you get up- that you have something to do which must be done, whether you like it or not. Being forced to work, and forced to do your best, will breed in you a hundred virtues which the idle will never know.
Charles Kingsley
Luke 5:31 — Jesus answered them…
Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Luke 5:31 The New International Version
Elisabeth Elliot — A prayerful heart…
A prayerful heart and an obedient heart will learn, very slowly and not without sorrow, to stake everything on God Himself.
Elisabeth Elliot
Psalm 138:6 — Though the Lord is great…
Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.
Psalm 138:6 The New Living Translation
James Hinton — Never be afraid…
Never be afraid of giving up your best, and God will give you His better.
James Hinton
Peter Marshall — In the name of Jesus Christ…
In the name of Jesus Christ who was never in a hurry, we pray, O God, that You will slow us down, for we know that we live too fast. With all eternity before us, make us take time to live- time to get acquainted with You, time to enjoy Your blessing, and time to know each other.
Peter Marshall
2 Timothy 4:18 — The Lord will rescue me…
The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
2 Timothy 4:18 The New International Version
Lisa Whelchel — Let me encourage you…
Let me encourage you to continue to wait with faith. God may not perform a miracle, but He is trustworthy to touch you and make you whole where there used to be a hole.
Lisa Whelchel
Oswald Chambers — For one man…
For one man who can introduce another to Jesus Christ by the way he lives and by the atmosphere of his life, there are a thousand who can only talk jargon about him. Oswald Chambers
Romans 5:1 — So now…
So now, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith in his promises, we can have real peace with him because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.
Romans 5:1 The Living Bible
Billy Graham — The effective Christians of history…
The effective Christians of history have been men and women of great personal discipline- mental discipline, discipline of the body, discipline of the tongue, and discipline of the emotion.
Billy Graham
Isaiah 55:6 — Seek the Lord while he may be found…
“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;”
Isaiah 55:6 The English Standard Version
Miguel de Cervantes — Whom God loves…
Whom God loves, his house is sweet to him.
Miguel de Cervantes
Marie T. Freeman — If you want to be a teacher…
If you want to be a teacher, remember that you’re just as likely to teach who you are as you are to teach what you know.
Marie T. Freeman
1 John 3:14 — We know that we have passed…
We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.
1 John 3:14 The New King James Version
Catherine Marshall — Recently I’ve been learning…
Recently I’ve been learning that life comes down to this: God is in everything. Regardless of what difficulties I am experiencing at the moment, or what things aren’t as I would like them to be, I look at the circumstances and say, “Lord, what are you trying to teach me?”
Catherine Marshall
2 Samuel 22:26 — With the merciful…
With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt show thyself upright.
2 Samuel 22:26 The King James Version
Charles Swindoll — It is often just as sacred…
It is often just as sacred to laugh as it is to pray.
Charles Swindoll
John Bunyan — No man…
No man, without trials and temptations, can attain a true understanding of the Holy Scriptures.
John Bunyan
Ephesians 4:2 — Be humble and gentle…
Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
Ephesians 4:2 The Living Bible
Benjamin Franklin — War with your vices…
War with your Vices,
at Peace with your Neighbours,
and let New Year find you a better Man.
Benjamin Franklin
Samuel Logan Brengle — When I was a little boy…
When I was a little boy on the sun-bathed prairies of southern Illinois, a year seemed interminable- it moved forward on leaden feet. Now the years pass like the flash of sunlit bubbles on wind-tossed waves, as though they must hasten and lose themselves in that eternity when time shall be no more. And yet what an unspeakable gift of God is a year! Who can compute its value or estimate its worth? We give and receive our little gifts and rejoice, but how paltry they are compared to God’s gift of a year of days!
Samuel Logan Brengle
1 Corinthians 13:13 — So now faith, hope, and love abide…
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13 The English Standard Version
G. K. Chesterton — The object of a new year…
The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul.
G. K. Chesterton
Psalm 100:5 — For the Lord is good…
For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 100:5 The Revised Standard Version
Unknown — Still upward…
Still upward be thine onward course;
For this I pray today;
Still upward as the years go by
And seasons pass away.
Still upward in this coming year,
Thy path is all untried
Still upward may’st thou journey on,
Close by Thy Savior’s side.
Unknown
Charles Swindoll — Honesty has a beautiful and refreshing simplicity…
Honesty has a beautiful and refreshing simplicity about it. No ulterior motives. No hidden meanings. An absence of hypocrisy, duplicity, political games, and verbal superficiality. As honesty and real integrity characterize our lives, there will be no need to manipulate others.
Charles Swindoll
Psalm 40:11 — Withhold not thou they tender mercies from me…
Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
Psalm 40:11 The King James Version
Brother Lawrence — When the appointed times of prayer were past…
When the appointed times of prayer were past, he found no difference, because he still continued with God, praising and blessing Him with all his might, so that he passed his life in continual joy.
Brother Lawrence
Psalm 119:105 — Your word is a lamp…
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105 The English Standard Version
Victor Hugo — My coat and I live comfortably together…
My coat and I live comfortably together. It has assumed all my wrinkles, does not hurt me anywhere, has molded itself on my deformities, and is complacent to all my movements, and I only feel its presence because it keeps me warm. Old coats and old friends are the same thing.
Victor Hugo
Oswald Chambers — Jesus Christ was born…
Jesus Christ was born into this world, not from it.
Oswald Chambers
Matthew 2:19-23 — After Herod died…
After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
Matthew 2:19-23 The New International Version
Unknown — Christmas gift suggestions…
Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.
Unknown
Madeline L’Engle — When we celebrate Christmas…
When we celebrate Christmas we are celebrating that amazing time when the Word that shouted all the galaxies into being, limited all power, and for love of us came to us in the powerless body of a human baby.
Madeline L’Engle
Luke 2:8-14 — Now there were in the same country…
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
Luke 2:8-14 The New King James Version
Louis Cassels — There was a man who lived…
There was a man who lived in a small farming community. The man did not believe in the Christmas story. He thought the whole idea strange and illogical. But one wintery night, birds and church bells changed the man’s life forever. On a snowy Christmas Eve, this man observed birds thumping into his window apparently seeking refuge from the winter storm. He felt compassion for the birds and decided to help. The man knew his barn would be a safe refuge for his cold, feathered friends, but enlisting the birds’ cooperation became quite a challenge. With the barn doors wide open and lights burning, he first tried to lead the birds to safety. No luck. Then, he tried shooing them toward the door. Still, no luck. Finally, he placed breadcrumbs along the path to the barn, but he birds still refused to cooperate. He thought, “If only I could lead these lost creatures to safety.” At that very moment the church bells rang…and the man understood. He knew why God came to earth, and he understood the truth of the Christmas story. God became man so that He might lead us to salvation.
Louis Cassels
Matthew 1:18-25 — These are the facts concerning the birth of Jesus Christ…
These are the facts concerning the birth of Jesus Christ: His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But while she was still a virgin she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her fiancé, being a man of stern principle, decided to break the engagement but to do it quietly, as he didn’t want to publicly disgrace her. As he lay awake considering this, he fell into a dream, and saw an angel standing beside him. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “don’t hesitate to take Mary as your wife! For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a Son, and you shall name him Jesus (meaning ‘Savior’), for he will save his people from their sins. This will fulfill God’s message through his prophets ‘Listen! The virgin shall conceive a child! She shall give birth to a Son, and he shall be called “Emmanuel” (meaning “God is with us”).’” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel commanded and brought Mary home to be his wife, but she remained a virgin until her Son was born; and Joseph named him “Jesus.”
Matthew 1:18-25 The Living Bible
Martin Luther — There are some of us who think to ourselves…
There are some of us who think to ourselves, “If I had only been there! How quick I would have been to help the Baby. I would have washed His linen. How happy I would have been to go with the shepherds to see the Lord lying in the manger!” Yes, we would say that because we know how great Christ is, but if we had been there at that time, we would have done no better than the people of Bethlehem…Why don’t we do it now? We have Christ in our neighbor.
Martin Luther
Luke 2:1-5 — About this time Caesar Augustus…
About this time Caesar Augustus, the Roman Emperor, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the nation. (This census was taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) Everyone was required to return to his ancestral home for this registration. And because Joseph was a member of the royal line, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, King David’s ancient home- journeying there from the Galilean village of Nazareth. He took with him Mary, his fiancee, who was obviously pregnant by this time.
Luke 2:1-5 The Living Bible
Benjamin Franklin — How many observe Christ’s Birthday…
How many observe Christ’s Birthday! How few, his Precepts! ‘Tis easier to keep Holidays than Commandments.
Benjamin Franklin
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