Category: Odds & Ends

From the devotional My Utmost for His Highest – February 4th

2 Corinthians 5:14 “For the love of Christ constraineth us.”

Paul says he is gripped by the love of Christ; that is why he acts as he does. Men may call him mad or sober, but he does not care; there is only one thing he is living for, and that is to persuade men of the judgment seat of God, and of the love of Christ. This abandon to the love of Christ is the one thing that bears fruit in the life, and it will always leave the impression of the holiness and of the power of God, never of our personal holiness. – Oswald Chambers

摘自灵修《献上我最好的给他至高》——2月4日

哥林多后书 5:14 “基督的爱催促我们。”

保罗说他被基督的爱所抓住；这就是他行为如此的原因。人们可能称他为疯子或清醒，但他不在乎；他生活的唯一目的就是去说服人们认识上帝的审判座，以及基督的爱。这种对基督之爱的完全投入，是生命中唯一能结出果实的东西，它总会留下上帝的圣洁与大能的印记，而不是我们个人的圣洁。——奥斯瓦尔德·钱伯斯

“I have now concentrated all my prayers into one, and that one prayer is that I may die to self and live wholly to him.” Charles Spurgeon

“我现在将所有的祷告集中成一个，而这个祷告就是愿我死于自我，完全为他而活。”——查尔斯·司布真

“It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to.” – C. S. Lewis

Christ’s first recorded sermon in the Gospels is “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Repent is the Greek word metanoeo, which means to change one’s mind or way of action; however, it also carries with it the idea of feeling remorse. So, when Jesus calls us to repent, he’s essentially telling us to recognize the ways we’ve fallen short and choose a better path as a result.

However, knowing that you need to choose a better path doesn’t always make it easy to do so. Repentance is a humbling process meant to change our hearts as much as our actions.

To that end, I’ve often found C.S. Lewis’s perspective on the subject helpful: “If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road.”

It’s not always easy to see taking a step back as progress, but oftentimes, there’s no other way to go forward. The question then becomes, are we willing to take that first step?

The truth is that we can’t really know how to answer that question until we try. It’s easy to act penitent or ask God to forgive our sins, but to truly repent and turn back to God will often mean making some pretty tough changes.

Jesus promises that it will be worth it in the end, and he’s given us every reason to trust that he’s correct. But he leaves it to us to decide if we’re willing to act on that promise.

So, are there any areas of your life where you’ve asked God to forgive your sins but have yet to truly repent of them? Are you walking down any roads that are taking you further away from the Lord?

True repentance may never get all that easy for us, but the first step is often the hardest.

Are you willing to take that step today? – Ryan Denison

“The world is overcome not through destruction, but through reconciliation. Not ideals, nor programs, nor conscience, nor duty, nor responsibility, nor virtue, but only God’s perfect love can encounter reality and overcome it. Nor is it some universal ideal of love, but rather the love of God in Jesus Christ, a love genuinely lived, that does this.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Napoleon Bonaparte is quoted as having said, “Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires; but what foundation did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded an empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.” – first15.org

“Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” — Francis Chan

“Unique among the creation accounts, the Bible depicts a world that is brimming with dynamic, abundant forms of life that are perfectly interwoven, interdependent, and mutually enhancing and enriching. The Creator’s response to this is delight. He keeps repeating that it is good. When he creates human beings, he instructs them to continue to cultivate and draw out the vast resources of creation like a gardener does in a garden.”

“The Hebrew word for this perfect, harmonious interdependence among all parts of creation is called shalom. We translate it as “peace,” but the English word is basically negative, referring to the absence of trouble or hostility. The Hebrew word means much more than that. It means absolute wholeness—full, harmonious, joyful, flourishing life.” – Tim Keller