Year: 2020 (Page 2 of 3)

“Exercise has such a wide range of physical and mental benefits that, if it were a pill, it would undoubtedly be the most widely prescribed of all medications. It is amazing that, despite this evidence and the public’s apparent acceptance of the importance of physical activity, millions of American adults remain sedentary.”

Dr. Gregg D. Jacobs (Ph.D.)

Dr. Gregg D. Jacobs (Ph.D.) writes the following about the practical benefits of exercise…

“If sedentary adults would adopt a more physically active lifestyle, they would experience a wide array of physical and mental benefits, including:

• Weight loss
• Lessened anxiety, stress, and depression
• Improved mood, energy, and a sense of well-being
• Improved self-control
• Improved health, longevity, and quality of life
• Improved sleep
• Reduced pain and disability

Regular exercise enhances health by improving…

• cardiovascular functioning,
• bone density, and
• immune functioning,
• and by reducing blood pressure and cholesterol

People who are physically active are much less likely to suffer from…

• coronary heart disease,
• hypertension,
• diabetes,
• osteoporosis,
• obesity,
• back problems,
• and colon cancer

Exercise also improves psychological functioning. Exercise is an outlet for the body’s excessive tension, providing a healthy way to release anger and anxiety.

Exercise has a tranquilizing effect that reduces anxiety more effectively than many anti-anxiety medications.

Studies have found that the tranquilizing effect follows within five to ten minutes of completing exercise and lasts for at least four hours.

Therefore, physically active people are less likely to develop mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.”

“Yes, I’ve had moments of euphoria known as the ‘runner’s high,’ and there are reams of scientific studies showing that running improves mood, alleviates depression and anxiety, and basically does every good thing for your brain short of removing it from your skull, giving it a wash and a blow dry, and putting it back in all toasty warm.”

– Peter Sagal
May 2017 issue of Runner’s World Magazine

John Piper writes in his book, When I Don’t Desire God…

“The Bible has little to say about physical exercise, not because it’s not important for modern sedentary people, but mainly because, in the biblical world of walking and farming and manual labor, the lack of physical exercise was not a problem.

The call today is for spiritual wisdom based on biblical principles and contemporary medical knowledge.

The biblical principles would include the following:

• Our bodies belong to Christ and are meant to glorify him (1 Cor. 6:19-20);
• Laziness is wrong and self-destructive (Prov. 21:25);
• Christians should be free from enslaving habits (1 Cor. 6:12);
• Hard work is a virtue and brings rewards (2 Tim. 2:6);
• Advance usually comes through affliction (Acts 14:22);
• and all Christ-exalting efforts are to flow from faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ (Gal. 6:14).

‘No pain, no gain’ is an idea that could be documented from all over the Bible, especially the sacrifice of Christ.”

“$120 billion – the amount the United States would save annually in healthcare costs and related expenses if sedentary children began exercising every day.”

– May 27, 2017 issue of World Magazine

In the April 2017 issue of Christianity Today, Bradley Wright and David Carreon wrote…

“Research has found, for example, that people with more self-control…

• live longer,
• are happier,
• get better grades,
• are less depressed,
• are more physically active,
• have lower resting heart rates,
• have less alcohol abuse,
• have more stable emotions,
• are more helpful to others,
• get better jobs,
• earn more money,
• have better marriages,
• are more faithful in marriage,
• and sleep better at night.”

Moving our bodies regularly will benefit us in so many potentially profound ways.

So, whether you prefer to walk, hike, swim, bike or run… my encouragement is to get out and move regularly.

By way of encouragement, my dear 90-year-old mom gets out and walks a half mile to a mile (some of that is even uphill) almost every day 🙂

Bottom line: The more we get up, get out and move our bodies, the better we will be.

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
(1 Cor. 10:31 ESV)

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“To stay away from Christianity because part of the Bible’s teaching is offensive to you assumes that if there is a God, he wouldn’t have any views that upset you. Does that belief make sense?”
(Timothy Keller)

“Most of my sins are hidden. My friends think too well of me. My enemies think inaccurately of me. Only God knows. Good.”
(Ray Ortlund)

“Imagine a world without music. What a sad, sad place it would be.”
(Jackie Hill Perry)

“He has chosen not to heal me, but to hold me. The more intense the pain, the closer his embrace.”
(Joni Eareckson Tada – well-known author and speaker who has suffered from paralysis for over 50 years)

“The more spiritually alive and mature we are, the more we recognize how far short we fall of the glory of God. The closer we get to a mirror, the more clearly we perceive our imperfections. The mirror for Christians is Christ. Therefore, it should not surprise us that those who have known Him best have been most aware of their imperfections and most appreciative of His love and grace.”
(Tom Hovestol – from his book: Extreme Righteousness)

“God is a lot more patient with you than you are with you.”
(Bryan Loritts)

“Our blustering civilization has completely robbed us of a concentrated inner life, dragged our souls out into a bazaar, whether of commerce or of party politics.”
(Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)

“Christians get very angry toward other Christians who sin differently than they do.”
(Philip Yancey)

“Married people – Don’t play with fire. You’re going to get burned. Jesus is better than everything. The grass isn’t greener on the other side. The grass is greener where the lawn is taken care of.”
(Derwin Gray)

“Don’t save up love like you’re going to retire on it; we’re rivers, not reservoirs.”
(Bob Goff)

“Reading one book well is far better than reading ten to check off your list.”
(Karen Swallow Prior)

“Everyone will be forgotten, nothing we do will make any difference, and all good endeavors, even the best, will come to naught. Unless there is God. If the God of the Bible exists, and there is a True Reality beneath and behind this one, and this life is not the only life, then every good endeavor, even the simplest ones, pursued in response to God’s calling, can matter forever.”
(Timothy Keller)

“It is impossible to be happy without humility.

Unless we have a true sense of our insignificance in the wider scheme of things, unless we experience gratitude for the small blessings in life—the little graces that bring joy precisely because they are unearned and undeserved, we will never know joy.

The more towering the façade of our own importance, the more shrunken is our capacity for happiness.

Entitlement destroys the virtue best equipped to bring happiness—gratitude.”

(Trevin Wax)

“Theology doesn’t just think. Theology walks. Theology weeps. Theology bleeds.”
(Russell D. Moore)

“One sign you’ve encountered God is you walk with a limp, not a strut.”
(Matt Smethurst)

“If our identity is in our work, rather than Christ, success will go to our heads, and failure will go to our hearts.”
(Tim Keller)

“Restlessness and impatience change nothing except our peace and joy. Peace does not dwell in outward things, but in the heart prepared to wait trustfully and quietly on Him who has all things safely in His hands.”
(Elisabeth Elliot)

“Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is.”
(Francis Bacon)

“When a newspaper posed the question, ‘What’s Wrong with the World?’ the Catholic thinker G. K. Chesterton reputedly wrote a brief letter in response: ‘Dear Sirs: I am. Sincerely Yours, G. K. Chesterton.’ That is the attitude of someone who has grasped the message of Jesus.”
(Timothy Keller)

“Gratitude. Collect your blessings. Catalog God’s kindnesses. Assemble your reasons for gratitude and recite them.”
(Max Lucado)

“…for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.”
(George Eliot, quoted at the end of
Terrance Malick’s movie A Hidden Life)

“The strength of patience hangs on our capacity to believe that God is up to something good for us in all our delays and detours.”
(John Piper)

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”
(Colossians 2:6-7 NASB)

“Studies have shown that….
grateful people view their lives more favorably than others,
have increased energy and self-confidence,
and demonstrate better coping.
They are more generous and optimistic,
have a greater sense of purpose,
have fewer medical problems,
exercise more,
and sleep better than their peers.…”
(Christianity Today article: “What Brilliant Psychologists Are Learning About Humility” by Mark R. McMinn)

“No amount of regret changes the past. No amount of anxiety changes the future. Any amount of grateful joy changes the present.” (Ann Voskamp) 

“When someone continually talks about how happy they are, I tend to doubt them; but when they talk about how grateful they are, I know they have found happiness.” (Rob Hawkins) 

“Undeniable guilt,
plus undeserved grace,
should equal unbridled gratitude.”
(Nancy Leigh DeMoss) 

“Seek… to cultivate a buoyant, joyous sense of the crowded kindnesses of God in your daily life.” (Alexander Maclaren – 1826-1910) 

“Keep your own happiness journal. Record God’s evident goodness around you every day. You’ll find that in time, you’ll see more and more gifts from him – not because there are more, but because you’re finally seeing what has been there all along.” (Randy Alcorn) 

“Ultimately, in his essence, Satan is an ingrate. And he sinks his venom into the heart of Eden. Satan’s sin becomes the first sin of all humanity: the sin of ingratitude… Our fall was, has always been, and always will be, that we aren’t satisfied in God and what He gives.” (Ann Voskamp) 

“If only we could see our situation clearly. We deserve expulsion; he [God] gives us a diploma. We deserve the electric chair; he gives us a parade. Anything less than overwhelming gratitude would be unthinkable. He owes us nothing. We own him everything. ‘Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?’ (Romans 11:35 – NIV), The answer is: nobody.” (Randy Alcorn)

“Once we experience thanksgiving as our default condition, we’ll find it’s inseparable from our happiness, and we’ll never want to go back to the barren wasteland of ingratitude.” (Randy Alcorn) 

“It is only with gratitude that life becomes rich!” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer) 

“Joy and cynicism. Both are contagious. Everyone infects the world with one or the other.” (Scott Sauls)

“Gratitude isn’t only a celebration when good things happen. Gratitude is a declaration that God is good no matter what happens!” (Ann Voskamp)

The best leadership during turbulent times is both realistic and reassuring. And the more realistic people believe it to be, the more reassured they will become.

This is one of the great challenges all leaders face – whether they are pastors, prime ministers or presidents. Being able to articulate the reality of a given situation – as accurately as possible, and yet reassuring the people you lead that there is hope on the horizon – is always a challenge.

Leadership must be realistic.

The people you lead must believe that your assessment of the current situation is realistic. That’s not an easy target to hit. Some will feel you are being too optimistic, others too pessimistic.

As one writer described it (our current Covid-19 crisis and the corresponding economic fallout), we are either entering:

• a blizzard that will be over in 6-8 weeks.
• Or a blizzard, followed by an economic winter.
• Or a blizzard, followed by an economic winter, which would then be followed by a mini-economic ice age.

All of us would agree that we are in both an economic and health blizzard (at the very least). As of this morning, just under 10 million Americans have filed jobless claims in the past two weeks. In the last week alone, 6.6 million people filed jobless claims. The previous highest week in the history of our country was just over 680,000 in one week in 1982. These numbers are certainly eye-opening and sobering. We are truly living in unprecedented times.

Though I don’t think (at this point) we will head into an economic mini-ice-age, I do believe we will be facing an economic winter of some length. Some argue that the “winter” will be relatively short. Others say it will be prolonged and drawn out for a year to two years (or more).

No one knows for sure – outside of our omniscient Lord – exactly what the future looks like. Who would have predicted accurately back in January the circumstances that we are facing today?

But even though we may not know the extent of this crisis and how long and deep it will be, there are several things that we can know and hold onto.

Leadership must be reassuring.

Here are four things we can know and cling to that will help us as we proceed through this blizzard and into some type of economic winter:

ONE: If you are in Christ, you always have hope.

Kevin DeYoung said it this way, “The Bible doesn’t tell us that we have to be a pessimist or that we ought to be an optimist. What it does tell us is that we ought to be people of hope …. Hope is not wishful thinking. Hope is an unwavering confidence in the power and the promises of God.”

What anchors us in times like this? What is our foundation? Anything less than God (and God alone) will ultimately fail us.

“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress; I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.”
(Psalms 62:5-7 – NIV84)

TWO: Prayer will bring peace to your soul – it will help alleviate your worries and fears.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 – ESV)

The Apostle Paul is essentially saying, “Turn your worries and anxieties into prayer.”

Billy Graham was once asked what his favorite Christian hymn was. His answer was What a Friend We Have in Jesus.

The words to the chorus are appropriate in times like these:

“Oh, what peace we often forfeit
Oh, what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.”

During this season (and every season) it is wise to focus on one day at a time. Don’t catastrophize the future. Trust your good and loving Father to guide you each day, each step of the way.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

THREE: Your perspective of the world and your circumstances makes a huge difference in your mental, emotional and spiritual health.

As God’s children, we view life through the lens of biblical truth.

This point brings to mind the story of Elisha’s servant, who couldn’t see all of the resources God had brought to the battle. Elisha prayed:

“’O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:17 – ESV)

Our perspective of our current circumstances can make a huge difference in whether we go through our days filled with peace or filled with panic.

I just returned home from visits to four poverty-stricken nations last month. In these Majority World countries, many people (and pastors) are living in mud huts with dirt floors, no running water and no electricity. They have no health insurance and very little, if any, access to decent, basic health care.

And yet, the individuals I interacted with were some of the (truly) happiest people I have ever met. They have a peace and a joy that comes from knowing and trusting Jesus. Their faith translates into how they view life each day.

Scripture teaches us that, ultimately, our life is in God’s hands.

As the Psalmist said, “But I trust in you, Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands…” (Psalm 31:14-15a – NIV)

Similarly, contemporary Christian music artist Kathy Troccoli recorded a song with these powerful lyrics:

My life is in your hands
My heart is in your keeping
I’m never without hope
Not when my future is with you
(from My Life is in Your Hands)

C.S. Lewis once wrote, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen; not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

Christianity gives us a worldview and a true and clear perspective on life.

FOUR: God is a good and gracious God. He can (meaning He is sovereign) and He cares(He is good and loving).

God is good and gracious. He loves you more than you know. As Isaiah the prophet said:

“Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” (Isaiah 40:26 – NIV84)

The Lord who flung the stars into space and calls them each by name also cares for you in a deep and profound way. In that same chapter, Isaiah writes…

“He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” (Isaiah 40:11 – NIV84)

Scripture tells us that this same sovereign God “bottles (our) tears.” (Psalm 56:8 – NKJV)

So, in the midst of what we’re facing, let’s keep our eyes on Jesus, our hearts connected to His Word and our lips filled with prayers.

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
(Psalm 91:1-2 – NIV)

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore, I will hope in him.”
(Lamentations 3:21-23 – ESV)

I arrived back in the States a few days ago, and (thankfully) am healthy and feeling good. I’m now in a self-imposed 14-day quarantine (per CDC recommendation when I landed at Chicago O’Hare).

The velocity of changes that have overtaken the world over the last few weeks is astounding. To say that it has taken us all by surprise is certainly an understatement.

When I left for my (almost month-long) trip around the world the last week of February, things with the Coronavirus seemed reasonably under control – the only real danger spots were China, South Korea, Iran and Italy. And as long as you stayed clear of those countries, a global traveler would generally be fine.

When I entered the first three of the four nations that I spent time in (Cambodia, Myanmar and Sri Lanka), they had no reported cases of COVID-19 and the world still seemed fairly normal.

Then I flew to Ethiopia and things globally began to unravel, unwind and disintegrate at breakneck speed. This was also two days after President Trump’s speech, in which he ordered all flights from the Schengen zone – Europe – to the U.S. halted as of Friday night, March 13^th. I was scheduled to fly home at the end of March through Frankfurt.

When I left the States at the end of February, the Stock Market was at 28,000. As I write this (one month later) it stands at 21,000+ (but having just risen 13% in the past two days). It had dropped as low as 19,000+ this past week.

Also at the end of February, there were 35 reported cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and 0 deaths. Today (30 days later) there are 61,000 reported cases and 830 deaths.

Globally, there were 80,000 cases worldwide and 2,700 deaths on February 25, 2020. Today there are 453,000 reported cases and 20,500 deaths.

The cascading chaos that was unfolding globally over the past 30 days was truly stunning.

I read a story of a river rafting group that spent 25 days rafting down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon – completely disconnected from all news, phone, email and text (on purpose to go “off the grid” for a few weeks).

When they came out of the canyon, they felt like they walked into a “different world” than the one they left just three-and-a-half weeks earlier.

When I left the States a month ago, national and international flights continued as normal (except for the four countries mentioned above).

When I arrived back in the U.S. at Chicago O’Hare a few days ago, the airport was a ghost town (in mid-afternoon on a weekday). I went through immigration and customs in less than 60 seconds (not an exaggeration). My flight was three-fourths empty. United Airlines (which I flew back to the U.S. on) is cutting over 90% of their flights (as are many other carriers).

As of today, the World Health Organization (WHO) is saying that the USA could become the next epicenter for the virus.

So, what are we as Christ-followers to think
in the midst of times like these?

Biography, history, documentaries – true stories have always captivated me, whether it was studying an individual in school or reading in my free time.

I was reminded of this again over the last few days, as I prepared to teach Church History for a group of indigenous pastors on an upcoming trip.

There is a wealth of wisdom to be found in the biographical stories of people who lived in previous centuries.

Modern man tends to live with a very short attention span and lacks an appreciation for the hundreds (if not thousands) of years that have gone before us (30, 60, or 90 years seems like ancient history to many people).

Do you know the story of Polycarp, the aged Bishop of Smyrna?

Here’s a brief overview of his life:

Polycarp lived in the first and second centuries (69 – 156 AD).

He lived during the most formative era of the church, at the end of the age of the apostles, when the church was making the critical transition to the second generation of believers.

Tradition has it that Polycarp was personally discipled by the apostle John and he was appointed as bishop of Smyrna (what is now modern-day Izmir, Turkey). He served as Bishop for 50 years.

His only existing writing is “The Letter of Polycarp to the Philippians.” (110 AD)

In this letter we see a deep pastoral concern for the Philippian believers, as well as great familiarity with the New Testament documents. He urged faithfulness in the face of persecution.

His Letter to the Philippians was a significant foundation of early Christian literature, establishing the role of the Apostle Paul and referencing the existence of other texts of the New Testament.

When Polycarp was 86, the proconsul tried to get him to renounce Christ by saying,

“I have wild animals here; I will throw you to them if you do not repent.”

“Call them,” Polycarp replied. “It is unthinkable for me to repent from what is good to turn to what is evil.”

The proconsul then said, “If you despise the animals, I will have you burned.”

To which Polycarp said, “You threaten me with fire which burns for an hour, and is then extinguished, but you know nothing of the fire of the coming judgment and eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly. Why are you waiting? Bring on whatever you want.”

Finally, the proconsul said,

“Take the oath [i.e. worship Caesar alone and renounce Christ], and I shall release you. Curse Christ!”

Polycarp responded,

“Eighty and six years have I served him, and he has done me no wrong; how then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”

Tradition has it that Polycarp died by being bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to consume his body.

Polycarp was martyred for his faith. His execution was recorded by eyewitnesses.

“There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword.

They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:35-40 NIV)

For Further Reference:
https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/study/module/polycarp
https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/incontext/article/polycarp-testimony

At Global Training Network’s annual All-Staff Leadership Gathering last week, I shared about one particular author whose writing has profoundly shaped my understanding of what it looks like to live out the Christian life.

That author is the late Jerry Bridges, who served with the Navigators ministry for over 50 years.

In 1980, I read my first book by Bridges, entitled The Pursuit of Holiness.

Over a decade later, I read Transforming Grace: Living Confidently in God’s Unfailing Love.

In 1994, Bridges released a blend of the two above-mentioned books entitled The Discipline of Grace: God’s Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness.

This particular book received the ECPA Christian Book Award in 1995.

Here are a few quotes from the book on the role discipline and grace play in our growth toward Christlikeness…

“The Holy Spirit’s work in transforming us more and more into the likeness of Christ is called sanctification. Our involvement and cooperation with Him in His work is what I call the pursuit of holiness. That expression is not original with me. Rather, it is taken from Hebrews 12:14 – ‘Make every effort [literally: pursue] . . . to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.’

The pursuit of holiness requires sustained and vigorous effort. It allows for no indolence, no lethargy, no halfhearted commitment, and no laissez-faire attitude toward even the smallest sins.”

Then Bridges goes on to link the concept of grace with our growth in godliness…

“At the same time, however, the pursuit of holiness must be anchored in the grace of God; otherwise it is doomed to failure. That statement probably strikes many people as strange. A lot of Christians seem to think that the grace of God and the vigorous pursuit of holiness are antithetical – that is, in direct and unequivocal opposition to one another. . .. Grace and the personal discipline required to pursue holiness, however, are not opposed to one another. In fact, they go hand in hand.”

All of us need God’s grace and mercy every moment of every day.

Bridges wrote…

“I have read that every time the great nineteenth-century preacher Charles Spurgeon stepped into the pulpit, he did so with the silent prayer, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner’ (Luke 18:13 KJV).”

“Regardless of our performance, we are always dependent on God’s grace, His undeserved favor to those who deserve His wrath. . .. Does the fact that God has forgiven us all our sins mean that He no longer cares whether we obey or disobey? Not at all.”

“If God’s blessings were dependent on our performance, they would be meager indeed. Even our best works are shot through with sin – with varying degrees of impure motives and lots of imperfect performance. We are always, to some degree, looking out for ourselves, guarding our flanks, protecting our egos. It is because we do not realize the utter depravity of the principle of sin that remains in us and stains everything we do, that we entertain any notion of earning God’s blessings [apart from His grace] through our obedience.”

Then Bridges writes this brief statement that has become one of his most popular quotes…

“Your worst days are never so bad that you are
beyond the reach of God’s grace.

And your best days are never so good that you are
beyond the need of God’s grace.”

“Nothing discredits the Christian gospel like churches that don’t look like Christ. If we become a religious version of the ugly partisanship already rampant in the world, we are screaming at the top of our lungs, ‘Jesus isn’t real, and we’re here to prove it!’  The ‘only’ point of being a church is, by His grace and for His glory, to represent Jesus as a convincing, satisfying alternative to this world. So much is at stake in every church!”
(Ray Ortlund)

“How are you doing loving the people God has put in your life? We don’t need to be looking for new people to love. We just need to start really loving the ones God has already given us.”
(Bill Hull)

“The purpose of the discipleship process is to create loving, Christlike people who live for others. Disciples are not trophies to be admired; we are servants who are to love people like Christ does.”
(Bill Hull)

“New life [in Christ] makes being saved attractive. People are drawn to beauty.”
(Bill Hull)

Jesus said in John 13:34-35, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 5:14, “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Here’s a suggestion for all of us:

Let’s not waste time thinking about someone else we know who needs this message, let’s only focus on the person staring back at us in the mirror.

I would suggest that that project alone could keep us busy for the rest of our lives.

“The work God needs to do in you matters far more than the work you think He needs to do through you.”
(Sam Allberry)

“If you’re familiar with Bach, you may know that at the bottom of his manuscripts, he wrote the initials, “S. D. G.” Soli Deo Gloria, which means “glory to God alone.” What you may not know is that at the top of his manuscripts he wrote, ‘Jesu Juva,’ which is Latin for ‘Jesus, help!’ There’s no better prayer for the beginning of an adventure.”
(Andrew Peterson, from Adorning the Dark)

“There are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried.”
(St. Romero)

“Having received such grace, Christians have a compelling reason to be remarkably gracious, inviting, and endearing toward others, including and especially those who disagree with us.”
(Tim Keller)

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

“Few things are more refreshing than a Christian who’s quick to assume the best.”
(Ray Ortlund)

“Faithfulness today is the best preparation for the demands of tomorrow…. Can we wholeheartedly surrender to God, leaving quietly with him all the “what ifs” and “but what abouts”? Will we truthfully say to Him, “Anything You choose for me, Lord – to have to be, to do, or to suffer. I am at Your orders. I have no agenda of my own”? It comes down to Trust and Obey, ‘for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus,’ as the old gospel song goes.”
(Elisabeth Elliot, from Secure in the Everlasting Arms)

“New-Year’s resolves, apart from the formation of new habits, likely will not become new-year realities. New habits that really matter don’t just typically thread into your current ones. They must displace the old. According to Groopman, ‘the key lies not in breaking a habit through willpower but in replacing one habit with another.’”
(David Mathis)

“At the root of insecurity — the anxiety over how others think of us — is pride. This pride is an excessive desire for others to see us as impressive and admirable. Insecurity is the fear that instead they will see us as deficient. Insecure pride is a dangerous fear because insecurity can lead to great disobedience.”
(Jon Bloom)

“To practice Sabbath is a disciplined and faithful way to remember that you are not the one who keeps the world running, who provides for your family, not even the one who keeps your work projects moving forward.”
(Tim Keller)

“A rightly oriented Christianity causes us to care not only about ourselves and our families but also about our communities, cities, and society generally.”
(Matt Perman)

“Christian giving is to be marked by self-sacrifice and self-forgetfulness, not by self-congratulation.”
(John Stott)

“Serving God is not about impressing the crowd, crafting a brand, or building an empire… The work of God is not about the fireworks of human talent. It’s about faithfulness to a divine call. It’s not about showmanship but showing up, every day, determined to follow Jesus.”
(Timothy Dalrymple)