At the Outset of Each Day We Should Hear God Saying…

This quote from Richard Lovelace’s ‘Renewal as a Way of Life’ has been a great encouragement to me:

“At the outset of each day, we should hear God saying, You are accepted, because the guilt of sin is covered by the righteousness of Christ; You are free from bondage to sin through the power of Jesus in your life; You are not alone, but accompanied by the Counselor, the Spirit of the Messiah; You are in command, with the freedom to resist and expel the powers of darkness.” Renewal as a Way of Life, p. 137

When Helping Hurts

Along with Richard Lovelace’s Renewal as A Way of Life (which I am loving) I just started reading When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor. . .and Ourselves. So far it has been a very helpful and very powerful read. Here is a great quote from the first chapter that captures the tension that I want to live with in this world:

“We are the richest people ever to walk the face of the earth. Period. Yet, most of us live as though there is nothing terribly wrong in the world. We attend our kid’s soccer games, pursue our careers, and take beach vacations while 40 percent of the world’s inhabitants struggle just to eat every day. And in our own backyards, the homeless, those residing in ghettos, and a wave of immigrants live in a world outside the economic and social mainstream of North America. We do not necessarily need to feel guilty about our wealth. But we do need to get up every morning with a deep sense that something is terribly wrong with the world and yearn and strive to do something about it. There is simply not enough yearning and striving going on.” p.28

Not Just a Word

I love this quote from the modern-day foot washing video yesterday:

“When poverty isn’t just a word anymore, but you put a face on that word, it changes everything!”

Be Careful to Maintain Good Works

A good word from Spurgeon this morning:

Our business is neither to ask nor answer foolish questions, but to
avoid them altogether; and if we observe the apostle’s precept (Titus
3:8) to be careful to maintain good works, we shall find ourselves far
too much occupied with profitable business to take much interest in
unworthy, contentious, and needless strivings.

Not One Square Inch

A momentous election and historical day that calls for much prayer. My mind goes to this great quote: 

“There is not one square inch of the entire creation about which Jesus Christ does not cry out, ‘This is mine! This belongs to me!'” – Abraham B. Kuyper