c2p-cmd/Good-Quotes-Authors huggingface dataset:
People who are starving and dressed in rags don’t want to hear someone read a list of propositional “good news.” They want to see the good news in action. The church doesn’t hold revival meetings and call it a day — we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, dig wells, and staff medical clinics. Social action isn’t an optional part of evangelism; it is evangelism. This is an important correction to the overspirituality that dominated evangelical Christianity just a generation ago. But the both/and of holistic mission still misses the heart of Jesus if we don’t see that the church needs the poor as much as the poor need the church. Jesus didn’t embrace the poor only because he pitied them or because he knew he had the resources to help them. Jesus embraced the poor because they were rushing into the kingdom ahead of the scribes and Pharisees — those who called themselves God’s people. Jesus welcomed people who knew poverty because they were ready to receive what he had to offer. Religious people, he said, could learn something from them. Our spiritual lives are linked to the material conditions of our life. When we feel like we don’t need much materially, we often have trouble remembering why we need God. We comfortable Americans can go through an entire day without thinking of God. But Jesus gave the poor more than food to eat and relief from their sickness. He restored them to God’s beloved community.
— Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, God's Economy: Redefining the Health and Wealth Gospel
Stepping back and connecting reconciliation to God’s story also helps us move away from dramatic visions of fixing the world, as if our job were to provide solutions to problems outside us. If Christians believe anything, it is that no one—including ourselves and the church—is separate from the brokenness as an untainted solution to the problems of our world. The new creation contends with the old. The dividing line between good and evil runs straight through each one of us. So the journey of reconciliation begins with a transformation of the human person.
— Chris Rice, Reconciling All Things: A Christian Vision for Justice, Peace and Healing
Jesus and Satan appear here as repre sentatives of two opposite principles. Satan is the representative of material consumption and of power over nature and Man. Jesus is the representative of being, and of the idea that not-having is the premise for being. The world has followed Satan's principles, since the time of the gospels.
— Erich Fromm
Here’s the thing: You can be materialistic and poor. You can also be content and rich. It has nothing to do with your income and it has everything to do with your heart. You don’t need to earn more money in order to be generous with your money. Some people use that as an excuse to be greedy. Jesus seemed to believe that the key to generosity wasn’t having more, but being content with what you already have.
— Cole Ryan, Money: I Think We've Missed The Point
Dove found Flower waiting outside her apartment. Flower was staring at her Doc Martins and in a very slow-motion move; she looked up at Dove. “Jesus!” Flower’s eyes were wide and her mouth stayed open. Dove wanted to ask, “Bad Jesus or good Jesus?”, but Flower had already used almost half her allotted words on Dove’s predicament. She felt guilty asking for more.
— Debra Anastasia, Fire Down Below
I want to go much further than that. I want to point out that when Jesus spoke, whether it be of blessing or wealth or prosperity or what-have-you, He was rarely speaking of what is physical, what is tangible, what is seen.I don’t think Jesus was nearly as concerned with our circumstances as He was with our character.With Jesus, it’s all about what’s on the inside. It always has been. It always will be. When He promised us blessing and wealth and prosperity, the very last thing He was talking about was money.
— Cole Ryan, Money: I Think We've Missed The Point
I want to remind pastors and leaders that we do not own the church—God does. We aren't called to serve the church from a place of fear with our primary focus on protecting our boundaries. We are called to fling wide the doors, to invite to the banquet those on the margins, those who will challenge our comfort and our aversion to getting our hands dirty. Announcing the kingdom is risky business. When our experience of church becomes so predictable and so controlled, one has to wonder how far we've strayed from the calling to be ambassadors of reconciliation to those far beyond the walls of the church.
— Wendy Vanderwal-Gritter, Generous Spaciousness: Responding to Gay Christians in the Church
What makes Jesus remarkable is that He didn’t come to earth to lead, He came to serve.
— Jim George
Breathless living is anything but the abundant life. The pace at which we live is not sustainable.
— Stephen W. Smith
The liturgy is the place where we wait for Jesus to show up. We don't have to do much. The liturgy is not an act of will. It is not a series of activities designed to attain a spiritual mental state. We do not have to apply will pressure. To be sure, like basketball or football, it is something that requires a lot of practice--its rhythms do not come naturally except to those who have been rehearsing them for years. On some Sundays the soul will indeed battle to even pay attention. In the normal course of worship, we do not have to conjure up feelings or a devotional mood; we are not required to perform the liturgy flawlessly. Such anxious effort... blind us to what is really going on.We do have to show up, and we cannot leave early. But if we will dwell there, remain in place, wait patiently, Jesus will show up.
— Mark Galli, Beyond Smells and Bells: The Wonder and Power of Christian Liturgy
His soul was shaped by the cadence of Sabbath keeping and seasonal festivals that were intended to help Him and all people to remember God's faithfulness, protection, and provision.
— Stephen W. Smith, The Jesus Life: Eight Ways to Recover Authentic Christianity
Far from being a treatise meant to justify God’s righteousness in unconditional election, Romans 9–11 is a treatise about the incomprehensible mercy and scandalous faithfulness of God towards his creatures, through the crucified and resurrected Jesus Christ.
— Austin Fischer, Young, Restless, No Longer Reformed: Black Holes, Love, and a Journey in and Out of Calvinism
The God of Romans 9–11 finds ways to show mercy, even when the facts clamor for judgment. This doesn’t sound much like Calvinism to me, but it does sound a whole lot like Jesus.
— Austin Fischer, Young, Restless, No Longer Reformed: Black Holes, Love, and a Journey in and Out of Calvinism
Jesus teaches us to give richly, serve sacrificially, and love unconditionally.
— Elizabeth George, Moments of Grace for a Woman's Heart
We always want what is not ours. It’s intriguing. We think if we can just get that, we’ll finally be happy. The lure of what we do not have is deceptive.True freedom, however, is found in being content with what we already have. Can you imagine it? Can you imagine being whole, complete, fulfilled - content with what you already have? It sounds too good to be true.Utter satisfaction? That is freedom.That is what everyone is searching for.Where, though, can you find this kind of contentment?I've noticed that the more I’ve come to know Jesus, the less I've desired material things.Materialism is what happens when you find your joy in things. Contentment is what happens when you find your joy in Jesus. They’re complete opposites. You can easily differentiate a materialistic person from a content person.
— Cole Ryan, Money: I Think We've Missed The Point
The Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her own vulnerable self. That is the way Jesus came to reveal God's love. The great message that we have to carry, as ministers of God's Word and followers of Jesus, is that God loves us not because of what we do or accomplish, but because God has created and redeemed us in love and has chosen us to proclaim that love as the true source of all human life.
— Henri J.M. Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership
Pop stars AREN'T cool. Cheating on your husband or your wife isn't cool. Having no modesty with your body and no self-respect is NOT cool. It doesn't matter how pretty someone's voice is, or if they SAY they are Christian, God calls us to modesty and faithfulness, so we need to be careful to not idolize anyone that goes way off of what God wants.
— Lisa Bedrick, Relationships
God showed me something that day. It’s not about me. It’s not about how strong or how weak I am. It’s about speaking and declaring the WORD over someone else. What did God say about this issue? It’s about how strong God is, despite my weakness.I challenge you today, if you are sick – pray for the sick.If you are hurt – pray for the hurting.If you are lacking – pray for someone else’s abundant supply.Don’t run from your weakness – use it to heal someone else!Speak the Word – and sit back and watch what God does to confirm His Word!God will use it – and add His power to it, and you will see people healed in Jesus Name!
— Diana Rasmussen
f you had slept in the same house or field with Jesus, awakened with him, eaten with him and helped him, what would you have observed? One thing we always think of is that Jesus gave himself almost entirely to what we would consider interruptions. Most of the teaching, healing and wonders we see in his life were responsive...seemingly unplanned. He trusted that what the Father allowed to cross his path was exactly that...from the Father. Jesus always seemed willing for things to get messy
— Marcia Lebhar
A key to life is knowing what to ignore and when to shut up. :)
— Lisa Bedrick, Relationships
I have heard some people complain that if Jesus was God as well as man, then His suffering and death lose all value in their eyes, 'because it must have been so easy for him.' Others may (very rightly) rebuke the ingratitude and ungraciousness of this objection; what staggers me is the misunderstanding it betrays. In one sense, of course, those who make it are right. They have even understated their own case. The perfect submission, the perfect suffering, the perfect death were not only easier to Jesus because he was God, but were possible only because He was God. But surely that is a very odd reason for not accepting them? The teacher is able to form the letters for the child because the teacher is grown-up and knows how to write. That, of course, makes it easier for the teacher; and only because 'it's easy for grown ups' and waited to learn writing from another child who could not write itself (and so had no 'unfair' advantage), it would not get on very quickly. If I am drowning in a rapid river, a man who still has one foot on the bank may give me a hand which saves my life. Ought I to shout back (between my gasps) 'No, it's not fair! You have an advantage! You're keeping one foot on the bank? That advantage--call it 'unfair' if you like--is the only reason why he can be of any use to me. To what will you look for help if you will not look to that which is stronger than yourself?
— C.S. Lews
If you hold on to what you want so tightly, it almost becomes an idol.
— Joel Osteen
We need to not let food master us and take the throne of our lives. We need to make food submit to us, rather than us submitting to food. No one can serve two masters. We cannot serve money and God, and we cannot serve food and God.
— Lisa Bedrick, How to Walk Worthy of Your Calling
Satan is behind the theory of evolution. Satan hates God and us.  Satan is the father of all lies. So he wants nothing more than to make every human being alive believe lies about God, ourselves and how and why we exist.
— Lisa Bedrick, On Christian Apologetics
Paul says that our troubles are “light.” Granted I may not see them as light in the midst of trauma, but looking back on them, they may seem light. He also says they are “momentary.” They only last for a short time.
— Lisa Bedrick, Hard Times
Jesus conformed to our image so we could be transformed into His likeness.
— John Paul Warren
The burden of sin leads you to the need of a savior
— John Paul Warren
Jesus is the answer to the longing of every human heart. The love of his heart is the only love capable of filling our human longing—because it is human, yet infinite, and because it is also divine. Not only does each individual need and desire this love, but the world, taken as a whole, needs it.
— James Kubicki, A Heart on Fire: Rediscovering Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Her model of self-control with food is why I have never had an issue in this area.  Praise God for my mom's good example in how to eat.
— Lisa Bedrick, Thoughts on Christian Motherhood
Some people don’t care about Christianity at all unless it can make them drunk or high “in the spirit.” They use and abuse God and Christianity just like they would use any other substance in their life. They search for the experiences, but not God.
— Lisa Bedrick, On the Charismatic Movement
Happiness has its source in positive feelings, while joy has its source in Jesus.
— Jim George, The Remarkable Prayers of the Bible
Good equippers do like Jesus did it: recruit twelve, graduate eleven, and focus on three.
— Lynn Anderson, They Smell Like Sheep
Our acceptance with God is sure only through His beloved Son, and good works are but the result of the working of His sin-pardoning love. They are no credit to us, and we have nothing accorded to us for out good works by which we may claim a part in the salvation of our souls. Salvation is God’s free gift to the believer, given to him for Christ’s sake alone. The troubled soul may find peace through faith in Christ, and his peace will be in proportion to his faith and trust. He cannot present his good works as a plea for the salvation of his soul. 	But are good works of no real value? Is the sinner who commits sin every day with impunity, regarded of God with the same favor as the one who through faith in Christ tries to work in his integrity? The Scripture answers, ‘We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should work in them.’ In His divine arrangement, through His unmerited favor, the Lord has ordained that good works shall be rewarded. We are accepted through Christ’s merit alone, and the acts of mercy, the deeds of charity, which we perform, are the fruits of faith; and they become a blessing to us; for men are to be rewarded according to their works. It is the fragrance of the merit of Christ than makes our good works acceptable to God, and it is grave that enables us to do the works for which He rewards us. Our works in and of themselves have no merit. When we have done all that it is possible for us to do, we are to count ourselves as unprofitable servants. We deserve no thanks from God. We have only done what it was our duty to do, and our works could not have been performed in the strength of our own sinful nature.  	The Lord has bidden us to draw nigh to Him, and He will draw nigh to us; and drawing nigh to Him, we receive the grace by which to do those good works which will be rewarded at His hands.
— Ellen G. White
I've got the baby here," Imogene barked at the Wise Men. "Don touch him! I named him Jesus.
— Barbara Robinson, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Jesus was and is the greatest restoration specialist of all time.
— Craig D. Lounsbrough
The birth of Jesus Christ is a reminder of what Adam and Eve failed to do in the Garden of Eden.
— Felix Wantang
To get where you want to go, the first question you always have to answer is Where am I? ... We only find out where we are when we find out where He is. We only find ourselves... when we find Him.
— Ann Voskamp, The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas
The secret to following God's will, I discovered, usually is wrapped up in rejecting the good for God's best.
— K.P. Yohannan, Revolution in World Missions
Jesus promises a life in which we increasingly have to stretch out our hands and be led into places where we would rather not go.
— Henri J.M. Nouwen
Wisdom without Christ brings bitterness
—  with Christ it brings compassion.
Happy man, who is dead to the world, and alive to God! separated from the world, and collected into Christ! Blessed is the man into whose heart such Divine graces are infused, as withdraw it wholly from every tendency to inferior things, and exalt it to the supernal light and glory in the heavens. To obtain which, it is needful to pray daily and instantly to God: seeing it is not possible for a Christian to live without it,
— Johann Arndt, Johann Arndt: True Christianity
The deformity of Christ forms you. If he had not willed to be deformed, you would not have recovered the form which you had lost. Therefore he was deformed when he hung on the cross. But his deformity is our comeliness. In this life, therefore, let us hold fast to the deformed Christ.
— Augustine of Hippo
Jesus is the seat belt of the roller coaster ride that doesn't let me fall
— Manuel Corazzari
To strategize a rescue mission irrefutably capable of saving every human being is leagues beyond our ability to comprehend, and enormous beyond any resource we possess to execute. And to embark upon just such a mission fully knowing that without our death the mission will fall to failure is bravery of the greatest sort imaginable. Yet, that is exactly what Christmas is.
— Craig D. Lounsbrough
Non Violence and Religion: Both designed to keep the oppressed from murdering their oppressors.
— Darnell Lamont Walker
Let therefore this PURE LOVE OF CHRIST prompt thee to all that is good; let this be the motive of mortifying thy flesh with all its desires: and let the remembrance of that death which he most willingly accepted for thee, make thee willing to lay down thy life for him; and out of sincere gratitude for all his inestimable benefits, to accept the cross at his hand, and to resist sin and the world even unto blood.
— Johann Arndt, Johann Arndt: True Christianity
Be the one who walks with the Lord
— Shellie Palmer, Beyond The Silence of Love & Faith
Jesus died on the cross not only so I wouldn't have to go to hell, but also to give me an abundant life on this Earth.
— Perry Noble, Overwhelmed: Winning the War Against Worry
In particular, we must take account of the well-known and striking saying of Jesus to the dying brigand beside him, recorded by Luke (23.43). 'Today,' he said, 'you will be with me in paradise.' 'Paradise' is not the final destination; it is a beautiful resting place on the way there. But notice. If there is anyone in the New Testament to whom we might have expected the classic doctrine of purgatory to apply, it would be this brigand. He had no time for amendment of life; no doubt he had all kinds of sinful thoughts and desires in what was left of his body. All the standard arguments in favour of purgatory apply to him. And yet Jesus assures him of his place in paradise, not in a few days or weeks, not if his friends say a lot of prayers and masses for him, but 'today.
— N.T. Wright, For All the Saints: Remembering the Christians Departed
What single-minded, purposeful, compassionate obedience did it take for Jesus to walk through this world completely unrecognized for who he truly was? Even those dearest and closest to him did not grasp it while he lived.
— Marcia Lebhar
[It's Not About You, Mr. Santa Claus,] is a fun read and a twist on Christmas, because it does involve Santa Claus and Jesus, and it doesn’t say that Santa Claus is bad, but it’s the child explaining to Santa Claus the true reason for the season is Jesus.
— Soraya Diase Coffelt, It's Not about You Mr. Santa Claus: A Love Letter about the True Meaning of Christmas
The Book of Life was created as a tool for humans to use to grow in wisdom, knowledge, and power.
— Stacy Snapp-Killian aka StacyK
Matthew once said to me, after one of my more finely worded rants about stupid people who have the wrong opinions, "Nadia, the thing that sucks is that every time we draw a line between us and others, Jesus is always on the other side of it." Damn.
— Nadia Bolz-Weber, Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint
We all need role models in different seasons, people we look to who bring encouragement for the journey. Every role model but One will fail. If we get up-close we will see that each one is imperfect, except the One perfect lamb who was crucified for our sins. He was the scapegoat. He was the rejected One.
— Sue Detweiler, 9 Traits of a Life-Giving Mom: Replacing My Worst with God's Best
A mature heart for Christ would much rather spend its time praising him than condemning his fanatics.
— Criss Jami, Killosophy
The moon reminds me that God made it just for us. And that back when Jesus lived on the earth, He went to sleep every night, just like me, and He, too, likely looked up at it---at the same exact moon I see every night---from wherever He laid His head. And where did he lay His head, compared to where we lay ours every night? On the dirt and grass of the earth. He took nothing for Himself, and now He provides me with a bed, and a roof, and all these friends, and meals...and this music class.
— Dawn Crandall, The Bound Heart
The answer to anxiety is always to exalt Christ.
— Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts Devotional: Reflections on Finding Everyday Grace
It is crucial that Jesus is led by the Spirit. There are two wildernesses, two darknesses in the spiritual journey. One you go into by your own stupidity, by your sin, blindness, ignorance and mistakes. We all do that. But there’s another darkness. The holy darkness is the darkness that God leads us into, through and beyond. This is a necessary darkness for the journey. In a certain sense, God’s darkness is a much better teacher than light. There comes a time when you have to either go deeper into faith or you will turn back, when you have to live without knowing or you lose faith altogether. So we have the Spirit leading Jesus into the wilderness, to face the essential darkness.
— Richard Rohr
To know Jesus Christ, you must first understand his supernatural identity. He is God.
— Felix Wantang, Face to Face Meetings With Jesus Christ: The Language of Heaven
As for me, God forbid that I should boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world died long ago, and the world's interest in me is also long dead.
— Galations 6 14
Jesus says, "Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me." He says, "The first shall be last and the last shall be first," and infuriating things like "if you seek to find your life you will lose it but those who lose their life will find it." And every single time I die to something—my notions of my own specialness, my plans and desires for something to be a very particular way—every single time I fight it and yet every single time I discover more life and more freedom than if I had gotten what I wanted.
— Nadia Bolz-Weber, Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint
There is absolutely no reward on earth for being a Christian. You get it only on payday in Heaven, not while you are still working for Jesus on earth.
— Felix Wantang
As a spiritual leader, you are here to serve; not to be served. Stop robbing the poor. Jesus came to serve.
— Felix Wantang
We expect God to be an angry father who demands justice, but through Jesus, He gives us love and grace when we don't deserve it.
— Kyle Idleman
The love and compassion of Jesus christ is not understood and felt by devils.
— Michael Bassey Johnson, Classic Quotations From The Otherworlds
I think we need to say, 'Okay, Jesus, give us your eyes. Give us childlike faith. Give us the eyes of faith so that we can begin to see the way Christ does and get used to looking for God’s glory in each other.
— Kevin Paterson, Straight Talk to Christian Singles: Moving from "Hi, how are you?" to "Yes, I do"
Knowing all of this makes me love and hate Jesus at the same time. Because, when instead of contrasting good and evil, he contrasted truth and evil, I have to think about all the times I've substituted being good (or appearing to be good) for truth.
— Nadia Bolz-Weber, Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint
God raised Christ up to the highest position possible. Jesus is now our great high King, and we should not allow anyone to take His place in our lives, usurping His Throne room in our hearts, and minds!
— brother Billy
All of us, some frequently, feel undervalued and unseen. Yet, our deepest pains are lessened in that moment of recognition that Jesus...gets it. That his own feet have walked through this very pain. May we stretch to be like him, and live for his accolade alone, his face only before us. For soon, as Scripture promises, we will be face to face." from "The Bare Branch" p.43
— Marcia Lebhar
And yet with every wound You robbed me of a crime,And as each blow was paid with Blood,You paid me also each great sin with greater graces.For even as I killed You,You made Yourself a greater thief than any in Your company,Stealing my sins into Your dying life,Robbing me even of my death.
— Thomas Merton, Selected Poems of Thomas Merton
Jesus came to give us life so unimaginably beyond anything that we could ever hope to conceptualize that wonder cannot help but be our constant companion.
— Craig D. Lounsbrough
Jesus came to give us life without leaving out any of life in the giving.
— Craig D. Lounsbrough
You don't fight the battles you know you will win, its the ones that everyone says you will lose.
— Chris Burkmenn
Today you are planting seeds to your dream. Be patient because it will be a large harvest.
— Chris Burkmenn
Intellectualism is a poor master over passion
— Twe Stephens, The Universes of God: The Chronicles of the Angels
It took six days from start to finish for the totality of Creation
—  but within three days He cut His schedule in half to save you.
We are a generation of lovers who long to be loved. We spend exorbitant amounts of money to compel others to delight in us. We construct our ideal life on Facebook because we are unsatisfied with our real life, which is tainted with boredom, loneliness, insecurity, and a lack of friends and followers . We do not enjoy the person God created us to be or the life God has gifted us with. We think we are overweight, underweight, too pale, too dark, too plain, or just plain boring. Yet we crave to be delighted in by a significant other. So we pursue misguided avenues to make ourselves delightful, to satisfy our craving to be loved.Charis: God's Scandalous Grace for Us (pp. 118-119).
— Preston Sprinkle
Jesus did not define the kingdom as being in the hearts of the Pharisees or anyone else. The kingdom is an objective reality when the King is present.
— Dr. J. Otis Yoder
Teach me your way of looking at people:as you glanced at Peter after his denial,as you penetrated the heart of the rich young manand the hearts of your disciples.I would like to meet you as you really are,since your image changes those with whom you come into contact.Remember John the Baptist’s first meeting with you?And the centurion’s feeling of unworthiness?And the amazement of all those who saw miracles and other wonders?How you impressed your disciples,the rabble in the Garden of Olives,Pilate and his wifeand the centurion at the foot of the cross. . . .I would like to hear and be impressedby your manner of speaking,listening, for example, to your discourse in the synagogue in Capharnaumor the Sermon on the Mount where your audience felt you “taught as one who has authority.
— Pedro Arrupe, Pedro Arrupe: Essential Writings
The course of a life can be changed with some well timed, lovingly asked, honestly answered questions.
— Lesley Sears
Have you had a 'relationship discussion' with God lately? Do you need to?
— Lesley Sears, The Foolish Sinners Guide to...Living in God's Wisdom
1 Corinthians 2:7 (CEB)We talk about God's Wisdom, which has been hidden as a secret. God determined this wisdom in advance, before time began for our glory.
— Anonymous
Even Jesus, three days, died. Who is strong doesn't make the strong. (Même Jésus, trois jours, est mort. Qui est fort ne fait le fort)
— Charles de Leusse, Le Sablier
The nails did not kill Him... It was the needs that did.
— Johnnie Dent Jr.
Let God grow in you. Hear his voice in your need. Let Jesus resurrect you right now, in this life, even before you’re done dying. Let him put your spirit back in your hungry body.
— Adam S. Miller
We are all foolish sinners saved only by grace & we can all use a little guidance sometimes.
— Lesley Sears
Matty just rolled his eyes and walked over to his older brother. "Why is it when everyone thinks they're on their death bed, they suddenly find Jesus?"Jayne shrugged and replied, "Because that's where he likes to hang out?
— Nonjon
Knowledge is a process of piling up facts
—  wisdom lies in their simplification.
That Jesus is popular in Mark 2:2, however, is not a general model for Christian ministry; the rest of Mark itself shows that eventually crowds denounced Jesus (15:13–14). From these narratives we might learn to use any popularity for good at the moment but not to count on it enduring.
— Craig S. Keener, Gift & Giver: The Holy Spirit for Today
Proverbs 28:26Those who trust in their own reasoning are fools, but those who walk in Wisdom will be kept safe.
— Anonymous
1 Corinthians 3:18-19Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become 'fools' so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight.
— Anonymous
Mark 12:34When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, 'You are not far from the Kingdom of God.
— Anonymous
I can tell how good a novel is by how it portrays Jesus.
— A. Cretan
Being a Christian, for some other people, is not cool-praying, reading bible, lifting your hands while singing Christian songs, listening to a boring sermon? But would it still be cool if you're already in hell? Think about that.
— Aby Santos
False religion may prevail, iniquity may abound, the love of many may wax cold, the cross of Calvary may be lost sight of, and darkness, like the pall of death, may spread over the world; the whole force of the popular current may be formed to overthrow the people of God; but in the hour of greatest peril the God of Elijah will raise up human instrumentalities to bear a message that will not be silenced.
— Ellen G. White
When you’re rearranging the furniture to make way for the decorations and the tree, make sure you rearrange your heart to make room for the Savior of Mankind.
— Toni Sorenson
Jesus was a hiker. The wilderness was His retreat.
— Toni Sorenson
For, indeed, everything about is marvelous, and wherever a man turns his gaze he sees the Godhead of the Word and is smitten with awe.
— Athanasius of Alexandria, On the Incarnation
The word surrender has some shadowy connotations. We think it’s weak to surrender, but sometimes it’s the bravest thing we can possibly do. It means to give our will over to another . . . and when that other is Christ, we are surrendering our pride, our self-reliance, our will to do things our way. We trust Him more than we trust ourselves. The origin of the word surrender did not mean to give up, but to give over. We give our will over to God, let Him do what He will with it, and in the process we lose nothing, but gain much.
— Toni Sorenson
God hijacks and bends evil to work peace and healing. If God were only a God of justice, He could punish evil but do no more. Only a God of grace can use our evil to work His good. God’s grace is so much bigger than our sin . Sometimes He’ll let us pursue our idolatry until it kills us. Then He will resurrect us and turn our evil into testimonies of God’s grace.Charis: God's Scandalous Grace for Us (p. 86).
— Preston Sprinkle
Be honest with the Lord. If you’re afraid, say so. If you’re feeling abandoned, tell Him. He already knows every sin you’ve committed and He loves you anyway. Confess honestly. Beg for help. Converse with the Lord in reverence and respect, but not as if you were approaching a distant, uncaring being. Nothing could be further from the truth. All you have to do is reach out to feel the grasp of Christ’s hand.
— Toni Sorenson
Jesus is not saying, “Make sure you pray a prayer of repentance, start going to church, and wait for Me to come back.” He is saying, “You can live a radically different life because there’s a new world order that just broke in, so stop walking in the direction you’re going, turn 180 degrees, and walk toward Me and life in the kingdom of God.”Halter, Hugh (2014-02-01). Flesh: Bringing the Incarnation Down to Earth (p. 53). David C. Cook. Kindle Edition.
— Hugh Halter
Only one life, it will soon be past,only what’s done for Christ will last.
— Elizabeth George, A Woman After God's Own Heart
Raise and Praise
—  it keeps the devil away!Feeling down? Start praising even if it is a sacrifice of praise. You will soon start feeling better because the devil will not stick around & praise God with you!
Jesus shows us that there’s never a change of mind unless there’s a change of heart, and there will never be a change of heart without a conversation between trusted friends.Halter, Hugh (2014-02-01). Flesh: Bringing the Incarnation Down to Earth (p. 167). David C. Cook. Kindle Edition.
— Hugh Halter
The gift of being able to speak with a holy God because of the righteousness we gain through Jesus on the cross is an indescribable miracle!
— Alisa Hope Wagner
Grace is more than just leniency and unconditional acceptance. Divine grace is God’s relentless and loving pursuit of His enemies, who are unthankful, unworthy, and unlovable. Grace is not just God’s ability to save sinners, but God’s stubborn delight in His enemies—yes, even the creepy ones. Grace means that despite our filth, despite the sewage running through our veins , despite our odd addiction to food, drink, sex, porn, pride, self, money, comfort, and success, God desires to transform us into real ingredients of divine happiness.Sprinkle, Preston (2014-07-01). Charis: God's Scandalous Grace for Us (p. 24). David C. Cook. Kindle Edition.
— Preston Sprinkle
The world teaches us to be self-sufficient, self-reliant, self-motivating. But anytime we put self before Savior, we’re in trouble
— Toni Sorenson
Indeed, if their wristbands asked them the question: “What-Would-Jesus-Buy”—well now, that could very well revolutionize the Christian church in America.
— Geoffrey Wood
If Christ is missing from your life, it isn’t because He is lost.
— Toni Sorenson
Let’s not beat around the bush. Life is one great big wonderful but terrifying adventure. It can be as brutal as it is beautiful. There are no do-overs. We get a single shot to make it home. And guess what? We all wander and find ourselves lost from time to time. Enter our Savior. The One whose love and power to heal and example to guide is so magnificent that our frail human minds can’t begin to comprehend.
— Toni Sorenson
Jesus didn't die on the cross so we can do something epic. He died so we can have a relationship with an epic God who moves in epic ways!
— Alisa Hope Wagner
No one is perfect. We all need a Savior. The more honest we become about our flaws, the more we'll reach out for the grace and love of Jesus.
— Alisa Hope Wagner, Eve of Awakening
The Holy Spirit is faithful to empower you to carry out your witness of Jesus.
— Jim George
Walking with Jesus is many times like walking in the eye of the storm--inner peace in the middle of chaos.
— Alisa Hope Wagner
Jesus is the antioxidant that terminates all the free radicals (sin) in our lives. Consume more of Jesus and watch your overall health rise!
— Alisa Hope Wagner
Sin dies in us when we stay alive in Jesus Christ.
— Alisa Hope Wagner
From beginning to end, our Christian lives— highs and lows, fasting and fornication— are a tapestry of grace.Charis: God's Scandalous Grace for Us (p. 31).
— Preston Sprinkle
People love to quote that Jesus is love, yet they neglect to mention that He's also King. If you love the King, you will obey Him.
— Alisa Hope Wagner
It is refreshing, and salutary, to study the poise and quietness of Christ. His task and responsibility might well have driven a man out of his mind. But He was never in a hurry, never impressed by numbers, never a slave of the clock.
— J.B. Phillips
Jesus paid for our sins, so let's get our money's worth.
— F. Paul Wilson, Conspiracies
Jesus came to serve, and He wants you to follow His example.
— Jim George
When you yield yourself in complete and wholehearted obedience to God, He can do great things through you.
— Jim George, One-Minute Insights for Men
When you judge others you reveal your inability to see them through God's eyes.
— Carlos A.  Rodriguez
For real men serve their country with random acts of kindness, not vicious acts of violence. And real soldiers have one duty, and one duty only; they have a duty to mutiny!
— Joss Sheldon, 'Involution & Evolution': A rhyming anti-war novel
It's not the amount of Bible you read, it's the amount of Bible you believe.
— Carlos A.  Rodriguez, Designed For Inheritance: A Discovery of Sonship
The priest's work, the priest's service, was understood as an act of worship. This was God's desire at Sinai - that everybody would understand their roles as priests. Thst everybody would worship God by serving each other.
— Rob Bell, Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile
Jesus is more interested in your heart than your ministry.
— Carlos A.  Rodriguez, Designed For Inheritance: A Discovery of Sonship
How one in the modern world views Jesus's miraculous actions is irrelevant. All that can be known is how the people of his time viewed them. And therein lies the historical evidence. For while debates raged within the early church over who Jesus was—a rabbi? the messiah? God incarnate?—there was never any debate, either among his followers or his detractors, about his role as an exorcist and miracle worker.
— Reza Aslan, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
Your commitment to Jesus is a beautiful thing, but it will eventually dwindle down, unless you fully understand His commitment to you.
— Carlos A.  Rodriguez
Jesus did not die just to save you from hell. He paid the price to give you all of heaven.
— Carlos A.  Rodriguez, Designed For Inheritance: A Discovery of Sonship
Paul may be an excellent source for those interested in the early formation of Christianity, but he is a poor guide for uncovering the historical Jesus.
— Reza Aslan, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
The plaque the Romans placed above Jesus's head as he writhed in pain—"King of the Jews"—was called a titulus and, despite common perception, was not meant to be sarcastic. Every criminal who hung on a cross received a plaque declaring the specific crime for which he was being executed. Jesus's crime, in the eyes of Rome, was striving for kingly rule (i.e., treason), the same crime for which nearly every other messianic aspirant of the time was killed.
— Reza Aslan, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus was surely not the first exorcist to walk the shores of the Sea of Galilee. In first-century Palestine, professional wonder worker was a vocation as well established as that of woodworker or mason, and far better paid. Galilee especially abounded with charismatic fantasts claiming to channel the divine for a nominal fee. Yet from the perspective of the Galileans, what set Jesus apart from his fellow exorcists and healers is that he seemed to be providing his services free of charge.
— Reza Aslan, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
The very purpose of designing the Temple of Jerusalem as a series of ever more restrictive ingressions was to maintain the priestly monopoly over who can and cannot come into the presence of God and to what degree. The sick, the lame, the leper, the "demon-possessed," menstruating women, those with bodily discharges, those who had recently given birth—none of these were permitted to enter the Temple and take part in the rituals unless first purified according to the priestly code. With every leper cleansed, every paralytic healed, every demon cast out, Jesus was not only challenging that priestly code, he was invalidating the very purpose of the priesthood.
— Reza Aslan, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
Pilate, as the histories reveal, was not one for trials. In his ten years as governor of Jerusalem, he had sent thousands upon thousands to the cross with a simple scratch of his reed pen on a slip of papyrus. The notion that he would even be in the same room as Jesus, let alone deign to grant him a "trial," beggars the imagination. Either the threat posed by Jesus to the stability of Jerusalem is so great that he is one of only a handful of Jews to have the opportunity to stand before Pilate and answer for his alleged crimes, or else the so-called trial before Pilate is pure legend.
— Reza Aslan, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
Despite two millennia of Christian apologetics, the fact is that belief in a dying and rising messiah simply did not exist in Judaism. In the entirety of the Hebrew Bible there is not a single passage of scripture or prophecy about the promised messiah that even hints of his ignominious death, let alone his bodily resurrection.
— Reza Aslan, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
Thus it is written that the messiah would suffer and rise again on the third day," Jesus instructs his disciples (Luke 24:44–46). Except that nowhere is any such thing written: not in the Law of Moses, not in the prophets, not in the Psalms. In the entire history of Jewish thought there is not a single line of scripture that says the messiah is to suffer, die, and rise again on the third day, which may explain why Jesus does not bother to cite any scripture to back up his incredible claim.
— Reza Aslan, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
Paul's portrayal of Jesus as Christ may sound familiar to contemporary Christians—it has since become the standard doctrine of the church—but it would have been downright bizarre to Jesus's Jewish followers. The transformation of the Nazarean into a divine, preexistent, literal son of God whose death and resurrection launch a new genus of eternal beings responsible for judging the world has no basis in any writings about Jesus that are even remotely contemporary with Paul's (a firm indication that Paul's Christ was likely his own creation).
— Reza Aslan, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
He (Peter) doesn't know if he's looking into the eyes of a madman, or the eyes of a King.
— Roma Downey, Son of God
He speaks the words of a distant prophet as though He has written the words Himself.
— Roma Downey, Son of God
Jesus has entrusted His message of salvation to His followers. Faithfully share the message!
— Jim George
Jesus was not a theologian. He was God who told stories.
— Madeleine L'Engle, Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art
Though Jesus was in torture on the cross, He thought of praying for His persecutors, of caring for His mother, of securing the good thief's salvation.
— Thomas Dubay, Seeking Spiritual Direction: How to Grow the Divine Life Within
Jesus was not SELFLESS. He did not live as if ONLY other people counted. He knew his value and worth. He had friends. He asked people to help him. At the same time Jesus was not SELFISH. He did not live as if nobody counted. He gave his life out of love for others. From a place of loving union with his Father, Jesus had a mature, healthy 'true self.
— Peter Scazzero, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: Unleash a Revolution in Your Life In Christ
No sooner do I conquer a bad habit than I become the biggest critic of anyone who still does what I just stopped doing.
— Judah Smith, Jesus Is: Find a New Way to Be Human
I don't even understand the connection with 'died for your sins'. He died for your sin, well, how does one affect the other? 'I hit myself in the foot with a shovel for your mortgage'...
— Doug Stanhope
What would people think?'Jesus said that people think all sorts of things. The human mind is like a cloud of gnats. Constant motion. That's why you have to look at the heart.'Oh,' said Grandpa.
— Garrison Keillor, Lake Wobegon Summer, 1956
Jesus may give you eternal life, but until then, your ass going to stay right were it is until you do something about it.
— Bryant McGill, Simple Reminders: Inspiration for Living Your Best Life
The simple record of three short years of active life has done more to regenerate and to soften mankind, than all the (investigations) disquisitions of philosophers and than all the exhortations of moralists.
— William Edward Hartpole Lecky
The role of the Christian is to let other people know what Jesus has done, not to think of themselves as a member of an exclusive Heaven club.
— Lewis N. Roe, From A To Theta: Taking The Tricky Subject Of Religion And Explaining Why It Makes Sense In A Way We Can All Understand
The heart of Christ is not only the heart of a man but has in it also the tenderness and gentleness of a woman. Jesus was not a man in the rigid sense of manhood as distinct from womanhood, but, as the Son of Man, the complete Head of Humanity.
— A.B. Simpson
We can say that wisdom causes us to know, while understanding enables us to act.
— Shane Wall, Understanding: All Success Is Attained by It
One example is the familiar parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), which in some ways might be better called the parable of the elder brother. For the point of the parable as a whole - a point frequently overlooked by Christian interpreters, in their eagerness to stress the uniqueness and particularity of the church as the prodigal younger son who has been restored to the father's favor - is in the closing words of the father to the elder brother, who stands for the people of Israel: 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.' The historic covenant between God and Israel was permanent, and it was into this covenant that other peoples too, were now being introduced. This parable of Jesus affirmed both the tradition of God's continuing relation with Israel and the innovation of God's new relation with the church - a twofold covenant.
— Jaroslav Pelikan, Jesus Through the Centuries: His Place in the History of Culture
Life is full of chances, and today I hope you take each and every one of them.
— Chris Burkmenn
Between the sands of time and tradition is a multitude of truths untold.
— J.E. Cross, Judas: Hero Misunderstood
Soft, hence the blackheart under my sweet muse popular sentiments and blandishmentsmark your rather tranquil passionsso living were you, so sure was your stanceof everything put in and nothing to get outthose of your rule become of dullness and drearyrepetition, as smiles and frowns assured themKingdoms of Gold and Mirthbut in thine cloister is disease of all kindand make…
— Clay Scott Brown
Jesus confronted many of the important issues of His time. He went into the temple, taught the New Testament message, and took action against those who were buying and selling on holy ground. He healed the widow, forgave the adulterer, and by His example, the righteous walked away in shame. He had said, whoever is without sin, cast the first stone (John 8:7 - paraphrase)! Not one pebble, nor one rock was thrown. He who had that right to judge, Jesus Christ, did not cast judgement either. He looked upon the sinner lovingly, and embraced them. He guided them to change and opened blind eyes to see. By Christ alone, was and is salvation attained. Truth is in the New Testament, and a Holy Spirit-guided understanding of it. It must be read without regard for self. For when self enters in, that is when misinterpretations and heresies arise.
— Zechariah Barrett
The best ever spiritual coach you can ever have is Jesus Christ
—  our model of true leadership! You can do all things through Christ your and my spiritual coach!
As life unfolds, remember that all the answers are found in Christ.
— Duane Trogdon
What is the difference between my view and the classical Christian perspective? I am convinced that there are not multiple comings and multiple returns of Christ, but only one decisive coming at the end of the world, which includes the resurrection, the rapture, and his appearance in the sky!
— Eli Of Kittim, The Little Book of Revelation: The First Coming of Jesus at the End of Days