This morning, in my devotional reading I read the following statement from a German theologian by the name of Rupertus Meldenius, who lived over 400 years ago. I’m pretty sure no statement of mine will last that long; his did and for good reason. Here it is. Let’s all give it a chance to live in our lives today.

“In essentials things, unity. In nonessential things, freedom. In all things, love.”

Tim

In my reflective reading this morning I read the following statement. It stopped me cold. I must have read it 10 times. It comes from Patrick Morley’s book, The Seven Seasons of a Man’s Life. He wrote, “There is a God we want, and there is a God who is. They are not the same God. The turning point of our lives is when we stop seeking the God we want and start seeking the God who is.”

Perhaps you would take the time to read that statement a few times too and let the power of his words impact your heart. Truly, God is God and no amount of wanting him to be someone else or act some other way will change him. Our pursuit in life should not be to try to change God into the image we want, but to be changed by God into the image of His Son!

Tim

As part of my morning quiet time, along with reading the Bible, I am currently reading Mark Batterson’s book, Primal. Here is part of what I read this morning, “The Holy Spirit has multiple channels of communication. He speaks through His creation. He speaks in a still, small voice. He speaks through sanctified desires, divine appointments, and open doors. He speaks through Spirit-prompted friends who care enough to rebuke, correct, and exhort. And thank God for all those frequencies. But His primary channel of communication is Scripture. When we open the bible, it’s like God opens His mouth. That’s how we get on His frequency. That’s how we tune in to his voice.”

Good words. Make sure you give God time to speak to you today by spending some reflective time in His word.

Tim

This morning I came across this quote by Theodore Roosevelt that I thought you might appreciate, as I did. Roosevelt  spoke these words before a crowd at speech The Hamilton Club in Chicago on April 10, 1899.

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who does actually try to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.

Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even thought checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”

Tim

This morning I read the chapter in C.S. Lewis’ classic, Mere Christianity, entitled, “The Great Sin”. Before going any farther, what would you say the great sin is? (more…)