Encouraging Quote

"I pray for you, that all your misgivings will be melted to thanksgivings. Remember that the shadow a thing casts often far exceeds the size of the thing itself (especially if the light be low on the horizon) and though some future fear may strut brave darkness as you approach, the thing itself will be but a speck when seen from beyond. Oh that He would restore us often with that 'aspect from beyond,' to see a thing as He sees it, to remember that He dealeth with us as with sons."
-Jim Elliot

Love this quote. Sometimes trials seem huge when actually they aren't, we just have the wrong perspective. If only we saw things as we ought, as God does, we would be able to truly "Consider it all joy...when [we] encounter various trials." I don't want to downplay hard times - because sometimes we do encounter intense pain and suffering. I just want to remember to keep it in perspective, and not see things as larger than they really are. Oh to be so mature, to see things as God sees them!

"Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering. The love of God is of a different nature altogether. It does not hate tragedy. It never denies reality. It stands in the very teeth of suffering. The love of God did not protect His own Son. That was the proof of His love-that He gave that Son, that He let Him go to Calvary’s cross, though ‘legions of angels’ might have rescued Him. He will not necessarily protect us-not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process." Elisabeth Elliot

Quotes

"It is mercy that our lives are not left for us to plan, but that our Father chooses for us; else might we sometimes turn away from our best blessings, and put from us the choicest loveliest gifts of His providence." Susannah Spurgeon


"As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you." CS Lewis


"There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us." Richard Sibbes


"When you don't know what to do next, just do the thing in front of you." Elisabeth Elliot


"Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open." Corrie ten Boom

Quotes

‎"A person's involuntary response to the unexpected is a more reliable indicator of his character than his planned reaction to a situation he anticipates. It is when we are caught off guard that our true character is most likely to show itself." MacArthur

"Every experience God gives us, every person He puts into our lives, is the perfect preparation for a future only He can see." Corrie ten Boom

"Someone once observed that the toothache you have this very minute is the worst pain in the world." Elizabeth Elliot

"Let not our longing slay the appetite of our living." Jim Elliot

"When the will of God crosses the will of man, somebody has to die." Addison Leitch

"It is a good thing God chose me before I was born, because He surely would not have afterwards." Charles Spurgeon

Quotes

"If we are not content with what we have, we will never be content with what we want." Nancy Leigh DeMoss

"Hurry is a place of life that is seldom conducive to godliness, to relationships, to anything that ultimately matters to us." Nancy Leigh DeMoss

"Repenting is telling Christ exactly why you need Him." David Osborne

Spurgeon Quote

"Whether I am up or down, the Lord Jesus Christ is the same. Whether I sing or sigh, the promise is true and the Promiser is faithful. Whether I stand on the summit or am hidden in the vale the covenant stands fast and everlasting love abides." -Spurgeon

"Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering. The love of God is of a different nature altogether. It does not hate tragedy. It never denies reality. It stands in the very teeth of suffering. The love of God did not protect His own Son. That was the proof of His love-that He gave that Son, that He let Him go to Calvary's cross, though 'legions of angels' might have rescued Him. He will not necessarily protect us-not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process."
--Elizabeth Elliot, Passion and Purity

"We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be." C.S. Lewis

Quotes

It's been forever since I have posted a blog. Rather than giving excuses for it, I will just continue.

God has taught me so much about Himself and about myself and my sin this past semester. Christmas break has been a time of great reflection and refreshment. I thought I would share several quotes that have impacted me. Though it is more impersonal than taking the time to write out the various things I've been learning, these quotes have had profound meaning to me. So, it really is personal, at least to some extent.

"Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see." 

-Corrie ten Boom, The Hiding Place

"There are no 'if's' in God's world. And no places that are safer than other places. The center of His will is our only safety. 

-Betsie ten Boom, quoted in The Hiding Place

"The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn."

-Martin Luther

"Jargon, not argument, is your best ally in keeping him from the Church."

-C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

[If you are unfamiliar with this book, the premise is that one demon is writing to his nephew, also a demon, about how to gain the victory over a man's soul. It's great read but it requires your full attention.]

"You must therefore conceal from the patient the true end of humility. Let him think of it not as self-forgetfulness, but as a certain kind of opinion (namely, a low opinion) of his own talents and character." 

-C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

I'll end with not a quote, but a verse that has also been an encouragement.

"This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I have hope in Him.'" -Lamentations 3:21-24