From EBC
Scholarly studies of Saul, the first king of Israel, have depicted him as (among other things) villain, tragic figure, flawed ruler, naive farm-boy, degenerate madman, fate-driven pawn, reluctant king— the list goes on and on. Such characterizations are at least partially true; Saul was surely one of the most complex persons described in Scripture.
— Ronald F. Youngblood
[Christ] is the most magnanimous of captains. There never was his like among the choicest of princes. He is always to be found in the thickest part of the battle. When the wind blows cold he always takes the bleak side of the hill. The heaviest end of the cross lies ever on his shoulders. If he bids us carry a burden, he carries it also. If there is anything that is gracious, generous, kind, and tender, yea lavish and superabundant in love, you always find it in him. These forty years and more have I served him, blessed be his name! and I have had nothing but love from him. I would be glad to continue yet another forty years in the same dear service here below if so it pleased him. His service is life, peace, joy. Oh, that you would enter on it at once! God help you to enlist under the banner of Jesus even this day! Amen.
— C. H. Spurgeon
Like the persistent widow, my mother bombarded heaven with her prayers. She relentlessly bombarded heaven until God answered her pleas, until God responded to her perseverance.
— Christopher Yuan
The gospel is boldly advancing under the contested reign and inevitable victory of Jesus the king. This side of Jesus’ death and resurrection, all of God’s sovereignty is mediated exclusively through King Jesus. . . . Christ “must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” ([I Cor.] 15:25). That presupposes the reign is still contested, and still advances. This is of a piece with Jesus’ claim, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt 16:18). But one day, the final enemy, death itself, will die, and Jesus’ mediatorial kingship will end. God will be all in all.
— D. A. Carson
If I had a thousand pounds, China should have it. If I had a thousand lives, China should have them. No! Not China, but Christ. Can we do too much for Him? Can we do too much for such a precious Savior?
— Hudson Taylor
The most important thing in the world is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If Jesus is alive, then there is hope for the world. If He is still in the grave, then there isn't the slightest glimmer of hope on the horizon. Outside of the resurrection of Jesus, I do not know of any other hope for this world.
— German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer
When Christ entered into Jerusalem the people spread their garments in the way. When He enters into our hearts, we pull off our own righteousness, and not only lay it under Christ’s feet, but even trample upon it ourselves.
— Augustus Toplady
We all live theologically; that is, the things we believe about God and ourselves are the foundation for all the decisions we make, all the actions we take, and all the words we speak.
— Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp
You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Go tell that long tongue liar
Go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler
The gambler
The back biter
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down
Well, you may throw your rock and hide your hand
Workin' in the dark against your fellow man
But as sure as God made black and white
What's down in the dark will be brought to the light
—Johnny Cash
I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God.
—Ezekiel 34:15
The whole emphasis is upon the Lord’s initiative. The Lord speaks, his servant hears and obeys. Samuel has no choice; his own will is submitted to the command of God. . . . Samuel’s role is altogether different from that of a religious practitioner, seeking to cajole the deity into conformity with his desires. Quite the reverse is true: Samuel stands unequivocally for the demands of the Lord upon his people. The outcome must be either repentance and reform, or certain punishment.
— Joyce Baldwin
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
— Hebrews 4:14-16
The Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The Lord our God is merciful, but this mercy is consistent with the severest justice: he pardons sin, and yet he never suffers it to go unpunished. Strange as the statement may seem, the Lord never ceases to be the righteous Judge, even when he is passing by transgression. The great and glorious God does not forgive sin because he does not know of it, or does not remember how sinful it is; but this is the wonder of his mercy, that he blots out the sins of his people with the fullest knowledge of their foulness.
— C. H. Spurgeon
The great difficulty with many Christians is that they cannot persuade themselves that God loves them; and the reason why they cannot feel confident of the love of God is that they know they do not deserve His love, on the contrary, they know that they are in the highest degree unlovely. How can the infinitely pure God love those who are defiled with sin, who are proud, selfish, discontented, ungrateful and disobedient? This, indeed, is hard to believe.
— Charles Hodge
To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. This is hard. It is perhaps not so hard to forgive a single great injury. But to forgive the incessant provocations of daily life—to keep on forgiving the bossy mother-in-law, the bullying husband, the nagging wife, the selfish daughter, the deceitful son—how can we do it? Only, I think, by remembering where we stand . . . .
— C. S. Lewis
If an incident in a woman’s ordinary family life could be such a significant step in the eternal plan of God, each day can be no less significant to a believer for God’s plan and purpose.
—David Tsumura
God’s heart, not mine, is the measure of His giving; not my capacity to receive, but His capacity to give.
— C. H. Spurgeon
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
— Romans 8:1
