“People pleasing isn’t just about keeping others happy. It’s about getting from them what we think we must have in order to feel okay in the world. . . . It’s an inverted security that only makes us more and more insecure with every realization that people aren’t designed for or capable of filling in […]
“Don’t sacrifice the favor of God for the promotion of man. Just as the first will be last and the last will be first, sometimes what seems like a step backward proves to be a giant leap forward. . . . Integrity is staying in the lane of blessing, even when you feel like changing […]
“Spiritual maturity often gets tested in the tiny things that pop up every day. These tests come in the form of little annoyances, such as an ill-timed comment that someone makes, a misplaced phone, overstuffed drawers, annoying quirks, or cupboard doors left open.”- Bob Merritt “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and […]
“We can try to finesse the rules if we want to, and we may get away with it. We may even be able to convince ourselves. But we cannot finesse integrity.”- John Ortberg “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.”- […]
“A thin place . . . it’s there that we discover that the dream isn’t about us at all.”- Mark Batterson “During harvest time, three of the thirty chief men came down to David at the cave of Adullam . . .”- 2 Samuel 23:13 In Chapter 9 (“On This Spot”) of Chase the Lion, […]
Today Bill Hybels concludes his discussion of Solomon’s seven character traits (red warning lights) that are offensive to God (Chapter 7 of Simplify). 4 & 5. Looking for Trouble (“a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that . . . rush into evil”). Solomon’s warning is to people who have no qualms about taking advantages […]
“I will always obey your law, for ever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.”- Psalm 119:44-45 Near the end of Chapter 12 of Soul Keeping, John Ortberg states that the only way to achieve freedom for your soul is through surrender. We must wholeheartedly embrace God’s […]
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”- 1 John 1:8-9 John Ortberg begins Chapter 5 (“Sin and the Soul”) of Soul Keeping by citing […]
“Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.”- 1 Peter 2:11 (NIV) “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.”- James 1:8 (KJV) John Ortberg continues Chapter 4 of Soul Keeping with this description of a well-ordered soul: “God designed us so […]
“We are not lost because we are going to wind up in the wrong place. We are going to wind up in the wrong place because we are lost.”- John Ortberg “Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.”- Psalm 51:6 In Chapter 4 (“Lost Souls”) of […]
“Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.”- Mark 4:5-6 “Superficiality is the curse of our age.”- Richard Foster, Celebration of […]
“The blizzard of the world has crossed the threshold, and it has overturned the order of the soul.”- Leonard Cohen “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul.”- Mark 8:36 (ESV) In Chapter 2 of Soul Keeping, John Ortberg follows his discussion of a healthy soul with a […]