Quotes and What Not

"It is God's business, not ours, to care for what we have. God is able to protect what we posess. We can trust him [with our things and our relationships]. The lock on the door is not what protects the house. Simplicity means the freedom to trust God for these and all things." -Richard Foster

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (The Message) Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.

1 Peter 1:6-7 (The Message) I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.

"If God is anything, then He must be everything. And unless He is everything, He is nothing." -Dick Woodward

"If your faith isn't changing you, it hasn't saved you." -James MacDonald

"I do not like to think of you as needing to have 'things' pleasant around you when you have God within you. Surely he is enough to content any soul. If He is not enough here, how will it be in the future life when we have only Him Himself?" -Hannah Whitall Smith

Romans 12:17-21 (The Message)
Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it." Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

"It is doubtful that God can use anyone greatly until He has hurt him deeply." -A. W. Toze

“God places the heaviest burden on those who can carry its weight.” -Reggie White

“God loves us the way we are, but too much to leave us that way” -Leighton Ford