Understanding By Obeying

"Men would understand; they do not care to obey. They try to understand where it is impossible they could understand except by obeying. They would search into the work of the Lord instead of doing their part in it—thus making is impossible for the Lord to go on with his work, and for themselves to become capable of seeing and understanding what he does."

- George MacDonald

Source: MacDonald, George. Knowing the Heart of God. Compiled by Michael R. Phillips. Bethany House Publishers, 1990: p. 213.

What makes a Christian

"A Christian is one who does what the Lord Jesus tells him. Neither more nor less than that makes a Christian. It is not even understanding the Lord Jesus that makes one a Christian. It is doing what he tells us that makes us Christians, and that is the only way to understand him."

- George MacDonald

Source: MacDonald, George. Knowing the Heart of God. Compiled by Michael R. Phillips. Bethany House Publishers, 1990: p. 254.

The Rich, Young Ruler And The Rest Of Us

"There are good people who. . . cannot believe [the rich, young ruler] would have been better off without his wealth. The multitude of those who thus read the tale are of the same mind as the youth himself—in his worst moment, as he turned and went—with one vast difference: they are not sorrowful."

- George MacDonald

Source: MacDonald, George. Knowing the Hearth of God. Compiled by Michael R. Phillips. Bethany House Publishers, 1990: p. 202.

Possess The Kingdom, Inherit The Earth

"If we are the Lord's we possess the kingdom of heaven, and so inherit the earth. How many who call themselves by his name would have it otherwise: they would rather possess the earth and inherit the kingdom! Such as these fill our churches every Sunday: anywhere is suitable for the worship of Mammon."

- George MacDonald

Source: MacDonald, George. Knowing the Heart of God. Compiled by Michael R. Phillips. Bethany House Publishers, 1990: p. 200.

Free in Christ

"Christ came to set the captive free—no matter what kind of yoke binds them. He came to bind up the brokenhearted—no matter what broke the heart. He came to open the eyes of the blind—no matter what veiled their vision."

- Beth Moore

Source: Moore, Beth. Breaking Free: Discovering the Victory of Total Surrender. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2000. Pg. 22.

The Dust Of Self-Satisfaction

"The man who is proud of any accomplishment has not reached it. He is only proud of himself, and imagining a cause for his pride. If he had truly reached something worthwhile, he would already have begun to forget, for he who delights in contemplating what he has attained is not merely sliding back, but is already in the dust of self-satisfaction."

- George MacDonald

Source: MacDonald, George. Knowing the Heart of God. Compiled by Michael R. Phillips. Bethany House Publishers, 1990: p. 185.

Divine Love

"Be not disturbed by what you feel,
but set your thoughts on what you know
and what I have revealed to you,
and new faith shall spring forth.

Never doubt My love when things are dark.
Situations never change Me.
The deeper your need,
the more I will respond if you call on Me.
In this way you can turn the darkness into blessing.

Hold to My hand.
No other support is necessary.
Human love is comforting, but divine love,
the love of God the Father, is greater."

- Frances J. Roberts

Source: Roberts, Frances J. Progress of Another Pilgrim. Uhrichsville, Ohio: Barbour Publishing, 1970. Pg. 25-26.

Why God Gives His Spirit

"Each must carry the question that perplexes him to the Light of the World. To what purpose is the Spirit of God promised to them that ask it, if not to help them order the behavior of their way aright?"

- George MacDonald

Source: MacDonald, George. Knowing the Heart of God. Compiled by Michael R. Phillips. Bethany House Publishers, 1990: p. 175.

Safety in God's Arms

"We sleep in peace in the arms of God, when we yield ourselves up to His providence, in a delightful consciousness of His tender mercies; no more restless uncertainties, no more anxious desires, no more impatience at the place we are in; for it is God who has put us there, and who holds us in His arms. Can we be unsafe where He has placed us?"

- FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON

Source: Tileston, Mary W. Daily Strength for Daily Needs. Public Domain Books. Digital.

Goodness Is Not Boring

"Dull are those—at least they can have little of Christian imagination—who think that where all are good, things must be dull. It is because there is so little good yet in them that they know so little of the power and beauty of the merest life divine."

- George MacDonald

Source: MacDonald, George. Knowing the Heart of God. Compiled by Michael R. Phillips. Bethany House Publishers, 1990: p. 137.

The Will of God

"There are no disappointments to those whose wills are buried in the will of God."

- F. W. Faber

Source: Tileston, Mary W. Daily Strength for Daily Needs. Public Domain Books. Digital.

An Essential Part Of Our Being

"In how many souls has not the very thought of a real God awakened a longing to be different, to be pure, to be good? The fact that this feeling is possible, that a soul can become dissatisfied with itself, reveals that God is an essential part of its being."

- George MacDonald

Source: MacDonald, George. Knowing the Heart of God. Compiled by Michael R. Phillips. Bethany House Publishers, 1990: p.162.

Freedom of Conscience

"It is easy to cry "Freedom" when some theological dictator has his foot on your neck. It is a more principled position, however, to cry for freedom when you are in the majority but still lift up your voice on behalf of new minorities."

- Michael Williams

Source: Williams, Michael E., and Walter B. Shurden. Turning Points in Baptist History. 1st ed. Macon: Mercer UP, 2008. 28. Print.

Too Good To Be True

"To think anything too good to be true is to deny God..."

- George MacDonald

Source: MacDonald, George. Knowing the Heart of God. Compiled by Michael R. Phillips. Bethany House Publishers, 1990: p. 147.

True Faith

"The faith which will thus remove mountains is that confidence in God which comes from seeking nothing but His will. A man who was thus faithful would die of hunger sooner than say to the stone, 'Be bread.'"

- George MacDonald

Source: MacDonald, George. Unspoken Sermon Series I., II., and III. Public Domain Books, 2009. Electronic.

Fruit

"There's no fruit without some kind of root. So whatever comes out of our mouths actually comes from the roots that have taken hold deep in our souls."

- Louie Giglio

Source: Giglio, Louie. The Air I Breathe. Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, Inc. 2003. p. 92.

Potential For Good And Potential For Evil

"The greater the potential for good, the greater the potential for evil. That is what Jim and I found in the force of the love we bore for each other. A good and perfect gift, these natural desires. But so much the more necessary that they be restrained, controlled, corrected, even crucified, that they might be reborn in power and purity for God."

- Elizabeth Elliot

Source: Elliot, Elizabeth. Passion and Purity. Fleming H. Revell, 1997: p. 68.

The Ultimate Paradox

"Infinitely Awesome—Intimately Approachable. Creator—Father. Lord Almighty—Friend. A contradiction? No. A paradox? For sure."

- Louie Giglio

Source: Giglio, Louie. The Air I Breathe. Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, Inc. 2003. p. 70.

Why George Müller Started An Orphanage

"I certainly did from my heart desire to be used by God to benefit the bodies of poor children, bereaved of both parents, and seek in other respects, with the help of God, to do them good for this life;--I also particularly longed to be used by God in getting the dear orphans trained up in the fear of God;--but still, the first and primary object of the work was (and still is:) that God might be magnified by the fact, that the orphans under my care are provided with all they need, only by prayer and faith without anyone being asked by me or my fellow-laborers whereby it may be seen, that God is FAITHFUL STILL, and HEARS PRAYER STILL."

- George Müller

Source: Müller, George. Answers To Prayer From George Müller's Narratives. Compiled by A. E. C. Brooks. The Moody Press, 2008: p. 4-5.

How Great is Our God?

"So often in the Psalms we find expressions very similar to this one: "Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised." When you break it all down, true worship is simply catching sight of the greatness, majesty, glory, and grace of an infinite God. When God is not greatly praised, it's only because we don't think He's that great of a God. When our worship is small, it's because our concept of God is small. When we offer God little-bitty sacrifices, it's because we've somehow reduced him in our hearts to a little-bitty God. Our vision has become clouded, our hearts distracted."

- Louie Giglio

Source: Giglio, Louie. The Air I Breathe. Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, Inc. 2003. p. 55.