Paul Madson

THOUGHTS, QUOTES & REFLECTIONS

Month: April 2018

Quotes to Note – Spring 2018 Edition

“Runners in a distance race… always try to keep something in reserve for a final sprint. And my contention is that, so far as our bodily health allows, we should aim to be found running the last lap of the race of our Christian life, as we would say, flat out. The final sprint, so I urge, should be a sprint indeed.” (J.I. Packer)

“The essence of sin is we human beings substituting ourselves for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for us. We put ourselves where only God deserves to be; God puts himself where we deserve to be.” (John Stott, The Cross of Christ)

“The great basis of Christian assurance is not how much our hearts are set on God, but how unshakably his heart is set on us.” (Dr. Timothy Keller)

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” (Corrie Ten Boom)

“What is becoming a Christian? Becoming a Christian is not only believing truth; it’s finding a treasure (Matthew 13:44). That’s what it means to become a Christian — you find the treasure. And if you find the treasure that is worth your selling everything to have, it’s the greatest treasure imaginable. So, have you found him? I’m not asking if you’re going to church, or if you’ve signed the card, prayed the prayer, or believe doctrines. I’m saying, have you found him? Are you explosively ready to let it all go to have him? Or is he just marginal? To be converted is to find Christ as a treasure.” (John Piper)

“Life changing repentance starts where blame shifting ends. Blame shifting might make you feel good but it won’t change you.” (Dr. Timothy Keller)

“Whether we feel like ‘more than conquerors’ or less than conquerors, or simply conquered, our Father is at work in all things for our good and his glory. No need to pretend; every need to collapse on Jesus, always.” (Scotty Smith)

“Inordinate love of money and confidence in its power blind us, and the best way to break money’s power over us is through giving lots of it away.” (Dr. Timothy Keller)

“Want to be like Jesus? Focus less on being like him and more on being with him. His attributes must be caught before they can be imitated.” (Scott Sauls)

“Gossip is not necessarily spreading untruths. It is revealing information that should be kept confidential. It is giving news about a person intended to lower him or her in the regard of the listener. Gossip can do its work with tones of voice or a roll of the eye.” (Dr. Timothy Keller)

“Whoever gossips to you will gossip about you.” (Spanish Proverb)

“Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.” (C.S. Lewis)

“There are no sunset years for the Christian. Until the day you die, you have a race to run and a ministry to finish. Or, you can waste your life. But it’s better to lose your life than to waste it.” (John Piper)

“When we grasp that we are unworthy sinners saved by an infinitely costly grace, it destroys both our self-righteousness and our need to ridicule others.” (Dr. Timothy Keller)

“Unhealthy leaders, when criticized, will spin, manipulate, and regroup. Healthy leaders, on the other hand, will confess and repent.” (Scott Sauls)

“True gospel-humility means I stop connecting every experience, every conversation, with myself.” (Dr. Timothy Keller)

“Lord, free us from comparing ourselves to anybody, and from envying some other story than out own. May Jesus increasingly be our treasure, the gospel our delight, and your grace our sufficiency.” (Scotty Smith)

“If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all He said; if He didn’t, then why worry about any of what He said?”
(Dr. Timothy Keller)

“Life is not a sprint to be run with reckless abandon. It is a marathon to be run with care and thoughtfulness, saving bursts of speed for when they are necessary, but allowing time to recover before the next burst.” (Randy Alcorn)

“If you are in Christ, your scars will not have the last word over your life. His scars will.” (Sarah Walton)

“Concerned or irritated by someone? Talk to them, not about them.” (Scott Sauls)

“A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word ‘darkness’ on the walls of his cell.” (C.S. Lewis)

“Nobody can produce new evidence of your depravity that will make God change his mind. God justified you with his eyes open.” (J.I. Packer)

Be encouraged… God is at work around the world!

God is at work around the world in amazing ways. He is faithfully building His Church and expanding His Kingdom.

As I returned from a recent month long international trip I was reminded of the global diversity of the Body of Christ and God’s promise that one day there will be people from every “tribe and tongue and people and nation” standing before His throne worshipping “the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 5)

Here is a short 3-minute video that brings to life in a visual way Revelation 5 and reminds us of what is to come.

Enjoy!

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