Classic Christian Quotes From Classic Ministers

 Classic Christian Quotes From Classic Ministers

Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. (Hebrews 12:26 ESV)

Everything is going to be shaken in earth and in heaven, with a view to finding out just how much there is of Christ living in it. These Jewish believers were going to see the temple and the whole temple system wrecked, and then they would discover just how much they had got of Christ, or how much of their life was bound up with earthly things. They would see what was left when that was all gone. God is not only going to shake Judaism, but this heavenly thing. He will shake heaven and earth, and we shall find out by that shaking what we have left when the earthly system passes, when even the representation of heavenly things in Christianity is tested (for Christianity has developed a representation of heavenly things, just as Judaism has). Men have made an earthly representation of the New Testament revelation of the church, and ministry, and priesthood. It is all going to be tested. For many it is now in the melting pot. The issue is the shaking of heaven and earth. What have we got left? The issue is Christ.

Whether you like all that we have said, or agree with it or not, does not worry me; but I am concerned that we have come to Christ, to show that Christ in heaven is our Life, Christ in heaven is our All, and appointed to be so by God, and nothing here can take the place of Christ. God will bring everything to an end that takes the place of Christ. He has determined from eternity that in all things Christ should have the preeminence, and have the fullness, and that nothing shall glory before Him or take His place. The Lord bring us into a larger measure of Christ, and a larger measure of Christ into us.

~T. Austin-Sparks~

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But God also prepared a worm!

(John MacDuff)

"And the Lord God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah's head, shading him from the sun. This eased some of his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the gourd. But God also prepared a worm! When the morning rose the next day, it smote the gourd so that it soon died and withered away." Jonah 4:6-7

There is surely great comfort in the thought that the bounds of our life are divinely appointed.
  Our lots in life,
  our occupations,
  our positions,
  our dwellings,
  what the fatalist calls 'our destinies',
  what heathen mythology attributed to 'the Fates';
all this is marked out by Him who "sees the end from the beginning."

It is He who takes us to our sweet shelters of prosperity, with their sparkling brooks of joy.

It is He who, when He sees fit, sends the worm.

Oh, it is our comfort to know, in this mysterious, raveled, varied life of ours, that the Great Craftsman has the threads of our existence in His own hands; weaving the complex pattern, evolving good out of evil, and order out of confusion.

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Putting Aside Childish Ways

Matthew 6:16-24

Teenagers are known to measure themselves against peers, but I’ve noticed that many adults today also struggle with comparison. Social media platforms make it especially difficult to outgrow this type of thinking. When comparing ourselves to others, we tend to ...

Think security is based on what we own. This attitude tempts us to work longer hours or pressure others to do so. But since material things can’t bring lasting security, the search for better or more possessions can be endless. Real security is found only in our position as the heavenly Father’s adopted children (Eph. 1:5). Our place in heaven sets us free from materialism.

Believe we are failures. When we think this way, no success in business or personal life can be effective—we crave affirmation but can never get enough praise to really change our opinion of ourselves. But God says He has chosen us and made us co-heirs with His Son Jesus (Rom. 8:16-17). Our value comes from belonging to Him.

Let’s acknowledge any detrimental thoughts, surrender them to God, and intentionally embrace what He says is true about us. This is the path that leads to spiritual maturity and healthy relationships.

~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~