As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“Floating among the beautiful fish, turtles, eels, and sharks, and even enjoying that unforgettable ninety minutes of swimming with Molly the monk seal, I lost myself in these creatures and the God who made them. I forgot about myself, my shortcomings, others’ failings, and my disappointments.” - Randy Alcorn
A sermon delivered on Thursday evening, March 28, 1872, by C. H. Spurgeon, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington.
There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture’s eye hath not seen; the lion’s whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it. (Job 28:7-8)
“It won’t be enough to white-knuckle the ego into submission like a wrestler pinning his opponent. We need to have our desires for peace, love, and purpose met. We need to fortify our gospel identity, besieged as it is by circumstance and public opinion” - TGC
“And you shall remember all the way which Yahweh your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. And He humbled you and let you be hungry and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahweh.” (Deuteronomy 8:2–3, LSB)
“And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” - 1 Corinthians 2:3–5 (ESV)
What did Paul mean when he wrote of his “weakness…in fear and much trembling?” Clearly, Paul was connecting his preaching to these things (“…my speech and my message…”). I think that Paul’s words here are a much-needed correction to the celebrity culture within the Western church today.
“To have peace, we must loosen our grip on our lives. And there’s one simple but powerful habit that consistently helps us do this: prayer.” - Lifeway
“While pride and pushy ways might win some temporary gains (Prov 16:19), the Lord will tear down the house of the proud (Prov 15:25). Whatever his name may be, God calls him ‘Proud,’ ‘Haughty,’ and ‘Scoffer’ for acting with insolent pride (Prov 21:24).” - P&D
“David was no stranger to chaos or change or grief or challenges. He suffered through far more than I can imagine, yet he experienced peace. He knew that deep, lasting rest doesn’t depend on us or our circumstances. It depends on God.” - TGC
“We talk glibly of the ‘Christmas spirit,’ rarely meaning more by this than sentimental jollity on a family basis. But … it ought to mean the reproducing in human lives of the temper of him who for our sakes became poor at the first Christmas. And the Christmas spirit itself ought to be the mark of every Christian all the year round.” - JI Packer
“prayer connects us to our Creator by giving us the opportunity to make our thoughts, hopes, and sorrows known to Him. That’s not something you want to get wrong! Fortunately, God did not leave us in the dark to stumble around” - P&D
Discussion