Martin Luther writes in The Freedom of a Christian:

I needed to repost this for myself:

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Although the Christian is thus free from all works, he ought in this liberty to empty himself, take upon himself the form of a servant, be made in the likeness of men, be found in human form, and to serve, help, and in every way deal with his neighbor as he sees that God through Christ has dealt and still deals with him. This he should do freely, having regard for nothing but divine approval.


He ought to think: “Although I am an unworthy and condemned man, my God has given me in Christ all the riches of righteousness and salvation without any merit on my part, out of pure, free mercy, so that from now on I need nothing except faith which believes that this is true. Why should I not therefore freely, joyfully, with all my heart, and with an eager will do all things which I know are pleasing and acceptable to such a Father who has overwhelmed me with his inestimable riches? I will therefore give myself as a Christ to my neighbor, just as Christ offered himself to me; I will do nothing in this life except what I see is necessary, profitable, and salutary to my neighbor, since through faith I have an abundance of all good things in Christ."

"As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul." 


1 Samuel 18:1


Jesus, please reveal true friendship. Amen.

"What I do not absolutely surrender and give up to God comes between God and me." 

-- AW Tozer (The Crucified Life)

"First we have to realize that the Spirit is not this that we can control. Rather, it is a wave that we get to jump on and ride-we're not splashing, trying to create the wave-all we can do is ride it and have a blast! Like in the book of Acts-they didn't create that movement of God, no, they rode it! So let's stop quenching the Spirit in our churches and in our lives."


-- Francis Chan

"The interior life is the most crucial and yet one of the most ignored aspects of the Christian life. If we as the Church are to fully shine in the a dark world we can no longer ignore our interior life and must fully embrace the power of the Holy Spirit available to us."

"If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap there over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their necks imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions and let no one go there unwarned or unprayed for."

Charles Spurgeon

Ingrain the depths of reality to me every day, Jesus.

How Whitefield walked through controversy

“I hope as I make advances in the spiritual life, I shall show my zeal more and more tempered with true Christian knowledge and prudence.  I would willingly have none of my old wild fire mingled with the sacred fire that comes down from God’s altar.  I desire not only to do things for God, but to do them in the best manner.”

“O let us be meek and quiet!  O let us wait and we shall see the salvation of God.”

“While others are disputing, let us be growing.  This will be the best way to convince those who you find will not be convinced any other way.”

“I lose nothing by being quiet and leaving all to Him.”

George Whitefield’s deepening spirituality as the controversy with John Wesley broke his heart, quoted in Arnold Dallimore’s biography of Whitefield, II:75.

post by Ray Ortlund