Meditations of the day

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"Every Christian sect or denomination has doctrines so dearly held that the Bible cannot be allowed to damage them." - Brother Buford-

“When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.”- Peter Marshall-

 

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“This much is certain, that we have no theological right to set any sort of limits to the loving-kindness of God which has appeared in Jesus Christ. Our theological duty is to see and understand it as being still greater than we had seen before.” - Karl Barth-

 

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"The secret of the mystery is: God is always greater.

No matter how great we think Him to be, His love is always greater." -Brennan Manning-

 

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"Unto You, O Lord, belongs mercy; for You render to every man according to his work."

Some of the translators make it kindness and goodness; but I presume there is no real difference among them as to the character of the word which here, in the English Bible, is translated mercy.

The religious mind, however, educated upon the theories yet prevailing in the so-called religious world, must here recognize a departure from the presentation to which they have been accustomed: to make the psalm speak according to prevalent theoretic modes, the verse would have to be changed thus:--

'To You, O Lord, belongs justice, for You render to every man according to his work.' -George MacDonald-

 

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"I could more easily contain Niagara Falls in a teacup than I can comprehend the wild, uncontainable love of God." -Brennan Manning-

"We must go out into a desert of some kind (your backyard will do) and come into a personal experience of the awesome love of God." -Brennan Manning-

 

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"When we sin and mess up our lives, we find that God doesn't go off and leave us- he enters into our trouble and saves us." -Eugene H. Peterson-

"The life of faith isn't meant for tourists. It's meant for pilgrims." -Eugene H. Peterson-

 

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“How glorious the splendor of a human heart that trusts that it is loved!” - Brennan Manning-

“The gospel is absurd and the life of Jesus is meaningless unless we believe that He lived, died, and rose again with but one purpose in mind: to make brand-new creation. Not to make people with better morals but to create a community of prophets and professional lovers, men and women who would surrender to the mystery of the fire of the Spirit that burns within, who would live in ever greater fidelity to the omnipresent Word of God, who would enter into the center of it all, the very heart and mystery of Christ, into the center of the flame that consumes, purifies, and sets everything aglow with peace, joy, boldness, and extravagant, furious love. This, my friend, is what it really means to be a Christian.” -Brennan Manning-

 

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"All I have learned through trial and error is to stay alert and aware, especially God smiling @ our silliness." -Brennan Manning

"One of my realizations in such an earthy atmosphere was that many of the burning theological issues in the church were neither burning nor theological." -Brennan Manning-

 

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“This much is certain, that we have no theological right to set any sort of limits to the loving-kindness of God which has appeared in Jesus Christ. Our theological duty is to see and understand it as being still greater than we had seen before.” - Karl Barth-

 

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"What I believe is so magnificent, so glorious, that it is beyond finite comprehension. To believe that the universe was created by a purposeful, benign Creator is one thing. To believe that this Creator took on human vesture, accepted death and mortality, was tempted, betrayed, broken, and all for love of us, defies reason. It is so wild that it terrifies some Christians who try to dogmatize their fear by lashing out at other Christians, because tidy Christianity with all answers given is easier than one which reaches out to the wild wonder of God's love, a love we don't even have to earn." -Madeleine L'Engle-

 

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"Sometimes when we get overwhelmed we forget how big God is." -A.W. Tozer-

 

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Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up & Burnt out

"The noonday devil of the Christian life is the temptation to lose the inner self while preserving the shell of edifying behavior. Suddenly I discover that I am ministering to AIDS victims to enhance my resume. I find I renounced ice cream for Lent to lose five excess pounds... I have fallen victim to what T.S. Eliot calls the greatest sin: to do the right thing for the wrong reason.” - Brennan Manning

“Christianity happens when men and women accept with unwavering trust that their sins have been not only forgiven, but forgotten, washed away in the blood of the Lamb. Thus, my friend archbishop Joe Reia says, "A sad Christian is a phony Christian, and a guilty Christian is no Christian at all.” - Brennan Manning-

 

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"The Bible is not a script for a funeral service, but it is the record of God always bringing life where we expected to find death. Everywhere it is the story of resurrection." -Eugene H. Peterson-

 

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“God’s grace always precedes his call.” -Brennan Manning-

“In philosophy, the opposite of truth is error; in Scripture, the opposite of truth is a lie.” -B. Manning-

The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out

 

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"I know God has big stuff planned that ultimately doesn't have anything to do with me." -Michael W. Smith-

 

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"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world." -Karl Barth-

 

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"On the basis of the eternal will of God we have to think of EVERY HUMAN BEING, even the oddest, most villainous or miserable, as one to whom Jesus Christ is Brother and God is Father; and we have to deal with him on this assumption. If the other person knows that already, then we have to strengthen him in the knowledge. If he does not know it yet or no longer knows it, our business is to transmit this knowledge to him." -Karl Barth-

“My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.” - Brennan Manning-

 

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"On the last day, Jesus will look us over not for medals, diplomas, or honors, but for scars." -Brennan Manning-