“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
— The Letter to the Hebrews
Ask, Seek, Knock (Matthew 7:7-11)
“In your gift we find our rest. There are you our joy. Our rest is our peace. … A body by its weight tends to move towards its proper place. The weight’s movement is not necessarily downward, but to its appropriate position: fire tends to move upwards, a stone downwards. … Things which are not in their intended position are restless. Once they are in their ordered position, they are at rest. My weight is my love. Wherever I am carried, my love is carrying me. By your gift we are set on fire and carried upwards.”
—Augustine of Hippo
The Gift of Christian Accountability (Matthew 7:1-6)
“Thy Mercy, my God, is the theme of my song, the joy in my heart, and the boast of my tongue; Thy free grace alone from the first to the last, hath won my affections, and bound my soul fast.”
—John Stocker
The Foolishness of Wisdom (Proverbs 14:8-15)
“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.”
—Isaiah 9:6-7
The Problem with Pride (1 Corinthians 4:6-21)
“Grace leads to gratitude; ‘wisdom’ and self-sufficiency lead to boasting and judgement. Grace has a leveling effect; self esteem has a self-exalting effect. Grace means humility; boasting means that one has arrived.”
— Gordon Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians