This final book in the series has a limited number of the alphabet covered, but it is still full of interest for any reader.

1. ILLUSTRATIONS, HUMOR, POETRY AND
QUOTATIONS VOL 14
COMPILED AND EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
A
B
C
CHRIST
CHRIST IS ALL
1. Christina Rossetti wrote:
None other Lamb, none other Name,
None other Hope in heaven or earth or sea,
None other Hiding-place from guilt and shame,
None beside Thee.
My faith burns low, my hope burns low,
Only my heart's desire cries out in me
By the deep thunder of its want and woe,
Cries out to Thee.

2. Lord, Thou art Life tho' I be dead,
Love's Fire Thou art however, cold I be:
Nor heaven have I, nor place to lay my head,
Nor home, but Thee.
"Himself"
Once it was the blessing, now it is the Lord;
Once it was the feeling, now it is His Word;
Once His gifts I wanted, now the Giver own;
Once I sought for healing, now Himself alone.
Once 'twas painful trying, now 'tis perfect trust;
Once a half salvation, now the uttermost;
Once 'twas ceaseless holding, now He holds me fast;
Once 'twas constant drifting, now my anchor's rest.
Once 'twas busy planning, now 'tis trustful prayer;
Once 'twas anxious caring, now He has the care;
Once 'twas what I wanted, now what Jesus says;
Once 'twas constant asking, now 'tis ceaselesss praise.
Once it was my working, His it hence shall be;
Once I tried to use Him, now He uses me;
Once the power I wanted, now the Mighty One;
Once for self I labored, now for Him alone.
A.B. Simpson
The Paradox of Christ
He is the King of kings, the radiance of His glory, the Lord of the spaceless,
fabulous, infinite universe, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, unspeakable holy,
dwelling in light, unapproachable, changeless ... and yet He condescended to be
enclosed in lowly human flesh, to be born a despised Judean, in a filthy stable, in the
womb of a simple Israeli woman and without fanfare or pomp.
- He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.
- The loftiest and most exalted became the embodiment of humility and simplicity.
- The richest became the poorest that the poor might become rich.
- He came out of dry ground to become a fruitful vine.
- He feasted with publicans and sinners that they might not starve in their sin.
- He starved for 40 days in the wilderness that we might feast on the impeccable
Bread of Life.
- He taught us to love our enemies, to do good to those who treat us badly.
- He emptied Himself that we might be filled.
- Mighty conquerors with vast armies and terrible weapons have sought in vain to
subdue the world -- He conquered a vast kingdom with simple weapons of agape.
- The Lion became the Lamb that sheep might become shepherds.
- His heart was broken that He might bind up the broken-hearted.
- His body was crushed that we might be made whole.
- We come into the world to live; He came to die.
- The purest One was called illegitimate, blasphemer, winebibber,

3. glutton and imposter by guilty sinners.
- The Lord of lords became a lowly servant to serve the pitiful
needs of mankind.
- The Man of Sorrows acquainted with the depths of grief became
the joy of the world.
- He was rejected that we might be accepted.
- He was bruised that we may be healed.
- He was condemned that we might be justified.
- He was judged that we would not be judged.
- He was deserted for a time by the Father that we might find
access to the Father.
- He died as the innocent One that the guilty might be declared
innocent.
- By grasping life we die; through death we find life.
- Glory to the Lamb, the Paradox of God.
- Dr. Anthony Fortosis, quoted in Prokope, November/December,
1992, Page 4
John Newton was a rough, dirty sailor with a foul mouth and an appetite for rotten
living. He hated life and life hated him. He was captain of a slaveship.
Then someone placed in his hands a copy of Thomas a Kempis' The Imitation of
Christ. He also had the gift of a good mother who told him about the Saviour when
he was young. And then he was saved. He went all over England sharing his faith.
Well past his "retirement" age, he had to have an assistant stand in the pulpit with
him on Sundays. He was nearly blind and spoke in whispers, but nothing could keep
him from preaching while he still had breath.
One Sunday, while delivering his message he repeated the sentence: "Jesus Christ is
precious." His helper whispered to him: "But you have already said that twice."
Newton turned to his helper and said loudly, "Yes, I've said
it twice, and I'm going to say it again."
The stones in the ancient sanctuary fairly shook as the grand old preacher said
again: "Jesus Christ is precious!"
If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If
our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our
greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest
need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest
need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.
In Christ We Have--
A love that can never be fathomed
A life that can never die
A righteousness that can never be tarnished
A peace that can never be understood
A rest that can never be disturbed
A joy that can never be diminished
A hope that can never be disappointed
A glory that can never be clouded
A light that can never be darkened

4. A purity that can never be defiled
A beauty that can never be marred
A wisdom that can never be baffled
Resources that can never be exhausted.
There are two hundred and fifty-six names given in the Bible for
the Lord Jesus Christ, and I suppose this was because He was
infinitely beyond all that any one name could express. Billy
Sunday in a sermon, "Wonderful," quoted in The Real Billy Sunday
Christ for sickness, Christ for health,
Christ for poverty, Christ for wealth,
Christ for joy, Christ for sorrow,
Christ today and Christ tomorrow;
Christ my Life, and Christ my Light,
Christ for morning, noon and night,
Christ when all around gives way
Christ my everlasting Stay;
Christ my Rest, and Christ my Food
Christ above my highest good,
Christ my Well-beloved Friend
Christ my Pleasure without end;
Christ my Savior, Christ my Lord
Christ my Portion, Christ my God,
Christ my Shepherd, I His sheep
Christ Himself my soul to keep;
Christ my Leader, Christ my Peace
Christ hath wrought my soul's release,
Christ my Righteousness divine
Christ for me, for He is mine;
Christ my Wisdom, Christ my Meat,
Christ restores my wandering feet,
Christ my Advocate and Priest
Christ who ne'er forgets the least;
Christ my Teacher, Christ my Guide,
Christ my Rock, in Christ I hide,
Christ the Ever-living Bread,
Christ His precious Blood hath shed;
Christ hath brought me nigh to God,
Christ the everlasting Word
Christ my Master, Christ my Head,
Christ who for my sins hath bled;
Christ my Glory, Christ my Crown,
Christ the Plant of great renown,
Christ my Comforter on high,
Christ my Hope, draws ever nigh.
Among the Jews there suddenly turns up a man who goes about
talking as if He was God. . . Now let us get this clear. Among

5. Pantheists, like the Indians, anyone might say that he was a
part of God, or one with God: there would be nothing very odd
about it. But this man, since He was a Jew, could not mean that
kind of god. God, in their language, meant the Being outside the
world Who had made it and was infinitely different from anything
else. And when you have grasped that, you will see that what
this man said was, quite simply, the most shocking thing that has
ever been uttered by human lips. Christian Theology in Plain
Language, p. 99
The Old Testament conceals Christ;
The New Testament reveals Christ.
The Old Testament infolds Christ;
The New Testament unfolds Christ.
The Old Testament promises Christ;
The New Testament presents Christ.
The Old Testament pictures Christ;
The New Testament produces Christ.
The Old Testament prophesies Christ;
The New Testament proclaims Christ.
The Old Testament symbolizes Christ;
The New Testament sacrifices Christ.
The Old Testament is law which Christ fulfilled;
The New Testament love which Christ exhibits.
--Dr. R.G. Lee
CHRIST IN YOU
1. One Sunday on their way home from church, a little girl
turned to her mother and said, "Mommy, the preacher's sermon this
morning confused me." The mother said, "Oh? Why is that?" The
little girl replied, "Well, he said that God is bigger than we
are. Is that true?" The mother replied, "Yes, that's true
honey." "And he also said that God lives in us? Is that true,
Mommy?" Again the mother replied, "Yes." "Well," said the little
girl, "if God is bigger than us and he lives in us, wouldn't He
show through?"
- James S Hewett, ed ILLUSTRATIONS UNLIMITED p303
CHRIST, BEING IN
During a recent hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, a news report highlighted a rescue
device used on the oil rigs. In case of fire or (in this case) hurricane, rig workers
scramble into the bullet-shaped "bus" and strap themselves into their seats. When
the entry port is shut, the vehicle is released down a chute and projected away from
the rig. The seat belts protect the occupants from the impact with the water. The
capsule then bobs in the sea until rescuers come to pick it up. The device parallels
the theological truth of Romans 8:l--"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for
those who are in Christ Jesus." Justification does not mean our world always stops
falling apart. The rig still may topple in the hurricane. But those in the right place,
whether a rescue module or spiritually in the storm. The storm will take its course.
The welfare of the workers depends on whether they are IN the rescue device. David
Asp

6. CHRIST, DEATH OF
Theologians tell a story to illustrate how Christ's triumph presently benefits our
lives: Imagine a city under siege. The enemy that surrounds they city will not let
anyone or anything leave. Supplies are running low, and the citizens are fearful. But
in the dark of the night, a spy sneaks through the enemy lines. He has rushed to the
city to tell the people that in another place the main enemy force has been defeated;
the leaders have already surrendered. The people do not need to be afraid. It is only
a matter of time until the besieging troops receive the news and lay down their
weapons. Similarly, we may seem now to be surrounded by the forces of evil --
disease, injustice, oppression, death. But the enemy has actually been defeated at
Calvary. Things are not the way they seem to be. It is only a matter of time until it
becomes clear to all that the battle is really over. Uncommon Decency, Richard J.
Mouw, Page 149-150
For family devotions, Martin Luther once read the account of Abraham offering
Isaac on the altar in Genesis 22. His wife, Katie, said, "I do not believe it. God would
not have treated his son like that!" "But, Katie," Luther replied, "He did." The
Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, W. Wiersbe, p. 191
She was only a tiny girl, unused to traveling, and it happened that in the course of
the day, her train crossed two branches of a river and several wide streams. The
water awakened doubts and fears in the child. She did not understand how it could
be safe to cross. As they drew near the river, however, she saw a bridge across a
body of water. Two or three times the same thing happened: finally, the child leaned
back and relaxed. "Somebody has put bridges for us all the way!" she sighed with
relief.
If you were to look at Rembrandt's painting of The Three Crosses, your attention
would be drawn first to the center cross on which Jesus died. Then as you would
look at the crowd gathered around the foot of that cross, you'd be impressed by the
various facial expressions and actions of the people involved in the awful crime of
crucifying the Son of God. Finally, your eyes would drift to the edge of the painting
and catch sight of another figure, almost hidden in the shadows. Art critics say this
is a representation of Rembrandt himself, for he recognized that by his sins he
helped nail Jesus to the cross.
CHRIST, DEITY OF
Marching Orders, J.K. Laney, p. 61
In a 1983 Gallup poll Americans were asked "who do you think Jesus is." 70% of
those interviewed said Jesus was not just another man. 42% stated Jesus was God
among men. 27% felt Jesus was only human but divinely called. 9% states Jesus was
divine because he embodied the best of humanity. Also, 81% of Americans consider
themselves to be Christians.
CHRIST, EMPATHETIC
"The road is too rough," I said,
"Dear Lord, there are stones that hurt me so."
And He said, "Dear child, I understand,
I walked it long ago."
"But there's a cool green path," I said;

7. "Let me walk there for a time."
"No child," He gently answered me,
"The green path does not climb."
"My burden," I said, "Is far too great,
How can I bear it so?"
"My child," He said, "I remember the weight;
I carried My cross, you know."
But I said, "I wish there were friends with me
Who would make my way their own."
"Oh, yes," He said, "Gethsemane
Was hard to bear alone."
And so I climb the stony path,
Content at last to know
That where my Master had not gone,
I would not need to go.
And strangely then I found new friends,
The burden grew less sore;
And I remember--long ago
He went that way before.
--Olga J. Weiss
CHRIST, example of
If Christ was meant just as an example, He's overengineered--i.e. a Porsche sports
car engineered to do 150 m.p.h. that can only be driven at 55 m.p.h. A good example
would be Mother Teresa. She's within reach. If Christ is an exaple, no one needs
him. If He's a sacrifice, we all need him. Leadership, v. 4, #3, p.
108
Thou the Cross didst bear: What bear I?
Thou the Thorn didst wear: What wear I?
Thou to death didst dare: What dare I?
Thou for me dost care: What care I?
Laurence Houseman, "Repayment," quoted in Anthology of
Jesus, ed. Warren Wiersbe
On one occasion the great Paderewski came to London for a piano
concert. Joseph Parker, a former pastor of City Temple in
London, and an accomplished musician himself, went to hear him
play. The minister was so moved by what he heard that he did a
very strange thing when he returned home. Standing by his piano,
he called to his wife, "Bring me an ax! Today I heard great
music for the first time. By comparison, what I can do amounts
to nothing at all. I feel like chopping my piano to pieces."
Although Parker did not follow through with this threat, he
realized that he could never be a Paderewski by simply following
his example. To do so, he would need Paderewshi's hands--yes,
the very soul of the great musician.
Humble service John 13:1-5
Holiness I Peter 1:15-16

8. Righteousness I John 3:7
Purity I John 3:3
Love Ephesians 5:1-2
Forgiveness Colossians 3:13
Compassion Ephesians 4:32
Endurance Hebrews 12:2-4
Submission I Peter 2:21-4
Humility, obedience Philippians 2:5-8
Kindness Luke 6:35
Generous giving Ii Corinthians 8:1-9
CHRIST, TWO NATURES
The Council of Chalcedon (451 A.D.) failing to penetrate the
mystery of the divine and human natures of Christ, offered four
precautions that would protect the Christian from error when
contemplating this mystery.
1. Attribute true and proper divinity to Christ.
2. Attribute true and proper humanity to Christ
3. Do not so mingle the human and divine that you end up
with a being neither human nor divine.
4. Do not dissect Christ so that there are two persons in
one being. E. Goodrick, Is My Bible The Inspired Word of God?
Multnomah, 1988
CHRIST, Presence
Not what, but whom, I do believe
That in my darkest hour of need
Hath comforts that no mortal creed
To mortal man may give.
Not what but whom,
For Christ is more than all the creeds
And his full life of gentle deeds
Shall all the creeds outlive.
Not what I do believe but whom,
Who walks beside me in the gloom
Who shares the burden wearisome;
Who all the dim way doth illume
And bids me look beyond the tomb
The larger life to live.
Not what I do believe but whom.
John Oxenham
CHRIST, prophecies fulfilled by
Evidence that demands a verdict, p. 144, 175
Dr. Charles Ryrie says that according to the laws of chance, it
would require two hundred billion earths, populated with four
billion people each, to come up with one person whose life could
fulfill one hundred accurate prophecies without any errors in

9. sequence. Yet the Scriptures record not one hundred, but over
three hundred prophecies that were fulfilled in Christ's first
coming alone. Today in the Word, MBI, December, 1989, p. 7
CHRIST, return of
Come, Lord, and tarry not;
Bring the long-looked-for day;
O why these years of waiting here,
These ages of delay?
Come, for Thy saints still wait;
Daily ascends their sigh;
The Spirit and the Bride say,
'Come':
Dost Thou not hear the cry?
Come, for creation groans,
Impatient of Thy stay,
Worn out with these long years of ill,
These ages of delay.
Come, and make all things new;
Build up this ruined earth;
Restore our faded Paradise,
Creation's second birth.
Come, and begin Thy reign
Of everlasting peace;
Come, take Thy Kingdom to Thyself,
Great King of Righteousness.
Horatius Bonar
CHRIST, victory of
Vernon Grounds writes,"A friend told me of an incident that happened while he was
in seminary. Since the school had no gymnasium, he and his friends played basket
ball in a nearby public school.
Nearby, an elderly janitor waited patiently until the semanarians finished playing.
Invariably he sat there reading his Bible. One day my friend asked him what he was
reading. The man answered,`The book of Revalation.' Suprised, my friend asked if
he understood it. `Oh, yes,' the man assured him.`I understand it.'`What does it
mean?' Quietly the janitor answered,`It means that Jesus is gonna win.'"
Grounds concludes,"That's the best comentary I have ever heard on that book.
Jesus is going to win. That's the Biblical mind-set."
CHRIST'S RETURN
After 14 years of studying the Bible, William Miller became
convinced that Christ would return in 1843. When Miller
announced April 3 as the day, some disciples went to
mountaintops, hoping for a head start to heaven. Others were in
graveyards, planning to ascend in reunion with their departed
loved ones. Philadelphia society ladies clustered together
outside town to avoid entering God's kingdom amid the common

10. herd. When April 4 dawned as usual the Millerites were
disillusioned, but they took heart. Their leader had predicted a
range of dates for Christ's return. They still had until March
21, 1844. The devout continued to make ready, but again they
were disappointed. A third date--October 22, 1844--was set, but
it also passed. Today in the Word, MBI, 12-20-91
After church, where she had been taught about the Second Coming, a little
girl was quizzing her mother.
"Mommy, do you believe Jesus will come back?"
"Yes."
"Today?"
"yes."
"In a few minutes?"
"Yes, dear."
"Mommy, would you comb my hair?"
Don Hussong
CHRIST, SAVIOR OR JUDGE
In Warren Wiersbe's MEET YOURSELF IN THE PSALMS, he tells
about a frontier town where a horse bolted and ran away with a
wagon carrying a little boy. Seeing the child in danger, a young
man risked his life to catch the horse and stop the wagon.
The child who was saved grew up to become a lawless man, and
one day he stood before a judge to be sentenced for a serious
crime. The prisoner recognized the judge as the man who, years
before had saved his life; so he pled for mercy on the basis of
that experience. But the words from the bench silenced his plea:
"Young man, then I was your savior; today I am your judge,
and I must sentence you to be hanged."
One day Jesus Christ will say to rebellious sinners, "During
that long day of grace, I was the Savior, and I would have
forgiven you. But today I am your Judge. Depart from me, ye
cursed, into everlasting fire!"
Doug Van Essen
CHRIST, substitutionary death of
Leadership, V, 1, p. 54
It is said that Cyrus, the founder of the Persian Empire, once
had captured a prince and his family. When they came before him,
the monarch asked the prisoner, "What will you give me if I
release you?" "The half of my wealth," was his reply. "And if I
release your children?" "Everything I possess." "And if I
release your wife?" "Your Majesty, I will give myself." Cyrus
was so moved by his devotion that he freed them all. As they
returned home, the prince said to his wife, "Wasn't Cyrus a
handsome man!" With a look of deep love for her husband, she
said to him, "I didn't notice. I could only keep my eyes on you-

11. -the one who was willing to give himself for me."
CHRIST, sufficiency of
One night while conducting an evangelistic meeting in the
Salvation Army Citadel in Chicago, Booth Tucker preached on the
sympathy of Jesus. After his message a man approached him and
said, "If your wife had just died, like mine has, and your babies
were crying for their mother, who would never come back, you
wouldn't be saying what you're saying." Tragically, a few days
later, Tucker's wife was killed in a train wreck. Her body was
brought to Chicago and carried to the same Citadel for the
funeral. After the service the bereaved preacher looked down
into the silent face of his wife and then turned to those
attending. "The other day a man told me I wouldn't speak of the
sympathy of Jesus if my wife had just died. If that man is here,
I want to tell him that Christ is sufficient. My heart is
broken, but it has a song put there by Jesus. I want that man to
know that Jesus Christ speaks comfort to me today." Today in the
Word, MBI, October, 1991, p. 10
CHRIST, titles & names of
Evidence that Demands a Verdict, p. 97
The first mention of Christ "the stone" is found parenthetically
in Jacob's deathbed belssing upon his son Joseph: "from thence is
the shepherd, the stone of Israel" (Gen 49:24). God intended
this Stone for a "sure foundation," "a tried Stone, a precious
corner Stone" (Isa 28:16). Unfortunately, the builders rejected
the Stone (Ps 118:22), Matt 21:42-44). To Israel, "the sure
foundation" had become a "stone of stumbling" (I Peter 2:8). And
so, "Many...shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be
snared, and be taken" (Isa 8:15), all because Jesus came as a
humble stone, and Israel desired a mighty rock! Ironically, in
refusing Jesus Christ, Israel rejected the very Rock for which it
continues to seek. For, as Paul points out, the Israelites, who
came out of Egypt under Moses' leadership, "did all drink the
same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that
followed them: and that Rock was Christ" (I Cor 10:4). But for
Israel, Jesus Christ remains a "rock of offense." To us who
believe, however, the Lord is a "living stone, disallowed indeed
of men, but chosen of God, and precious" (I Peter 2:4). Instead
of stumbling over this stone, "He that believeth on Him shall not
be confounded" (I Peter 2:6). Be reminded that "...whoever shall
fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall
fall, it will grind him to powder" (Matt 21:44).
CHRIST, victory of
Theologians tell a story to illustrate how Christ's
triumph presently benefits our lives: Imagine a city under

12. siege. The enemy that surrounds they city will not let anyone or
anything leave. Supplies are running low, and the citizens are
fearful.
But in the dark of the night, a spy sneaks through the
enemy lines. He has rushed to the city to tell the people that
in another place the main enemy force has been defeated; the
leaders have already surrendered. The people do not need to be
afraid. It is only a matter of time until the besieging troops
receive the news and lay down their weapons.
Similarly, we may seem now to be surrounded by the forces
of evil -- disease, injustice, oppression, death. But the enemy
has actually been defeated at Calvary. Things are not the way
they seem to be. It is only a matter of time until it becomes
clear to all that the battle is really over. Uncommon Decency,
Richard J. Mouw, Page 149-150
CHRIST, WORK OF
Em Griffin writes, in MAKING FRIENDS, about three kinds of
London maps: the street map, the map depicting throughways, and
the underground map of the subway. "Each map is accurate and
correct," he writes, "but each map does not give the complete
picture. To see the whole, the three maps must be printed one on
top of each other. However, that is often confusing, so I use
only one 'layer' at a time.
"It is the same with the words used to describe the death of
Jesus Christ. Each word, like redemption, reconciliation, or
justification, is accurate and corect, but each word does not give
the complete picture. To see the whole we need to place one
'layer' one top of the other, but that is sometimes confusing--we
cannot see the trees for the whole! So we separate out each
splendid concept and discover that the whole is more than the sum
of its parts." John Ross
CHRISTIAN CONFLICT
1. . There is a small town in Tennessee that had a church building with a sign in
front that reads: "LEFT FOOT BAPTIST CHURCH." A student had passed by it
many times, chuckled to himself, and wondered about the meaning of the name of
the group. Finally, as he waited for the bus one day, he asked someone in the town
about the meaning of the rather unusual name for the church. The reply was that a
number of years ago, there had been a split in the local congregation which
practiced foot washing. An argument broke out over which foot should be washed
first, and the group insisting on the left foot, finally split off and organized their own
group naming it, "LEFT FOOT BAPTIST CHURCH." What's truly sad is that
some in the Lord's church act no differently!
CHRISTIAN, DEFINITION
A real Christian is an odd number anyway. He feel supreme love

13. for One whom he has never seen. Talks familiarly every day to
Someone he cannot see. He expects to go to heaven on the virtue
of Another, empties himself in order that he might be full,
admits he is wrong to he can be declared right, and goes down in
order to get up. He is strongest when he is weakest, richest
when he is poorest, and is happiest when he feels worst. He dies
to he can live, forsakes in order to have, and gives away so he
can keep. He sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, and knows
that which passes knowledge. A.W. Tozer
CHRISTIANITY
Christianity has not ben tried and found wanting; it's been found
difficult and not tried. G.K. Chesterton, quoted in Swindoll,
Hand Me Another Brick, Thomas Nelson, 1978, p. 128.
It is not what men eat but what they digest that makes them
strong; Not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich; not
what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; not what
we preach but what we practice that makes us Christians.
"While witnessing for Christ on the streets of a city in
California, evangelist H.A. Ironside and his associates were
often iterrupted by questions from the crowd. "There are
hundreds of religions in this country, and the followers of each
sect think they're right. How can poor plain people like us find
out what really is the truth?" Ironside and his friends would
answer something like this: "Did I hear you say there are
hundreds of religions? That's strange; I've heard of only two.
True, I find many shades of difference in the opinions of those
comprising the two great schools. But after all, there are but
two. The one covers all who expect salvation by doing; the
other, all who have been saved by something done."
Christianity
Jesus is God spelling himself out in language that man can
understand. S.D. Gordon
The heart of the Christian Gospel is precisely that God is the all
holy One; the all powerful One is also the One full of mercy and
compassion. He is not a neutral God inhabiting some inaccessible Mount
Olympus. He is a God who cares about His children and cares enormously
for the weak, the poor, the naked, the downtrodden, the despised. He
takes their side not because they are good, since many of them are
demonstrably not so. He takes their side because He is that kind of

14. God, and they have no one else to champion them. Desmond Tutu
In its essence the Gospel is a call to make the experiment of
comradeship, the experiment of fellowship, the experiment of trusting
the heart of things, throwing self-care to the winds, in the sure and
certain faith that you will not be deserted, forsaken nor betrayed, and
that your ultimate interests are perfectly secure in the hands of the
Great Companion. This insight is the center, the kernel, the growing
point of the Christian religion, which, when we have it, all else is
secure, and when we have it not, all else is precarious. L.P. Jacks
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe
yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you have
against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all
these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect
unity. The Apostle Paul in Colossians 3:12-14
Christ does not save us by acting a parable of divine love; He
acts the parable of divine love by saving us. That is the Christian
faith. Austin Farber
The Christian life that is joyless is a discredit to God and a
disgrace to itself. Maltie D. Babcock
I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not
only because I see it but because I see everything in it. C.S. Lewis
A Christian is nothing but a sinful man who has put himself to
school for Christ for the honest purpose of becoming better. Henry
Ward Beecher
Christianity is one beggar telling another beggar where he found
bread. D.T. Niles
Christianity knows no truth which is not the child of love and the
parent of duty. Phillips Brooks
Christianity is different from all other religions. They are the
story of man's search for God. The Gospel is the story of God's search
for man. Dewi Morgan
Christianity is the least concerned about religion of any of the
world's faiths. It is primarily concerned about life. T.D. Price

15. The true Christian is the true citizen, lofty of purpose, resolute
in endeavor, ready for a hero's deeds, but never looking down on his
task because it is cast in the day of small things; scornful of
baseness, awake to his own duties as well as to his rights, following
the higher law with reverence, and in this world doing all that in his
power lies, so that when death comes he may feel that mankind is in
some degree better because he lived. Theodore Roosevelt
No man is a true Christian who does not think constantly of how he
can lift his brother, how he can assist his friend, how he can
enlighten mankind, how he can make virtue the rule of conduct in the
circle in which he lives. Woodrow Wilson
The first thing that we have to realize is a fact of fundamental
importance, because it means breaking away from all the ordinary
prepossessions of orthodoxy. The plain fact is that Jesus taught no
theology whatever. His teaching is entirely spiritual or metaphysical.
Historical Christianity, unfortunately, has largely concerned itself
with theological and doctrinal questions which, strange to say, have no
part whatever in the Gospel teaching. It will startle many good people
to learn that all the doctrines and theologies of the churches are
human inventions built up by their authors out of their own
mentalities. . . .There is absolutely no system of theology of doctrine
to be found in the Bible; it simply is not there. Emmet Fox
Joni Eareckson Tada I once read in a Bible commentary that
the word "Christian" means "little Christs." What an honor to share
Christ's name! We can be bold to call ourselves Christians and bear the
stamp of his character and reputation. When people find out the you are
a Christian, they should already have an idea of who you are and what
you are like simply because you bear such a precious name.
Would you like more quotations and passages concerned with
Christianity? Visit our new site at Simply Christian Living
<http://www.simplychristiandesign.com> for a new Christian experience.
Why not make the following experiment, which will not only be
thrillingly interesting, but will certainly teach you more in one day
than you could learn from books or lectures in many weeks. Here is what
you have to do. For one whole day think, speak, and act exactly as you
would if you were absolutely convinced of the truth of the statements
that God has all power and infinite intelligence, and that His nature
is infinite goodness and love. To think in this manner all day will be
the most difficult thing, because it is so subtle. To speak in

16. accordance with these truths will be easier, if you are vigilant. To
act in accordance with them will be the easiest part, although it may
require much in the way of moral courage. Emmet Fox
It is not the multitude of hard duties, it is not the constraint
and contention that advance us in our Christian course. On the
contrary, it is the yielding of our wills without restriction and
without choice to tread cheerfully every day in the path in which
Providence leads us. It is to seek nothing, to be discouraged by
nothing, to see our duty in the present moment, and to trust all else
without reserve to the will and power of God. Fenelon
A true Christian, who has power over his own will, may live nobly
and happily and enjoy a clear heaven within the serenity of his own
mind perpetually. When the sea of this world is roughest and most
tempestuous about him, then he can ride safely at anchor within the
haven by a sweet compliance of his will with God's will. He can look
about him, and with an even and indifferent mind behold the world
either to smile or frown upon him. Also, he will not abate in the least
his contentment for all the ill and unkind usage he meets with in this
life. He who has mastery over his own will, feels no violence from
without, finds no contests within. When God calls him out of this state
of mortality, he finds in himself a power to lay down his own life, and
it is not so much taken from him, as quietly and freely surrendered up
by him. Dr. John Smith
We cannot say this or that trouble will not befall, yet we may, by
the help of the Spirit, say, Nothing that does befall will make me do
that which is unworthy of a Christian. Richard Sibbes
As soon as we lay ourselves entirely at His feet, we have enough
light given to us to guide our own steps. We are like the foot soldier,
who hears nothing of the councils that determine the course of the
great battle he is in, but hears plainly enough the word of command
that he must himself obey. George Eliot
This coming to know Christ is what makes Christian truth redemptive
truth, the truth that transforms, not just informs. . . Harold Cooke
Phillips
It is a great deal better to live a holy life than to talk about it.
Lighthouses do not ring bells and fire cannons to call attention to
their shining--they just shine. Dwight L. Moody
I maintain Christianity is a life much more than a religion. R.M.
Moberly

17. It is the great work of nature to transmute sunlight into life. So it
is the great end of Christian living to transmute the light of truth
into the fruits of holy living. Adoniram J. Gordon
If you wish your children to be Christians you must really take the
trouble to be Christian yourselves. Those are the only terms upon which
the home will work the gracious miracle. Woodrow Wilson
The Christians do not commit adultery. They do not bear false witness.
They do not covet their neighbor's goods. They honor father and mother.
They love their neighbors. They judge justly. They avoid doing to
others what they do not wish done to them. They do good to their
enemies. They are kind. St. Aristides
Charles L. Allen The Christian is not one who has gone all the way
with Christ. None of us has. The Christian is one who has found the
right road.
When we were watching the distribution of clothing in Jordan, I found
myself wondering what it would be like to be wearing the clothes of
someone else; how it would be like always in someone else's shoes. Then
it occurred to me that this is precisely what Christianity means--
eternally being in someone else's shoes. R. Paul Freed
The ship's place is in the sea, but God pity the ship when the sea gets
into it. The Christian's place is in the world, but God pity the
Christian if the world gets the best of him. Anon
George MacDonald The whole history of the Christian life is a series
of resurrections. . . Every time a man finds his heart is troubled,
that he is not rejoicing in God, a resurrection must follow; a
resurrection out of the night of troubled thought into the gladness of
the truth.
Christianity teaches that the human soul is directly related to God.
Such immediacy is the hallmark of the Divinity of the soul and the
center of our freedom. Helmut Kuhn
This is what Christianity is for--to teach men the art of Life. And
its whole curriculum lies in three words, "Learn of me." Anon
A true Christian should have but one fear--lest he should not hope
enough. Walter Elliot

18. The purpose of Christianity is not to avoid difficulty, but to produce
a character adequate to meet it when it comes. It does not make life
easy; rather it tries to make us great enough for life. James L.
Christensen
Christianity is not a theory or speculation, but a life; not a
philosophy of life, but a living presence. Samuel Taylor Coleridge
William Faulkner No one is without Christianity, if we agree on what
we mean by the word. It is every individual's individual code of
behavior by means of which he makes himself a better human being than
his nature wants to be, if he followed his nature only.
The root of the matter, if we want a stable world, is a very simple and
old-fashioned thing, a thing so simple that I am almost ashamed to
mention it for fear of the derisive smile with which wise cynics will
greet my words. The thing I mean is love, Christian love, or
compassion. If you feel this, you have a motive for existence, a reason
for courage, an imperative necessity for intellectual honesty. Bertrand
Russell
I have an unquenchable desire to slow down and find my life going
deeper in my walk with Christ. I want to meet him in the depths of my
soul, away from the stress and press of everything on top. A
relationship with Christ is the key to fulfilling our deepest longings.
All of life is about filling the void that sin and separation from him
have created within. Filling the emptiness with piles of things,
earthly friendships, satisfying experiences, and sensual encounters
ultimately proves to achieve less than what we had hoped for. Christ is
the only one who fits. Joseph M. Stowell
Christianity was a difficult struggle for me for a very long time,
mostly because of my logical/rational mindset and approach to life. I
didn't choose the way my mind works, but I do have to respect it, and
my mind didn't allow me to accept blindly much of the theology and
dogma that I heard being preached at services I went to. I found it
difficult to believe that so much was being taught that wasn't at all
Biblical, and I didn't know what to do with that--if the New Testament
is our Holiest text, shouldn't our beliefs come directly from there?
Reading the works of C.S. Lewis and Emmet Fox has helped me a great
deal in coming to terms with many of the doubts I've had, for they also
approach their relationship with Christ from a practical, logical
perspective. Helen Keller tells us to value the faith that doesn't come
easily, for the faith that we struggle with becomes stronger through
the struggles. The bottom line for me is this: Christ came to teach us
how to live our lives so that they'll be fulfilling and full of love,
and if we're to get all we can out of this life, we need to heed his
words and make them a part of our lives. Christianity is about reaching
potential and loving unconditionally, not about following rules blindly

19. and judging and condemning others. Christianity is about brother- and
sisterhood in Christ, for a house divided simply cannot stand. But
teachings aside, we can't ignore Christ's claim to be God. As C.S.
Lewis explains so well, this claim takes away the "great teacher"
status that many give to Christ. Either Christ is God, or he's not. If
he's not, he's making a claim that most of us would consider to be
fanatical, and therefore his credibility as a teacher is shot. If he
is, then we have to take him at his word, that he is God come to earth
through virgin birth, and that he died on the cross to save us from
sin. I have to go with the latter, for there's far too much historical
evidence that supports it. There have been many horrible things done in
the name of Christ and of God, but those have been the actions of
people who were selfish or arrogant or afraid to lose their power, so
they acted in un-Christian ways and passed their actions off as valid
in the eyes of God. I cannot let my faith in Christ and God be swayed
by the selfish and hurtful acts of others who don't want to take the
responsibility necessary to live a Christian life and give up their
futile attempts at control. So I believe. I believe that God watches
over us, and that he came down as Christ in order to show us many
important things that we need to know if we're to live fulfilling
lives. Christ taught us to love, to be responsible, and most
importantly, to have faith in God and life that things will be fine if
we let things work as they've been made to work, instead of trying to
control every aspect of our lives ourselves. Now, I don't love as much
as I could, and I sometimes shirk responsibility that I don't really
want to have, and my faith often falls short so that I try to control
things that are simply out of my control, but I try. And it's in the
trying that I grow. Christianity is not about rules and regulations--
it's a way of life that was given to us so that we may make the most of
this beautiful gift of life without the worries of what will happen to
us when we die--instead of focusing on the fear of the unknown, we can
focus on the beauty of the known.
Jesus had the same needs we do as a human being. He needed food,
shelter, safety, and love. He showed us how God loved him and provided
for him. He showed us his need for rest when he pulled away from others
to a quiet place. He showed us how God wanted us to love our brothers
and sisters by loving the people around him. He showed us his need to
depend on God and for relationship with God when he prayed. Betty
Blaylock
When I look at Jesus' warm and intimate friendships, my heart fills
with praise that Jesus was. . . a man. A man of flesh-and-blood
reality. His heart felt the sting of sympathy. His eyes glowed with
tenderness. His arms embraced. His lips smiled. His hands touched.
Jesus was male! Jesus invites us to relate to him as the Son of Man.
And because he is fully man, we can relate to Jesus with affection and
love. Joni Erickson Tada
A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would
not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on the
level with the man who says he is a poached egg-- or else he would be
the Devil of Hell. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else
a madman or something worse. C.S. Lewis

20. If Jesus is Lord then the only right response to him is surrender and
obedience. He is Savior and he is Lord. We cannot separate his demands
from his love. We cannot dissect Jesus and relate only to the parts
that we like or need. Christ died so that we could be forgiven for
managing our own lives. It would be impossible to thank Christ for
dying and yet to continue running our own lives. Rebecca Pippert
When you think of Jesus as "Prince of Peace," you immediately think of
his character. Jesus was a man of peace. You see this as you watch him
in the different circumstances of life. He was able to fall asleep in
the ship in the midst of a storm so threatening that even his fishermen
disciples were terrified. He looked at over five thousand hungry people
and he knew what he would do. Our Lord's peace didn't come from the
absence of trouble. It came from the depths of his soul where he
fellowshiped with the Father. Peace and character go together. What we
do depends a great deal on what we are. The secret of our Lord's peace
was his relationship to his Father. He loved the Father, and therefore
he trusted the Father. This gave him peace. Warren W. Wiersbe
God is bigger than any problem. God in you is greater than any
difficulty that you have to meet. God cares for you more than it is
possible for any human being to realize. God can help you in proportion
to the degree in which you worship Him. You worship God by really
putting your trust in him instead of in outer conditions, or in fear,
or in depression, or in seeming dangers, and so forth. You worship God
by recognizing His presence everywhere, in all people and conditions
that you meet; and by praying regularly. You pray well when you pray
with joy. Emmet Fox
Christ himself came down and took possession of me. . . I had never
foreseen the possibility of that, of a real contact, person to person,
here below, between a human being and God. . . in this sudden
possession of me by Christ, neither my sense nor my imagination had any
part: I only felt in the midst of my suffering the presence of a love.
Simone Weil
The root of the matter, if we want a stable world, is a very simple and
old-fashioned thing, a thing so simple that I am almost ashamed to
mention it for fear of the derisive smile with which wise cynics will
greet my words. The thing I mean is love, Christian love, or
compassion. If you feel this, you have a motive for existence, a reason
for courage, an imperative necessity for intellectual honesty.
Bertrand Russell
If someone were to ask me whether I believed in God, or saw God, or had
a particular relationship with God, I would reply that I don't separate
God from my world in my thinking. I feel that God is everywhere. That's
why I never feel separated from God or feel I must seek God, any more
than a fish in the ocean feels it must seek water. In a sense, God is

21. the "ocean" in which we live. Robert Fulghum
When we're helping other people, we're nourishing our soul. Depression
or unhappiness means we've got the wrong goal. We have forgotten that
peace of mind is our only goal. By concentrating on helping another
person, we renew contact with our soul and with God. We can feel
peaceful again. A sense of joy surrounds us and all the frustration,
agitation, and self-anger disappears. Peace of mind has nothing to do
with the external world; it has only to do with our connection with
God. Love really is the answer. We're here only to teach love. When
we're doing that, our souls are singing and dancing. When we remind
ourselves that we are spiritual beings, that life and love are the
flame eternal, that's when our soul is nourished. Gerald Jampolsky
God is right here, wherever you are. God is within you and everywhere
around you. God is omnipresent and omniscient. You never have to beg or
bargain with God for anything. The Holy Spirit knows your needs even
before you do. And it is God's very nature to fulfill your needs, at
the time and in the manner that is best for you. There are many lessons
we must learn in our lifetime, but none is more essential to our
happiness than this one. We never have to entreat God to be more kind
or benevolent. God is kindness and benevolence. The very substance of
God is love--the love that created you and me. It is the love within
the little acorn that becomes the great oak tree, the love that
protects the lilies of the field. God is the love that is breathing for
you, the love that is beating your heart. Susan L. Taylor
If Jesus is Lord then the only right response to him is surrender and
obedience. He is Savior and he is Lord. We cannot separate his demands
from his love. We cannot dissect Jesus and relate only to the parts
that we like or need. Christ died so that we could be forgiven for
managing our own lives. It would be impossible to thank Christ for
dying and yet to continue running our own lives. Rebecca Pippert
Most incredible, however, are the times we know Christ is with us in
the midst of our daily, routine lives. In the middle of cleaning the
house or driving somewhere in the pick-up, He stops us. . . in our
tracks and makes His presence known. Often it's in the middle of the
most mundane task that He lets us know He is there with us. We realize,
then, that there can be no "ordinary" moments for people who live their
lives with Jesus. Michael Card (ellipsis are from source)
Our fathers looked well to the root of the tree and were
willing to wait with patience for the fruit to appear. We demand the
fruit immediately even though the root may be weak and knobby or
missing altogether. Impatient Christians today explain away the simple
beliefs of the saints of other days and smile off their serious-minded
approach to God and sacred things . . . . Much that passes for
Christianity today is the brief bright effort of the severed branch to
bring forth its fruit in its season. But the deep laws of life are
against it. Preoccupation with appearances and a corresponding neglect
of the out-of-sight root of the true spiritual life are prophetic signs

22. which go unheeded. Immediate "results" are all that matter, quick
proofs of present success without a thought of next week or next year..
. .Bear your cross, follow your Lord and pay no heed to the passing
religious vogue. The masses are always wrong. In every generation the
number of righteous is small. Be sure you are among them. A.W. Tozer
Lord of the springtime, Father of flower, field and fruit, smile on us
in these earnest days when the work is heavy and the toil wearisome;
lift up our hearts, O God, to the things worthwhile--sunshine and
night, the dripping rain, the song of the birds, books and music, and
the voices of our friends. Lift up our hearts to these this night and
grant us Thy peace. Amen. W.E.B. DuBois
True Christianity is an entirely positive influence. It comes into a
man's life to enlarge and enrich it, to make it fuller and wider and
better; never to restrict it. You cannot lose anything that is worth
having through acquiring a knowledge of the Truth. Sacrifice there has
to be, but it is only sacrifice of the things that one is much happier
without--never of anything that is worth having. Many people have the
idea that getting a better knowledge of God will mean giving up things
that they will regret losing. One girl said: "I mean to take up
religion later on when I am older, but I want to enjoy myself for a
while first." This, however, is to miss the whole point. The things one
has to sacrifice are selfishness, fear, and belief in necessary
limitation of any kind. Above all, one has to sacrifice the belief that
there is any power or endurance in evil apart from the power that we
ourselves give it by believing in it. Emmet Fox
C.S. Lewis Though Christian charity sounds a very cold thing to people
whose heads are full of sentimentality, and though it is quite distinct
from affection, yet it leads to affection. The difference between a
Christian and a worldly man is not that the worldly man has only
affections or "likings" and the Christian has only "charity." The
worldly man treats certain people kindly because he "likes" them: the
Christian, trying to treat everyone kindly, finds himself liking more
and more people as he goes on--including people he could not even have
imagined himself liking at the beginning.
Don't be fearful about the journey ahead; don't worry about where you
are going or how you are going to get there. If you believe in the
first person of the Trinity, God the Father, also believe in the Second
Person of the Trinity, the One who came as the Light of the World, not
only to die for people, but to light the way. . . This One, Jesus
Christ, is Himself the Light and will guide your footsteps along the
way. Edith Schaeffer
According to Gallup surveys, confirmed by other polls taken over the
past fifteen years, 33 percent of all Americans over age 18 indicate
they are evangelical or "born again" Christians. That translates into
59 million Christians, or one in every three adults, who experienced a
turning point in their lives as they made a personal commitment to
Jesus Christ. This information should grip us with terror. It means
that the greatest revival in history has so far been impotent to change
society. It's revival without reformation. It's a revival which left
the country floundering in spiritual ignorance. It's a change in belief

23. without a corresponding change in behavior. . . . The American Gospel
has evolved into a gospel of addition without subtraction. It is the
belief that we can add Christ to our lives, but not subtract sin. It is
a change in belief without a change in behavior. It is a spiritual
experience without any cultural impact. It is revival without
reformation, without repentance. . . . The proof of religious
conversion is to demonstrate that we have both added a relationship
with Christ and that we have subtracted sin (repentance). And we
multiply proof to a weary world by what we do--our deeds, our
obedience. What we do must confirm what we say. Our deeds are the proof
of our repentance. Patrick Morley
Woodrow Wilson If you wish your children to be Christians you
must really take the trouble to be Christian yourselves. Those are the
only terms upon which the home will work the gracious miracle.
In our whole life melody the music is broken off here and there by
rests, and we foolishly think we have come to the end of time. God
sends a time of forced leisure, a time of sickness and disappointed
plans, and makes a sudden pause in the hymns of our lives, and we
lament that our voice must be silent and our part missing in the music
which ever goes up to the ear of our Creator. Not without design does
God write the music of our lives. Be it ours to learn the time and not
be dismayed at the rests. If we look up, God will beat the time for us.
John Ruskin
I compare the troubles which we have to undergo in the course of the
year to a great bundle of sticks, far too large for us to lift. But God
does not require us to carry the whole at once. He mercifully unties
the bundle, and gives us first one stick, which we are to carry today,
and then another, which we are to carry tomorrow, and so on. This we
might easily manage, if we would only take the burden appointed for us
each day; but we choose to increase our troubles by carrying
yesterday's stick over again today, and adding tomorrow's burden to our
load, before we are required to bear it. John Newton
Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small
ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to
sleep in peace. God is awake. Victor Hugo
Just as there comes a warm sunbeam into every cottage window, so comes
a lovebeam of God's care and pity for every separate need. Nathaniel
Hawthorne
There are many who want me to tell them of secret ways of becoming
perfect and I can only tell them that the sole secret is a hearty love

24. of God, and the only way of attaining that love is by loving. You learn
to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work
by working; and just so you learn to love God and man by loving. Begin
as a mere apprentice and the very power of love will lead you on to
become a master of the art. St. Francis of Sales
In the very first words of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus puts His
finger on one of life's most vital issues--individual and personal
happiness. We all want to be happy--and rightly so. The longing for
lasting happiness is a deep-rooted instinct that has been built into us
by the Creator Himself. The God who made the sunset, painted the rose,
put the smile on a baby's face, gave the gift of playfulness to a
kitten and put laughter in our souls is surely not happy when we are
unhappy. Although it is a God-given instinct to be happy, we must also
see that it is only God who can make us happy. Apart from Him and His
redemptive love as expressed through the cross and the resurrection, we
would be "most miserable" (1 Cor. 15:19). Selwyn Hughes
isn't it funny how often we see the first 26 words of this passage, but
almost never the rest?
To be glad of life, because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up to
the stars; to be satisfied with your possessions, but not contented with yourself until you have made
the best of them; to despise nothing in the world except falsehood and meanness, and to fear nothing
except cowardice; to be governed by your admirations rather than by your disgusts; to covet nothing
that is your neighbor's except his kindness of heart and gentleness of manners; to think seldom of
your enemies, often of your friends and every day of Christ; and to spend as much time as you can
with body and with spirit, in God's out-of-doors--these are the little guideposts on the footpath of
peace. Henry van Dyke
This is a cheerful world as I see it from my garden under the shadows
of my vines. But if I were to ascend some high mountain and look out
over the wide lands, you know very well what I would see: brigands on
the highways, pirates on the sea, armies fighting, cities burning; in
the amphitheaters men murdered to please applauding crowds; selfishness
and cruelty and misery and despair under all roofs. It is a bad world,
Donatus, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of
it a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret. They have
found a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of our
sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They
are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people,
Donatus, are the Christians--and I am one of them.
St. Cyprian
CHR. LIBERTY
1. A young woman who was defending her contunual attendance at some
doubtfulplaces of amusement once said, "I think a Christian can go
anywhere."
"Certainly she can," rejoined her friend, "but I am reminded of a
little incident whihc happened last summer when I went with a party of
friends to explore a coal mine. One of the young women appreared

25. dressed in a dainty white gown. When her friends remonstrated with her,
she appealed to the old miner who was to act as guide to the party.
"Can't I wear a white dress dwon into the mine?" she asked
petualantly.
"Yes, mun,' returned the old man, 'there's nothing to keep you from
wearing a white frock down there, but there will be considerable to
keep you from wearing one back.
CHRISTIAN LIFE
From valley to valley out over the hilltops,
From sunshine to fog like the darkest of night;
So we follow the Lord down life's winding pathway,
And walk much by faith and little by sight.
'Twould be easy to see were His presence like lightning,
And easy to hear if like thunder His voice;
But He leads in the quiet by the voice of the Spirit,
And we follow in love for we've made Him our choice.
The path that we tread by the cross is o'er shadowed,
And the glory at times by pain is made dim;
Temptations assail and the spirit grows weary,
Yet we're ever sustained by the vision of Him.
The years of our lives be they few or be many,
Will soon pass away as dreams of the night;
Then we'll step through the portals on eternity's morning,
And greet Him in glory as faith turns to sight.
- Richard L. Baxter
CHRISTIANS
Fewer than 10 percent of Americans are deeply committed
Christians, says pollster George Gallup, who adds that these
people "are far, far happier than the rest of the population."
Committed Christians, Gallup found, are more tolerant than the
average American, more involved in charitable activities, and are
"absolutely committed to prayer." While many more Americans than
this 10 percent profess to be Christians, adds Gallup, most
actually know little or nothing of Christian beliefs, and act no
differently than non-Christians. "Overall," says Gallup, "The
Sunday School and religious education system in this country is
not working." Signs of the Times, November 1991, p. 6
What is a Christian? In the LETTER TO DIOGNETUS, which dates
back to the second century A.D., an anonymous writer describes a
strange people who are in the world but not of the world.
"Christians are not differentiated from other people by
country, language, or customs; you see, they do not live in cities
of their own, or speak some strange dialect. . . They live in both
Greek and foreign cities, wherever chance has put them. They
follow local customs in clothing, food, and other aspects of life.

26. But at the same time, they demonstrate to us the unusual form of
their own citizenship.
"They live in their own native lands, but as aliens. . .
Every foreign courntry is to them as their native country, and
every native land as a foreign country.
"They marry and have children just like everyone else, but
they do not kill unwanted babies. They offer a shared table, but
not a shared bed. They are passing their days on earth, but are
citizens of heaven. They obey the appointed laws and go beyond
the laws in their own lives.
"They love everyone, but are persecuted by all. They are put
to death and gain life. They are poor and yet make many rich.
They are dishonored and yet gain glory through dishonor. Their
names are blackened and yet they are cleared. They are mocked
and bless in return. They are treated outrageously and behave
respectfully to others.
"When they do good, they are punished as evildoers; when
punished, they rejoice as if being given new life. They are
attacked by Jews as aliens and are persecuted by Greeks; yet those
who hate them cannot give any reason for their hostility."
CHRISTLIKENESS
When the wife of missionary Adoniram Judson told him that a
newspaper article likened him to some of the apostles, Judson
replied, "I do not want to be like a Paul..or any mere man. I
want to be like Christ...I want to follow Him only, copy His
teachings, drink in His Spirit, and place my feet in His
footprints...Oh, to be more like Christ!"
On a wall near the main entrance to the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, is a
portrait with the following inscription:
"James Butler Bonham--no picture of him exists. This portrait is of his
nephew, Major James Bonham, deceased, who greatly resembled his uncle. It is
placed here by the family that people may know the appearance of the man who
died for freedom."
No literal portrait of Jesus exists either. But the likeness of the Son
who makes us free can be seen in the lives of His true followers.
Bill Morgan
IN Discipleship Journal, Carole Mayhall tells of a woman who
went to a diet center to lose weight. The director took her to a
full-length mirror. On it he outlined a figure and told her,
"This is what I want you to be like at the end of the program."
Days of intense dieting and exercise followed, and every week the
woman would stand in front of the mirror, discouraged because her
bulging outline didn't fit the director's ideal. But she kept at
it, and finally one day she conformed to the longed-for image.
August 8, 1990 Daily Bread

27. D
E
F
FORGET
FORGET
1. Leonard Griffith wrote, "Yet, as the philosopher Bergson wrote," It
Is the function of the brain to enable us not only to remember but to
forget." Our trouble is not that we forget what ought to be remembered
but that we remember what ought to be forgotten. Some of us need to
conduct a little funeral ceremony-not a mournful affair, but a joyous
occasion--the interment of our pow past. In one grave we might buyr
our sins, those nasty skeleltons which we have danlged boefore our
conscious minds because secrelty we felt virtuous in this self-
inflicted torture. In another grave we might bury our failues, the
blunders we have made in work and home and friendship, which we still
try to rationalize or for which we still punish ourselves. There
should also be a grave for our successes, because if these figure too
largely in our mind they will be impediments instaed of incentives,

28. stumbling-blocks instead of stepping-stones. In another grave we might
bury our annoyances, the insults and injuries from other people which
our minds have now magnified out of all proporation and turned into a
major neurosis. The last grave would be reserved for our sorrows--not
the sense of bereavement, God forbid!--but the morbid, introspective
self=pity that makes us intolerable to ourselves and embarrassing to
everyone else."
It's very human to begin looking for something and then
forget what you're looking for.
Tennessee Williams tells a story of someone who forgot --
the story of Jacob Brodzky, a shy Russian Jew whose father owned
a bookstore. The older Brodzky wanted his son to go to college.
The boy, on the other hand, desired nothing but to marry Lila,
his childhood sweetheart -- a French girl as effusive, vital, and
ambitious as he was contemplative and retiring. A couple of
months after young Brodzky went to college, his father fell ill
and died. The son returned home, buried his father, and married
his love. Then the couple moved into the apartment above the
bookstore, and Brodzky took over its management.
The life of books fit him perfectly, but it cramped her.
She wanted more adventure -- and she found it, she thought, when
she met an agent who praised her beautiful singing voice and
enticed her to tour Europe with a vaudeville company.
Brodzky was devastated. At their parting, he reached
into his pocket and handed her the key to the front door of the
bookstore.
"You had better keep this," he told her, "because you
will want it some day. Your love is not so much less than mine
that you can get away from it. You will come back sometime, and
I will be waiting."
She kissed him and left. To escape the pain he felt,
Brodzky withdrew deep into his bookstore and took to reading as
someone else might have taken to drink. He spoke little, did
little, and could most times be found at the large desk near the
rear of the shop, immersed in his books while he waited for his
love to return.
Nearly 15 years after they parted, at Christmastime, she
did return. But when Brodzky rose from the reading desk that had
been his place of escape for all that time, he did not take the
love of his life for more than an ordinary customer. "Do you
want a book?" he asked.
That he didn't recognize her startled her. But she
gained possession of herself and replied, "I want a book, but
I've forgotten the name of it."
Then she told him a story of childhood sweethearts. A
story of a newly married couple who lived in an apartment above a
bookstore. A story of a young, ambitious wife who left to seek a

29. career, who enjoyed great success but could never relinquish the
key her husband gave her when they parted. She told him the
story she thought would bring him to himself.
But his face showed no recognition. Gradually she
realized that he had lost touch with his heart's desire, that he
no longer knew the purpose of his waiting and grieving, that now
all he remembered was the waiting and grieving itself.
"You remember it; you must remember it -- the story of
Lila and Jacob?"
After a long, bewildered pause, he said, "There is
something familiar about the story, I think I have read it
somewhere. It comes to me that it is something by Tolstoi."
Dropping the key, she fled the shop. And Brodzky
returned to his desk, to his reading, unaware that the love he
waited for had come and gone.
Tennessee Williams's 1931 story "Something by Tolstoi"
reminds me how easy it is to miss love when it comes. Either
something so distracts us or we have so completely lost who we
are and what we care about that we cannot recognize our heart's
desire. Signs of the Times, June, 1993, Page 11
Forget each kindness that you do as soon as you have done it. Forget the praise that falls
to you the moment you have won it.
Forget the slander that you hear before you can repeat it. Forget each slight, each spite,
each sneer, whenever you may meet
t. Remember every promise made and keep it to the letter. Remember those who lend you
aid and be a grateful debtor. Remember all the happiness that comes your way in living.
Forget each worry and distress; be hopeful and forgiving. Remember good, remember
truth, remember heaven is above you. And you will find, through age and youth, that
many will love
ou.
Physician to patient: "If I've told you once, I've told you a
hundred times--I do not treat amnesia cases!"
Blessed are those who give without remembering. And blessed are
those who take without forgetting.
The Rest of the Story, p. 141
FORGETTING
1. "Life's best balm is to be able to forget-forget disappointment, frustration, temptation, falseleads,
and devilish influences. Hammet may well have asked, what do I remember and what do I forget?
That is the question! We tend to forget the things we should remember, and remember the things we
should forget. God complains that we remember the weakness of man, and forget the strength of
God. We remember men's praise, and forget God's love. A wise poet penned these lines:
Forget the gossip you have heard.
Forget the thoughtless unkind word.
Forget the guarrels, forget the cause,
Forget the whole affair and pause.
Forget the fact the clouds are gray.
Forget the storms of yesterday.

30. Forget the times you failed to hit.
Forget the keen desire to quit.
Forget the times you found it rough.
Forget to moan "I've had enough."
Forget to envy the wealthy lot.
Forget the money they've got.
Forget your not a millionaire.
Forget the gray streaks in your hair.
Forget to show a sour face.
Forget to growl in every place.
Forget you find your spouse too cold.
Forget to grumble, kick, and scold.
Forgetting helps make life worth while,
Why grunt and growl when you can smile?
2. In every area of life we need to clean up the clutter and consign it to the garbage. As mates we
need to junk something just about every day. We clutter up our feelings with useless and outmoded
issues. We hold on to old grudges, and nurse disturbing incidents which should be forgotten. So
many travel though life with a heavy burden of this old junk, and it weighs us down with negative
emotions. We cloud the present with piles of junk from the past and use up much of our vital energy
on this worthless load.
FORGETTING WHAT IS BEHIND
1. Be careful that your yeterday doesn't fill up too much of today.
2. The oftener you look back, the quicker yo won't get there.
3. If you want to be sure you'll remember your anniversary, just forget
it once.
4. Forget each kindness that you do as soon as you have done it.
Forget the praise that falls to you the moment you have won it.
Forget the slander that you hear before you can repeat it.
Forget each slight, each spite, each sneer,
whenever you may meet it.
Remember every promise made and keep it to the letter.
Remember those who lend you aid and be a grateful debtor.
Remember all the happiness that comes your way in living.
forget each worry and distress, be hopeful and forgiving.
Remember good, remember truth, remember heaven is above you.
And you will find, through age and youth, that many will love you.
-- unknown
FORGETFULNESS
1. In the classic novel One Hundred Years of Solitude, Colombian
author Gabriel Garcia Marquex tells of a village where people were
afflicted with a strange plague of forgetfulness, a kind of contagious
amnesia. Starting with the oldest inhabitants and working its way
through the population, the plague cause people to forget the names of
even the most common everyday objects. One young man, still
unaffected, tires to limit the damage by putting labels on everything.
"This is a table,""This is a window," This is a cow; it has to be
milked every morning. And at the entrance to the town, on the main
raod, he puts up two large signs. One reads "The name of our village
is Macondo," and the larger one reads "God exists."

31. FORGIVE
1. I've found a little remedy
To ease the life we live
And make each day a happier one-
It is the word 'forgive'.
2. Not to forgive others when God has forgiven us is to hold a bottle
with the top left on under the water tap and wonder why not a drop will
enter. You have to remove your own resentment to be open to receive the
forgiveness of God. If you keep the top on your own bottle you will
take nothing in from the abundance of the fountain of God's
forgiveness.
FORGIVEN
1. Someone asked Luther, "Do you feel
That you have been forgiven?"
He answered, "No, but I'm as sure
As there's a God in heaven.
For feelings come, and feelings go,
And feelings are deceiving;
My warrant is the Word of God,
Naught else is worth believing.
Though all my heart should feel condemned
For want of one sweet token,
There is one, greater than my heart,
Whose Word cannot be broken,
I'll trust in His unchanging love,
Till soul and body sever;
For though all else shall pass away,
His word shall stand, forever."
FORGIVING
1. David W. Augsburger wrote, "To say, "I can forgive but I can't
forget" is really saying, "I know how to overlook a wrong but not to
forgive it."
Now, let's be clear, forgetful forgiveness is not a case of holy
amnesia which erases the past. No, instead it is the experience of
healing which draws the poison from the wound.
You may recall the hurt, but you will not relive it! No constant
reviewing, no rehashng of theold hurt, no going back to sit on the old
gravestones where past giievances lie buried.
True, the hornet of memory may fly again, but forgiveness has
drawn its sting. The curse is gone. The memory is powerless to arouse
or anger.
Forgiveness is the perfume the trampled flower casts back on the foot
that crushed it. Author Unknown (thanks, linda!)
Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

32. Dost thou wish to receive mercy? Show mercy to thy neighbor.
St. John Chrysostom
Forgiveness is the answer to the child's dream of a miracle
by which what is broken is made whole again, what is soiled is again
made clean.
Dag Hammarskjold
Love truth, but pardon error.
Voltaire
To err is human, to forgive, divine.
Alexander Pope
The glory of Christianity is to conquer by forgiveness.
William Blake
Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which
becomes a habit.
Peter Ustinov
To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return,
you will receive untold peace and happiness. Robert Muller
The practice of forgiveness can play an important role in
your relationships with others. Forgiveness will enable you to correct
distortions in your relationships and to improve the quality,
intensity, and meaningfulness of relationships. It means letting go of
past resentments toward others so that you can experience them in the
present. Even if you do not "feel" like forgiving someone, forgiving
them will release you from the hold of the past and allow you to
experience the world in a new way. To forgive is to step outside the

33. vicious circle of interpretation, where concepts from the past dominate
experience, and to begin to live in terms of a larger, more worthy
purpose. Forgiveness eliminates fear and anxiety, weakness and
vulnerability.
Ari Kiev
A Poison Tree I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my
wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did
grow. And I watered it with fears, Night and morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles, And with soft, deceitful wiles. And it
grew both day and night, Till it bore an apple bright; And my foe
beheld it shine, And he knew that it was mine. And into my garden
stole, When the night had veiled the pole: In the morning glad I see My
foe outstretched beneath the tree. William Blake
The quality of mercy is not strain'd, It droppeth as the gentle
rain from heaven Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest; It
blesseth him that gives, and him that takes. William Shakespeare
Forgiveness is at the heart of a healthy and happy life.
Forgiveness protects relationships. It also protects the person who
does the forgiving. Remember the story that psychiatrist and author
Robert Coles tells about Ruby, the little girl who integrated a
Southern elementary school. Every day the federal marshals had to
escort Ruby through a mob of adults who spat at her and called her
hateful names. Remarkably, the five-year-old girl did not seem to be
emotionally damaged by the ordeal, a fact that puzzled Cole until he
discovered that Ruby prayed every day asking God to forgive her
persecutors. . . .Forgiveness is a method for giving love. It is a way
of saying, "I am going to let go of the wrong you did; I am not going
to be bitter and I am going to go on loving you anyway."
Bernie Siegel
Let us be merciful in our mental judgments of our brother, for, in
truth, we are all one, and the more deeply he seems to err, the more
urgent is the need for us to help him with the right thought, and so
make it easier for him to get free. Emmet Fox
God heals through forgiveness and asks that we do likewise.
Attack is an easier response than forgiveness, and that is why we are
so tempted to give into it. Throughout our lives we have seen more
anger than examples of true forgiveness. Forgiveness does not mean that
we suppress anger; forgiveness means that we have asked for a miracle:

34. the ability to see through mistakes that someone has made to the truth
that lies in all of our hearts. . . .Forgiveness is not always easy. At
times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the
one that inflicted it. And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness.
Attack thoughts towards others are attack thoughts towards ourselves.
The first step in forgiveness is the willingness to forgive.
Marianne Williamson
Forgiveness
It is very hard or very easy depending on who you are dealing
with. It is like a snotty nosed kid. If it is your kid it is easy to
deal with it, but if it is a strange kid it is repulsive. You can
forgive your own child or grandchild quite easily, but someone else can
be harder. Dad could forgive the Prodigal, but is we were the brother
it would not be that easy. It is not hard to forgive those we treasure
anyway, but for those who have no special value in our lives, it is
much more difficult. It is even more difficult when the offender does
not repent and even want forgiveness.
This raises the whole issue of whether forgiveness is always an
oblgation, or if there are times when it is meaningless to even talk of
it, if the persone does not want it. If a woman is robbed and her car
is stolen, and the thief is never caught, is she obligated to forgive
the person? What would the meaning of her forgiveness be? Does she not
have a right and even an obligation to resent such evil that is
forbidden by God? Does God forgive the thief who has broken His law
when He has not repented? Of Course not. God is willing to do so if he
repents, but God does not forgive him as he continues in his evil ways
of stealing. So if God does not forgive, how in the world can it be
expected that a Christian will do so. It is expecting us to rise above
God and do something that is contrary to the nature of God. This is
nonsense, and so we must conclude that we too have limits on our
forgiveness. We ought not to forgive those who still practice their sin
and refuse to repent. This is to encourage sin.
Forgiveness has to depend upon the desire for it on the part of
the guilty party, and this desire will be manifested in repentence. The
robbed woman has no business trying to struggle with forgiving the
thief until there is a valid reason to do so. This does not mean she
should be filled with resentment and undying revenge, for these only
hurt her, but she does not have to feel bad, as if she is a poor
Christian because she has negative feelings about him that will not go
away. God has them, so why shouldn't she? But because God never refuses
the repentant sinner, we can never do so either, and so forgiveness is
an obligation to the worst when they desire it.
The only sin ever foriven without repentance is the sin of
killing Jesus on the cross. Nobody knew they were killing the Son of
God, and so Jesus said Father forgive them for they know not what they
do. This means that there can be sins of ignorance where forgiveness is
possible because there will be no repentance for there is no knowledge
of sin.
In Matt. 18:212-35 we see forgiveness is denied to the one who

35. would not forgive, and so we have a case where the unforgiver is not to
be forgiven. His is a sin of such pure evil that he is to be judged and
not forgiven. It is an obligation to not forgive one like this who is
so unresponsive to grace that he refused to share it.
I believe that the most important thing to consider when thinking
about forgiveness is the effect that it has on ourselves. Forgiveness
isn't always about the person being forgiven; often, that person will
have asked forgiveness and will be very grateful when we do forgive,
but probably more often we need to forgive for our own sakes. I've
carried around anger and resentment for a while, and I've done so quite
often. But the thing that always took it away was the realization--
usually later rather than sooner--that my anger wasn't affecting the
object of my anger at all, but it was affecting me a great deal, in a
very negative way. I wasn't sleeping as I could have been, I wasn't
able to focus on the task at hand as well as I could have, I wasn't
able to relate to other people effectively. I have to admit, I still
get angry and I don't always forgive as I should, but I try--I don't
want that negative baggage to carry around with me. I want my view of
the world to be a view filled with wonder and awe, and carrying a
grudge taints that view; I'm the one who suffers from my own inability
to forgive--just as I'm the only one who can save myself from that
suffering by putting things behind me where they belong.
Today I forgive all those who have ever offended me. I give my
love to all thirsty hearts, both to those who love me and those who do
not love me. Paramahansa Yogananda
How unhappy is he who cannot forgive himself. Publilius Syrus
Many promising reconciliations have broken down because while both
parties came prepared to forgive, neither party came prepared to be
forgiven. Charles William
One forgives to the degree that one loves. Francois de La
Rochefoucauld
There's no point in burying a hatchet if you're going to put up a marker on the site. Sydney Harris
FORGIVENESS
ILLUS: Chris Carrier of Coral Gables, Florida, was abducted when he was 10 years

36. old. His kidnapper, angry with the boy’s family, burned him with cigarettes, stabbed
him numerous times with an ice pick, then shot him in the head and left him to die in
the Everglades. Remarkably, the boy survived, though he lost sight in one eye. No
one was ever arrested. Recently, a man confessed to the crime. Carrier, now a youth
minister at Granada Presbyterian Church, went to see him. He found David
McAllister, a 77-year-old ex-convict, frail and blind, living in a North Miami Beach
nursing home. Carrier began visiting often, reading to McAllister from the Bible and
praying with him. His ministry opened the door for McAllister to make a profession of
faith. No arrest is forthcoming; after 22 years, the statute of limitations on the crime
is long past. In Christian Reader (Jan/Feb 98), Carrier says, "While many people
can’t understand how I could forgive David McAllister, from my point of view I
couldn’t not forgive him. If I’d chosen to hate him all these years, or spent my life
looking for revenge, then I wouldn’t be the man I am today, the man my wife and
children love, the man God has helped me to be."-- Merv Budd, London, Ontario.
Leadership, Vol. 19, no. 2.
1. It is necessary to repent for years in order to efface a fault
in the eyes of men; a single tear suffices with God.
---Francois De Chateaubriand
2. Whether the sin is great or small, Jesus is able to forgive them all.
1. Nome, Alaska, on the edge of the Bering Sea, is like many villages of
the Arctic. The ground on which the community sits is frozen,
sponge-like tundra. Burying the dead is a real challange. Sanitation
landfills are unheard of. Garbage trucks do not haul off the kind of
refuse we leave curbside in the "lower 48." Instead a typical front
yard displays broken washing machines, junked cars, old toilets, scrap
wood, and piles of nondegradable refuse.
Tourists who visit Nome in the summer are amazed at the debris and
shake their heads. How could anyone live like that, they wonder. What
those visitors do not realize is that for nine months of the year Nome
sits under a blanket of snow that covers the garbage. During those
months, the little Iditarod town is a quaint winter wonderland of pure
white landscapes.
The reality of grace is that the garbage of our lives has been covered
by a blanket of forgiveness. The prophet Isaiah declares that the
blight of our sin, once red as crimson, is now white as freshly fallen
snow. And unlike the situation in Nome, our sin is covered forever!
2. Corrie ten Boom told of not being able to forget a wrong that had
been
done to her. She had forgiven the person, but she kept rehashing the
incident and so couldn't sleep. Finally Corrie cried out to God for
help in putting the problem to rest. "His help came in the form of a
kindly Lutheran pastor," Corrie wrote, "to whom I confessed my failure
after two sleepless weeks." "Up in the church tower," he said, nodding
out the window, "is a bell which is rung by pulling on a rope. But you
know what? After the sexton lets go of the rope, the bell keeps on
swinging. First ding, then dong. Slower and slower until there's a
final dong and it stops. I believe the same thing is true of
forgiveness. When we forgive, we take our hand off the rope.
But if we've been tugging at our grievances for a long time, we
mustn't be surprised if the old angry thoughts keep coming for a
while. They're just the ding-dongs of the old bell slowing down." "And
so it proved to be. There were a few more midnight reverberations, a

37. couple of dings when the subject came up in my conversations, but the
force -- which was my willingness in the matter -- had gone out of
them. They came less and less often and at the last stopped
altogether: we can trust God not only above our emotions, but also
above our thoughts."
3. Thomas A. Edison was working on a crazy contraption called a "light
bulb" and it took a whole team of men 24 straight hours to put just
one together. The story goes that when Edison was finished with one
light bulb, he gave it to a young boy helper, who nervously carried it
up the stairs. Step by step he cautiously watched his hands, obviously
frightened of dropping such a priceless piece of work. You've probably
guessed what happened by now; the poor young fellow
droped the bulb at the top of the stairs. It took the entire team of
men twenty-four more hours to make another bulb. Finally, tired and
ready for a break, Edison was ready to have his bulb carried up the
stairs. He gave it to the same young boy who dropped the first one.
That's true forgiveness.
4. The art of forgiving is a spiritual grace every Christian should
develop. Because this is so
difficult to put into practice, he offers the following suggestions:
1) Begin by assuring yourself that compared to Christ's suffering you
haven't been seriously wronged at all.
2) Recall the many kind deeds that have been shown to you, perhaps
even by the person who has harmed you.
3) List the benefits you have received from the Lord.
4) Thank Him for blessing you with His love and forgiveness each day.
5) Make an honest effort to pray for the one who has injured you.
6) Go even further by looking for an opportunity to help him.
7) If the offense is especially hard to forget, try to erase the
memory by thinking gracious and generous thoughts.
8) Finally, before you fall asleep at night, repeat slowly and
thoughtfully that phrase from the Lord's Prayer, "Forgive us
our debts, as we forgive our debtors."
Roy L. Smith
5.A letter written to a man on death row by the Father of the man whom
the man on death row had killed:
You are probably surprised that I, of all people, am writing a letter
to you, but I ask you to read it in its entirety and consider its
request seriously. As the Father of the man whom you took part in
murdering, I have something very important to say to you.
I forgive you. With all my heart, I forgive you. I realize it may be
hard for you to believe, but I really do. At your trial, when you
confessed to your part in the events that cost my Son his life and
asked for my forgiveness, I immediately granted you that forgiving
love from my heart. I can only hope you believe me and will accept my
forgiveness.
But this is not all I have to say to you. I want to make you an offer
-- I want you to become my adopted child. You see, my Son who died was
my only child, and I now want to share my life with you and leave my
riches to you. This may not make sense to you or anyone else, but I
believe you are worth the offer. I have arranged matters so that if

38. you will receive my offer of forgiveness, not only will you be
pardoned for your crime, but you also will be set free from your
imprisonment, and your sentence of death will be dismissed. At that
point, you will become my adopted child and heir to all my riches.
I realize this is a risky offer for me to make to you -- you might be
tempted to reject my offer completely -- but I make it to you without
reservation.
Also, I realize it may seem foolish to make such an offer to one who
cost my Son his life, but I now have a great love and an unchangeable
forgiveness in my heart for you.
Finally, you may be concerned that once you accept my offer you may do
something to cause you to be denied your rights as an heir to my
wealth. Nothing could be further from the truth. If I can forgive you
for your part in my Son's death, I can forgive you for anything. I
know you never will be perfect, but you do not have to be perfect to
receive my offer. Besides, I believe that once you have accepted my
offer and begin to experience the riches that will come to you from
me, that your primary (though not always) response will be gratitude
and loyalty.
Some would call me foolish for my offer to you, but I wish for you to
call me your Father.
The Father of Jesus
Not long before she died in 1988, in a moment of surprising candour in television,
Marghanita Laski, one of our best-known secular humanists and novelists, said, "What I
envy most about you Christians is your forgiveness; I have nobody to forgive me." John
Stott in The Contemporary Christian
Bruce Goodrich was being initiated into the cadet corps at Texas A & M University. One
night, Bruce was forced to run until he dropped -- but he never got up. Bruce Goodrich
died before he even entered college.
A short time after the tragedy, Bruce's father wrote this letter to the administration,
faculty, student body, and the corps of cadets: "I would like to take this opportunity to
express the appreciation of my family for the great outpouring of concern and sympathy
from Texas A & M University and the college community over the loss of our son Bruce.
We were deeply touched by the tribute paid to him in the battalion. We were particularly
pleased to note that his Christian witness did not go unnoticed during his brief time on
campus."
Mr. Goodrich went on: "I hope it will be some comfort to know that we harbor no ill will
in the matter. We know our God makes no mistakes. Bruce had an appointment with his
Lord and is now secure in his celestial home. When the question is asked, 'Why did this
happen?' perhaps one answer will be, 'So that many will consider where they will spend
eternity.'"
Our Daily Bread

39. March 22, 1994
When we are wronged in some way, our natural inclination is to fight back, to get even.
Needless to say, this reaction, though thoroughly human, is almost always in error.
"Forgiveness," said Epictetus, "is better than revenge, for forgiveness is the sign of a
gentle nature, but revenge is the sign of a savage nature."
A dramatic example is the experience of a Hungarian refugee -- to protect his privacy
we'll call him Joseph Kudar. Kudar was a successful young lawyer in Hungary before the
uprisings in that country in 1956. A strong believer in freedom for his country, he fought
Soviet tanks in the streets of Budapest with his friends. When the uprising failed, he was
forced to flee the country.
When Kudar arrived in the U.S. he had no money, no job, no friends. He was, however,
well educated; he spoke and wrote several languages, including English. For several
months he tried to get a job in a law office, but because of his lack of familiarity with
American law, he received only polite refusals.
Finally, it occurred to him that with his knowledge of language he might be able to get a
job with an import-export company. He selected one such company and wrote a letter to
the owner.
Two weeks later he received an answer, but was hardly prepared for the vindictiveness of
the man's reply. Among other things, it said that even if they did need someone, they
wouldn't hire him because he couldn't even write good English.
Crushed, Kudar's hurt quickly turned to anger. What right did this rude, arrogant man
have to tell him he couldn't write the language! The man was obviously crude and
uneducated -- his letter was chock-full of grammatical errors!
Kudar sat down and, in the white heat of anger, wrote a scathing reply, calculated to rip
the man to shreds. When he'd finished, however, as he was reading it over, his anger
began to drain away. Then he remembered the biblical admonition, "A soft answer
turneth away wrath."
No, he wouldn't mail the letter. Maybe the man was right. English was not his native
tongue. Maybe he did need further study in it. Possibly this man had done him a favor by
making him realize he did need to work harder on perfecting his English.
Kudar tore up the letter and wrote another. This time he apologized for the previous letter,
explained his situation, and thanked the man for pointing out his need for further study.
Two days later he received a phone call inviting him to New York for an interview. A
week later he went to work for them as a correspondent. Later, Joseph Kudar became vice
president and executive officer of the company, destined to succeed the man he had hated
and sought revenge against for a fleeting moment -- and then resisted.
Bits & Pieces, March 31, 1994, Page 12-15
To forgive like thee, blessed Son of God! I take this as the law of my life. Thou who hast
given the command, givest also the power. Thou who hadst love enough to forgive me,
wilt also fill me with love and teach me to forgive others. Thou who dist give me the first
blessings, in the joy of having my sins forgiven, wilt surly give me the second blessing,
and deeper joy of forgiving others as thou hast forgiven me. Oh, fill me with the faith in
the power of thy love in me, to make me like Thyself, to enable me to fogive the seventy
times seven, and so to love and bless all around me.
O My Jesus, Thy example is my law: I must be like Thee. And Thy example is Mt gospel
too. I can be as thou art. Thou art at once my law and my life. What Thou demandest of

40. me by Thy example, Thou workest in me by Thy life. I shall forgive like Thee.
Lord, only lead me deeper into my dependance on Thee, into all sufficiency of Thy grace
and the blessed keeping which comes from Thy indwelling. Then shall I believe and
prove the all-prevailing power of love. I shall forgive even as Christ has forgiven me.
Amen.
Andrew Murray
O Lord, remember not only the men and woman of good will, but also those of ill will.
But do not remember all of the suffering they have inflicted upon us:
Instead remember the fruits we have borne because of this suffering- our felowship, our
loyalty to one another, our humility, our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart
that has grown from this trouble.
When our persecutors come to be judged by you, let all of these fruits that we have borne
be thier forgiveness.
Found in the clothing of a dead child at
Ravensbruck consentration camp.
When the first missionaries came to Alberta, Canada, they
were savagely opposed by a young chief of the Cree Indians named
Maskepetoon. But he responded to the gospel and accepted Christ.
Shortly afterward, a member of the Blackfoot tribe killed his
father. Maskepetoon rode into the village where the murderer
lived and demanded that he be brought before him. Confronting
the guilty man, he said, "You have killed my father, so now you
must be my father. You shall ride my best horse and wear my best
clothes."
In utter amazement and remorse his enemy exclaimed, "My
son,now you have killed me!" He meant, of course, that the hate
in his own heart had been completely erased by the forgiveness
and kindness of the Indian chief. Today in the Word, November 10, 1993
Ask Him Anything, L.J. Ogilvie, Word, 1981, p. 164ff
There is one eternal principal which will be valid as
long as the world lasts. The principle is -- Forgiveness is a
costly thing. Human forgiveness is costly. A son or a daughter
may go wrong; a father or a mother may forgive; but that
forgiveness has brought tears ... There was a price of a broken
heart to pay. Divine forgiveness is costly. God is love, but
God is holiness. God, least of all, can break the great moral
laws on which the universe is built. Sin must have its
punishment or the very structure of life disintegrates. And God
alone can pay the terrible price that is necessary before men can
be forgiven. Forgiveness is never a case of saying: "It's all
right; it doesn't matter." Forgiveness is the most costly thing
in the world. William Barclay in The Letter to Hebrews
Christianity Today, October 5, 1992, Page 48
In May 1924, a shocked nation learned two young men from
Chicago, Richard Leopold and Nathan Loeb, had killed 14-year-old
Bobbie Franks. What made the crime so shocking, and made Leopold