This Sunday’s readings: John 17:6-24

Reflections

True, a man will often have to wrestle with his God—but not for growth. The Christian life is a composed life. The Gospel is Peace. Yet the most anxious people in the world are Christians—Christians who misunderstand the nature of growth. Life is perpetual self-condemning because they are not growing. And the effect is the loss of tranquility to the individual.
~ Henry Drummond, 1851-1897, Scottish evangelist/Author

The irony is that while God doesn’t need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don’t really want Him most of the time. / But God doesn’t call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situation where we will be in trouble if He doesn’t come through.
~ Francis Chan, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

No one enjoys being cross-examined, or accused of having something wrong in their lives. But as we grow as Christians we come to the painful recognition that we have an almost unlimited capacity for self-deception. We slowly learn that we need to be stopped in our tracks by God. He uses Scripture to do this… We cannot reach our destination if we are travelling in the wrong direction.
~ Sinclair B. Ferguson, Pastor/Author

The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people.
~ A. W. Tozer, 1897-1963, Pastor/Author, Christian Missionary Alliance

And how often pursuit after spiritual growth originates in the natural self perhaps only because we cannot bear the thought of falling behind or because we seek some personal gain. Bluntly stated, the doing of good is not sin but the manner, methods, or motive in such good-doing may be surfeited with our self.
~ Watchman Nee , 1903-1972, Chinese Church leader/teacher