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This is the place for quiet meditations and reflections. No debate is permitted, and we ask that the fact that this is a Christian-owned site be respected in that the majority of the spiritual reflections expressed here will be Christian in perspective. We ask that mediations that are blatantly unorthodox or contrary to Christianity not be posted. Respectful interaction and posting by those of other beliefs is permitted. Moderators are given wide discretion and latitude as to the appropriateness of posts in this area.

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Inspirational Christian Quotes:

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  • #31
    “But there must be a real giving up of the self. You must throw it away "blindly" so to speak. Christ will indeed give you a real personality: but you must not go to Him for the sake of that. As long as your own personality is what you are bothering about you are not going to Him at all. The very first step is to try to forget about the self altogether. Your real, new self (which is Christ's and also yours, and yours just because it is His) will not come as long as you are looking for it. It will come when you are looking for Him. Does that sound strange? The same principle holds, you know, for more everyday matters. Even in social life, you will never make a good impression on other people until you stop thinking about what sort of impression you are making. Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.

    The principle runs through all life from top to bottom. Give up your self, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end: submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.”

    ― C.S. Lewis
    Atheism is the cult of death, the death of hope. The universe is doomed, you are doomed, the only thing that remains is to await your execution...

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbnueb2OI4o&t=3s

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    • #32
      “Hell begins with a grumbling mood, always complaining, always blaming others... but you are still distinct from it. You may even criticize it in yourself and wish you could stop it. But there may come a day when you can no longer. Then there will be no you left to criticize the mood or even to enjoy it, but just the grumble itself, going on forever like a machine. It is not a question of God "sending us" to hell. In each of us there is something growing, which will BE hell unless it is nipped in the bud. ”
      ― C.S. Lewis
      Atheism is the cult of death, the death of hope. The universe is doomed, you are doomed, the only thing that remains is to await your execution...

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbnueb2OI4o&t=3s

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      • #33
        The more our mind is withdrawn from the remembrance of God, of death, of future judgment, of the good things in store for the righteous and of the tortures awaiting sinners, of eternal fire and darkness, and of the gnashing of teeth, and the more it turns towards the cares of this life and the world’s deceptive charms – I mean riches, glory, and luxury – and the more it lingers fondly upon all the other so-called splendors of this world, is preoccupied with them, and gets involved with things of this kind, the more our mind normally becomes duller, and little by little covers the whole of the soul’s organ of sight, and produces in us entire ignorance of good things, together with the forgetting of God’s commandments. This indeed was David’s experience when he had sinned, and so he said to God: ‘Uncover my eyes, and I shall perceive the wonders of your law’ (Ps. 118:18 LXX). Do you see how his eyes had a covering over them? Do you see how he cried to God for them to be uncovered? So you too be eager to do the same, and the Lord will not disregard the supplication that comes from your soul, but will give ear to you, and will open the eyes of your heart. Then you will recover your sight, and first of all you will get full knowledge of yourself and your personal affairs, and after that from the deep of our heart you will reckon as holy men and as better than you, not only those monks who are devout and virtuous, but also every single man, both small and great, both righteous and sinful, even those who openly commit sins. This indeed will be a clear sign to you and to everybody else that you have received forgiveness of your sins, your having reached this land – for in it dwells humility, and to those who arrive in it, this is the first gift bestowed upon them, namely not to consider any one of all mankind to be more sinful or more vile than themselves, but with all their spiritual perception to regard only themselves as sinners, and only themselves as doomed to perish and to be delivered up to punishment.
        Strive earnestly then to acquire this humility, and do not say: ‘For me, this is impossible,” or “This is appropriate for monks, but not for those living in the world.” Christ indeed ordained that his commandments were applicable to all alike, and he did not distinguish seculars from monks, and moreover both those who lived before the Law and those under the Law performed them. And listen to Job saying: “I am earth and ashes” (Job 42:6), and to David saying: “I am a worm, and not a man” (Ps. 21:7 LXX). Do you see his expressions of humility? Do you see his soul reckoning itself as lowest of all, beneath every man, small or great? So imitate David’s repentance, and then you will acquire his humility, because it is through repentance that the cloud of ignorance lying over us is forced to disappear completely and the veil is taken away. When this is done, we then both know ourselves more fully and also see the condition of our personal affairs, and look upon the wounds and stains on our soul.

        St. Symeon the New Theologian
        Enter the Church and wash away your sins. For here there is a hospital and not a court of law. Do not be ashamed to enter the Church; be ashamed when you sin, but not when you repent. – St. John Chrysostom

        Veritas vos Liberabit<>< Learn Greek <>< Look here for an Orthodox Church in America<><Ancient Faith Radio
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        I recommend you do not try too hard and ...research as little as possible. Such weighty things give me a headache. - Shunyadragon, Baha'i apologist

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        • #34
          "Secularism, materialism, and the intrusive presence of things have put out the light in our souls and turned us into a generation of zombies. We cover our deep ignorance with words, but we are ashamed to wonder, we are afraid to whisper 'mystery'."
          — A.W. Tozer
          Atheism is the cult of death, the death of hope. The universe is doomed, you are doomed, the only thing that remains is to await your execution...

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbnueb2OI4o&t=3s

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          • #35
            Hold fast to the rudder of life. Guide your eye, in case at any time through your eyes there beat upon you the vehement wave of lust. Guide ear and tongue, that the one may not receive anything harmful, or the other speak forbidden words. Do not let not the tempest of passion overwhelm you. Do not let blows of despondency beat you down; or weight of sorrow drown you in its depths. Our feelings are waves. Rise above them, and you will be a safe steersman of life. If you fail to avoid each and all of them skilfully and steadily, like some untrimmed boat, with life’s dangers all round about you, you will be sunk in the deep sea of sin. Hear then how you may acquire the steersman’s skill. Men at sea tend to lift up their eyes to heaven. It is from heaven that they get guidance for their cruise; by day from the sun, and by night from the North Star, or from some of the constellations. By these they reckon their right course. You also keep your eye fixed on heaven, as the Psalmist did who said, ‘Unto you lift I up my eye, O you who dwells in the heavens.’(Ps. 23:1) Keep your eyes on the Sun of righteousness. Directed by the commandments of the Lord, as by some bright constellations, keep your eye ever sleepless. Do not give sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids, (Ps. 132:4) that the guidance of the commandments may be unceasing. ‘Your word,’ it is said, ‘is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my paths.’(Ps. 118:105) Never slumber at the tiller, so long as you live here, amid the unstable circumstances of this world, and you shall receive the help of the Spirit. He shall conduct you ever onward. He shall waft you securely by gentle winds of peace, until you come one day safe and sound to yonder calm and waveless haven of the will of God, to Whom be glory and majesty for ever and ever, Amen.
            – St. Basil the Great
            Enter the Church and wash away your sins. For here there is a hospital and not a court of law. Do not be ashamed to enter the Church; be ashamed when you sin, but not when you repent. – St. John Chrysostom

            Veritas vos Liberabit<>< Learn Greek <>< Look here for an Orthodox Church in America<><Ancient Faith Radio
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            I recommend you do not try too hard and ...research as little as possible. Such weighty things give me a headache. - Shunyadragon, Baha'i apologist

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            • #36
              Should we pray without ceasing? Is it possible to obey such a command? These are questions which I see you are ready to ask. I will endeavor, to the best of my ability, to defend the charge. Prayer is a petition for good addressed by the pious to God. But we do not rigidly confine our petition to words. Nor do we imagine that God requires to be reminded by speech. He knows our needs even though we do not ask. What do I say then? I say that we must not think to make our prayer complete by syllables. The strength of prayer lies rather in the purpose of our soul and in deeds of virtue reaching every part and moment of our life. ‘Whether you eat,’ it is said, ‘or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.’ (1 Cor. 10:31) As you take your seat at table, pray. As you lift your food to eat, offer thanks to the Giver. When you sustain your bodily weakness with wine, remember Him Who supplies you with this gift, to make your heart glad and to comfort your infirmity. Are you sated, and no longer think of eating? Do not let the thought of your Benefactor pass away too. As you are putting on your clothes, thank the Giver of them. As you put on your coat, feel yet greater love to God, Who alike in summer and in winter has given us coverings convenient for us, at once to preserve our life, and to cover what is unseemly. Is the day done? Give thanks to Him Who has given us the sun for our daily work, and has provided for us a fire to light up the night, and to serve the rest of the needs of life. Let night give the other occasions of prayer. When you look up to heaven and gaze at the beauty of the stars, pray to the Lord of the visible world; pray to God the Arch-artificer of the universe, Who in wisdom has made them all. When you see all nature sunk in sleep, then again worship Him Who gives us even against our wills release from the continuous strain of toil, and by a short refreshment restores us once again to the vigor of our strength. Do not let the night itself be all, as it were, the special and peculiar property of sleep. Do not let half your life be useless through the senselessness of slumber. Divide the time of night between sleep and prayer. Rather, let your slumbers be themselves experiences in piety; for it is only natural that our sleeping dreams should be for the most part echoes of the anxieties of the day. As have been our conduct and pursuits, so will inevitably be our dreams. Thus our thought will pray without ceasing; if thought prays not only in words, but unites itself to God through all the course of life, your life will be made one ceaseless and uninterrupted prayer.
              – St Basil the Great
              Enter the Church and wash away your sins. For here there is a hospital and not a court of law. Do not be ashamed to enter the Church; be ashamed when you sin, but not when you repent. – St. John Chrysostom

              Veritas vos Liberabit<>< Learn Greek <>< Look here for an Orthodox Church in America<><Ancient Faith Radio
              sigpic
              I recommend you do not try too hard and ...research as little as possible. Such weighty things give me a headache. - Shunyadragon, Baha'i apologist

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              • #37
                "To hear God speak, read His Word. To hear Him audibly, read it out loud." ~ Justin Peters
                ~ Russell ("MelMak")

                "[Sing] and [make] melody in your heart to the Lord." -- Ephesians 5:19b

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                • #38
                  We are weak but he is strong.

                  Part of a song I heard a lot as a child. It fits well.
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                  • #39
                    "As I stood beside a flowering currant bush on a summer day there suddenly arose in me without warning, and as if from a depth not of years but of centuries, the memory of that earlier morning at the Old House when my brother had brought his toy garden into the nursery. It is difficult to find words strong enough for the sensation which came over me; Milton's 'enormous bliss' of Eden (giving the full, ancient meaning to 'enormous') comes somewhere near it. It was a sensation, of course, of desire; but desire for what?...Before I knew what I desired, the desire itself was gone, the whole glimpse... withdrawn, the world turned commonplace again, or only stirred by a longing for the longing that had just ceased... In a sense the central story of my life is about nothing else... It is that of an unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction. I call it Joy, which is here a technical term and must be sharply distinguished both from Happiness and Pleasure. Joy (in my sense) has indeed one characteristic, and one only, in common with them; the fact that anyone who has experienced it will want it again... I doubt whether anyone who has tasted it would ever, if both were in his power, exchange it for all the pleasures in the world. But then Joy is never in our power and Pleasure often is.”

                    C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy:
                    Atheism is the cult of death, the death of hope. The universe is doomed, you are doomed, the only thing that remains is to await your execution...

                    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbnueb2OI4o&t=3s

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

                      Paul
                      Atheism is the cult of death, the death of hope. The universe is doomed, you are doomed, the only thing that remains is to await your execution...

                      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbnueb2OI4o&t=3s

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                      • #41
                        "If the truth offends, then let it offend. People have been living their whole lives in offense to God; let them be offended for a while."

                        -- John MacArthur
                        ~ Russell ("MelMak")

                        "[Sing] and [make] melody in your heart to the Lord." -- Ephesians 5:19b

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                        • #42
                          To penetrate deeper in the experience of Jesus Christ, it is required that you begin to abandon your whole existence, giving it up to God. Let us take the daily occurrences of life as an illustration. You must utterly believe that the circumstances of your life, that is, every minute of your life, as well as the whole course of your life--anything, yes, everything that happens--have all come to you by His will and by His permission. You must utterly believe that everything that has happened to you is from God and is exactly what you need. Such an outlook towards your circumstances and such a look of faith towards your Lord will make you content with everything. Once you believe this, you will then begin to take everything that comes into your life as being from the hand of God, not from the hand of man. (Jeanne Guyon)
                          "What I pray of you is, to keep your eye upon Him, for that is everything. Do you say, 'How am I to keep my eye on Him?' I reply, keep your eye off everything else, and you will soon see Him. All depends on the eye of faith being kept on Him. How simple it is!" (J.B. Stoney)

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                          • #43
                            "To go to Him is nothing mysterious. It simply means to turn our minds to Him, to rest our hearts on Him, and to turn away from all other resting places. It means we must not look at, think about, and trouble over our circumstances, our surroundings, our perplexities, or our experiences. We must look at and think about the Lord."

                            - Hannah Smith
                            "What I pray of you is, to keep your eye upon Him, for that is everything. Do you say, 'How am I to keep my eye on Him?' I reply, keep your eye off everything else, and you will soon see Him. All depends on the eye of faith being kept on Him. How simple it is!" (J.B. Stoney)

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                            • #44
                              "The most of our spiritual decays and barrenness arise from an inordinate admission of other things into our minds; for these are they that weaken grace in all its operations. But when the mind is filled with thoughts of Christ and his glory, when the soul thereon cleaves unto him with intense affections, they will cast out, or not give admittance unto, those causes of spiritual weakness and indisposition." (John Owen)
                              "What I pray of you is, to keep your eye upon Him, for that is everything. Do you say, 'How am I to keep my eye on Him?' I reply, keep your eye off everything else, and you will soon see Him. All depends on the eye of faith being kept on Him. How simple it is!" (J.B. Stoney)

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                              • #45
                                "But how can we control our thoughts? No more than we could blot out our sins, or create a world. What then are we to do?"

                                "We must look to Christ. That is the true secret of self-control. He can keep us not only from the lodgement, but also from the suggestion of evil thoughts. In our own strength we could no more prevent the one than the other. He can prevent both. He can keep the vile intruders, not only from getting in, but even from knocking at the door. When His divine life is our source of life, when the current of spiritual thought and feeling is deep and rapid--when the heart's affections are intensely occupied with the Person of Christ, vain thoughts do not trouble us. It is only when spiritual indolence creeps over us that evil thoughts and their vile and horrible progeny come in upon us like a flood; and then our only resource is to look straight to Jesus."

                                "The more excellent way is, to be preserved from the suggestions of evil, by the power of preoccupation with good. When the channel of thought is decidedly upward, when it is deep and well formed, free from all curves and indentations, then the current of imagination and feeling, as it gushes up from the deep fountains of the soul, will naturally flow onward in the bed of that channel."

                                "This, I repeat, is unquestionably the more excellent way. May we prove it in our own experience. When the heart is fully engrossed with Christ, the living embodiment of 'all that is true, all that is noble, all that is just, all that is pure, all that is lovely, all that is admirable', we enjoy profound peace, unruffled by evil thoughts."

                                "This is true self-control."

                                - C.H. Mackintosh
                                "What I pray of you is, to keep your eye upon Him, for that is everything. Do you say, 'How am I to keep my eye on Him?' I reply, keep your eye off everything else, and you will soon see Him. All depends on the eye of faith being kept on Him. How simple it is!" (J.B. Stoney)

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