We are afraid to go all the way in accepting the authority of God because of our secret uncertainty as to His adequacy to look after us if we do.

— J.I. Packer

Late have I loved You, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved You! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for You. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which You created. You were with me, but I was not with You. Created things kept me from You; yet if they had not been in You they would not have been at all. You called, You shouted, and You broke through my deafness. You flashed, You shone, and You dispelled my blindness. You breathed Your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for You. I have tasted You, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for Your peace.

—

St. Augustine of Hippo

via wedreamtlove

(Source: i-am-anointed)

God is looking for people through whom He can do the impossible – what a pity that we plan only the things we can do by ourselves.

—

A.W. Tozer

via rd2jericho: alissamargarete

[John 15:16] is where I get the image that prayer is a wartime walkie-talkie, not a domestic intercom. It exists for advancing the mission, not for calling the butler to turn up the thermostat. Not that God is opposed to practical, nitty-gritty daily prayers. He simply wants all of them to relate to the mission of your life—that his name be glorified, that people live for fruitful ministry.

—

- John Piper, Put in the Fire for the Sake of Prayer :: DesiringGod

John 15:16 at biblegateway.com

h/t crazyfishor

Although private reading of the Bible is of enormous value in strengthening our faith by deepening our understanding, God has chosen preaching as a social event of hearing that makes strangers into a family.

— Michael Horton, Modern Reformation Jan/Feb 2010 via Loose in the Vineyard

If a man wants to be always in God’s company, he must pray regularly and read regularly. When we pray, we talk to God; when we read, God talks to us.

—

— Saint Isidore of Seville

via itiswellwithmysoul

There is no greater discovery than seeing God as the author of your destiny.

—

Ravi Zacharias

via classyliving

Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food . A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing.

—

- C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

This quotation of Lewis’ came to mind when reading this article on CNN about people becoming depressed because they cannot retreat to the fictional world of Pandora from the film Avatar.  Personally, I think this longing represents what Lewis is talking about above.

We walk by faith, not by sight. We risk because God does not risk. We walk into the future with God-glorifying confidence, not because the future is known to us, but because it is known by God. Worrying about the future is not simply a characteristic, it is the sin of unbelief, an indication that our hearts are not resting in the promises of God.

—

- Kevin DeYoung

via allisonshine: glowofheadlights: christ-follower

What comes to mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you.

— A. W. Tozer, opening sentence of The Knowledge of the Holy