Convince yourself that you are working in clay, not marble, on paper not eternal bronze: Let that first sentence be as stupid as it wishes.
Jacques BarzunRead
I used to think that God's gifts were on shelves one above the other and that the taller we grew in Christian character, the more easily we should reach them. I find now that God's gifts are on shelves one beneath the other and that is not a question of growing taller, but of stooping lower and that we have to go down, always down to get His best ones.
Interpretation
True growth comes not from striving for greatness but through humility and service.
This quote by F.B. Meyer suggests that the gifts of God are not obtained by personal elevation or pride, but through humility and a willingness to serve others. It highlights the importance of approaching life with a lowliness of spirit, where true value and blessings are found in acts of kindness and selflessness, rather than in the pursuit of status or recognition.
In practice
This quote can be shared in a sermon to emphasize the value of humility in faith.
Convince yourself that you are working in clay, not marble, on paper not eternal bronze: Let that first sentence be as stupid as it wishes.
Advice is sometimes transmitted more successfully through a joke than grave teaching.
Be humble and you will remain entire. The sages do not display themselves, therefore they shine. They do not approve themselves, therefore they are noted. They do not praise themselves, therefore they have merit. They do not glory in themselves, therefore they excel.
If you're playing a poker game and you look around the table and and can't tell who the sucker is, it's you.
But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future. God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very shallow security in the present.
I've never met a genius. A genius to me is someone who does well at something he hates. Anybody can do well at something he loves - it's just a question of finding the subject.
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