Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life's problems fall into place of their own accord.
J. I. PackerRead
It is often the case, as all the saints know, that fellowship with the Father and the Son is most vivid and sweet, and Christian joy is greatest, when the cross is heaviest.
Interpretation
Deep joy can be found in faith, especially during difficult times.
This quote by J. I. Packer emphasizes that true Christian joy and a deep connection with God are often most profound during trials and tribulations. The 'cross' symbolizes the burdens and challenges of life, suggesting that fellowship with God becomes more vivid when one faces hardships, leading to a richer, sweeter experience of faith.
In practice
In a church sermon, one might say, 'As J. I. Packer reminds us, our greatest joy often comes when we face the heaviest burdens.'
Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life's problems fall into place of their own accord.
He that has learned to feel his sins, and to trust Christ as a Saviour, has learned the two hardest and greatest lessons in Christianity.
We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the psalms, and that the habit of celebrating the greatness and graciousness of God yields an endless flow of thankfulness, joy, and zeal.
The fruit of wisdom is Christlikeness, peace, humility and love. And, the root of it is faith in Christ as the manifested wisdom of God
Were I asked to focus the New Testament message in three words, my proposal would be ADOPTION THROUGH PROPITIATION, and I do not expect ever to meet a richer or more pregnant summary of the gospel than that.
Only when it is seen that what decides each individual's destiny is whether or not God decides to save him from his sins, and that this is a decision that God need not make in any individual case, can one begin to grasp the biblical view of grace.
Whoever cultivates the golden mean avoids both the poverty of a hovel and the envy of a palace.
I want everybody to understand that I am an American Negro first before I am a member of any political party.
In all private quarrels the duller nature is triumphant by reason of dullness.
Can you look forward to the future of our country and imagine any state of things in which, with slavery still existing, we should be assured of permanent peace? I cannot.
No mother would ever willingly sacrifice her sons for territorial gain, for economic advantage, for ideology.
The Conqueror is always a lover of peace: he would prefer to take over our country unopposed.
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