We have control over our prayer life, our relationship with Jesus.
Francis ChanRead
Tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the conflict between societal approval and personal integrity, especially within religious contexts.
Francis Chan's quote addresses the tendency of individuals to prioritize popularity and social acceptance over moral righteousness. It critiques the behavior of people who seek to belong to their community both socially and religiously, often leading them to conform to external expectations rather than staying true to their personal values and the essence of their faith.
In practice
This quote can be used in a sermon to encourage congregants to reflect on their true motivations.
We have control over our prayer life, our relationship with Jesus.
A disciple is a disciple maker.
Don't fall into the trap of studying the Bible without doing what it says.
Our God listens to us. Our God is a living God. He's not a block of wood you made up that's not going to answer you. My God listens to me. He answers me.
...I don't have to worry about not meeting His expectations. God will ensure my success in accordance with His plan, not mine.
People who are obsessed with Jesus aren't consumed with their personal safety and comfort above all else. Obsessed people care more about God's kingdom coming to this earth than their own lives being shielded from pain or distress.
The very lack of evidence is thus treated as evidence; the absence of smoke proves that the fire is very carefully hidden...A belief in invisible cats cannot be logically disproved although it does tell us a good deal about those who hold it.
If the universe is so bad...how on earth did human beings ever come to attribute it to the activity of a wise and good Creator?
Hate demands existence, and he who hates has to show his hate in appropriate actions and behaviors; in a sense, he has to become hate. That is why the Americans have substituted discrimination for lynching.
Every man [human being] is an heir to a legacy of dignity and worth
Against eternal injustice, man must assert justice, and to protest against the universe of grief, he must create happiness.
The two greatest things that all men aim at in any free government are liberty and permanency. We have had liberty enough - too much perhaps in some respects - but at all events, liberty to our hearts content.
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