The light which Christ brings makes us useful citizens of this world; it makes us men & women who never fail in duty, human or divine; it makes us strong to do that which we know is true.

There's a sense in which we do need to be driven by the idea of more: I have God in my life, but I need more of his presence. I am working in the kingdom, but I need to accomplish more for his glory. I love my family but I need to love them and serve more every day.

What matters most to him? He wants you to love him & love others; he wants you to serve him by serving others; & he wants you walk with him on the path to holiness, eager to do all his will. In doing this, you're saying: God, doing that which matters most to you matters most to me. On this I will build my life.

The battles we face are not ours. They are the Lord’s. Jesus won the greatest battle when he died & rose again. God intends that you stand in victory at the end of the day. But that won’t happen without a fight. The Christian life is a battleground, not a playground. Christianity is not for those who want to run & hide. It’s a religion for strong men & brave women.

Have you ever felt like your hands were tied & you can't be as good as you would like to be & you can't do all that you would like to do? Here's the good news: God's hands are not tied, they've never been tied, they'll never be tied & when you seek him, he has promised to open his hand & shower righteousness in your life: his power, his protection & his provision.

God is always with you & his eyes are turned forever toward you. And now he's asking you to turn your eyes toward him, to acknowledge his presence, to pay attention as he speaks, to keep him front & center throughout the day.

Your feelings—no matter how noble—don't benefit anyone other than you. The point of loving others is not that you get to feel all warm & fuzzy inside. The point of loving others is that you're willing to do good—even if it costs you—for the benefit of others.

Can you describe Christmas in one word? What would it be?

If you choose to look at your problems through the Biblical eyes of hope, then you can dare to rejoice even in the midst of all, because you know that this moment of suffering is ultimately nothing more than a servant that can only help you become stronger.

What the biblical text would have us believe is that God wanted things this way & chose to surrender the advantage of His own power in order that we might have the advantage of His supreme weakness. The Gospel is about this, of course, and “for us who are being saved, it is the power of God.”