Book: 1 Corinthians

In the most important areas in life, most Christians have adopted a theology of trying. Trying to serve God; trying to be a good Christian. … Why are you not changing? Because you’ve been trying for too long. Change your strategy. You need to stop trying and start training.

This presence is coming sooner than we deserve, because we never deserve it. But presence does not come as soon as we desire. We are stuck in this sin-cursed world. We want God’s presence now. For now we wait. We wait for God to return sooner than we deserve but not as soon as we desire.

Without repentance, our hearts can grow hard & will turn away from God. Sin is deceitful & will trick you into thinking you are safe to continue living however you want. If there is any relational distance between God & you due to sin, drop everything that stands in your way & restore your relationship.

God’s general presence provides us with a faint memory of what no longer exists. Sin has caused our worst wound in separating us from God’s actual presence.
This is the great pain that all mankind lives with: the absence of God.

You don’t have to quit your job, but you’re probably going to have to quit something. You don’t have to leave the country, but you will have to leave your comfort zone. You don’t have to give all your money away, but you’re probably going to have to start giving more than you currently give. And I hope this bothers you until you do something because you have no idea what hangs in the balance of your decision to embrace the burden that God has placed in your heart. And the only way to discover what hangs in the balance is to decide that it’s not just going to be vertical from now on. You’re going horizontal. You’re going to find a way to actively love the people who are in the situation that breaks your heart, because as Jesus taught in unmistakable terms, it is doing, not believing, that makes the difference. It is doing, not simply believing the changes the world.

The bottom line is … YOU WILL NEVER DO WHAT YOU DON’T THINK ABOUT FIRST.

On the day after Jesus’ death, it looked as if whatever small mark He left on the world would rapidly disappear. Instead, His impact on human history has been unparalleled. On the day when Alexander the Great or Caesar Augustus or Napoleon or Socrates or Mohammed died, their reputations were immense. When Jesus died, His tiny failed movement appeared clearly at an end. And yet … Jesus’ influence has swept over history.

You exist to help people think the most important thought in the world—GOD!