CQOD: 05/13/07 -- Barclay: water and the Spirit

Christian Quotation of the Day

May 13, 2007Meditation:
    Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
    -- John 3:5 (ESV)

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Quotation:
    When Jesus takes possession of our life, it is not only that the past is forgotten and forgiven; if that were all, we might well proceed to make the same mess of life all over again; but into life there enters this new power which enables us to be what by ourselves we could never be, and to do what by ourselves we could never do. Water and the Spirit stand for the cleansing and the strengthening power of Christ, which wipes out the past and which gives us victory in the future.
    ... William Barclay (1907-1978), The Gospel of John [1975] (Vol.1)

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Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You have washed me, and I am whiter than snow.

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CQOD: 05/12/07 -- Augustine: God is not deceiver

Christian Quotation of the Day

May 12, 2007

Commemoration of Aiden Wilson Tozer, spiritual writer, 1963

Meditation:
    God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
    -- Psalm 46:1-3 (ESV)

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Quotation:
    God is not a deceiver, that he should offer to support us, and then, when we lean upon Him, should slip away from us.
    ... St. Augustine (354-430)

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Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, through faith, I know that I can rely on You.

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CQOD: 05/11/07 -- Muggeridge: the coming of the kingdom

Christian Quotation of the Day

May 11, 2007Meditation:
    He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
    -- John 3:2,3 (NIV)

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Quotation:
    Jesus’ good news, then, was that the Kingdom of God had come, and that he, Jesus, was its herald and expounder to men. More than that, in some special and mysterious was, he was the kingdom.
    ... Malcolm Muggeridge (1903-1990), Jesus: the Man who Lives [1975]

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Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You are King.

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CQOD: 05/10/07 -- Thomas à Kempis: the love of the sufferer

Christian Quotation of the Day

May 10, 2007Meditation:
    But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
    -- Acts 9:15-16 (NIV)

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Quotation:
    When Christ was in the world, He was despised by men; in the hour of need He was forsaken by acquaintances and left by friends to the depths of scorn. He was willing to suffer and to be despised; do you dare to complain of anything? He had enemies and defamers; do you want everyone to be your friend, your benefactor? How can your patience be rewarded if no adversity tests it? How can you be a friend of Christ if you are not willing to suffer any hardship? Suffer with Christ and for Christ if you wish to reign with Him. Had you but once entered into perfect communion with Jesus or tasted a little of His ardent love, you would care nothing at all for your own comfort or discomfort but would rejoice in the reproach you suffer; for love of Him makes a man despise himself.
    ... Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471), Of the Imitation of Christ, II.i. [1418]

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Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, show me what I must do for Your Name's sake.

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CQOD: 05/09/07 -- Cogdell: Jesus, the pioneer of faith

Christian Quotation of the Day

May 9, 2007Meditation:
    I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
    -- Psalms 34:4 (NIV)

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Quotation:
    Jesus ventured to trust God far beyond the degree that any other man had trusted God. Abraham, Moses, and David were valiant believers, but compared to Jesus they were timid souls. Consider the human disappointments Jesus endured: rejected in his home town, harassed and persecuted by the religious leaders of his nation, misunderstood by his own family, betrayed with a kiss and abandoned by all his followers. Yet through it all Jesus never complained or rebelled against God; he trusted God even on the cross. Psalm 34 sets forth Jesus’ pioneering discovery of God’s faithfulness and delivering power. Thus Jesus was “delivered from all his fears” (Ps. 34:4), “saved ... out of all his troubles” (Ps. 34:6), “delivered out of all his afflictions” (Ps. 34:19). Certainly Jesus is our primary teacher and example in trusting God. If David could teach his followers to trust in God, how much more Jesus. As we see the steadfast faith of our Lord through weariness, disappointment, rejection, and even death on a cross, we cannot but be encouraged to believe that God can deliver us through our small trials. That is why we should run the race set before us looking unto Jesus.
    ... John R. Cogdell, “The humanity of Jesus Christ, as revealed in certain Psalms”

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Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, keep my eyes on You.

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CQOD: 05/08/07 -- Juliana of Norwich: Jesus, the highest and the lowest

Christian Quotation of the Day

May 8, 2007

Feast of Juliana of Norwich, Mystic, Teacher, c.1417

Meditation:
    Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave--just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
    -- Matthew 20:25-28 (NIV)

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Quotation:
    And what might this noble Lord do of more worship and joy to me than to show me (that am so simple) this marvelous homeliness [i.e., naturalness and simplicity]? Thus it fareth with our Lord Jesus and with us. For truly it is the most joy that may be that He that is highest and mightiest, noblest and worthiest, is lowest and meekest, homeliest and most courteous: and truly this marvelous joy shall be shown us all when we see Him.
    ... Juliana of Norwich (1342?-1417), Revelations of Divine Love

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Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, give me a servant's heart.

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CQOD: 05/07/07 -- Bernard: O taste and see

Christian Quotation of the Day

May 7, 2007Meditation:
    Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
    -- Philippians 2:5-11 (NIV)

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Quotation:
    Jesus is honey in the mouth, music in the ear, a song of gladness in the heart.
    ... St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153)

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Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, it shall be so.

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CQOD: 05/06/07 -- Pascal: Jesus, the model

Christian Quotation of the Day

May 6, 2007Meditation:
    We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the LORD'S will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
    -- Isaiah 53:6-11 (NIV)

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Quotation:
    Jesus Christ suffered and died to sanctify death and suffering; he has been all that was great, and all that was abject, in order to sanctify in himself all things except sin, and to be the model of every condition.
    ... Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), letter

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Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You have made our own suffering and death mean something.

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CQOD: 05/05/07 -- Betz: Jesus, ever present

Christian Quotation of the Day

May 5, 2007Meditation:
    [Peter:] Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know--this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
    -- Acts 2:22-24 (ESV)

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Quotation:
    It was only in the light of Easter that the disciples understood Jesus’ work and intention; they now realized that the Messiah had to undergo rejection and suffering, that he was to conquer not Rome but death and evil. We have no reason to mistrust the New Testament assurance. The Easter message and the historical Jesus are joined by a bridge resting on many piers. Jesus proclaimed the good news of the presence of God who, like a forgiving father, seeks his lost children and grants even sinners the company of the Redeemer; the disciples preached the Gospel of Christ, who appeared as Savior and died on the cross for sinners. In the Holy Spirit Jesus drove out unclean spirits and conquered Satan; from Easter onwards he was extolled as the Lord of all spirits, who gives the Holy Spirit to believers and in him is ever present with them.
    ... Otto Betz (b.1917), What Do We Know About Jesus? [1968]

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Quiet time reflection:
    Death could not hold You, and because of that, it will not hold me.

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CQOD: 05/04/07 -- Brooks: humanity and divinity mingled

Christian Quotation of the Day

May 4, 2007

Feast of English Saints & Martyrs of the Reformation

Meditation:
    And the Pharisees were saying to him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?" And he said to them, "Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?" And he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath."
    -- Mark 2:24-28 (ESV)

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Quotation:
    We might have said beforehand, if we had been told that God was coming into a man’s life, ... “That must be something very terrible and awful. That certainly must rend and tear the life to which God comes. At least, it will separate it and make it unnatural and strange. God fills a bush with His glory and it burns. God enters into the great mountain, and it rocks with earthquake. When he comes to occupy a man, He must distort the humanity which He occupies into some inhuman shape.” Instead of that, this new life into which God comes, seems to be the most quietly, naturally human life that was ever seen upon the earth. It glides into its place like sunlight. It seems to make it evident that God and man are essentially so near together, that the meeting of their natures in the life of a God-man is not strange. So always does Christ deal with His own nature, accepting His Divinity as you and I accept our humanity, and letting it shine out through the envelope with which it has most subtly and mysteriously mingled, as the soul is mingled with and shines out through the body.
    ... Phillips Brooks (1835-1893)

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Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, Your authority is unlimited.

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CQOD: 05/03/07 -- Brooks: looking at Jesus

Christian Quotation of the Day

May 3, 2007Meditation:
    And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath [Jesus] entered the synagogue and was teaching. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.
    -- Mark 1:21-22 (ESV)

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Quotation:
    I read the words and ponder them, but most of all I look at Jesus and try to understand His life, when I want to know the fullest truth regarding God. And when thus I look at Him, what do I learn? First of all, the true divinity of Christ Himself. I cannot doubt what is His own conception of His own personality. Through everything He does, through everything He says, there shines the quiet, intense radiance of conscious Godhead. Again, I say, it is not a word or two which He utters, though He does say things which make known His self-consciousness, but it is a certain sense of originalness, of being, as it were, behind the processes of things—this is what has impressed mankind in Jesus, and been the real power of their often puzzled but never abandoned faith in His Divinity. He has appeared to men, in some way, as He appears to us today, to be not merely the channel but the fountain of Love and Wisdom and Power, of Pity and Inspiration and Hope: The wonderful thing about this sense of Divinity as it appears in Jesus is its naturalness, the absence of surprise or of any feeling of violence. (Continued tomorrow)
    ... Phillips Brooks (1835-1893)

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Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, let me see You in my heart's eyes.

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CQOD: 05/02/07 -- Tozer: God or men?

Christian Quotation of the Day

May 2, 2007

Feast of St. Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, Teacher, 373

Meditation:
    If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
    -- John 15:18-21 (ESV)

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Quotation:
    To be right with God has often meant to be in trouble with men.
    ... A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)

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Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, make me know how I must follow You over men.

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CQOD: 05/01/07 -- Law: the necessary forerunner

Christian Quotation of the Day

May 1, 2007

Feast of Philip & James, Apostles

Meditation:
    Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
    -- Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV)

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Quotation:
    Here is opened to us the true reason of the whole process of our Savior’s incarnation, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension into Heaven. It was because fallen man was to go through all these stages as necessary parts of his return to God; and therefore, if man was to go out of his fallen state there must be a son of this fallen man, who, as a head and fountain of the whole race, could do all this—could go back through all these gates and so make it possible for all the individuals of human nature, as being born of Him, to inherit His conquering nature and follow Him through all these passages to eternal life. And thus we see, in the strongest and clearest light, both why and how the holy Jesus is become our great Redeemer.
    ... William Law (1686-1761), An Appeal to All that Doubt [1740]

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Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You lead Your church.

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