Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action. Grace provides the power for the effort, not an excuse to avoid it.
Dallas Willard, *The Great Omission*The present is the only time in which duty can be done or grace enjoyed. The past is gone beyond recall, the future is beyond our grasp; but God gives us the present as the time in which we may serve Him and be conformed to His image.
Jonathan Edwards, *The Works of Jonathan Edwards*Let us, then, give up vain and fruitless cares, and approach to the blessed and incorruptible rule of our life, which is the tradition of our life, the knowledge of the power of God. For He Himself has made us, and not we ourselves. And He, of His great love, has prepared for us a place in His kingdom, and has given us a name that is above every name. Let us, therefore, conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of His calling, and not allow ourselves to be corrupted by the desires of the world, but let us set our hope on Him who is able to preserve our souls.
Clement of Alexandria, *Exhortation to the Greeks*The spiritual disciplines are not a burden to be endured but a door to freedom. Superficiality is the curse of our age. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people. The Disciplines are the way to the deep life. They are not for the elite but for everyone who hungers and thirsts for righteousness.
Richard Foster, *Celebration of Discipline*If you were to die tomorrow, what would you want today to have been about?
Justice is the crowning glory of the virtues. It is the quality that renders a man fit for fellowship, and it is towards fellowship with our fellow men that nature prompts us. The foundation of enduring fame and lasting glory is justice; without it, no virtue can be praiseworthy.
Cicero, *De Officiis* (On Duties), Book ISt. Clair, Michigan -- Saturday, May 16, 2026
Clear -- 50°F -- Humidity: 76% -- Wind: ↑11 mph