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The dominant characteristic of an authentic spiritual life is the gratitude that flows from trust — not only for all the gifts that I receive from God, but gratitude for all the suffering. Because in that purifying experience, suffering has often been the shortest path to intimacy with God.

Brennan Manning

In every encounter we either give life or we drain it; there is no neutral exchange.
BRENNAN MANNING

Encounter exchange Life
Childlike surrender and trust, I believe, is the defining spirit of authentic discipleship.
BRENNAN MANNING

Authentic Believe Childhood Discipline Spirit Surender Trust
We must go out into a desert of some kind (your backyard will do) and come into a personal experience of the awesome love of God.
BRENNAN MANNING

Desert Experience God Kind Love Personal
There is an essential connection between experiencing God, loving God, and trusting God. You will trust God only as much as you love him. And you will love him to the extent you have touched him, rather that he has touched you.
BRENNAN MANNING

Connection Essential Experience God Love Touch Yourself
The Good News of the gospel of grace cries out: We are all, equally, privileged but unentitled beggars at the door of God’s mercy!
BRENNAN MANNING

God Goodness Grace Mercy Scripture
We have been given God in our souls and Christ in our flesh. We have the power to believe where others deny, to hope where others despair, to love where others hurt.
BRENNAN MANNING

Believe Body Despair God Hurt Love Presence Soul
To live by grace means to acknowledge my whole life story, the light side and the dark. In admitting my shadow side I learn who I am and what God’s grace means.
BRENNAN MANNING

Acknowledgement God Grace Learning Live Meaning Myself Shadow
My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.
BRENNAN MANNING

Aware Deep Deserve God Love Myself
We even refuse to be our true self with God- and then wonder why we lack intimacy with him.
BRENNAN MANNING

God Himself Intimacy True
The men and women who are truly filled with light are those who have gazed deeply into the darkness of their own imperfect existence.
BRENNAN MANNING

Darkness Existence Imperfection Light Man True Woman
Real freedom is freedom from the opinions of others. Above all, freedom from your opinions about yourself.
BRENNAN MANNING

Freedom Opinion Reality Yourself
The litmus test of our love for God is our love of neighbor.
BRENNAN MANNING

Friendship God Love Neighbor Ourselves Science Test
The gospel declares that no matter how dutiful or prayerful we are, we can’t save ourselves. What Jesus did was sufficient.
BRENNAN MANNING

Declare Prayer Save Scripture Sufficient
Our identity rests in God’s relentless tenderness for us revealed in Jesus Christ.
BRENNAN MANNING

God Identity Ourselves Reveal Tender
You will trust God to the degree you know you are loved by Him.
BRENNAN MANNING

Degree God Himself Love Trust Yourself
Suffering, failure, loneliness, sorrow, discouragement, and death will be part of your journey, but the Kingdom of God will conquer all these horrors. No evil can resist grace forever.
BRENNAN MANNING

Encouragement Evil Failure Forever Grace Sorrow Suffering

The dominant characteristic of an authentic spiritual life is the gratitude that flows from trust — not only for all the gifts that I receive from God, but gratitude for all the suffering. Because in that purifying experience, suffering has often been the shortest path to intimacy with God.

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The dominant characteristic of an authentic spiritual life is the gratitude that flows from trust — not only for all the gifts that I receive from God, but gratitude for all the suffering. Because in that purifying experience, suffering has often been the shortest path to intimacy with God.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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