At the deepest level, pride is the choice to exclude both God and other people from their rightful place in our hearts. Jesus said the essence of the spiritual life is to love God and to love people. Pride destroys our capacity to love.
JOHN ORTBERGWe are tempted to live under the illusion that somewhere out there are people who are normal.
More John Ortberg Quotes
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Acceptance is an act of the heart. To accept someone is to affirm to them that you think it’s a very good thing they are alive.
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The possibility of transformation is the essence of hope.
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Your Mission starts where you are,Not where you think you should be.Sometimes we’re tempted to think that our current position/job/situation is a barrier to our mission, but, in fact, it is where it starts.
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If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat.
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There is a world of difference between being friendly to someone because they’re useful to you and being someone’s friend.
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Solitude is the one place where we can gain freedom from the forces of society that will otherwise relentlessly mold us. Solitude requires relentless perseverance.
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You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.
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Our beliefs are not just estimates of probabilities. They are also the instruments that guide our actions.
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True repentance never leads to despair. Its leads home. It leads to grace.
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Failure does not shape you; the way you respond to failure shapes you.
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Failure is not an event, but rather a judgment about an event. Failure is not something that happens to us or a label we attach to things. It is a way we think about outcomes.
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The character of the faith that allows us to be transformed by suffering and darkness is not doubt-free certainty; rather, it is tenacious obedience.
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Habits eat good intentions for breakfast.
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There is no way for a human being to come to God that does not involve surrender.
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We are tempted to live under the illusion that somewhere out there are people who are normal.
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One of the most painful aspects of suffering is the loneliness of it. Others may offer support or empathy, but no one can walk the road to Moriah in our place.
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Skeptics would rather, even at their own expense, appear to be right than take the risk of trusting.
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One reason why we fail to hear God speak is that we are not attentive. We suffer from what might be called ‘spiritual mindlessness.’
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Over time, grit is what separates fruitful lives from aimlessness.
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The reason our souls hunger so is that the life we could be living so far exceeds our strangest dreams.
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The Bible does not say you are God’s appliance; it says you are his masterpiece. Appliances get mass-produced.
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The main measure of your devotion to God is not your devotional life. It is simply your life.
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The primary goal of spiritual life is human transformation.
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When preaching is done right, it can change lives. When it’s done badly, my failure goes beyond the merely human.
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As long as we have unsolved problems, unfulfilled desires, and a mustard seed of faith, we have all we need for a vibrant prayer life.
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The problem with spending your life climbing up the ladder is that you will go right past Jesus, for he’s coming down.
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