#sovereignty

The logic of the Bible says: Act according to God's "will of command," not according to his "will of decree." God's "will of decree" is whatever comes to pass. "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that" (James 4:15). God's "will of decree" ordained that his Son be betrayed (Luke 22:22), ridiculed (Isaiah 53:3), mocked (Luke 18:32), flogged (Matthew 20:19), forsaken (Matthew 26:31), pierced (John 19:37), and killed (Mark 9:31). But the Bible teaches us plainly that we should not betray, ridicule, mock, flog, forsake, pierce, or kill innocent people. That is God's "will of command." We do not look at the death of Jesus, clearly willed by God, and conclude that killing Jesus is good and that we should join the mockers. ↗

— John Piper

#christian-living #god #sovereignty #death

Our duty is found in the revealed will of God in the Scriptures. Our trust must be in the sovereign will of God as He works in the ordinary circumstances of our daily lives for our good and His glory. ↗

— Jerry Bridges

#sovereignty-of-god #works #faith

Behind calvary is the throne of heaven. ↗

— James S. Stewart

#faith

It is not that God is the spectator and sharer of our present life, howsoever important that is; but rather that we are the reverent listeners and participants in God’s action in the sacred story, the history of the Christ on earth. ↗

— Dietrich Bonhoeffer

#faith

God often grants in a moment what He has long denied. ↗

— Thomas à Kempis

#patience #sovereignty-of-god #faith

It's all very well for us to sit here in the west with our high incomes and cushy lives, and say it's immoral to violate the sovereignty of another state. But if the effect of that is to bring people in that country economic and political freedom, to raise their standard of living, to increase their life expectancy, then don't rule it out. ↗

— Niall Ferguson

#interventionism #isolationism #noninterventionism #realpolitik #sovereignty

If my words don't flow out of a heart that rests in God's control, sovereignty, then they come out of the heart that seeks control so I can get what I want. ↗

— Mark Driscoll

#sovereignty-of-god #words #friendship

A Supreme Court decision that concessions of this sort were unconstitutional would have taken them off the table and actually increased the effective sovereignty of elected officials. ↗

— Michael Kinsley

#concessions #court #court decision #decision #effective

The European nations' loss of sovereignty to the EU should be a warning to Americans. ↗

— Phyllis Schlafly

#european #european nations #loss #nations #should

It's hard to know, isn't it, whether the things we face are just because the world is full of sin and sinful people, or if God is working out a plan,' Grandma continued. 'I happen to think it's both. There's sin, but through it all, He takes the mess we make and paints a masterpiece. In fact, I'm quite certain that before God can ever bless a woman—and use her to impact many—He uses the hammer, the file, and the furnace to do a holy work. ↗

— Tricia Goyer

#redemption #sovereignty-of-god #suffering #inspirational