Every day is important for us because it is a day ordained by God. Jerry Bridges More Quotes by Jerry Bridges More Quotes From Jerry Bridges Prayer is the most tangible expression of trust in God. If we would trust God for our persecuted brothers and sisters in other countries, we must be diligent in prayer for their rulers. If we would trust God when decisions of government in our own country go against our best interests, we must pray for His working in the hearts of those officials and legislators who make those decisions. The truth that the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord is meant to be a stimulus to prayer, not a stimulus to a fatalistic attitude. Jerry Bridges brother kings country 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 sovereign scripture ordinary We believers do need to be challenged to a life of committed discipleship, but that challenge needs to be based on the gospel, not on duty or guilt. Duty or guilt may motivate us for awhile, but only a sense of Christ's love for us will motivate us for a lifetime. Jerry Bridges guilt challenges needs Practice of true community involves responsibilities and actions that do not come naturally to us. Jerry Bridges community responsibility practice We don't have to start all over again and try to keep the slate clean. There is no more slate. Jerry Bridges slate clean trying Grace... expresses two complementary thoughts: God's unmerited favor to us through Christ, and God's divine assistance to us through the Holy Spirit. Jerry Bridges favors grace two Faith in Christ and a reliance on ourselves, even to the smallest degree, are mutually exclusive. Jerry Bridges smallest degrees christ Nothing cuts the nerve of the desire to pursue holiness as much as a sense of guilt. On the contrary, nothing so motivates us to deal with sin in our lives as does the understanding and application of the two truth that our sins are forgiven and the dominion of sin is broken because of our union with Christ. Jerry Bridges cutting broken two One thing we may be sure of, however: For the believer all pain has meaning; all adversity is profitable. There is no question that adversity is difficult. It usually takes us by surprise and seems to strike where we are most vulnerable. To us it often appears completely senseless and irrational, but to God none of it is either senseless or irrational. He has a purpose in every pain He brings or allows in our lives. We can be sure that in some way He intends it for our profit and His glory. Jerry Bridges religious god jesus We obey God's Law, not to be loved but because we are loved in Christ. Jerry Bridges law christ We need to call sin what the Bible calls it and not soften it with modern expressions borrowed from our culture. Jerry Bridges expression culture needs God is never at a loss because He cannot find someone to cooperate with Him in carrying out His plan. He so moves in the hearts of people - either Christians or non Christians, it makes no difference - that they willingly, of their own free will carry out His plans. Jerry Bridges christian heart moving Only when we're thoroughly convinced that the Christian life is entirely of grace are we able to serve God out of a grateful and loving heart. Jerry Bridges grateful christian heart Our very worst days are never beyond the reach of God's grace. Jerry Bridges gods-grace worst grace We fail to see the gospel as the solution to our greatest problem-our guilt, condemnation, and alienation from God. Beyond that, we fail to see it as the basis of our day-to-day acceptance with Him. As a result, many believers live in spiritual poverty. Jerry Bridges guilt acceptance spiritual Obedience is the pathway to holiness. Jerry Bridges pathways holiness obedience Jesus did not die just to give us peace and a purpose in life; he died to save us from the wrath of God. Jerry Bridges wrath giving jesus It is our response to our circumstances rather than the degree of difficulty that determines whether or not we are discontent Jerry Bridges difficulty degrees circumstances The fruit of the Spirit is fundamentally relational. Rather than originating with us, it flows to us from our union with Christ, and it flows beyond us to bring us into fellowship with others. The secret of this flow - and our unity with God and others - is humility. Jerry Bridges unity humility secret Instead of living in the sunshine of God's forgiveness through Christ, we tend to live under an overcast sky of guilt most of the time. Jerry Bridges sunshine guilt sky