The person who does not seek the kingdom first does not seek it at all, regardless of how worthy the idolatry that he or she has substituted for it. Richard J. Foster More Quotes by Richard J. Foster More Quotes From Richard J. Foster reject anything that is producing an addiction in you. Richard J. Foster rejects addiction Eastern meditation is an attempt to empty the mind; Christian meditation is an attempt to fill the mind. The two ideas are quite different Richard J. Foster christian two ideas Grace saves us from life without God-even more it empowers us for life with God. Richard J. Foster grace-of-god empowering grace You see, we need instruction on how to possess money without being possessed by money. We need help to learn how to own things without treasuring them. We need the discipline that will allow us to live simply while managing great wealth and power. Richard J. Foster discipline helping needs May God give you - and me- the courage, the wisdom, the strength always to hold the kingdom of God as the number one priority of our lives. To do so is to live in simplicity. Richard J. Foster simplicity numbers giving One remarkable feature of the devotional masters is the incredible sense of uniform witness in the midst of such diverse personalities... and the necessity of Christian simplicity is one of their most consistent themes. Richard J. Foster simplicity simple christian Freedom in the Gospel does not mean license. It means opportunity. Richard J. Foster doe opportunity mean Humility, as we all know, is one of those virtues that is never gained by seeking it. The more we pursue it the more distant it becomes. To think we have it is sure evidence that we don't. Richard J. Foster virtue humility thinking Adoration is the spontaneous yearning of the heart to worship, honor, magnify, and bless God. We ask nothing but to cherish him. We seek nothing but his exaltation. We focus on nothing but his goodness. Richard J. Foster focus honor heart It is Stoicism that demands a closed universe, not the Bible. Richard J. Foster stoicism demand universe The lust for affluence in contemporary society has become psychotic; it has completely lost touch with reality. Richard J. Foster affluence lust reality To most observers, innovation is a solitary process that requires creativity and genius, perhaps even greatness. It can't, in their view, be managed or predicted, just hoped for and, perhaps, facilitated. But for me innovation was and still is more than that. It was a battle in the marketplace between innovators or attackers trying to make money by changing the order of things, and defenders protecting their cash flow. Richard J. Foster cash-flow creativity greatness Prayer is seeing His greatness to the extent we can receive it. Richard J. Foster seeing greatness prayer Prayer is simply saying "thank you, bless you, praise you." Richard J. Foster bless prayer praise We over-eat, over-buy, and over-built, spewing out our toxic wastes upon the earth and into the air. Richard J. Foster toxic-waste earth air Prayer is - a means of uniting us unto Himself. Richard J. Foster uniting prayer mean Over-consumption is a cancer eating away at our spiritual vitals. It distances us from the great masses of broken bleeding humanity. It converts us into materialists. We become less able to ask the moral questions. Richard J. Foster cancer distance spiritual The message from all quarters is the same: our undisciplined consumption must end. If we continue to gobble up our resources without any regard to stewardship and to spew out our deadly wastes over land, sea, and air, we may well be drawing down the final curtain upon ourselves. Richard J. Foster drawing air sea Inward solitude has outward manifestations. There is the freedom to be alone, not in order to be away from people but in order to hear the divine Whisper better. Richard J. Foster solitude order people It is in the everyday and the commonplace that we learn patience, acceptance, and contentment. Richard J. Foster contentment everyday acceptance