Ultimate seriousness in not without a dose of humor. Dietrich Bonhoeffer More Quotes by Dietrich Bonhoeffer More Quotes From Dietrich Bonhoeffer Time lost is time not filled, time left empty. Dietrich Bonhoeffer time-leftemptylost There are only two places where the powerful and great in this world lose their courage, tremble in the depths of their souls, and become truly afraid. These are the manger and the cross of Jesus Christ....No priest, no theologian stood at the cradle of Bethlehem. And yet, all Christian theology finds its beginnings in the miracle of miracles, that God became human. Dietrich Bonhoeffer powerfulchristianjesus Must the Christian go around looking for a cross to bear, seeking to suffer? No, insisted Bonhoeffer. Opportunities for bearing crosses will occur along life's way and all that is required is the willingness to act when the time comes. The needs of the neighbor, especially those of the weak and downtrodden, the victimized and the persecuted, the ill and the lonely, will become abundantly evident. Dietrich Bonhoeffer lonelychristianopportunity Prayer does not mean simply to pour out one's heart. It means rather to find the way to God and to speak with him, whether the heart is full or empty. Dietrich Bonhoeffer prayerheartmean The devil doesn't fill us with hatred for God, but with forgetfulness of God. Dietrich Bonhoeffer forgetfulnessdevilhatred How wrong it is to use God as a stop-gap for the incompleteness of our knowledge. . . . We are to find God in what we know, not in what we don't know; God wants us to realize his presence, not in unsolved problems but in those that are solved. . . . God is no stop-gap; he must be recognized as the center of life, not when we are at the end of our resources. Dietrich Bonhoeffer usegodwant Political action means taking on responsibility. This cannot happen without power. Power is to serve responsibility. Dietrich Bonhoeffer politicalresponsibilitymean The great masquerade of evil has played havoc with all our ethical concepts. For evil to appear disguised as light, charity, historical necessity, or social justice is quite bewildering to anyone brought up on our traditional ethical concepts, while for the Christian who bases his life on the Bible, it merely confirms the fundamental wickedness of evil. Dietrich Bonhoeffer lightchristianjustice I saw Pastor Bonhoeffer, before taking off his prison garb, kneeling on the floor praying fervently to his God. I was most deeply moved by the way this lovable man prayed, so devout and so certain that God heard his prayer. At the place of execution, he again said a prayer and then climbed the steps to the gallows, brave and composed. His death ensued in a few seconds. In the almost 50 years that I have worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God. Dietrich Bonhoeffer doctorsprayermen It is only with gratitude that life becomes rich! Dietrich Bonhoeffer gratitudethankfulthank-you Cheap grace is grace without discipleship. Dietrich Bonhoeffer christian-discipleshipdiscipleshipgrace Fruit is always the miraculous, the created; it is never the result of willing, but always a growth. The fruit of the Spirit is a gift of God, and only He can produce it. They who bear it know as little about it as the tree knows of its fruit. They know only the power of Him on whom their life depends Dietrich Bonhoeffer fruits-of-the-spiritgrowthtree If we are to pray aright, perhaps it is quite necessary that we pray contrary to our own heart. Not what we want to pray is important, but what God wants us to pray. The richness of the Word of God ought to determine our prayer, not the poverty of our heart. Dietrich Bonhoeffer importantprayerheart If you do a good job for others, you heal yourself at the same time, because a dose of joy is a spiritual cure. Dietrich Bonhoeffer spiritualgodjobs God is in the manger, wealth in poverty, light in darkness, succor in abandonment. No evil can befall us; whatever men may do to us, they cannot but serve the God who is secretly revealed as love and rules the world and our lives. Dietrich Bonhoeffer christmaslightmen When our will wholeheartedly enters into the prayer of Christ, then we pray correctly. Dietrich Bonhoeffer prayingprayerchrist I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me. Dietrich Bonhoeffer hatebrothermatter Waiting is an art that our impatient age has forgotten. It wants to break open the ripe fruit when it has hardly finished planting the shoot. But all too often the greedy eyes are only deceived; the fruit that seemed so precious is still green on the inside, and disrespected hands ungratefully toss aside what has so disappointed them. Dietrich Bonhoeffer eyepatienceart The child asks of the Father whom he knows. Thus, the essence of Christian prayer is not general adoration, but definite, concrete petition. The right way to approach God is to stretch out our hands and ask of One who we know has the heart of a Father. Dietrich Bonhoeffer prayerchristianchildren Self-justification and judging others go together, as justification by grace and serving others go together. Dietrich Bonhoeffer gracejudgingself
