Before we can begin to see the cross as something done FOR us, leading us to faith and worship, we have to see it as something done BY us, leading us to repentance. Only the man or woman who is prepared to own his share in the guilt of the cross may claim his share in its grace.
C. J. MahaneyBut the very act of pausing in a busy day to pray is an act of weakening pride in my life, acknowledging that I am a dependent creature. I am not self sufficient.
C. J. MahaneyWe don't accidentally drift into holiness; rather we mature gradually and purposefully, one choice at a time.
C. J. MahaneyThe weakest believer and the strongest saint are alike equally justified. Justification admits no degrees. A man is either wholly justified or wholly condemned in the sight of God.
C. J. MahaneyEffective teaching involves explaining to our children what they're already observing in our lives by example.
C. J. MahaneyHumility is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness.
C. J. MahaneyIf you crossed Matthew Henry's path, you would quickly realize that here was someone taking thankful notice of all God was doing for him, and doing so in an attractively joyful way that was infectious.
C. J. MahaneyWhat joy the gospel gives me! I can approach the throne of God with confidence-not because I've done a good job at my spiritual duties, but because I'm clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
C. J. MahaneyApart from the cross, condemnation is normal. Without Jesus, we all deserve to be condemned and punished for sin. But here's the good news: 'There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus'.
C. J. MahaneyThe biblical purpose of every conversation you have, in every personal interaction, is that they person who hears you will receive grace.
C. J. MahaneyToday, the greatest challenge facing American evangelicals is not persecution from the world, but seduction by the world.
C. J. MahaneyIt was humanly impossible for the disciples to free themselves from their selfish pursuit of self-exaltation, just as it's impossible for us to free ourselves from the very same sins.
C. J. MahaneyUnless you see yourself standing there with the shrieking crowd, full of hostility and hatred for the holy and innocent Lamb of God, you don’t really understand the nature and depth of your sin or the necessity of the cross.
C. J. MahaneyIf there's anything in life that we should be passionate about, it's the gospel. And I don't mean passionate only about sharing it with others. I mean passionate about thinking about it, dwelling on it, rejoicing in it, allowing it to color the way we look at the world. Only one thing can be of first importance to each of us. And only the gospel ought to be.
C. J. MahaneyWe cannot free ourselves from pride and selfish ambition; a divine rescue is absolutely necessary.
C. J. MahaneyTo grow in your passion for what Jesus has done, increase your understanding of what He has done.
C. J. MahaneyNo matter the severity of suffering we experience in this life, it will always be less that what we have deserved for our sins
C. J. MahaneyNever be content with your current grasp of the gospel. The gospel is the life-permeating, world-altering, universe-changing truth. It has more facets than a diamond. It's depths man will never exhaust.
C. J. MahaneyWe make time for what we truly value. We build habits and routines around the things that really matter to us. This is an important principle to understand as we seek to build our lives around the gospel. Do you want a cross centered life? A cross centered life is made up of cross centered days.
C. J. MahaneyIt’s not 'those who help themselves' whom God helps; it’s those who humble themselves.
C. J. MahaneyPride is when sinful human beings aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him.
C. J. MahaneyAll gifts from God are intended to direct our attention to God and create fresh affection for God.
C. J. MahaneyIndividuals motivated by self-interest, self-indulgence, and a false sense of self-sufficiency pursue selfish ambition for the purpose of self-glorification.
C. J. MahaneyTo learn true humility, we need more than a redefinition of greatness; we need even more than Jesus' personal example of humble service. What we need is His death.
C. J. MahaneyYour greatest need is not a spouse. Your greatest need is to be delivered from the wrath of God - and that has already been accomplished for you through the death and resurrection of Christ. So why doubt that God will provide a much, much lesser need? Trust His sovereignty, trust His wisdom, trust His love.
C. J. MahaneyAs we mature personally, as our families mature, and as our churches mature, we need the doctrine of sin more, not less; and we need to keep growing in rightly understanding and applying this doctrine. Be assured that this is no less true if you're a pastor or teacher or ministry worker. There's no pastoral privilege in relation to sin. There's no ministry exemption from the opposition of the flesh. There's only a heightened responsibility to oppose sin and to weaken the flesh, as an example to the flock.
C. J. MahaneyPride takes innumerable forms but has only one end: self-glorification. That’s the motive and ultimate purpose of pride—to rob God of legitimate glory and to pursue self-glorification, contending for supremacy with Him. The proud person seeks to glorify himself and not God, thereby attempting in effect to deprive God of something only He is worthy to receive
C. J. MahaneySunday is the best day of the week because we celebrate the risen Christ of the cross in the local church, the dearest place on earth.
C. J. MahaneyIn order for romance to deepen, you must touch the heart and mind of your wife before you touch her body.
C. J. MahaneyEncourage others each and every day-nothing's more important than our words. Did you know that, on average, each of us speaks about twenty-five thousand words daily? My last book didn't have that many words. A lot of language is flowing out of our mouths every day and having an impact on those around us. But how much of that flow is fulfilling God's intended purpose for our speech? How much of it reflects pride, rather than a gospel-motivated humility?
C. J. Mahaney