I wonder sometimes, though, if we intentionally or just unknowingly mask the beauty of God in the gospel by minimizing his various attributes.

This is the curse of superficial religion: the constant attempt to do outward things apart from inward transformation.

Don't underestimate what God can do with ordinary people.

I believe that the gospel and the American Dream have fundamentally different starting points. The American Dream begins with self, exalts self, says you are inherently good and you have in you what it takes to be successful so do all you can, work with everything you have to make much of yourself. The gospel begins with God, the reality that we were created to exalt his name to the ends of the earth.

The more Christ fulfills the cravings of our souls, the more he changes our taste capacities from the inside out. The more we walk with him, the more we want him. The more we taste of him, the more we enjoy him. And this transforms how we live and what we live for.

Privatized faith in a resurrected Christ is practically inconceivable.

Instead of trying to conquer sin by working hard to change our actions, we can conquer sin by trusting Christ to change our affections.