God sometimes answers our prayers by giving us what we would have asked for had we known what He knows.

Repentance is belief in action.

What would your prayers look like if you believed that the cross really was the measure of God's compassion for someone?

Things like radical generosity and audacious faith are not produced when we focus on them, but when we focus on the gospel.

True religion is when you serve God to get nothing else but more of God. Many people use religion as a way of getting something else from God they want-blessings, rewards, even escape from judgement. This is wearisome to us, and to God. But when God is His own reward, Christianity becomes thrilling. Sacrifice becomes joy.

Without love even the most radical devotion to God is of no value to Him. Let me make sure that sinks in… You can gain all the spiritual gifts in the world. You can take the most radical steps of obedience. You can share every meal with the homeless in your city. You can memorize the book of Leviticus. You can pray each morning for four hours like Martin Luther. But if what you do does not flow out of a heart of love - a heart that does those things because it genuinely desires to do them - it is ultimately worthless to God.

True religion is when you serve God to get nothing else but more of God.