The suffering of sickness and the suffering of persecution have this in common: they are both intended by Satan for the destruction of our faith, and governed by God for the purifying of our faith... Christ sovereignly accomplishes His loving, purifying purpose, by overruling Satan's destructive attempts. Satan is always aiming to destroy our faith; but Christ magnifies His power in weakness.
John PiperIf you must choose between loving someone and acting so that they feel loved, always choose to love them.
John PiperWithout the renewed mind, we will distort the Scriptures to avoid their radical commands for self-denial, and love, and purity, and supreme satisfaction in Christ alone.
John PiperThe importance of prayer rises in proportion to the importance of the things we should give up in order to pray
John Piper