In our proud love affair with ourselves we pour contempt, whether we know it or not, on the worth of God's glory. As our pride pours contempt upon God's glory, His righteousness obliges Him to pour wrath upon our pride.

When GOD is our deepest pleasure we display Him as our highest treasure.

Prosperity cannot be a proof of God's favor, since it is what the devil promises to those who worship him. (Matt. 4:9)

Without extended, concentrated prayer, the ministry of the Word withers. And when the ministry of the Word declines, faith (Rom. 10:17; Gal. 3:2, 5) and holiness (John 17:17) decline. Activity may continue, but life and power and fruitfulness fade away. Therefore, whatever opposes prayer opposes the whole work of ministry.

God aims to look valuable in the world, and that happens when we treasure him above all else.

O, God of wonder, enlarge my capacity to be amazed at what is amazing, and end my attraction to the insignificant.

Sometimes people stumble over this vastness in relation to the apparent insignificance of man. It does seem to make us infinitesimally small. But the meaning of this magnitude is not mainly about us. It’s about God… The reason for ‘wasting’ so much space on a universe to house a speck of humanity is to make a point about our maker, not us.