Jesus lost all his glory so that we could be clothed in it. He was shut out so we could get access. He was bound, nailed, so that we could be free. He was cast out so we could approach. And Jesus took away the only kind of suffering that can really destroy you: that is being cast away from God. He took so that now all suffering that comes into your life will only make you great. A lump of coal under pressure becomes a diamond. And the suffering of a person in Christ only turns you into somebody gorgeous.

The basic purpose of prayer is not to bend God's will to mine, but to mold my will into His.

If you didn't earn your salvation how are you going to un-earn it?

The Bible’s purpose is not so much to show you how to live a good life. The Bible’s purpose is to show you how God’s grace breaks into your life against your will and saves you from the sin and brokenness otherwise you would never be able to overcome… religion is ‘if you obey, then you will be accepted’. But the Gospel is, ‘if you are absolutely accepted, and sure you’re accepted, only then will you ever begin to obey’. Those are two utterly different things. Every page of the Bible shows the difference.

Describe the God you've rejected. Describe the God you don't believe in. Maybe I don't believe in that God either.

Jesus does not just bring good news; he is the good news.

...the essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less.