Unfulfilled dreams, ongoing relational tension, the loss of friendships, a hard marriage, rebellious teenagers, the death of loved ones, remaining sinful patterns - whatever it is for you - live long enough, lose enough, suffer enough, and the idealism of youth fades, leaving behind the reality of life in a broken world as a broken person.
Tullian TchividjianThe Christian life has been nothing more and nothing less than a daily dependence on and a rediscovery of God's grace.
Tullian TchividjianThe truth is, narratives of self-justification burble beneath more of our relationships and endeavors than we would care to admit.
Tullian TchividjianMy struggle isn't believing my performance can earn God's favor; my struggle is believing my performance can keep God's favor
Tullian TchividjianSelf-righteousness is unavoidable. You can either be a self-righteous Pharisee where you think you are better than everyone else or you can be a self-righteous pagan who thinks you are better than the Pharisee. If you are a self-righteous person, I could become very self-righteous thinking that you're self-righteous and you think you're so good but I know you're bad. I know I'm bad so that makes me better than you.
Tullian TchividjianSubmitting self to God is the only real freedom-because the deepest slavery is self-dependence, self-reliance. When you live your life believing that everything (family, finances, relationships, career) depends primarily on you, you're enslaved to your strengths and weaknesses. You're trying to be your own savior. Freedom comes when we start trusting in God's abilities and wisdom instead of our own. Real life begins when we transfer our trust from our own efforts to the efforts of Christ.
Tullian Tchividjian