The people who tend to be the most gracious are those who know how badly they need grace

I'm not sure I'll ever fully understand why some Christians get mad when we say that the ultimate hero in the Bible is not Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Paul, etc... but Jesus.

The Gospel is not ultimately a defense from pain, it is the message of God's rescue through pain. In fact, it allows us to drop our defenses, to escape not from pain but from the prison of "How" and "Why" to the freedom of "Who?"

I agree we have enough books that attempt to explain why God allows suffering, presumably in a way that lets God off the hook. And while much smarter men than I have constructed elaborate systems in this pursuit, they are by definition exercises in speculation.

It's better to feel sorry for doing something bad than to feel superior for doing something good.

The emphasis of the Bible is on the work of the Redeemer, not on the work of the redeemed.

Rest assured: Before God, the righteousness of Christ is all we need; before God, the righteousness of Christ is all we have.