Good morning…
“Sue,” she emailed after yesterday’s blog post from Jacksonville, Florida, “that verse from Isaiah is one of my guiding verses: And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me” (Isaiah 6:8, ESV). I am reading Dane Ortlund’s book Gentle and Lowly and love the following quotes.”
- “The minimum bar to be enfolded into the embrace of Jesus is simply: open yourself up to him. It is all he needs. Indeed, it is the only thing he works with. Your very burden is what qualifies you to come. No payment is required; he says, ‘I will give you rest.’ His rest is a gift, not a transaction. Jesus’ desire that you find rest, that you come out of the storm, outstrips even your own.”
- “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Heb 13:8). The same Christ who wept at the tomb of Lazarus weeps with us in our lonely despair.”
- “Christ’s heart is not far off despite his presence now in heaven, for he does all this by his own Spirit. Jesus Christ is closer to you today than he was to sinners and sufferers he spoke with and touched in his earthly ministry. Through his Spirit, his own heart envelops his people with an embrace nearer and tighter than any physical embrace could ever achieve. His actions on earth in a body reflected his heart; the same heart now acts in the same ways toward us, for we are now his body.”
“Praying for the grieving families in your community,” she concluded.
“Thank you for sharing this gorgeous, divine wisdom,” I responded. “May I share these quotes with our written word community? As we plant ourselves deeply in the heart of the living Christ, we lay down our burdens. We rest and restore. From the rich soil of our soul, we quietly grow up and branch out, empowered by God’s Spirit at work in us.”
“I love this book,” she replied, “and, yes, you may share these quotes, as you plant so many ‘mustard seeds’ with your subscribers. This is wisdom well worth sharing! So grateful for the encouragement God pours through you daily!”
God’s kingdom is like the smallest seed that one might plant in a garden. When it grows, it becomes a huge tree, with so many spreading branches that various birds make nests there (Luke 13:19, TPT).
…Sue…
