There are those who seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge;
That is curiosity.
There are those who seek knowledge to be known by others;
That is vanity.
There are those who seek knowledge in order to serve;
That is love.
Bernard Clairvaux (1090-1153)
It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly . . . who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be those cold and timid souls who have never known victory or defeat.
Teddy Roosevelt
True spirituality manifests itself in certain dominant desires. These are ever-present, deep settled wants sufficiently powerful to motivate and control life. For convenience let me number them . . .
1. The desire to be holy rather than happy.
2. He wants to see the honour of God advanced through his life even if it means that he himself must suffer temporary dishonour or loss.
3. The spiritual man wants to carry his cross . . . that extra adversity that comes to us as a result of our obedience to Christ.
4. He sees everything from God’s viewpoint.
5. Another desire of the spiritual man is to die right rather than to live wrong . . . he wants most of all to be right, and he is happy to let God decide how long he shall live. He knows that he can afford to die now that he is in Christ, but he knows that he cannot afford to do wrong, and this knowledge becomes a gyroscope to stabilise his thinking and his acting.
6. He desires to see others advance at his expense.
7. The spiritual man habitually makes eternity-judgments instead of time-judgments . . . All this must be by the operation of the Holy Spirit within him. No man can become spiritual by himself. Only the free Spirit can make a man spiritual.
A.W. Tozer, Marks of a Spiritual Man
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In relation to Tozer's comments, I remember a time many years ago, I was boarding with some people who had a rather precocious 15-year-old son. He was very interested in the fact that I was a Christian. He was more interested that I took this lifestyle seriously. After lengthy conversations one day, he concluded that I was a 100% Christian. From someone who was looking from the outside in, that was quite a compliment. I've always been very serious about being genuine and the above checklist has helped my life's compass travel in due-north direction. I'd like to say, looking at this checklist, that I've been able to tick all the boxes... but life doesn't work that way. Sometimes I'm doing well in some areas-- others need a lot of work. The main thing is, as every day passes, I'm moving forward, not standing still, not going backwards-- but moving forward.
Welcome to my Watering Hole
Years ago, I heard a man say, “You will be the same in five years’ time as you are today, except for two things—the people you meet and the books you read.” When I look back over the past 32 years of following Jesus, I would have to say that I agree. If not for the people who have come into my life and the books I have read over the years, my life would have changed very little.
The first book that I read was the Bible. I picked it up, after making a decision to follow Jesus, and to this day I have been unable to put it down. The second book I read was called Where Is God When It Hurts? by Philip Yancey. I think we all struggle to find ways to understand what God is trying to tell us. For me, one of the most effective ways is through what I read. Over time I have kept a journal of quotations that have had an impact on me. Often I reflect on something I recorded years ago and see that in some areas of my life I have grown and in others there is still much work to do. Sometimes I have been motivated, encouraged and inspired by what I read, sometimes frightened and overwhelmed, but never, never discouraged or without hope.
In my conversations with men, more often than not, other than the odd newspaper or magazine, many read very little if at all. My suggestions is, before you read on, take time out to pray, ask yourself and God what are the challenges at this time in your life and then read, expecting the Holy Spirit to bring alive what is relevant to you. Don’t read for reading’s sake. See it as a watering hole where your thirst for life’s answers can be quenched. As time goes by, I will add to the site. I want it to be living.
In conclusion, I have to say that there are many things I don’t know. One thing I do know is that God would want me to share with you what He has shared with me. I pray that He will bring alive these writings and burn them in your heart. I wish you well. Life is very demanding for many, and at times it seems that society is demanding more than we’re able to give. But don’t give up. To borrow the title of Wayne Bennett’s autobiography, Don’t Die with the Music in You. That would be a tragedy.
In His name,
Grahame
The first book that I read was the Bible. I picked it up, after making a decision to follow Jesus, and to this day I have been unable to put it down. The second book I read was called Where Is God When It Hurts? by Philip Yancey. I think we all struggle to find ways to understand what God is trying to tell us. For me, one of the most effective ways is through what I read. Over time I have kept a journal of quotations that have had an impact on me. Often I reflect on something I recorded years ago and see that in some areas of my life I have grown and in others there is still much work to do. Sometimes I have been motivated, encouraged and inspired by what I read, sometimes frightened and overwhelmed, but never, never discouraged or without hope.
In my conversations with men, more often than not, other than the odd newspaper or magazine, many read very little if at all. My suggestions is, before you read on, take time out to pray, ask yourself and God what are the challenges at this time in your life and then read, expecting the Holy Spirit to bring alive what is relevant to you. Don’t read for reading’s sake. See it as a watering hole where your thirst for life’s answers can be quenched. As time goes by, I will add to the site. I want it to be living.
In conclusion, I have to say that there are many things I don’t know. One thing I do know is that God would want me to share with you what He has shared with me. I pray that He will bring alive these writings and burn them in your heart. I wish you well. Life is very demanding for many, and at times it seems that society is demanding more than we’re able to give. But don’t give up. To borrow the title of Wayne Bennett’s autobiography, Don’t Die with the Music in You. That would be a tragedy.
In His name,
Grahame
inspirational Grahame...watering hole is an apt name..paul c
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