mercy

June 3, 2012 by kevinstilley

Grace – select quotes

Man is born broken. He lives by mending. The grace of God is glue.
~ Eugene O’Neill

Grace, we must learn, is opposed to earning, not to effort.
~ Dallas Willard

If God wants you to do something, he’ll make it possible for you to do it, but the grace he provides comes only with the task and cannot be stockpiled beforehand. We are dependent on him from hour to hour, and the greater our awareness of this fact, the less likely we are to faint or fail in a crisis.
~ Louis Cassels

When the mask of self-righteousness has been torn from us and we stand stripped of all our accustomed defenses, we are candidates for God’s generous grace.
~ Erwin Lutzer

__________

Rob Bell’s Velvet Hell

Albert Moehler, Russell Moore, Denny Burk, and Justin Taylor Review Rob Bell’s Book Love Wins.

Martin Bashir’s Television Interview With Rob Bell

Click here to hear Martin Bashir talking about his interview with Rob Bell (Paul Edwards radio talkshow).

Steve Hays of Triablogue applies reductio ad absurdum to the Bashir’s interview with Bell.

Rob Bell on Morning Joe

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Other Commentary

The Blood Drained Gospel of Rob Bell, by Russell Moore

December 11, 2009 by kevinstilley

At The Corner of Mercy and Grace

Sometimes a combination of ideas or events come together to affect us in a way that they would not have on their own. I recently received the picture at left from a co-worker. Her husband works as an appraiser and had snapped the photo while out performing his job. The image has continued to be present in my thinking over the last few days as I have been asking myself what it means to live at “the corner of Mercy and Grace”.

And then I received H.B London’s “Pastor’s Weekly Briefing” in which he asks,

What would it be like if every “shepherd” looked across his or her “field” and found the most needy one in the “flock” and then took the time to minister to that one. You talk about a wonderful Christmas present. By the way, who is the most needy one in your “flock”? If you had the opportunity, how could you personally enhance the life of that individual?

I’m still working on the question of what it means to live at the corner of mercy and grace, but I think the actions suggested by London are a beautiful expression of its reality.

__________

Mercy – select quotes

Such is the mercy of God that he will hold his children in the consuming fire of his distance until they pay the utmost farthing, until they drop the purse of selfishness with all the dross that is in it, and rush home to the Father and to the Son and the brethren—rush inside the life-giving Fire whose outer circle burns.
~ George MacDonald

The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
~ William Shakespeare

__________

Overlooking Personal Offenses

I have often thought that there is too much emphasis on confrontation and negotiation in the counsel typically given on ways to best resolve conflict. Frequently, I think it is best to simply overlook personal offenses. I received an email today noting that this approach is highly commended throughout Scripture, and share a few of the passages with you here:

“A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense” (Prov. 19:11; cf. 12:16; 15:18; 20:3).

“Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out” (Prov. 17:14; cf. 26:17).

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8; cf. Prov. 10:12; 17:9)

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Eph. 4:2).

“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Col. 3:13; cf. Eph. 4:32).

The above passages were taken from The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal ConflictThe Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict by Ken Sande, Updated Edition (Grand Rapids, Baker Books, 2003) p. 82.

Grace – select quotes

Rob Bell’s Velvet Hell

At The Corner of Mercy and Grace

Mercy – select quotes

Overlooking Personal Offenses

Connect With Me On Twitter

Connect With Me On Facebook

Receive My Monthly Newsletter