Inspirational Quotes by Gary Thomas

“Surrendering to Jesus as Lord means that we value His truth over our personal opinions and experiences.”

“I would rather this young woman marry a broken man who walks in grace than a “perfect” man who is spiritually proud and independent.”

“Honoring the Lord means, by faith, pressing into all that He is with great confidence. With that assurance, we can ask any question, turn over every rock, and expose every mess without fear.”

“Kelly Kapic has argued powerfully for the possibility that Jesus’ final blessing was that of the high priest giving Aaron’s benediction to the people after atonement for sin had been made. The branding blessing from Numbers 6 takes on even more significance if we consider it coming from mouth of the incarnate Lord himself. Kapic’s conclusion thrills me every time I read it: Whereas Aaron could lift his arms and pray for God’s face to shine on the people, in seeing Jesus ascending into the heavens these believers saw the actual face of God shining. While they had heard of God’s graciousness, now they had seen him who is Gracious. While they had held out for God’s lifted countenance, they now saw it actualized. While they had longed for the peace promised in the benediction, they now knew him who was Peace. The great High Priest came and not only pronounced the benediction, but he became the benediction. Here the medium is the Mediator, and thus he is not to be looked beyond, but rather looked to. Those who saw the ascension witnessed the personification of Aaron’s benediction in Jesus Christ![6]”

“The night before his crucifixion, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:31-32). We get shredded. We get eaten up. We get disgraced. We get left. We think we are going to die. But then something amazing happens. We cry out to Jesus and then realize he has already been praying for us! His faithfulness upholds us.”

“Marriage is the greatest test in the world . . . but now I welcome the test instead of dreading it. It is much more than a test of sweetness of temper, as people sometimes think; it is a test of the whole character and affects every action. T. S. Eliot”

“This is a tremendously spiritually therapeutic process, an emptying of myself so I can grow more in my love for others.”

“When we understand that we were created for His divine purpose, our eyes become more focused on what matters. We become enveloped in His relentless love for us, and we get passionate about where He is taking us. We expect to encounter a few bumps along the way, but we finally believe that bumps, bruises, and deep valleys are not defining factors for us. Yes, they mark our journey and shape us into kingdom people, but they do not have the power to diminish our value.”

“When we love others in a way that goes beyond our own natural instincts, we tend to the deepest desire of God’s heart for the world—that the world may know His love. And as we deeply love others, something in our own soul gets healed along the way.”

“Time may be our scarcest and most precious resource. And we will begin to use it well only when we realize we do not have an infinite supply to use.1 Kevin DeYoung”

“Thank God for any slap on the wrist, any sense of warning. It means you have a future. God always shows a way forward when we are open to His will. Wisdom is knowing the next step forward; God will show you the next thing to do.”

“When you see your spouse, you see through their imperfections and remember the person you married. You can see them the way God sees them—lovable, valuable, and worth pursuing despite their imperfections.”

“Listen carefully, never assume that just because a smaller problem hasn’t exploded into a bigger problem before, it’s never going to. Wrong. That’s exactly what the enemy wants us to think. Don’t ever forget what a schemer he is.”

“Obeying Him when it doesn’t suit us is downright hard. But every hard thing God asks us to do is always accompanied by His promise to transform us as we go.”

“I refuse the rat race because God has called me to the sacred race.”

“For Christians, morality isn’t simply based on not hurting someone else, but our reverence for the Creator’s design and intentions.”

“How often I take for granted the astounding news that God loves me with a callous, “Yeah, yeah, he loves me, now what about God giving me what I want for myself right now?” I can fly right over the stunning surprise of this news. God created me and God loves me. Personally, individually, deeply, eternally, passionately.”

“Why is God’s Word so powerful and essential for our healing and redemption? Because it contains timeless truth inspired by God Himself.”

“This is the spiritual truth contained in the phrase from the Apostles’ Creed: “He descended into hell.” He has come to get us out of prison and out of the tombs. There is no place he would not go to retrieve us. David prayed, “If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there” (Psalm 139:8). Indeed, even when we are hell-bent on running from God and create all manner of hell for ourselves and our loved ones, Jesus goes to the depths with us. He can get us out and bring us home. Even when others open up a can of living hell all over us, when they release the hounds of their madness into our lives, when they empty their evil onto us, Jesus is not daunted nor defeated. He has been to hell and he reigns even there.”

“For God created the marriage relationship to point to a greater reality. From the moment marriage was instituted, God aimed to give the world an illustration of the Gospel.”