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“No, the Bible isn’t a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It’s an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It’s a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne - everything - to rescue the one he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life! “You see, the best thing about this story is - it’s true. “There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.” Sally Lloyd-Jones, The Jesus Storybook Bible

"The Sabbath-rest that Justin reminded us of is available to us because of Christ’s work, not our own efforts. God rested on the Sabbath in creation because His work in Eden was finished. It was very good. Similarly, we can rest from our work on the Sabbath, and we can rest from our striving toward self-justification on any day, because Christ’s work on the cross is finished."

"God is faithful to His word, whether or not the people who deliver it are faithful, and He will cause it to go forth in power."

"The irony of this is that the only way I can have peace, and feel that I am enough, is by admitting to God that I’m not adequate and not capable of achieving peace on my own. I cannot possibly impress enough people with my capability or intelligence to feel adequate, and if I continue to try I will only alienate myself from others and God...When I’m reminded that my salvation comes from Jesus, not my own performance, I’m free to look beyond myself. I’m free to find ways to love and serve others, and perhaps to extend a tiny bit of the grace and peace of Christ to those around me."

"He is the perfect intercessor, who doesn’t just ask God to find righteous people where there aren’t any, but makes people righteous so that God may relent from disaster."

"So while I continue to live in fear of being found out, I am reminded that Christ has already fully redeemed me, and that my value comes exclusively from Him. That value is completely independent of anything I might offer or pretend to offer, and that in fact is says more about His love and his grace if I acknowledge that I really had nothing to offer to begin with."

What do I see as my ultimate goal and my story - what’s the point of my life?

Turns out, I may be pretty good at structuring a prayer, and asking for spiritual-sounding things, but this weekend God reminded me that I’ve also been pretty good at missing the point of prayer.

We look horizontally, rather than vertically, for our identity, forgetting that we are creatures made in the image of God - we try instead to fashion identities for ourselves based on other, lesser images.

When my head and my heart forget what is true, I find myself sacrificing my life to the myriad gods of health, wealth, work, marriage and home...So how, in the face of both external and internal pressures toward alternate values and identities, can I maintain my identity in Christ?