11 Notable Quotes from Everyday Faithfulness
This article is part of the Notable Quotes series.
When Life Is Unpredictable
What does Christian faithfulness look like when life feels unpredictable, hard, or just plain ordinary? We want to follow Jesus, but it’s easy to become more focused on our present situation than on a long view of faithfulness. Be encouraged with practical ways to build habits into everyday life that will aid in spiritual growth throughout a lifetime with these quotations from Everyday Faithfulness: The Beauty of Ordinary Perseverance in a Demanding World by Glenna Marshall.
“Perseverance reveals the fruit of true, saving faith. It is both an exercise of genuine faith and evidence of it. Perseverance doesn’t save us, but it reveals that we have been saved.”
“Faithfulness is an everyday calling. It’s regular, it’s ordinary, it’s taking a really long view of the Christian life. It’s reshaping our desires for immediate fruit and committing to following Jesus for the long haul. It’s getting up every single day and believing that God is your treasure, that the gospel of Jesus is worth your every breath, and that he is enough. Faithfulness is doing this again tomorrow and the next day and ten years from now. Faithfulness is ordinary. It’s unremarkable. It plods. It is also precious in the sight of the God who works out lifelong sanctifying perseverance in your life for your good and his glory.”
“Today’s efforts aren’t just for today! They’re for tomorrow and next week and next month and five years from now. If you want to guarantee that you don’t swerve from the truth someday, build your life around practices that keep you connected to Christ, his gospel, and his church.”
“If we follow faithfully only when life is free of trouble, we will value only that trouble-free existence. But if we fasten ourselves to Christ when life is a sinking ship, then we learn to treasure him as our anchor. We discover that our faithfulness is tethered to his, especially during the troubling seasons of life.”
“Our spiritual disciplines don’t just benefit us. We don’t follow Jesus in isolation. Our growth and our perseverance also encourage growth and perseverance in our brothers and sisters in Christ.”
“Spiritual maturity recognizes the need to persevere in spite of past failings. Whatever yesterday looked like, start over fresh tomorrow. Jesus isn’t standing with his arms crossed and a disapproving glare. He loves you, and he paid the penalty for your sins on the cross. When you make time with him a priority, you will be more and more certain of his love for you, even on the days you can’t seem to show up. You’ll see your sin more readily, you’ll grasp his grace more acutely, you’ll remember his promises to sanctify you, and you’ll know with certainty that one day you’ll be with him forever, when nothing will deter or distract you from his glory.”
“When we seek to abbreviate God-ordained waiting, we lose an opportunity to learn that he is the source of contentment.”
“The way you abide in Christ today is the way you had to abide in Christ yesterday, and the way you will abide in him tomorrow. You remain attached to him by seeking him in Scripture, in prayer, and in bearing fruit. God will cultivate fruit when you are firmly attached to his Son.”
“It is tempting to draw inward and focus on survival when life is hard. But remember that holding on to Christ is survival, and it’s how we let perseverance complete its work.”
“Obedience to Christ’s commands may not always begin with joy, but it will end with joy.”
“God has designed and equipped the Christian life for perseverance that reaches beyond our own benefits. In kindness, he has given us the means to accomplish his good purposes in both our lives and the lives of others as our faithfulness points others to his faithfulness. Our faithfulness isn’t just for us. It announces to the world that Jesus is worth every drop of our devotion.”
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