I am, as ever, a poor sinner, a captive of eternal love, running by the side of His triumphal chariot, and I have no desire to be anything else as long as I live.
Interpretation
The quote expresses a deep, loving devotion to God, highlighting the humility of the speaker as a sinner embraced by divine love.
In this quote, Nicolaus Zinzendorf conveys a profound sense of humility and gratitude for experiencing God's eternal love. By identifying himself as a 'poor sinner,' he acknowledges his imperfections while simultaneously embracing the role of a faithful servant who finds joy in being close to God's glory. The metaphor of 'running by the side of His triumphal chariot' suggests that he willingly follows the path of divine love and victory, valuing this spiritual journey above all else.
In practice
This quote can be used in a sermon to illustrate the profound nature of God's love for humanity.
Romantic love, in pornography as in life, is the mythic celebration of female negation. For a woman, love is defined as her willingness to submit to her own annihilation.... The proof of love is that she is willing to be destroyed by the one whom she loves, for his sake. For the woman, love is always self-sacrifice, the sacrifice of identity, will, and bodily integrity, in order to fulfill and redeem the masculinity of her lover.
Love is - OK, it's 20 things, but it isn't 19. And I think that love reaches for something which is very, very deep in us and is very easily obscured, and is also very easily denied, which is the instinct towards the other person, other than toward the self.
This may be a dream, but I'll say it anyway: I was supposed to be married last year, and I bought a gown. When I meet Nelson Mandela, I shall put on this gown and have the train of it removed and put aside, and kiss the ground that he walks on and then kiss his feet.
Shall love be blamed for want of faith?
To love blindly is to love selfishly, because the goal of such love is not the real advantage of the beloved but only the exercise of love in our own souls.
We must declare ourselves, become known; allow the world to discover this subterranean life of ours which connects kings and farm boys, artists and clerks. Let them see that the important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
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