To maintain an opinion because it is thine, and not because it is true, is to prefer thyself above the truth.
Ralph VenningRead
Take notice not only of the mercies of God, but of God in the mercies. Mercies are never so savoury as when they savour a Saviour.
Interpretation
We should recognize both God's kindness and His presence within those kind acts.
This quote emphasizes the importance of perceiving not just the blessings we receive in our lives, but also recognizing the divine source behind those blessings. It suggests that true appreciation comes from acknowledging the presence of God within our experiences of mercy and grace.
In practice
This quote could be used in a sermon to illustrate the importance of gratitude.
To maintain an opinion because it is thine, and not because it is true, is to prefer thyself above the truth.
Human manners are wildly inconsistent; plenty of people have said so. But this one takes the cake: the manner in which we're allowed to steal from future generations, while commanding them not to do that to us, and rolling our eyes at anyone who is tediously PC enough to point that out. The conspicious consumption of limited resources has yet to be accepted widely as a spirtual error, or even bad manners.
You can't have a value structure without a hierarchy. They're the same thing because a value structure means one thing takes precedence over another.
As I look back upon my life, I see that every part of it was a preparation for the next. The most trivial of incidents fits into the larger pattern like a mosaic in a preconceived design.
Pride must die in you, or nothing of heaven can live in you.
To hear of a thousand deaths in war is terrible, and we 'know' that it is. But as it registers on our hearts, it is not more terrible than one death fully imagined.
The materialistic pattern of life is that where money predominates over everything. The non-materialistic life is that where money is just a means - happiness predominates, joy predominates; your own individuality predominates. You know who you are and where you are going, and you are not distracted. Then suddenly you will see your life has a meditative quality to it.
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