... of mission is no burden for Christians. Undertaking a mission to the poor and the needy is not a burden for those of us caught up in God's love in Christ and the Holy Spirit. We are no longer burdened by the dynamics John Calvin and Alain de Botton describe, the hesitancy about sharing what we think belongs to us, because now we have in Christ the assurance that we are already valuable. As a result, you and I no longer need all those commodities to prove anything. We no longer even need to do good deeds ...
... David E. Green (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1975), pp. 179, 181. 2. John Calvin, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, in Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. XVI.I (reprint edition; Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2005), p. 476. 3. Alain de Botton, Status Anxiety (New York: Pantheon Books, 2004), pp. 5-7. 4. Ibid, p. 6. 5. Martin Luther, The Freedom of a Christian (1520), in Luther's Works, Vol. 31, ed. Harold J. Grimm (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1957), p. 344. 6. Rick Warren ...
... It is gone.” The past, all our efforts at justifying our goodness, pales in relation to Jesus. With the pressures of having to prove yourself and your status gone, off our backs, life gets a lot sweeter. A book by social commentator Alain de Botton makes a profound point. He argues that much unhappiness in life is a function of anxiety about what others think of us — whether we matter, get attention, and are admired. By contrast, he notes, in religious devotion the differences between winners and losers ...
... into a dark, dark world. Because Christ lives, the world is brighter than it has ever been before. 1. John A. Huffman Jr., http://www.preaching.com/sermons/11600669/. 2. Rick Renner, Paid in Full (Teach All Nations Publishers, 2008). 3. Alain De Botton, Status Anxiety (Vintage). 4. Dr. Dan L. Flanagan, http://www.asiweb.com/community/churches/stpaulsumc-sermons/stpaul06-12-05.asp. 5. Charles A. Trentham, Getting on Top of Your Troubles (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1966). 6. Contributed. Source: http://www ...
... ://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/gods-goodies-in-cracked-pots-johann-neethling-sermon-on-grace-61561. 3. Randall Bergsma. Cited in Edward K. Rowell, 1001 Quotes, Illustrations, and Humorous Stories (Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 2008), p. 177. 4. Discourse on the Origin of Inequality (1754), Alain De Botton. Cited in Status Anxiety (Vintage) (Kindle Edition). 5. Dr. Ray Pritchard, http://www.keepbelieving.com/sermon/christmas-hope/. 6. Larry Briney, More Grace for the Daily Grind (Xulon Press).
