Home > Work > You Can Change: God's Transforming Power for Our Sinful Behavior and Negative Emotions
1 " But we can never change enough to impress God. And here's the reason: trying to impress God, others, or ourselves puts us at the center of our change project. It makes change all about my looking good. It is done for my glory. And that's pretty much the definition of sin. Sin is living for my glory instead of God's. "
― Tim Chester , You Can Change: God's Transforming Power for Our Sinful Behavior and Negative Emotions
2 " Deep down in all of us there is a tendency to want to prove ourselves, to base our worth on what we do. "
3 " The secret of gospel change is being convinced that Jesus is the good life and the fountain of joy. Any alternative we might choose would be the letdown. "
4 " Tell someone to stop sinning and at best they may do so reluctantly and partially. But give them a vision of knowing God and his glory, and they’ll gladly root out all that gets in the way of their relationship with God (Hebrews 12:1–3). "
5 " Grace is so simple to understand and yet so hard to grasp. "
6 " All too often we think of holiness as giving up the pleasures of sin for some worthy but drab life. But holiness means recognizing that the pleasures of sin are empty and temporary, while God is inviting us to magnificent, true, full, and rich pleasures that last forever. "
7 " We don’t do good works so we can be saved; we are saved so we can do good works. "
8 " External activities can’t change us, says Jesus, because sin comes from within, from our hearts. Our rituals might change our behavior for a while, but they can’t change our hearts. And so they can’t bring true and lasting holiness. We need heart change. "
9 " Jesus does what legalism can never do: he gives us a new heart and a new spirit. Without "
10 " We also have a new motivation to battle with sin: we’re no longer under law, but under grace. This is counterintuitive. People think that law and legalism will best motivate us to strive to do what’s right. But it’s grace that enables us to live for God. “For "
11 " We mustn’t settle for a Sunday-school picture of Jesus dressed in a sparkling white robe surrounded by happy children. He was a real person, living in a world of dirt, pain, and frustration. "
12 " Your identity isn’t dependent on your change. You’re a child of the heavenly King. "
13 " The secret of gospel change is being convinced that Jesus is the good life and the fountain of all joy. Any alternative we might choose would be the letdown. "
