Quotes About Service

The Ritz is a place where two hundred poor devils work themselves to death in order that two hundred lucky devils can live in luxury.

By no means was it the case that the church was entirely a spiritual wasteland in the fifteenth century. The Brethren of the Common Life, a movement of renewal in the Netherlands and northern Germany, spread twin ideals of godliness and human service through its schools, charities, and writings. The best-known writing was The Imitation of Christ, usually attributed to Thomas à Kempis (ca. 1380–1471).

The life of a monk ought to be a continuous Lent. . . . This we can do in a fitting manner by refusing to indulge evil habits and by devoting ourselves to prayer with tears, to reading, to compunction of heart and self-denial" (71). A life of prayer, however, was not to be artificially divorced from a life of service.

that simply teaching doctrine or preaching on a matter does not equate to actual ministry. Further engagement is required.

God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called. -The Circle Maker-

Now here is what you need to understand: If you don't turn your adversity into a ministry, then your pain remains your pain. But if you allow God to translate your adversity into a ministry, then your pain becomes someone else's gain.

The issue is never, "Are you qualified?" The issue is always, "Are you called?

You cannot be the hands and feet of Jesus if you're sitting on your butt.

When everything is said and done, God isn't going to say, "Well said," "Well thought," or "Well planned." There is one measuring stick: "Well done, good and faithful servant!"5

We need to study the Word of God diligently. But we don't need to know more. We need to do more with what we know. At the end of the day, God will not say, "Well thought, Intellectual," or "Well said, Orator." There is only one commendation: "Well done, good and faithful servant!

Going all in is following in the footsteps of Jesus wherever they may lead us

All of us want to do amazing things for God, but that isn't our job; it is God's job.

Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.4

It's not about doing great things for God; it's about God doing great things in us.

But if you allow God to translate your adversity into a ministry, then your pain becomes someone else's gain.

God often uses us at our point of greatest incompetence.

Potential is God's gift to us, and what we do with it is our gift to God.

From the secular to the sacred, we can focus on ourselves or others.

One of my pastor friends, and a local hero, is Mike Minter. Mike is the founding pastor of Reston Bible Church, where he has served for nearly four decades.

You don't need wealth or position or power to make a difference. You just need to do the best you can with what you have where you are. And if you are faithful in Babylon, God will bless you in Jerusalem.

Playing the man means playing hard—giving God everything you've got. It's leaving it all out on the court. The gold standard is Colossians 3:23, which says, Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord. A literal translation could read: "Do it like your life depends on it." In other words, give it everything you've got. Don't just make a living. Make a life.

The story God is writing through your life is someone else's subplot. It was true for David's mighty men. It's true for me. And it's true for you.

He stood, looking out for a few seconds at the darkness that was Arlington Cemetery. He knew every man sleeping there, and in the hundreds of tended cemeteries and lost graves of American soldiers throughout the world. These men slept knowing before they died they could trust their leaders. He turned to face the Chairman.

Time comes in every good officer's life when he has to stalk the hallowed halls of the five-sided circus,