concerning gleaning laws

...the biblical laws encourage landholders to be generous, sharing harvest blessings with less fortunate members of the community through regulations for the sabbatical year, gleaning, tithing, and ’scrumping’... (i.e.) entering an orchard without permission and helping oneself to fruit.... Israelites are reminded that they do not have absolute rights over the land and its produce, but have been privileged to live there by the divine owner and are dependent on him for its fertility.

- David Baker, Tight Fists or Open Hands?: Wealth and Poverty in Old Testament Law

quoted at Leithart.com

jonah

The primary purpose of the book of Jonah is to engage readers in theological reflection on the compassionate character of God, and in self-reflection on the degree to which their own character reflects this compassion, to the end that they become vehicles of this compassion in the world that God has made and so deeply cares about.

- Mark Futato, ESV Study Bible

Christian maturity

A mature Christian is easily edified.

- Harold Best

don't try to be clever when you preach

The true teacher should not seek to soar on the gaudy wings of brilliant oratory, pouring forth sonorous polished sentences in rhythmic harmony, but should endeavor to speak pointed Truths of God—things that will strike and stick—thoughts that will be remembered and recalled, again and again, when the hearer is far away from the place of worship where he listened to the preacher’s words.

- CH Spurgeon

on "Conservatism"

This is a party which never 'conserves' anything. Its history has been that it demurs to each aggression of the progressive party, and aims to save its credit by a respectable amount of growling, but always acquiesces at last in the innovation. What was the resisted novelty of yesterday is today one of the accepted principles of 'conservatism'; it is now 'conservative' only in affecting to resist the next innovation, which will tomorrow be forced upon its timidity; and will be succeeded by some third revolution, to be denounced and then adopted in its turn.

American 'conservatism' is merely the shadow that follows Radicalism as it moves forward towards perdition. It remains behind it, but never retards it, and always advances near its leader. This pretended salt hath utterly lost its savor: wherewith shall it be salted?

- RL Dabney

faith

In Torgau a wretched little woman once came to me and said, 'Ah, dear Doctor, I have the idea that I'm lost and can't be saved because I can't believe.' Then I replied, 'Do you believe, dear lady, that what you pray in the Creed is true?' She answered with clasped hands, 'Oh, yes, I believe it; it's most certainly true!' I replied, 'Then go in God's name, dear lady. You believe more and better than I do.' It's the devil who puts such ideas into people's heads and says, 'Ah, you must believe better. You must believe more. Your faith is not very strong and is insufficient.' In this way he drives them to despair. We are so constructed by nature that we desire to have a conscious faith. We'd like to grasp it with our hands and shove it into our bosom, but this doesn't happen in this life

-Martin Luther, Table Talk

tenacity

The word impossible is not in my dictionary.

- Napoleon Bonaparte

the love of god

God is not the kind of father who casts off sick and erring children; if he were, he would have no children.

- Martin Luther

revenge

The corpse of an enemy always smells sweet.

- Napoleon Bonaparte

preach the gospel

If the pope himself would lend me his pulpit, I would gladly proclaim the righteousness of Jesus Christ therein.

- George Whitefield

accomodation

Fellowship between faith and unbelief must sooner or later be fatal to the former.

- Horatius Bonar

teaching

The whole art of teaching is only awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards.

--Anotole France

teaspoon battles

A civilization may be wrecked without any spectacular crimes or criminals but
by constant petty breaches of faith and minor complicities on the part of men
generally considered very nice people.

- Herbert Butterfield

preach the gospel

If the pope himself would lend me his pulpit, I would gladly proclaim the righteousness of Jesus Christ therein.

- George Whitefield

read, study, teach, live

"In truth you cannot read too much in Scriptures;
and what you read you cannot read too carefully,
and what you read carefully you cannot understand too well,
and what you understand well you cannot teach too well,
and what you teach well you cannot live too well."

--Martin Luther, WA 53, 218;

fashion

The great guide of the world is fashion and its god is respectability--two phantoms at which brave men laugh! How many of you look around on society to know what to do; you watch the general current and then float upon it; you study the popular breeze and shift your sails to suit it. True men do not so! You ask--Is it fashionable? If it be fashionable, it must be done. Fashion is the law of multitudes, but it is nothing more than the common consent of fools.

- CH Spurgeon

Don't try to sound profound

It is not difficult to make easy things appear hard, but to render hard things easy is the hardest part of the work of preachers.

- Archbishop James Ussher

On the Lord's Supper

I would rather drink blood with a papist than mere juice with the Zwinglians.

- Luther, after Marburg in 1530

when tradition is wrong

Custom should yield to truth.

- Zwingli

perseverance

A great tree will fall with many small chops. Pray for daily grace to keep chopping.

- Piper

By perseverance the snail reached the ark.

- Spurgeon