I can let Christ grip me; but I cannot grip him. I love...
to sit on Christ's knee; but I cannot set my feet to the
ground, for afflictions bring the cramp upon my faith. All I
now do is to hold out a lame faith to Christ, like a beggar
holding out a stump, instead of an arm or leg, and cry, Lord
Jesus, work a miracle.- Samuel Rutherford (1600-1664), Letters of Samuel
Rutherford, Edinburgh: William Whyte & Co., 1848, letter, Feb. 9, 1637, p. 178

Temptation, in and of itself, is not sin. This is critically important, especially for those who suffer from an overly sensitive and tender conscience. Jesus was repeatedly tempted (Heb. 2:17-18; 4:15; Mt. 4), but he was sinless. We must resist thinking that we are sub-Christian or sub-spiritual simply because we are frequently tempted. It was the great reformer Martin Luther who first said, “You can't prevent the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.” His point is that a temptation only becomes a sin when you acquiesce to it, as it were “fondle” it and “enjoy” it.-Sam Storms, Tactics of Temptation, November 8, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com

Hope is a vigorous principle; it sets the head and heart to work, and animates a man to do his utmost. It makes a seeming impossibility give way.- Jeremy Collier