My hands are raised in awesome wonder of His grace to me.
I seek the words to say but cannot for only His face I see.
Lift me up oh Lord in the shadow of your wings.
Up and away from this world, this world of things.
Cause me to hear and say and feel and taste and see
Only those joys that truely satisfy, those joys of Thee.
Keep me always vigilant, a watchman on the wall.
That I may teach the ones entrusted to me,
Oh Lord, to teach them to recognize Your Call. Amen.
Allan L Winger

There is no higher priority in the believer's life than to delight himself in the love of Christ.- Maurice Roberts

Theosophists for instance will preach an obviously attractive idea
like re-incarnation; but if we wait for its logical results, they are
spiritual superciliousness and the cruelty of caste. For if a man is a
beggar by his own pre-natal sins, people will tend to despise the
beggar. But Christianity preaches an obviously unattractive idea, such
as original sin; but when we wait for its results, they are pathos and
brotherhood, and a thunder of laughter and pity; for only with
original sin we can at once pity the beggar and distrust the king. - G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, 1908

Christlikeness is the result of making Christlike
choices and depending on his Spirit to help you
fulfill those choices. Once you decide to get
serious about becoming like Christ, you must
begin to act in new ways.
You will need to let go of some old routines,
develop some new habits, and intentionally change
the way you think. You can be certain that the
Holy Spirit will help you with these changes.
The Bible says, "Continue to work out your salvation
with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in
you to will and act according to his good purpose."
(Philippians 2:12-13)
This verse shows the two parts of spiritual growth:
"work out" and "work in." The "work out" is your
responsibility, and the "work in" is God's role.
Spiritual growth is a collaborative effort between
you and the Holy Spirit. God's Spirit works with
us, not just in us.
This verse, written to believers, is not about how to be saved, but how to grow. It does not say "work for" your salvation, because you can't add anything to what Jesus already did. During a physical "workout," you exercise to develop your body, not to get a body. -Rick Warren (1954- ) _The Purpose Driven Life_ [2002], Chapter 23