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Sunday 18 December 2011

It is human nature to think wisely and to act in an absurd fashion.- Anatole France, 1844 - 1924

Of all the ways of defining man, the worst is the one which makes him out to be a rational animal.
- Anatole France, 1844 - 1924

To live thus--to cram today with eternity and not wait the
next day--the Christian has learnt and continues to learn (for
the Christian is always learning) from the Pattern. How did He
manage to live without anxiety for the next day--He who from
the first instant of His public life, when He stepped forward
as a teacher, knew how His life would end, that the next day
was His crucifixion; knew this while the people exultantly
hailed Him as King (ah, bitter knowledge to have at precisely
that moment!), knew, when they were crying, "Hosanna!", at His
entry into Jerusalem, that they would cry, "Crucify Him!", and
that it was to this end that He made His entry. He who bore
every day the prodigious weight of this superhuman knowledge--
how did He manage to live without anxiety for the next day?-Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), Christian Discourses,tr. Walter Lowrie, New York: Oxford University Press, 1961, p. 78

When a Christian realizes his citizenship is in heaven, he begins acting as a responsible citizen of earth. He invests wisely in relationships because he knows they’re eternal. His conversations, goals, and motives become pure and honest because he realizes these will have a bearing on everlasting reward. He gives generously of time, money, and talent because he’s laying up treasures for eternity. He helps spread the good news of Christ because he longs to fill heaven’s ranks with his friends and neighbors. All this serves the pilgrim well not only in heaven, but on earth; for it serves everyone around him.-Joni Eareckson Tada Heaven: Your Real Home, Zondervan, www.Zondervan.com, 1995, p. 110.

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