Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Quotes from "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence - Part 1

Our only happiness should come from doing God's will, whether it brings us some pain or great pleasure. After all, if we are truly devoted to doing God's will, pain and pleasure won't make any difference to us.

We also need to b faithful, even in dry periods. It is during those dry spells that God tests our love for Him. We should take advantage of those times to practice our determination and our surrender to Him. This will often bring us to a maturity further on in our walk with God.

Whenever he considered doing some good deed, he always consulted God about it, saying, "Lord, I will never be able to do that if You don't help me." Immediately he would be given more than enough strength.

When he sinned, he confessed it to God with these words: "I can do nothing better without You. Please keep me from falling and correct the mistakes I make." After that, he did not feel quilty about the sin.

He remarked that thinking often spoils everything and that evil usually begins with our thoughts. In Brother Lawrence's opinion, we should reject any thoughts that distract us from serving the Lord or that undermine our salvation. Freeing the mind of such thoughts permits a comfortable conversation with God...

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