Welcome to The Week In Words, where we share quotes from the last week’s reading. If something you read this past week  inspired you, caused you to laugh, cry, think, dream, or just resonated with you in some way, please share it with us, attributing it to its source, which can be a book, newspaper, blog, Facebook — anything that you read. More information is here.

Here are a few that spoke to me this week:

From a friend’s Facebook:

“Christ does not exist in order to make much of us. We exist in order to enjoy making much of him. Christ is not glorious so that we get wealthy or healthy. Christ is glorious, so that rich or poor, sick or sound, we might be satisfied in him.” ~ Piper

There is such an “It’s all about me” focus in Christianity today. It’s not. It’s all about Him. That He extends grace for us to participate at all in His plan is just amazing.

From Diane‘s Facebook:

Minister out of overflow of relationship with the Father, not out of undertow of the ministry (Mk 1:35). (Pastor Mark Smith via Nancy Leigh DeMoss)

This one has been coming back to mind often since I first read it. It’s a much needed emphasis — it’s so easy to get dragged down in the “undertow.” As Diane said, we usually have it backwards.

From the Livesay Blog:

Better to love God and die unknown than to love the world and be a hero; better to be content with poverty than to die a slave to wealth; better to have taken some risks and lost than to have done nothing and succeeded at it. -E. Lutzer

Much to ponder there.

Seen at Challies:

It is a dangerous crisis when a proud heart meets with flattering lips. —John Flavel

True — like a flame to kindling.

From Warren Wiersbe’s With the Word, p. 258:

The past can be a rudder that guides you or an anchor that hinders you.

That’s true. We can’t do anything about the sins of the past except confess them to God and learn from them. Nor should we rest on past victories and neglect going forward and seeking God’s grace for today. As the children of Israel needed to gather manna every day, so we need God’s strength and sustenance every day. “As thy days, so shall thy strength [be]” (Deuteronomy 33:25b).

If you’ve read anything that particularly spoke to you that you’d like to share, please either list it in the comments below or write a post on your blog and then put the link to that post (not your general blog link) in Mr. Linky below. I do ask that only family-friendly quotes be included. I hope you’ll visit some of the other participants as well and glean some great thoughts to ponder.

And please — feel free to comment even if you don’t have quotes to share!