Quotes from Alistair Begg

Suffering in and of itself does not lead a person into a deeper relationship with God. As with those who hear the word of God yet do not respond to it with faith, suffering divorced from faith and hope will actually embitter us as our hearts grow harder rather than softer toward God. In other words, suffering will either make us run to God or away from Him. In the midst of trials, we must ask ourselves, "Is this trial making me bitter and callous, or is it making me loving and gentle?

The Puritan Thomas Brooks once wrote, "We know metals by their tinkling, and men by their talking."[113

She wanted the best for her enemy, rather than hoping for the worst. This is remarkable. How could she do this? Because presumably, in the face of her emptiness and the sadness of being separated from her family, she had turned time and time again to her loving God and His promises.

Jesus came to do not His own will but His Father's (John 6:38). As a result, He accepted hardship. He was isolated and ill-treated. He endured malice, misunderstanding, and death. Jesus was broken in order that our broken lives may be repaired and transformed. It was He who came to die on a cross, submitting Himself to the will of the Father, in order that He might provide a ransom for all who are humble enough to bow down and say, "That is the very Savior I need.

We, too, could easily forget that the good news is not a message of "Do your best, and be good enough!" but rather "Your best is never enough—but Jesus is.

The crucial significance of the cradle at Bethlehem lies in its place in the sequence of steps down that led the Son of God to the cross of Calvary, and we do not understand it till we see it in this context.

The glory of the Lord shall be revealed.

While in the writings of other religions we discover man seeking ways to reach up to God, here in the uniqueness of the gospel we learn of One who comes seeking to save that which is lost.

The bride eyes not her garment, But her dear bridegroom's face; I will not gaze at glory, But on my King of grace; Not at the crown He giveth, But on His pierced hand: The Lamb is all the glory of Immanuel's land.

Satan, the Evil One, is completely opposed to the spiritual well-being of his victims. He is a ferocious lion, and (though not outside of God's sovereign control) he is the ruler of this world. He is behind all sin; and before anyone is born again of the Spirit of God, they actually belong to his domain, and their evil actions give proof of his ownership.

Peter's confession of faith, like our own, could never have come about by his own strength. Faith is a gift that we are given. This exchange between Peter and Jesus is a concrete example of the Spirit of God taking the word of God and bringing it to someone's mind and heart in a way that causes him or her to declare the messiahship of Jesus.

Even a lifetime of grief is only a little while in light of Eternity.