“‘God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few’ (Eccl. 5:2) . . . So let us turn to consider the fool at his worship. Religiosity loves to bloviate before the Lord. Religious man loves his wordy prayers . . . Our Lord prayed all night sometimes . . . …
No Bragging
“We have seen that the theme of Ecclesiastes is that enjoyment and pleasure are by grace through faith, and not of works, let any man should boast” (Joy at the End of the Tether, p. 59).
Elected Class President in a Terminal Cancer Ward
“When we refuse to be swept along with every new political excitement, when we learn that this has all happened many times before, we will have grown a measure in wisdom. As Augustine put it, in our great affairs, the dead are always replaced by the dying” (Joy at the End of the Tether, pp. …
Good and Hard
“Any man seeking control of the engines of the state, the better to accomplish his plundering, always promises to make the great businesses pay taxes — and the envious man cheers. But of course, no business ever paid a tax without passing it on to the consumer, and the envious man finds himself paying for …
Measurement is no Explanation
“The imago Dei does not retard the process of corruption. Consequently, if that is where we look in order to discover that image, then we will come to nothing but despair. In the last analysis, scientism can only measure how fast we rot. Knowledge of the final judgment and how men as men will stand …
Thistles in Sunshine
“This knowledge of ultimate justice puts every judicial monstrosity in perspective. In a day when judicial monstrosities grow like thistles in sunshines, we need the encouragement” (Joy at the End of the Tether, p. 52).
Talk About a Fixed Given
“God has made us in relation to Him, and nothing we can do will alter this. He is always our Maker and we are always made. He is always our Creator and we are always created” (Joy at the End of the Tether, p. 46).
Compound Interest is not God
“We believe we can pump up the Dow forever and make money at a fine clip forever . . . but we cannot. The cycles ordained by God for everything in this fallen and silly world will come around again, and many a millionaire will go white in disbelief. “How could this happen?” Friend, look …
God Doesn’t Use Binoculars
“Who can say that his life ended because God glanced away for a moment? When men are thrust into the maw and grind of war, the fools among t hem think they are shaping their own destiny. But every arrow, every bullet, follows the path ordained for it before the worlds were made. King Ahab …
A Pretty Stout Rope
“Before we can learn joy at the end of the tether, we must learn the strength of that tether. The Lord is God and we are not” (Joy at the End of the Tether, p. 38).