“The Lord Jesus clearly teaches in this parable [Parable of the Sower - Mark 4:1-9] that there is irresistible power in life, physical and spiritual alike. Everything that can be called life flows from God; it comes from His Person. For this reason, Christ our God says, “I am the . . . life” (Jn 14:6), which makes the parable exciting. He who is Life yields life many times over.” (Dynamis 9/4/2020)
“The “works” that a Christian does, are properly done in union with Christ, such that the works are not those of an individual, but of our common life with and in Christ. When we fast, it is Christ who fasts in us. When we pray, it is Christ who prays in us. When we give alms it is Christ who gives alms in us. And we should understand that Christ-in-us longs to fast. Christ-in-us longs to pray. Christ-in-us longs to show mercy. The disciplines of the Church are not a prescription for behaving ourselves or a map of moral perfection. Rather, the commandments of Christ (as manifest in the life of the Church) are themselves a description, an icon of Christ Himself. Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:2). (Father Stephen Freeman)
“Of course, because I am a struggling Christian, it’s inevitable that I superimpose my awareness of all that happened in the life of Jesus upon what I’m reading, upon Buber, upon Plato, upon the book of Daniel. But I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. To be truly Christian means to see Christ everywhere, to know Him as all in all.” (Madeleine L'Engle)
“We need to set our eyes on the most important thing in our lives. Our highest good and what is most precious to us logically should have first place in our hearts. Our hearts are usually where our treasure is. If the Lord Jesus Christ is your life's real treasure, then your primary need is to give Him most of your time, your energy and your substance. First things must come first in our lives. Too often things around us of secondary importance entice us and tempt us, and we end up instead giving them our maximum attention…The whole purpose of the Christian life is conforming ourselves to Christ, not dragging Christ to us.” (Father Eusebius Stephanou, Fr. John Behr)
“ ‘But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’ (John 6:69). “To be givers of life in this world the way Christ was, which was through loving, supporting, healing, ministering, we have to emulate Him which means we have to unite with Him. The Church is the means to do this and then who we are ripples out from the Church walls into the world is our daily choices.” (Sacramental Living Ministries)
“The life in Christ is a relationship. We tend to think we know other people through physical association, but much we know of others is gained through our mind and heart. We know God primarily through the heart, via our spirit, for “God is Spirit” (Jn 4:24).” (Dynamis 1/26/2018)
“Our life in Christ is based on communion: “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20) … even hermits leave their isolation to come together regularly for prayer and to celebrate the liturgy….Communion with God is the greatest good we seek, for Christ is the source of all good.” (Dynamis 4/28/2018, 7/2/2018)
"The very definition of a Christian is one who believes that Jesus Christ is God. In a world where there is an increasing tendency to choose the aspects of religions that we find appealing while rejecting those that don’t fit our personal philosophy, we hear people claiming to appreciate the teachings of Jesus while not believing in His divinity. While the very basis of this approach is flawed it is also an illogical position to hold towards Christ. Anyone who genuinely reads the teachings of Christ discovers that He believed Himself to be God." (Father Spyridon Baily)
“The hardest part of our life in Christ is trusting God in all circumstances (Ephesians 6:16). “Teach me to treat all that comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul and with firm conviction that Your will governs all,” says Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow. This kind of faith shields against every assault on our hearts and minds. Let us keep our minds fixed on the salvation that is to come (vs. 17), for the word of God (vs. 17) cuts through the web of lies and dispels the darkness that would overtake us.” (Dynamis 12/2/2018)
“In Christ we find our true human identity and potential. In Him we have the power to bury our vices and return to the natural movements of our human nature.” (Kevin Scherer)
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