Jamie Quotes

A lot of my theology got all fouled up when I started reading the Bible. (1985)

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God looks upon our heart. He does not look at our outward appearances. It doesn’t matter if we have all our marbles or all our toes. God only sees our heart. (1989)

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Some people want to know God’s will for their lives so they can weigh in advance whether to do it. God, however, reveals His will only to those who are committed to follow, whatever the cost. (Bible People Like Me, 1988)God has a better plan

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I have only one picture of Jesus in my house. I don’t like artists’ concepts of Jesus – any of them. Some have little halos over the head of an emaciated, effeminate kind of person with little angels flying around His shoulders. Others are simply facial renditions. I detest them all. The only picture of Jesus I have in my house is that classic picture of the Good Shepherd, with His face turned a…way so all you see is the back of His head and an extended arm reaching down for the sheep that is caught in the brambles on a ledge. That is the Jesus I know – and love. To me it is the picture of who God really is. He is a seeking God who never gives up on any of us. (Parables, 1991)

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The real work of the kingdom of God is not carried on by miracle workers or high profile preachers. The real work of the kingdom is carried on by people like you and me as we go about our daily lives. Everyplace we put our foot God wants us to leave a spring in the desert for others to benefit from. God wants us to be a people of compassion and hope and love. He wants us to exude faith everywhere we go and with everyone we encounter. He wants us to trust him at all times and to carry on regardless of our particular wilderness situations. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. And if you will seek him and listen for his voice he will speak to you and he will bless you….with his presence. And in his presence he will bring healing and power and a deep knowledge on your inside that will give you satisfaction and abundance in life. (1976)

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God of miraclesThe body of Christ is about men and women who give to one another. The whole concept of our relationship with God and our relationship with others is all due to the fact that God gave his Son. And because God gave his Son, we give to each other. We are to do things that make life easier for each other. We are to encourage each other and prop each other up. It’s to the shame of the church that we are sometimes known as the ones who tear people down. We aren’t commanded to be right. But we are commanded to be kind. (1981)

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The worst of all heresies is to despair of those childhood ideals, those dreams that stimulated us when our minds were still young. How many of us have reached the crisis of middle life and, disillusioned, put aside our resolves of faith because of the fantasies of fear?

“Too impossible,” we say sadly. “Too foolish. Too risky.”

No wonder Whittier wrote: Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, “It might have been.” (Risky Living, 1976)

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What’s the use of living if you don’t attempt the impossible? (Risky Living, 1976)God does not give miracles on demand…

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I am learning, as I grow older, that God really does understand our life problems. He knows the havoc our passions wreak on our spirit and our physical bodies, as well as on the lives of others around us. I guess that is what David meant when he wrote, “Be still, my soul…”. God wants us to receive his rest – his peace. This peace that passes all understand is available to us all, but only as we obey God. (The Nazarene, 1991)

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Life is designed by God to be an adventure. (Miracle Power, 1988)

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God is calling men and women today who are willing to march to the sound of a different drummer, who do not compromise, who do not act because it is expedient, but act because it is right. In our daily lives we have to make some tough choices. Yes, it’s always easier to go with the crowd, to give in to pressure, to be overcome by public opinion, to vote with the majority. But following Christ is all about the choices we make, even when the correct choices are not the popular choices. (Bible People Like Me, 1988)

God is a God ….. 2

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We should go into every impossible situation with the faith and understanding that God can and does work miracles. (1979)

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One reason there are so many unhappy Christians is they feel God should be doing them favors and heaping upon them material rewards and benefits, rather than working as a carpenter to shape their lives back into His own image. (Risky Living, 1976)

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The Spirit-filled person will eventually take on the nature of God. He will know and trust God because of who He is – not because of what He does for him. (Where Eagles Soar, 1980)

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When you surrender your life to Jesus, you voluntarily give up the right to choose or the power to vary the consequences of that decision. Everything that happens to you after you give your life to Christ is God’s business. All you have to do is cooperate with Him, and good things will result from your obedience. (1982)The dreamer

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When you stop and realize you were created by God for one purpose — so you could have fellowship with Him — then it stands to reason that God’s greatest purpose for you is to have that fellowship restored. (Power for Living, 1983)

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If you are going to become a person of God there is a separation from the world that is necessary. It will be different for each person depending on your strengths and your mission. But you can’t continue to walk with one foot in the world and one foot in the Kingdom and become a person of God. (1978)

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If you are determined to follow the will of God…There are changes taking place in the church. I shudder when I see what is happening. The church is taking on the flavor of the culture around us. I am bothered by all the glitzy programming. Is this what Jesus had in mind when he said “Upon this Rock I will build my church?” There needs to be a place in our hearts that says we want the church to look like what Jesus wanted it to look like. We can’t be satisfied until we come back to the place where we are the family of God and that that is more important than anything else. (1991)

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To a person following Jesus, neither the accumulation of wealth, or status in the community, or the size of your church, or the outreach of your ministry, or the length of your life, means anything. The only thing that truly matters is whether or not you are following Jesus. (1991)

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We cannot serve Jesus Christ on our own terms. We cannot insist that, if we follow him, he must guarantee that certain kinds of things will never happen to us, or that certain other kinds of things must happen. Whatever method He chooses to shape our lives is His business, not ours. Once we accept Him, everything that happens to us is designed by God to bring us to the place where we are conformed to the image of Christ. (Risky Living, 1976)Let me tell you some good news….

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People who don’t know who they are will always be frustrated in life. When criticism comes their way, they will be devastated – striking back, snarling in defensiveness, or withdrawing even deeper into their shell of insecurity. It’s not that they think too highly of themselves, rather they think too cheaply. Christ came into the world to remind us who we are and give us the power to achieve God’s ultimate purpose in our lives. The same authority God gave to Jesus is ours also. The man or woman who understands this will never be knocked down by criticism. (Coping with Criticism, 1978.)

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