Inspiration...

Recently I have been reading John Piper's the Roots of Endurance, and it entails the amazing stories of the perseverant lives of John Newton, Charles Simeon, and William Wilberforce. John Newton is most notably known for writing the popular church hymn, "Amazing Grace." Charles Simeon was the pastor at Trinity Church in Cambridge, and he relentlessly preached there for fifty-four years. William Wilberforce was the evangelical member of Parliament in the British empire who fought a good part of his life to put an end to the African slave trade, in addition to slavery on a much broader scale. All of these men faced extreme oppression and difficult obstacles to overcome, but they all had something in common: "roots of endurance," roots sunken deep into the ground and connected to their Savior, Jesus Christ.

If you are interested in the "art" of perseverance, or simply would like a good biography of three very effective and godly men, I definitely recommend this book.

Here are some of the inspirational quotes I came across as I've gradually continued to read this book:

"He believes and feels his own weakness and unworthiness, and lives upon the grace and pardoning love of his Lord. This gives him an habitual tenderness and gentleness of spirit. Humble under a sense of much forgiveness to himself, he finds it easy to forgive others."
- John Newton

"By faith he triumphs over...smiles and enticements: he sees that all that is in the world, suited to gratify the desires of the flesh or the eye, is not only to be avoided as sinful, but as incompatible with his best pleasures." - John Newton

"There are but two lessons for Christians to learn: the one is, to enjoy God in everything; the other is, to enjoy everything in God."- Charles Simeon

"For a nominal Christian is content with proving the way of salvation by a crucified Redeemer. But the true Christian loves it, delights in it, glories in it, and shudders at the very thought of glorifying in anything else. - Charles Simeon

"My rule is-never to hear, or see, or know, what if heard, or seen, or known, would call for animadversion from me." - Charles Simeon

"These were the things that humbled him [Simeon]-not so much his own sinfulness but God's incredible love." - Hugh Evan Hopkins (a biographer of Simeon)

"By this I seek to be, not only humble and thankful but humbled in thankfulness, before my God and Savior continually." - Charles Simeon

"If we would...rejoice in [Christ] as triumphantly as the first Christians did; we must learn, like them to repose our entire trust in him and to adopt the language of the apostle, 'God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of Jesus Christ.' 'Who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.' "-William Wilberforce


*All quotes have been taken from The Roots of Endurance by John Piper.