F. LaGard Smith > Quotes

“For that very reason we must be careful not to transform clemency into a more generalized rule of justification. That is why (among other reasons) "the thief on the cross" is such a bogus argument for faith-only salvation. Not only was water baptism physically impossible at that moment, but what we were witnessing in that incident was clemency, not justification.”
― F. LaGard Smith, Who Is My Brother?

“RASH OATHS. [James 5:12] Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible

“All I can say is that, for those who may be bent on avoiding the authority of Scripture, no hermeneutic is going to stand in their way.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Cultural Church

“PROMISE FULFILLED. [Josh. 21:43–45] So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hands. Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible

“[Prov. 26:4–11] Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible

“AGREEMENTS TO BE HONORED. [Num. 30:1, 2] 8Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: “This is what the LORD commands: When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible

“Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible

“When you think about it, the world rotates on the axis of rank and tenure—and position, power, and prestige. But in God’s realm, none of that seems to matter. Sure, some are called to be teachers and some disciples. Some are gifted as administrators and some gifted as worker bees. Some get all the glory while others get none. But in God’s kingdom, there isn’t any such thing as seniority or rank when it comes to personal importance. Or responsibility. Or reward.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible Experience: 365 Life-Changing Readings to Make God's Word Personal

“If God didn’t care, why bother with revealing himself in the first place?”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible Experience: 365 Life-Changing Readings to Make God's Word Personal

“BEYOND KNOWLEDGE INTO LOVE. [2 Pet. 1:5–9] For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible

“For Israel’s control-freak religious leaders, the word from Isaiah was to give the people a rest! God has given us enough rules. The last thing we need is more—especially man-made! The pretense was that more rules fostered greater righteousness. But that is always a sham. Notice in the follow-up verses how God threatened to punish the rule makers by subjecting them to captivity where there would be nothing but rules imposed on them. It should stand as a warning to us today. If our religious life is mostly about rule keeping, our spiritually vacuous lives will be further emasculated by those very rules.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible Experience: 365 Life-Changing Readings to Make God's Word Personal

“The truly painful question is: As I look around at all my possessions on every hand, can I really bring myself to think that they are merely on loan until someone else needs them more?”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible Experience: 365 Life-Changing Readings to Make God's Word Personal

“SINFULNESS REPLACED PURITY. [Rom. 1:28–32] Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible® -- in Chronological Order

“The breathtaking question is: Is it possible that God might intend, even after I am gone, to save lives through something an unworthy soul like me has done during my lifetime?”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible Experience: 365 Life-Changing Readings to Make God's Word Personal

“doesn’t already know, but we haven’t yet owned up to it. No matter how certain we are that there will come a moment when we must look God in the eye and tell him what we have done with the great potential he has imbued within us, that moment seems comfortingly distant.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible Experience: 365 Life-Changing Readings to Make God's Word Personal

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible

“The unsettling question is: Since I am not God, dare I rush to judgment as to when some spiritual priority trumps an ethical imperative?”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible Experience: 365 Life-Changing Readings to Make God's Word Personal

“The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible

“[13:20] Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible

“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible

“[26:20] Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible

“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible

“CHRIST IS ALL-SUFFICIENT. [Col. 2:9–15] For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible

“If there is some way in which we are like God, there must be some way in which he is like us. Who among us doesn’t know the hurt of being spurned by the object of our affection? If broken relationships are painful for us mortals, how much more so for the One who is immortal? Or do we think that God, being God, sheds no tears? A God who sheds no tears would also be a God who takes no delight.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible Experience: 365 Life-Changing Readings to Make God's Word Personal

“Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible

“[16:1] To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the proper answer of the tongue.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible

“On its face, the Song of Songs is a beautiful and striking statement about human love. It suggests that all life, including human sexuality, is holy because God has created it. There is in the song a celebration of life simply for its own beauty and experience.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible

“[Prov. 15:1] A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. [17:27] The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. [25:15] Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible

“The question for all would-be kings is: Unless I’m willing to let God be king of my own world, how can I possibly be king of any other world?”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible Experience: 365 Life-Changing Readings to Make God's Word Personal

“PUTTING ON CHRIST. [Col. 3:12–17] Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
― F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible