Dave Harvey > Quotes

“Everything in Scripture is either preparation for the Gospel, presentation of the Gospel, or participation in the Gospel.”
― Dave Harvey

“You must read to lead. Reading feeds. It opens our souls to a long line of counselors.”
― Dave Harvey, Am I Called?: The Summons to Pastoral Ministry

“Mercy sweetens marriage. Where it is absent, two people flog one another over everything from failure to fix the faucet to phone bills. But where it is present, marriage grows sweeter and more delightful, even in the face of challenges, setbacks, and the persistent effects of our remaining sin.”
― Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage

“But once I find 1 Timothy 1:15–16 trustworthy—once I can embrace it with full acceptance—once I know that I am indeed the worst of sinners, then my spouse is no longer my biggest problem: I am.”
― Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage

“Do I trust that where I am in life today—no matter how far it is from where I think I should be—can never limit God’s ability to accomplish his will in my life?”
― Dave Harvey, Am I Called?: The Summons To Pastoral Ministry

“Today matters because tomorrow can’t be assumed”
― Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage

“Bitterness differs from unbelief merely in the intensity and depth—in the degree—of its rebellion. As my friend Andy Farmer has pointed out, the two are distinguished simply by the difference between can’t and won’t. Unbelief says, “I can’t do this,” while bitterness says, “I won’t do this.” Unbelief tells a spouse, “You can’t change,” and bitterness declares, “You won’t change.” Unbelief claims, “God can’t affect what I like and dislike”; while bitterness says, “God won’t affect them.”
― Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage

“Sin is wrong, not because of what it does to me, or my spouse, or child, or neighbor, but because it is an act of rebellion against the infinitely holy and majestic God.”
― Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage

“Human sin is stubborn,” says Cornelius Plantinga, “but not as stubborn as the grace of God and not half so persistent, not half so ready to suffer to win its way.”3 Stubborn, persistent, unrelenting grace that changes us. Now that’s good news indeed.”
― Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage

“A great awareness of one’s sinfulness often stands side by side with great joy and confidence in God.”
― Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage

“Maybe you are beginning to sense that if your experience of sin is not all that bitter, and your experience of marriage not all that sweet, maybe your theology is not all that it should be.”
― Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage

“If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”
― Dave Harvey, Am I Called?: The Summons To Pastoral Ministry

“Serving in obscurity can do more to shape a future leader than a dozen years of combing evangelicalism for the perfect position.”
― Dave Harvey, Am I Called?: The Summons To Pastoral Ministry

“Do you know God as a God of mercy? Do you see your spouse as God sees him or her—through eyes of mercy? If your answer to either question is no, it is unlikely that your marriage is sweet. Mercy sweetens marriage. Where it is absent, two people flog one another over everything from failure to fix the faucet to phone bills. But where it is present, marriage grows sweeter and more delightful, even in the face of challenges, setbacks, and the persistent effects of our remaining sin.”
― Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage

“What motivates Olympic athletes to train for years for one event—in some cases, for just seconds of actual competition? It’s the same thing that kept my friend Pete nosing around old bookstores for years. It’s the same thing that makes a person venture out of a comfortable job to start a new business. We see it in the artist who spends day after day in a studio chipping away at a block of stone. Look closely and you’ll find it in the shopper who passes up the good deal in search of the best deal. It’s one of the things that makes us most human. We consciously pursue what we value. It’s not simply a matter of being driven by biology or genetics or environmental conditioning to satisfy instinctive cravings. Rather, we perceive something, prize it at a certain value, then pursue it according to that assigned value because we were created that way. This ability to perceive, prize, and pursue is part of our essential humanness, and it’s the essence of ambition.”
― Dave Harvey, Rescuing Ambition

“Quiero vivir preparándome para lo que sigue. Quiero gastar mi tiempo y dinero de tal manera que reconozca la eternidad.” No desperdicia el tiempo adivinando acerca del futuro. Sólo se prepara para ello.”
― Dave Harvey, Cuando Pecadores Dicen, “Acepto”: Descubriendo el Poder del Evagelio Para el Matrimonio

“The life you live in private determines the ministry you can have in public.”
― Dave Harvey, Am I Called?: The Summons To Pastoral Ministry

“Marriage is the union of two people who arrive toting the luggage of life. And that luggage always contains sin.”
― Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage

“What we believe about God determines the quality of our marriage.”
― Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage

“So we’re tempted to despair—the despair of the not-as-great-as-we-want-to-be. Charles Spurgeon’s epitaph on Alexander could easily describe one way we can go: See Alexander’s tears! He weeps! Yes, he weeps for another world to conquer! Ambition is insatiable! The gain of the whole world is not enough. Surely to become a universal monarch, is to make one’s self universally miserable.13”
― Dave Harvey, Rescuing Ambition

“When God intends a man for eminent usefulness in the ministry, he leads him through deep waters, and causes him to drink freely of the cup of spiritual sorrow, that he may be prepared, by a long course of afflictive experiences, to sympathize with tempted and desponding believers; and may learn how to administer to them that consolation by which his own heart was at last comforted.4”
― Dave Harvey, Am I Called?: The Summons To Pastoral Ministry

“forgiven sinners forgive sin.”
― Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage

“What a person believes about God determines what he or she thinks about how we got here, what our ultimate meaning is, and what happens after we die. So essentially our worldview, our perspective on life, is determined by our perspective on God.”
― Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage

“This whole idea of seeing God, yourself, and your marriage for what they truly are is all about clear, biblical thinking. Locating the source of your marriage problemsinyour marriage is like saying the Battle of Bull Run was caused by some really troubled farmland. The battle was fought on farmland, but its cause lay elsewhere.”
― Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage

“Blame-shifting is what I do when I basically know I’m guilty and am just trying to convince myself or someone else that maybe I’m not.”
― Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage

“The law of sin wants to take you captive to sin, and despite your assurance of salvation in Christ, this is serious stuff. Any sin can become enslaving.”
― Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage

“What do you imagine is the biggest factor keeping you from having a consistent devotional life? Yup, the law of sin.”
― Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage

“When someone we love goes rogue and shows no signs of repentance, we feel lost. Few things crush the life out of us more than experiencing the remorseless rejection of someone we love.”
― Dave Harvey, Letting Go: Rugged Love for Wayward Souls

“The “preaching-as-leading” factor: You can establish a preaching diet for the church that sets direction and feeds souls. The “follow him” factor: People talk about the impact you have on their lives. Other gifted people want to glean from your life. The “make it happen” factor: When you see a need or a problem, you think solutions and action. The “can you see it” factor: You can see the big picture and have confidence for the future. And when you talk to other people, they see it too. The “order from chaos” factor: You understand the value of planning, organization, and efficiency. Your life doesn’t look like an unmade bed. The “mobilize the troops” factor: You know the best way to have impact is not to do it all yourself. You love to put people in places where they can be effective and fruitful. The “learn to lead” factor: You’re not content with what you know. You study in order to grow in understanding. The “godly ambition” factor: You’re not interested in settling in or shrinking back from challenges. You want to do all you can for the advance of the kingdom of God.”
― Dave Harvey, Am I Called?: The Summons To Pastoral Ministry

“Godly ambition makes us downwardly mobile.”
― Dave Harvey, Rescuing Ambition