David J. Harris

“Here is the great mystery of God’s hand in Joseph’s life: You will recall that his brothers sold him into slavery in part to prevent the realization of his dream that they would one day bow down to him. In order to ensure that that day would never come, they took matters into their own hands and committed an evil act for which they were responsible. But God in His overruling providence used their evil behavior to bring Joseph into the very position of authority before which the brothers were obliged to bow.”
― Alistair Begg, The Hand of God: Finding His Care in All Circumstances

“Death has become like a tyrant who has been completely conquered by the legitimate monarch; bound hand and foot the passers-by sneer at him, hitting him and abusing him, no longer afraid of his cruelty and rage, because of the king who has conquered him. So has death been conquered and branded for what it is by the Savior on the cross. It is bound hand and foot, all who are in Christ trample it as they pass and as witnesses to Him deride it, scoffing and saying, "O Death, where is thy victory? O Grave, where is thy sting?"35”
― Athanasius of Alexandria, On the Incarnation

“Family is not the gospel. If you think that family is the source of ultimate meaning in your life, then you will expect your family to make you happy, to live up to your expectations.”
― Russell D. Moore, The Storm-Tossed Family: How the Cross Reshapes the Home

“From Jesus to Paul to Peter, we see several important contrasts laid out regarding what a Christian leader ought to be: • Not lording it over but being a servant (Mark 10:43–44) • Not a bully but gentle (1 Tim. 3:3; cf. Titus 1:7) • Not for shameful gain but serving eagerly (1 Peter 5:2) • Not domineering but setting an example (1 Peter 5:3) • Not quarrelsome but kind (2 Tim. 2:24) Seeing all these traits laid out together, we are faced with an inescapable and rather sobering conclusion: many churches have been looking for the wrong kind of leaders. One might even say the forbidden traits in this list are precisely the traits some churches tolerate in their leaders. Instead, we should look for pastors who are humble, kind, gentle servants.”
― Michael J. Kruger, Bully Pulpit: Confronting the Problem of Spiritual Abuse in the Church