Quote Szn

Man, I love quotes.

They can apply to so many things, and quite often, I find that people say exactly what I’m thinking, but they say it way better than I could have. Something I love to do is actually invent fake quotes, attach famous people to them, and have a great time hearing people say, “Whoah, did he really say that?” No, mega genius– Thomas Jefferson didn’t say, “The internet will be the Achilles heel of America’s youth.” Thanks for reinforcing the fact, though, that teenagers are as dumb as rocks sometimes.

Anyway.

Quotes are awesome. The shorter and more profound, the better. Here are just some of my favorites:

“I walk slowly, but I never walk backwards.” – Abraham Lincoln

“The Sun will burn your eyes out from 92 million miles away, and do you expect to casually stroll into the presence of its Maker?”  – Luke Walker

“Some people don’t think I know a buttload of crap about the Gospel, but I do.” – Nacho Libre

I love the Bible. Solid book. I personally know the Guy whom it’s written about, and He is a solid dude. Sometimes, though, I find myself getting bogged down in the Bible because, though this is a good thing, it consistently references itself. Sometimes, it’s nice to have something that kind of triggers a faith point outside of the Bible. This happens, to me, with quotes. And lyrics, which are artsy quotes, I guess.

Let’s reassess my quotes…

“I walk slowly, but I never walk backwards.”

Immediately, I think of Noah. God asks Noah, pretty much out of nowhere, to build an enormous boat for some ‘flood’ that is supposed to come. Give me a break. I wouldn’t believe that. But Noah does it. It takes him five-ever to build the thing. And you know he’s gotta be thinking, “What the heck is this even for?” like the whole time. Noah never stops. Noah never goes backwards.

I think of Luke 9:23– “For if anyone wants to be like Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.” It’s a progression. Jesus gives us steps. Deny yourself. Then, take up your cross. Then, follow Him. Always moving. Always going forward. The Christian life is a process. Stagnation doesn’t exist. We are always moving toward God or away from God. The Bible tells us that the Saints– those of us written in the Book of Life– we shall persevere (Matthew 10:22– which I’m going to break down at a later date. Solid verse.)

— — — — — — — —

“The Sun will burn your eyes out from 92 million miles away, and do you expect to casually stroll into the presence of its Maker?”

Immediately, I think of Psalm 7:11– “God is a righteous Judge, a God who feels indignation every day.” I think of the Pharisees. They of little faith. They were too concerned with legalistic ideas. I think of Matthew 6, where Jesus is basically explaining that God can handle our worries, so we need not fret over what will be. God created the sun, which has the capability of blinding us from an almost unmeasurably-long distance– I don’t think much else is too big a problem for the Guy. He’s not someone we test– He’s someone we glorify. There’s no way that I can sit here and challenge Him. There is no way I can sit here and question His timing or His purpose. He is perfect, and He is God.

— — — — — — — —

“Some people don’t think I know a buttload of crap about the Gospel, but I do.”

Nacho Libre is such a poet, isn’t he? One of the things I love about this movie, besides its stupid humor, its its spiritual relevance. So many things in this movie hit me. I will probably show it in my church one day. Surely, that’s biblical.

When I see this quote, I think of 1 Timothy 4:12– “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” I don’t back down from what God has called me to do. Sometimes, it’s okay for Christians to feel as if we have the secret recipe– because we do. Being the medium by which the Good News is heard is not subjective. And it most certainly is not dependent upon our demographics. Look at the people of God in the Bible– Moses, an adopted child; David, a shepherd boy; John the Baptist, a hippy who ate locusts; Matthew, a tax collector; Paul, a killer of Christians. I think of 1 Peter 3:15, which tells us to always prepare to give an answer. I think of Jesus, how the Pharisees consistently try to embarrass Him or call His bluff– but they never can. He has an answer– a biblical answer– for everything. I think of Romans 12:2, which calls on us as Christians to be different than the world. It reaffirms my call to ministry. Some people will probably think, “Man, Cooper is an idiot.” And maybe, I am. But God has equipped me to be a lightbulb in a big dark box. I’ve got life-changing information at my fingertips. It would an eternal shame for me not to tell someone about it. All facts.

Don’t ever be afraid to let a little bit of extra fluff creep in to your theology… just as long as it falls right in line with everything else. We will know what is good, acceptable, and perfect by testing the spirit in order that we may discern what truth is (Romans 12:2). The Bible is the lens by which I perceive the world. So I take quotes, I dip them in Jesus Juice, and I see what color they turn. All we need is things in crimson– like things covered by the Blood… not to be confused with things that say “2018 National Champions.”

Ya dig?

Chase after the Lord and watch the blessings fall. 

#QuoteSzn

–@CShort_116