J. Oswald Sanders Quotes - Page 3

One reason why people are unable to understand great Christian classics is that they are trying to understand without any intention of obeying them.

Our consciences are not infallible, and they can become warped or weakened if not kept aligned by the infallible Word of God.

Jesus was the meeting place of eternity and time, the blending of deity and humanity, the junction of heaven and earth.

Leaders who want to show sensitivity should listen often and long and talk short and seldom. Many so-called leaders are too busy to listen. True leaders know that time spent listening is well invested.

The secular mind and heart, however gifted and personally charming, has no place in the leadership of the church.

We are not responsible for our endowments or natural abilities, but we are responsible for the strategic use of time.

If Jesus is not God, then there is no Christianity, and we who worship Him are nothing more than idolaters. Conversely, if He is God, those who say He was merely a good man, or even the best of men, are blasphemers. More serious still, if He is not God, then He is a blasphemer in the fullest sense of the word. If He is not God, He is not even good.

Are you responsibly optimistic? Pessimism and leadership do not mix. Leaders are positively visionary.

A visionary may see, but a leader must decide.

It is very possible to be proud of the spiritual gifts God has entrusted to us and to strut about ostentatiously, forgetting that we have nothing which we have not received, that grace is a gift, an undeserved favor. We can actually be filled with pride at the eloquence and brilliance of our sermon on humility.

Often the crowd does not recognize a leader until he has gone, and then they build a monument for him with the stones they threw at him in life.

An exhausted man easily falls prey to the adversary.

Will the leader reflect the ugliness of egotism or the transfigured glory of Christ the Lord?

The original meaning of the word tact referred to the sense of touch (as in 'tactile'), and came to mean skill in dealing with persons or sensitive situations. Tact is defined as: 'intuitive perception, especially a quick and fine perception of what is fit and proper and right.' It alludes to one's ability to conduct delicate negotiations and personal matters in a way that recognizes mutual rights, and yet leads to a harmonious solution.

I have seen the face of Jesus, Tell me not of aught beside, I have heard the voice of Jesus, All my soul is satisfied. All around is earthly splendour Earthly scenes lie fair and bright. But mine eyes no longer see them, For the glory of that light. Light that knows no cloud, no waning, Light wherein I see His face, All His love’s uncounted treasures, All the riches of His grace.

God prepares leaders with a specific place and task in mind. Training methods are adapted to the mission, and natural and spiritual gifts are given with clear purpose.

People of vision gauge decisions on the future; the story of the past cannot be rewritten.

Often truly authoritative leadership falls on someone who years earlier dedicated themselves to practice the discipline of seeking first the kingdom of God. Then, as that person matures, God confers a leadership role, and the Spirit of God goes to work through him.

A leader is a person who has learned to obey a discipline imposed from without, and has then taken on a more rigorous discipline from within. Those who rebel against authority and scorn self-discipline - who shirk the rigors and turn from the sacrifices - do not qualify to lead.

Our sense of humor is a gift from God which should be controlled as well as cultivated.

It is conceivable that God might have ordained to preach the Gospel directly to man through dreams, visions and revelations. But as a matter of fact, He has not done this; but rather has committed the preaching to man, telling them to go and disciple all nations. The responsibility lies squarely on our shoulders.

The kings of terrors, the last enemy, will never be able to breach the pearly gates and disturb the bliss of heaven! No more deathbed vigils or funerals. The hearse will have made its last journey.