The Sayings of Samuel Godfrey George - November 2012

Trust in God alone and in His strength alone be confident.

Whenever trouble is near God is nearer. I have realized this today after all the trouble that I have been through in God's strength. I know now that God has led me through many difficulties and helped me face many challenges. Whatever the latest difficulty is I know that I am more than equal to the challenge because Christ is in me and the protection of God is over my life. I SHALL NOT FEAR. The more I know God and His ways the less I fear the threats that I am likely to face in my life.

Today whatever happens I know that God is with me. The power of the Lord Jesus Christ is here with me. I shall no longer fear what is to come. Where God is there is no place for fear and uncertainty. Whenever trouble is near God is nearer.

God wants his people to "arrive" at happiness. But no one can arrive at happiness without travelling the perilous road of risk, loss, misfortune and unhappiness. God wants his people to "arrive" at courage. But no one can arrive at courage without travelling the terrible road of phobia, paranoia and terror. God wants his people to arrive at "purity". But no one can arrive at purity without living a life of impurity and immorality. These are the facts.

‎"Desire" and "fear" are the two human attributes that the devil has exceedingly exploited to subjugate the human race in his defiance against God.

Along with sin comes fear, the fear of God, the fear of the devil and the fear of Man. Sin by its very nature and definition as a rebellion against God evokes thoughts of punishment if not in the hands of God at least in the hands of the Devil or in the hands of one's fellow men.

Those who say that God uses scare tactics to bring people to him are not wrong. God in his written word does uses frightening images of hell and eternal punishment to motivate people to desire righteousness. I find modern conceptions of God as "all love and no hate" particularly divergent from the images that I derive from the Bible. God who is portrayed as loving and compassionate is also equally portrayed as a God who hates evil and evildoers and who will not flinch from the task of sending them to hell, the pit of fire kindled by his wrath. Nevertheless as a Christ follower I see beyond the scare tactics, which are certainly necessary and are not tactics at all for they constitute a terrible reality, at the loving salvation God offers to the human race that is doomed to self-destruction. Thus what scares others actually draws me to God.

Those who hate the concept of hell and the scare tactics of God should consider this: a certain elemental fear of punishment is the most powerful reason that keeps Man from doing wrong. Even on earth there is a shadow of hell, the prison where criminals are kept. If prisons did not exist and punishments were not handed out, people cannot be restrained to behave the way they do. If there is any law and order on earth today, it is because of the threat of punishment, which is a shadow of the supreme threat of God.

Hell may be seen as the worst argument used by God to bring people to him. It may also be seen as the best, for "the fear of hell" underpins the human effort to approach God. No one wants to go to hell, especially the hell that the Bible describes. But "hell" is also the reason why some people hate and avoid God. He is seen as an evil tyrant in the sky, who bullies people into liking and worshipping him, with the threat of an everlasting life of horror in hell. This feeling above all feelings brings about a seemingly insurmountable barrier between Man and God.

A book that I read recently claims that heaven is very different from what human beings conceive it to be. According to the author who was supernaturally transported to heaven many times, there are cinemas and recreation parks in heaven. And there are many more earth-like places that exceed earthly beauty in a supernatural measure. After all earth is a shadow of heaven, the book insists. I once read the atheist, Christopher Hitchens who wrote that Christianity never made a compelling case for heaven, ie., heaven didn't seem compelling enough for someone to desire to go there. After reading Kat Kerr's account of heaven, I feel that the people who are not drawn to heaven "may not" radically alter their opinions. Even if all means of entertainment are available in heaven, and God's presence is all-pervading, and opportunities for supernatural feats are always open to human beings along with an eternal life of immeasurable joy, these still do not argue favourably for heaven, especially to those who inherently dislike God and all that he stands for.

The idea of worshipping God all the time in heaven is the reason why some people are not drawn to the idea of a heaven. It seems like the most boring thing to do. It also seems like a terrible thing to do. Who would want to live such a life, to be subject to a dictator like God? Even on earth God is disliked because he is viewed as a dictator who wants all that a human can offer, especially every aspect of his fun life.

If you take every little job seriously, if you do your best in every little thing, if you do your utmost to glorify God when no one notices, could God ask for more, and should you still be in doubt?

An honest atheist is better than a hypocritical Christian. Jesus will walk with that atheist and not with that Christian.

This morning I awoke with this question: "God, are you really with me? Am I in agreement with you? Or am I working alone?". And moments later I had this realization: "If I am working alone, then I must be an amazingly self-inspired person to do all that I have done and travelled as long as I have gone. Indeed I could never have willed myself to have done these before." But this realization soon enough faded away in probability.

There is a certain path that needs to be taken. There are certain things that must be cast away. There is a certain waiting that needs to be endured. And then that day will come.

Today I can go back or move forward. How much do I love myself today?

If it were all clear it will not require faith.

If others celebrate me but I don't celebrate myself it won't be much of a party.

Right now this is my plan. I will read books and celebrate my successes. They are many (both books and successes).

One of the biggest mistakes we can make is to speak too soon. We speak too soon because we arrive at a conclusion too soon. Let us cultivate the habit of thinking about something and thinking about it again and again until we know what we are dealing with. And then let us speak slowly.

You should not like something because somebody else likes it. But you should like something only because you like it. Don't try to like something because you wish to identify with another person or because you want to please another person if you really don't like that particular thing. Be true to yourself and boldly like and dislike and express your genuine nature.

In the confusion and the unrest, even as you speak meaningfully and meaninglessly, let your eyes remain fixed on God and let your mind be occupied only with his truth and let your ears be ready for his message.

Whenever I scratch somebody's back my own back is not neglected. So when I need a scratch I just extend my hand and scratch away.

These days before I do anything I have learned to ask, "Why am I about to do this?" God examines the motives of the heart. Though I am not God and distinctly lack his acuity I will still attempt to study the motivations of my deceptive heart.

God has a way of accomplishing His work. No man-made programme is required to harness the power of God. All that it takes is trust and surrender. A man must desire to change and must realize that only God can change him. He must allow God to work and must trust Him to complete the work. The rest is a matter of waiting and receiving.

It is a Christian duty to honour one's elected rulers and submit to them. Let no Christian forget this. There may well be exceptions to the rule. But resistance must be weighed very carefully and after much prayer.

Our trust should only be in God. That is why God sometimes puts us in a lonely place so that we have nowhere to run but to Him. When that happens it is scary, but we surely gain from the experience.

Even the tiniest crack can let in the foulest air.

We define ourselves by what we speak and we distinguish ourselves by the way we speak.

Today I heard from a boy who claimed to have seen a dead girl on a nearby university campus along with many curious onlookers. The newspaper reported this incident as the death of a male student. I asked my witness if he was sure that the deceased was a female and not really a male. He said that he saw with his own eyes that it was indeed a girl who had died. Later today when confronted with the truth that it was certainly a boy who had died, the boy finally admitted that he could be wrong, saying that he was led to believe that the deceased was a girl because everyone had claimed so. This incident clearly indicates to me how even our strongest impressions and our so-called realities could turn out to be deceptions and errors.

Theoretically there are as many interpretations of a text as there are those who are willing to interpret it. Each one understands a text uniquely. And no one person can claim to understand a text more correctly than the other.

At first I thought that this was a competition - this job of serving the Lord. Now I know that no one can compete with anyone in this task. Each one must do his part as God commands him to. Each one has a task that no one else can do.

Jealousy can make the prettiest person monstrously ugly.

Obedience to the parent - who has perfectly obeyed his parents all the time? Are parents so decidedly correct about everything that they should be obeyed all the time? There are some dreadful parents in the world who have horribly abused their children. How could a perfect God expect the children of such parents to fulfil this commandment? Every commandment of God must be understood contextually and not absolutely. There is no one in the world who has ever fulfilled a commandment of God absolutely.

God's commandments are graded. The greatest commandments are always more important than the lesser ones. One is obliged to obey all commandments. But the truth is that one cannot obey all commandments. The genuine truth is that one may not even obey a single commandment without the help of God. God alone can fulfil His requirements. That is why a God follower is required to be a Christ follower and allow Christ to live in him. Only Christ living in him can fulfil the requirements of God's law.

Obedience to God supersedes obedience to any parent.

I have what it takes to stop the offensive thought. We who have Christ in us have the strength to halt the offensive thought at the threshold of our minds. We can order every offensive intent out of our consciousness. We can refuse to think immorally. This is how we are more than conquerors in Christ. This is the truth. The question that remains then is this: "Do we want to be conquerors today? Or will we let ourselves be conquered again?"

It takes fresh eyes to see the beauty of a neglected thing. Blessed are fresh eyes.

In these days of scarcity I have learned to speak to myself like this. When I want to buy something I ask myself, "Do I really need this? If I don't, will I not put my money to better use by giving to someone who really needs it? Is it not better to help someone in real need than to spend the money to please myself, especially when the pleasure I seek is not necessary?"

To speak the truth as you see it - that is a virtue.

The most beautiful person is the one who admits that he is wrong and is willing to change.

Cast away your little-mindedness and put on the love that accepts all people, especially those whom you naturally dislike and distrust. In this alone are strength and salvation. And this is the love of Christ.

I wish that my road was smooth. But it is not smooth. I wish that my head was clean. But it is not clean. I wish that my heart was pure. But it is not pure. But I have to deal with the conflict that I feel in all these places. For that is the nature of my calling.

Endeavour to see the right when the wrong is dancing in your eyes. Struggle to think the right when the wrong runs riot in your mind. Don't ever give up the fight to see and to think right. It's a fight that will keep you standing in the end.

Freedom is all about control. If you can control your impulses you are indeed free.

The Way of Jesus is the way of love. One cannot know the Way of Jesus without knowing Jesus. And to know Jesus is to know and experience the love of Jesus. It is the love that dares to be rejected and trampled like dirt. Those who have no knowledge and experience of this cannot go to God, for Jesus Himself said that no one comes to the Father except through Him.

Don't do anything out of boredom. When you are bored pray for inspiration and do a good thing preferably for another.

Troubles refine and strengthen a person. These days I have learned to say, "welcome" to troubles.

I am now prepared to speak the message any number of times, and I shall speak it until I am heard, or until I can speak no more. For this is my calling - to speak for my God always as long as there is a voice in me.

Don't be eager to move ahead in this world. Be content to stay back as far as possible. Do not desire wealth or fame or position. Seek only God. Desire only his humility.

There is nothing like the truth. Even the worst truths add to your health.

Every loose and untrue thing that comes from your lips mars your own truth and inner life.

I cannot and will not attempt to deserve anything that God has given me directly or through someone else. It is hopeless and foolish to try to deserve something that God has freely and graciously given. But I will certainly try to please God by letting Him change me into whatever He likes. Just doing that fulfils my purpose for being here in this world.

Certain private joys seem harmless as long as they remain private. But even in the mind they corrode and corrupt the soul and separate it from a life of knowing and living in the truth that is God.

If the world is sane, then Jesus is crazy. And we who follow Christ are fools for Christ's sake.

When things don't go well one assumes that something must be wrong. This work for God that I am involved in has not risen to expectations. But even this assessment is only partial. There are aspects of my work and me that have clearly exceeded expectations. In a situation like this the best course of action is to stand and wait, for the plans of heaven are not viewable on earth. And God always places his workers on a path of suffering and even waiting. I believe that I am in this category.

Opposites are always necessary.

To dislike what you like - that is the great lesson in life.

A profound thought is only for a profound moment.

When I worry I waste time and energy. Instead of worrying I could do something good that would bring benefit to my life or to another person's life.

Nothing is purely beautiful. Everything beautiful on this earth has an ugly element. In the business of loving human beings, one must be prepared to receive from the ugliness of the heart besides receiving from its beauty.

I thought God would free me and that I would be free forever. I didn't realize that any freedom that I could experience was only in His strength and that I would have to exercise His strength every day. And so every day is a struggle, and the more I know what I have to do, the better I am at doing it.

I thank God for every mistake I have learned from.

Learning to be still is the hardest of all tasks. To be still when nothing happens, when something in you is yearning to make something happen, that is the hardest of all tasks.

My need to know God exceeds every other need. And so I have put a halt to my worldly life in order to know Him. And knowing Him will save me in the ultimate sense.

There was a time when I had to have everything, even the little thing. Now after letting Christ work in me over a period of years I have learned to deny myself the little things. And I know that there will come a time when I will deny myself the big things. I know now that the denial of self is incremental and will last all my earthly life.

My goal is this: as long as I am alive and am able, I will do whatever I can to bring out the good in me, as a tribute to God who points me to the good and for the benefit of those in the world who may need my good.

The numbers do not matter. The heart alone matters.

A relationship begins with a simple smile.

When nothing happens I remember everything that has happened.

In every man there is pride and resistance to authority. Those who cannot bow down to God are people who cannot break out of this mould.

Let there be an excruciating wait. Oh let there be.

Let me be grateful for every little bite I have to eat. Let me thank God for every moment, for every joy, for every sorrow, for every lesson, for every blessing.  I'm alive now. I can still breathe, feel and think. I can still thank.

My beautiful offering to God today is a grateful heart. Oh let me never weary of giving thanks!

You cannot discard anything without the grace to do so. The ability to shun evil and choose good is a gift from God and comes only to those who humbly wait in the knowledge that only God can grant their need. And God will grant their need exactly when and how he chooses to.

It will take a fresh day and a fresh approach to do something more with a grateful heart.

Anyone can feel fine when everything is going well. But he who feels fine particularly when not everything is well is the exceptional man.

If I still draw attention to myself I have learned nothing.

Do nothing uninspired. Even a hopeless act has some hope if you are inspired.

To accept God's will when it goes against your own will is the greatest feat in enlightenment.

In the life of faith there is little or no room for worry. When you trust in God there is no reason to worry about anything else. There is certainly no reason to worry about the horrible guilt that ensues from the feeling of unworthiness and unrighteousness that God in His ultimate goodness and righteousness always effects. It is the intention of God to show a man the depth of his depravity. But it is not His intention to make that man miserable about it. The knowledge of evil must drive one to seek God and not to run away from Him.

"That day is not coming" says a voice in my head. "That day is surely coming!" I retort. And I walk on.

Nothing satisfies my thirst as much as plain water. Nothing satisfies my soul as much as the plain truth - the truth that the human being is incomplete and to be complete he needs God.

You'll have to say it wrong before you can say it right.

There may be an element of wisdom in what the idiot speaks.

This is the truth: it is humility that God is driving a man to. It is pride that a man is seeking to enlarge. And this is the source of all resistance to God.

A thankful heart is a most necessary thing in the worship of God.