acceptance from miles j. stanford's green letters

"to believe, and to consent to be loved while unworthy, is the great secret

to refuse to make resolution and vows; for that is to trust in the flesh

to expect to be blessed, though realizing more and more lack of worth

to rely on god's chastening hands as a mark of his
kindness

to 'hope to be better' (hence acceptable) is to fail to see yourself in christ only

to be disappointed with yourself is to have believed in yourself

to be discouraged is unbelief - as to god's purpose and plan of blessing for you

to be proud, is to be blind! for we have no standing before god in ourselves

the lack of divine blessing, therefore, comes from unbelief, and not from failure of devotion

to preach devotion first, and blessing second, is to reverse god's order, and preach law, not grace. the law made man's blessing depend on devotion; grace confers undeserved, unconditional blessing: our devotion may follow, but does not always do so - in proper measure" wm. r. newell

have we always been afraid to believe god? have some even been afraid to allow others to really believe him? we must never forget that "god's ways are not always man's ways. to some men constant peril is the only spur to action, and many religions and psychologies are dependent on fear to keep their disciples in line. fear, too, has a place in christianity, but god has higher and more effective motivations than fear, and one of these is love. often fear after a while produces only numbness, but love thrives on love. to promise a man the certainty of his destiny may seem, on the human level, like playing with fire; but this leaves god out of the picture. those who have the deepest appreciation for grace do not continue to sin, moreover, fear produces the obedience of slaves; love engenders the obedience of sons" j.w. sanderson, jr.