"Without the gospel everything is useless and vain; without the gospel we are not Christians; without the gospel all riches is poverty, all wisdom folly before God; strength is weakness, and all the justice of man is under the condemnation of God.
But by the knowledge of the gospel we are made children of God, brothers of Jesus Christ, fellow townsmen with the saints, citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, heirs of God with Jesus Christ, by whom the poor are made rich, the weak strong, the fools wise, the sinner justified, the desolate comforted, the doubting sure, and slaves free. It is the power of God for the salvation of all those who believe."
- John Calvin, preface for Pierre Robert Olivetan's 1534 French translation of the New Testament.
It's so hard... but may we each remember what is truly important, and turn from fleshly desires. May we each grow in sanctification, away from what is useless and vain, away from relying on our own plans and wants and pitifully limited knowledge of what is true and good. May we desire, above anything else, to glorify the Lord in the way we live our lives.
