Brennan Manning writes, “One hundred years ago in the Deep South, the phrase ‘born again’ was seldom used. Rather, the words used to describe the breakthrough into a personal relationship with Jesus were, ‘I was seized by the power of a great affection.’ It was a deeply human and moving way to describe the initiative of God, the explosion within the human heart when Jesus became Lord of one’s personal and professional life. It lent new meaning to the old Russian proverb, ‘Those who have the disease called Jesus will never be cured.'”

I’m thankful every day that the security of my salvation doesn’t rest on my love for and faithfulness to God, because both of those waver from one day to the next. Rather, my hope lies in God’s love for and faithfulness to me, because His love and His faithfulness are as unchanging as He is. Throughout all my changing circumstances and moods, God is consistently good to me.