“From every stormy wind that blows; From every swelling tide of woes, There is a calm, a sure retreat; ‘Tis found beneath The Mercy Seat. There is a place where Jesus sheds the oil of gladness on our heads. A place that all besides more sweet; it is the blood bought Mercy Seat.” – (Hugh Stowell – 1828)
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the Lord. – (Leviticus 23:26-27)
“God uses no magic wand to simply wave bad things into nonexistence. The sins that he remits, he remits by making them his own and suffering them. The pain and heartaches that he relieves, he relieves by suffering them himself. These things can be shared and absorbed, but they cannot be simply wished or waved away. They must be suffered.”
― (Stephen E. Robinson, Believing Christ: The Parable of the Bicycle and Other Good News)
“Fasting helps express, deepen, confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves to attain what we seek for the kingdom of God.” – (Andy Murray)
“Every act of irreverence for life, every act which neglects life, which is indifferent to and wastes life, is a step towards the love of death. This choice man must make at every minute. Never were the consequences of the wrong choice as total and as irreversible as they are today. Never was the warning of the Bible so urgent: ‘I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life, that you and your children may live.'” – (Erich Fromm)