This quote was hard for me to understand.

But I think it's important to understand, so I read and re-read it, ran it through A.I. and finally understood it.

In short, the passage demands radical authenticity in religion:

total gift of self rather than a calculated bargain.

It's a critique of comfortable, consumerist, or utilitarian spirituality.

"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you" (John 15:16)—flips the script: authentic faith begins with God's initiative and our unconditional response, not our shopping for benefits.

Here's the full quote -

“The same insult dealt to religion when it is reduced to a tool of social order is repeated when it is prescribed as the only means of finding any semblance of comfort in circumstances otherwise desperate.

Everyone has heard the advice:

stockpile faith now as a prudent reserve of happiness,

to sustain you through the long, dark winter of suffering.

Nothing is truer to life than the fact that faith can bring solace in hardship. Yet nothing is more false than the counsel built solely upon it.

True victory over evil belongs only to the devout heart that can bleed beneath its thorny fate and still draw it closer in love—

like pressing the piercing crucifix of self-mortification upon the breast.

Only a pure trust, which defies nothing God sends

but bows in self-renunciation before His sweeping whirlwinds, meets terrible necessity with the least inner resistance and deepest peace.

But to seek the comforts of faith out of mere selfish desire is no religion at all—it is its complete absence.

It is the calculated fencing-off of the self against pain,

a hired service that betrays Heaven at its core.

God grants no success to these insurance schemes upon His grace.

Only those who surrender themselves to Him without bargaining or condition ever find their happiness returned.

All attempts to bend the Divine to our personal ends are vain.

They summon only the solemn rebuke:

“You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you.”

This quote struck me so because I primarily minister to those in crisis, and in desperate circumstances.

When I read -

"Nothing is truer to life than the fact that faith can bring solace in hardship. Yet nothing is more false than the counsel built solely upon it."

I had to pause because solace in hardship is a big part of my counsel,

and it's a rich vein of Gold all through the scriptures,

but if my counsel is built solely upon that, and not the total gift of self, it's a "calculated bargain" that may be a beginning place, but as the author says

"True victory over evil belongs only to the devout heart that can bleed beneath its thorny fate and still draw it closer in love—"

 "Who would dare reveal the delicate, glowing colors of their soul to a scornful eye that offers no warmth of love—

where nothing beautiful can ever truly shine?

Who would lay their weary head upon a bosom

as cold and hard as marble?

Who would confess their highest, most spiritual dreams to someone who stands forever ready with a cheap, degrading explanation for every noble thing?

To a person who sees the devout as nothing but hypocritical traders,

the patriot as a mere schemer after power,

and the martyr as an ambitious seeker of applause?

All that is beautiful instinctively shrinks from one who delights in instantly soiling everything pure with dust.

How wretched are those who have lost the ability to admire!

They have said farewell to the deep comfort of reverence.

They can pick up the sacred pages left by departed genius without any awe.

They can read of humanity’s struggles for liberty with no spark of enthusiasm,

and watch the good walk their path of mercy

without their hearts swelling in mighty joy.

No sorrow deserves greater pity than the hopeless emptiness of a scornful heart."

This passage uses rhetorical questions and vivid imagery to evoke emotional repulsion toward the cynical personality.

It is a defense of idealism, reverence, and emotional openness against reductive skepticism.

To bring out the deep emotional needs, questions and struggles in others, one cannot be a cynic.

One cannot be emotionally barren and expect others will open up to you, in ministry, with those we love as well as our children.

 

"One such child..."

Every "blood-bought, born-again" child of God desires to bring honor to Christ by serving Him with the gifts and callings they are graced with. Some are graced with many, some with few, but however many or few, those gifts call out from within the spirit to be active, and when quenched it grieves the Holy Spirit.

I'm reminded when the disciples were arguing among themselves about who was the greatest in Mark 9:34. Jesus overheard them and later asked them what they were talking about. They kept silent....

 So Jesus sat down, and called the twelve and said to them, 

“If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”   

And He took a child and placed him among them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, 

“Whoever welcomes 'one such child' like this in My name welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.”

 The Bible repeatedly and emphatically commands care for orphans, the fatherless, and vulnerable children— more than a hundred times! It is presented as a non-negotiable part of justice, pure religion, and reflecting God’s character. Neglecting them is equated with oppression and invites judgment, while caring for them brings blessing. This theme underscores humility and service, aligning with teachings like this one in Mark 9 (welcoming the child as welcoming Christ). 

In no way do I mean to diminish any act of kindness or charitable deed, gift or calling; whether it's sharing the gospel, caring for the widow, the downcast, the poor, educating the ignorant, medical aid to the afflicted, supporting those recovering from substance abuse or adverse childhood circumstances: or any of the acts of love described within the scriptures. But today, this morning, Jesus emphasized "One such child."

  

 

 I hesitated to post this because some churches tend to minimize the workings of the Holy Spirit, while other churches seem to overemphasize certain expressions of His work. My desire is not to lean toward either extreme, but simply to honor the Spirit as He is revealed in Scripture and experienced in a Christ-centered life.That being said, hopefully those that feel a call of God on their life may find this inspiring, that's my hope and purpose. 

"I'm sitting here in the afterglow of this morning's service at Union Gospel Mission. As unlikely as it may seem, Jesus called me to preach to the last, the least, and the lost.

The first step came back in the late seventies when we decided to become foster parents through the state. It was life-changing and birthed within me a hunger to experience more of what it means to have Jesus love others through me.

This intoxicating, compelling love defies explanation. Yet it overwhelms the soul and remains the clearest spiritual reality I have ever experienced. It compels me to seek out those who need Christ and help them cross over from darkness into His marvelous light. It has nothing to do with duty. It rises far above duty. It is like ascending the "mountain of spices"—that place of beauty, intimacy, fragrance, and sweet companionship between God and His people. It is the overflowing life Jesus spoke of in Luke 6:38: "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap."

There are spiritual ecstasies of the heart that words cannot adequately define or express. One hesitates to speak of them because they are holy, private, and better felt than told. Yet there are times when heavenly raptures and gracious visitations come with such sweetness that they feel like a foretaste of paradise itself. They fill the soul with such joy that it becomes impossible to keep silent. The heart must let its praise ring out. Jesus loves us, and loves through us!" 

  

After the service at the jail, a young man of 35—let's call him Brad—approached me, eager to talk. He told me that just before he was transferred there, he had spoken with a fellow who had recently given his life to Christ.

The man was rough-cut and not an eloquent speaker, but the light in his eyes and the glow about him as he testified of how Jesus had saved him and filled him with such joy simply couldn't be denied.

Brad told me of a time, years ago, when he felt a touch of God that struck him to the core. But in the bustle of life, he didn't pursue it, and it faded into a distant memory. Hearing this man's testimony, however, rekindled a hunger and a fire within him to experience that reality again.

We talked at length, and I shared John 3:3 with him about the new birth and the joy of the Holy Spirit. He was eager to learn, and I have rarely seen a hungrier heart.

As I drove home, I couldn't help but think about the power of simply sharing one's testimony. In the space of a brief conversation with a stranger, Brad came face to face with "the ardent ecstasies and vital impulses" of the Holy Spirit.

 If you're a parent, scenes like this are commonplace; 

Jubilation in simple things,

Laughing freedom

Sunlit innocence

 Joyous abandon where imagination turns backyards into kingdoms and where childhood games played at the living room table turn simple pleasures into treasures; and so it should be for every child. 

Sadly, for this child they are absent...

But for the love of Christ that lives in my son and daughter in law, this little girl is welcomed in and cared for like one of their own. 

My heart bursts with pride, and I feel all the joy that all of heaven feels seeing my son and his wife offer this little doe, this little dove a place of refuge, safety and love, if only for a brief respite. 

This world has many orphans and children living without the stability and security every child should have. When we step in and offer the needs of a child's soul, for an hour, a day, month or season, we fulfill Christ's greatest commands, and is so doing, we gain His greatest blessings. 

"Give freely, and you’ll have plenty poured back into your lap—a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, brimming over. You’ll receive in the same measure you give." Luke 6:38