Erwin Raphael McManus

Many of us, though, face a new poverty. We are not living on the streets, but we are stuck in a rut. We are in danger of gaining the whole world and losing our souls. What we have received from God has taken preeminence over the God who has received us. His gifts are for us to enjoy, but not for us to worship. If what He has given us now stands between us, we must once again lay it at His feet. No matter how rich we become, we must always remain poor. We must ensure that while we celebrate the goodness of God, we do not neglect the purpose of God.

Pete Greig

God loves beauty and creativity. He has made for us a world that is visually spectacular. When we read in Genesis that we are made in God’s image, the only thing we know about him is that he is an artist, a Creator! Similarly, the first man in the Bible to be described as being filled with the Holy Spirit is not some great king or prophet. It is a craftsman called Bezalel, anointed by God to decorate the prayer room—the tabernacle (Exod. 35:30–33).