Published 8-22-11    The Religion Network publishes every Monday

ON TODAY'S SITE:
John Piper, Charles Spurgeon, Brother David Steindl-Rast,
Abdu'l-Bahá, Leo Tolstoy, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette
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Photo by Chuck Bowman            All rights reserved

The enjoyment of God above all else is the deepest way that
God's glory is reflected back to him. The enjoyment of God
terminates on God alone and is not performed as a means
to anything else. It is the deepest reverberation in the
heart of man of the value of God's glory.

John Piper (1946 - )
Reformed Baptist minister and author
Courtesy of Desiring God

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It is not how much we have, but how
much we enjoy, that makes happiness.

Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)
British Baptist preacher and author

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The root of joy is gratefulness...
It is not joy that makes us grateful;
it is gratitude that makes us joyful.

Brother David Steindl-Rast (1926- )
Austrian-American Catholic theologian and author

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O God! Refresh and gladden my spirit.
Purify my heart. Illumine my powers.
I lay all my affairs in Thy hand.
Thou art my Guide and my Refuge.
I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved;
I will be a happy and joyful being.
O God! I will no longer be full of anxiety,
nor will I let trouble harass me.
I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life.
O God! Thou art more friend to me than I am to myself.
I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord.

Abdu'l-Bahá (1844-1921)
Eldest son of the founder of Bahá'í faith

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Joy can be real only if people look upon their life as a service,
and have a definite object in life outside themselves.

Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy (1828-1910)
Russian philosopher and novelist