Deconstructed by Jesus

More from Tullian Tchvidjian's new book Glorious Ruin: How Suffering Sets You Free:

"When the goal becomes conquering our sin instead of soaking in the conquest of our Savior, we actually begin to shrink spiritually....The tragic irony in all of this is that when we focus so strongly on our need to get better, we actually get worse." (page 82)

"I've said it once and I'll say it again and again, because I need to be reminded myself.: Christianity is not first and foremost about our behavior, our obedience, our response, and our daily victory over sin. It is first and foremost about Jesus! It is about His person, His substitutionary work, His incantation, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and promised return. We are justified - and sanctified - by grace alone through faith alone in the finished work of Christ alone. Even now, the banner under which Christians live reads, 'It is finished.' Everything we need and everything we look for in things smaller than Jesus, is already ours in Christ." (page 83)

"God is not interested in what you think you should be or feel. He is not interested in the narrative you construct for yourself, or that others construct for you. He may even use suffering to deconstruct that narrative. Rather, he is interested in you., the you who suffers, the you who inflicts suffering on others, the you who hides, the you who has bad days (and good ones). And He meets you where you are. Jesus is not the man at the top of the stairs. He is the man at the bottom, the friend of sinners, the savior of those in need of one. Which is all of us, all of the time, praise be to God." (page 92)