Inspirational Quotes by Paul Chappell

“Circumstances will discourage you. People will disappoint you. Emotions will lie to you. Relationships will mislead you. Imagination will deceive you. Life will mistreat you. Human strength will fail you. But God has anointed you for a high calling that rises above all of these things.”

“Those who run their races for the approval of others will be constantly running—never able to finally cross the finish line.”

“your relationship with God is not performance based; it is faith based. His invitation is to come, not to earn.”

“If you need to chop down a large tree with an ax, choosing to sharpen the ax first will not waste your time; it will multiply the fruit of your efforts. Likewise, time spent in Bible study is not a waste; it is opening your life to receive God’s prospering success.”

“Christ commissioned the local church to be His vehicle for reaching the world with the gospel.”

“The local church embodies God’s process of communicating truth to human hearts—His way of helping every individual know how to live, how to have joy, and how to know Christ. Through the local church, the Word of God is connected to needy hearts. Men and women become children of God. Husbands and wives discover how to love and care for each other as Christ does the church. Dads and moms discover how to nurture and train up their children in the ways of Scripture. Young men and young ladies grow up in the knowledge of Christ, established upon the strong foundation of His truth. Without the church, these things just don’t happen anywhere else in today’s culture.”

“Our greatest struggle with God’s will isn’t knowing what it is—it is obeying what we already know.”

“Somehow, in the wonder-working providence of God, our worst problems become our best pulpits.”3”

“Leaders who finish well have the faith to trust God’s Word—its promises and its commands. They are willing to step out in faith, in obedience to God’s revealed will for their lives, even if they cannot see where that step will take them. As Corrie Ten Boom aptly pointed out, we should “never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” Our faith must be centered on God Himself. When my family and I first came to Lancaster Baptist Church, we had no solid financial foundation. We had just spent all of our savings on moving and in fixing the building and the property of our new church. With no money in the bank and no salary from the church, we based our assurance that all would be well on God’s promises. Our faith was not misplaced, for we never missed a meal or saw our needs unmet. Twenty-three years later, I’m so thankful we came to Lancaster even before we knew what God was going to do here. When I see how God has blessed this ministry, it motivates me to take further steps of faith. What in your life requires faith? When God gives a leader a vision of His plan for his life or ministry, it’s far greater than what can be accomplished in human strength. Refuse to question God’s ability; instead trust God’s plan. Faith is not an emotion fueled by success stories or emotionally charged sermons. Faith is a simple choice to trust God.”

“Too many Christians today have gotten distracted with entitlement and have forgotten responsibility. While we squabble about issues of “liberty,” we neglect a world literally dying and going to Hell.”

“Anything done in our own strength will fail miserably, or succeed even more miserably.”—Unknown”

“The local church, as it functioned in the New Testament, is still alive and well. It doesn’t need to be reinvented or re-engineered. It simply needs to be revived. God’s pattern of local church ministry is as effective today as it was in the first century.”

“Thirteen Reasons I Don’t Go to Sporting Events Anymore 1. Every time I went, they asked me for money. 2. The people sitting in my row didn’t seem very friendly. 3. The seats were very hard. 4. The coach never came to visit me. 5. The referees made a decision I didn’t agree with. 6. I was sitting with hypocrites—they only came to see what others were wearing! 7. Some games went into overtime, and I was late getting home. 8. The marching band played some songs I had never heard before. 9. The games are scheduled on my only day to sleep in and run errands. 10. My parents took me to too many games when I was growing up. 11. Since I read a book on sports, I feel that I know more than the coaches anyway. 12. I don’t want to take my children because I want them to choose for themselves what sport they like best. 13. I can play sports anywhere, I don’t need to go to a stadium. Do these reasons sound familiar? Have you lost your passion for local church ministry? Are you treating Jesus’ bride like a social club or an extra-curricular activity?”

“Wrong motives produce an empty life and a ministry that is not sustainable. Pure motives sustain our passion for God and thus sustain our work for Him—even during the dry, discouraging, or seemingly fruitless seasons of ministry.”

“A duty-bound spirit always struggles to radiate the joy and grace of the Christian life, the love of Jesus, and the presence of God.”

“We are commanded not to serve with “eyeservice, as menpleasers” (Colossians 3:22). In other words, we are not to be motivated by the need for appreciation, recognition, or praise of men. Affirmation is an odd and unpredictable blessing. Sometimes when you expect others to notice and comment on your work, their silence is discouraging. Other times, when you least expect it, you find reward or recognition for something you didn’t even do.”

“Today’s systems around the world—from the educators to the Hollywood producers to the fashion designers to the musicians—are not concerned with glorifying God at all. In fact, as a whole, they “willingly are ignorant” of God (2 Peter 3:5). Even in Christian ministry, there is much popular teaching about promoting self, building a brand, and developing a personal platform. But for those of us who know God, and who have received Christ, our hearts’ desire and purest passion should be to glorify Him—to make the Lord Jesus Christ more clearly known before men.”

“Love is one of the purest and greatest motivators in all of life. When you love someone, you are highly motivated to express that love. When you know someone loves you, you are highly motivated to honor that love.”

“Somewhere in our society there has developed a disconnection between generations of families. Perhaps this is due to sin and disappointment of various kinds. But all too often, it is due to a lack of motivation on the part of parents and grandparents to purposefully and lovingly lead their families in the ways of the Lord.”

“Apart from the love of Christ, lesser motivations leave our Christian walk and service both empty and pointless. We find ourselves aimlessly repeating religious routines and offering sentimental sacrifices that amount to nothing but sounding brass and tinkling cymbals (1 Corinthians 13:1). A loveless Christian life is no life at all.”