[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fDnl31bdb2cKYTKsjaEGdVB4hj4uyx2FKSR8XGJkHZ74":3,"$fjEZHmUCLMSprM11FkuMD_pMG9QXDWOd4JOiZMhU_M7o":12},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},42349,"Stevenson A. Blackwood","S",7,null,"stevenson-a-blackwood",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":147},[14,32,48,64,75,86,122],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},664552,"The devil may, indeed, mar the outside; he may tear and rend the Church, as she has been torn and rent for 1800 years, into all manner of parties and sects; but the Lord's table in our midst, in different sects and denominations it may be, bears testimony to the great truth which you have in the Romans, that \"we, being many, are one body.",2,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[22,27],{"id":23,"tag":24},3365519,{"id":25,"tag_name":26},7450,"communion",{"id":28,"tag":29},3365520,{"id":30,"tag_name":31},29078,"eucharist",{"id":33,"quote_text":34,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":35,"source":36,"quote_tag":37,"commentary":9},642775,"Now Jesus Christ was in the world. He was in contact with the world. He was amongst the Pharisees and the publicans and the sinners, but He was not of them. It was more a separation of spirit than a separation of body, and if we follow Him we shall find out what real separation from the world is.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[38,43],{"id":39,"tag":40},3299564,{"id":41,"tag_name":42},5799,"separation",{"id":44,"tag":45},3299562,{"id":46,"tag_name":47},6360,"distinction",{"id":49,"quote_text":50,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":51,"source":52,"quote_tag":53,"commentary":9},642462,"The believer's peace, and therefore his preparedness, never waxes old. It is of God, and consequently unalterable; his feelings may vary, but the \"covenant of peace,\" saith the Lord, \" shall not be removed;\" and whilst traveling through the \" great and terrible wilderness,",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[54,59],{"id":55,"tag":56},3298644,{"id":57,"tag_name":58},5728,"same",{"id":60,"tag":61},3298645,{"id":62,"tag_name":63},14408,"standing",{"id":65,"quote_text":66,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":67,"source":68,"quote_tag":69,"commentary":9},607126,"And what is it that binds all believers together? It is not creeds, it is not churches, it is not doctrines; it is the blood of the Lamb",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[70],{"id":71,"tag":72},3186242,{"id":73,"tag_name":74},4351,"christians",{"id":76,"quote_text":77,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":78,"source":79,"quote_tag":80,"commentary":9},437817,"It is \"the love of Christ\" which \"constraineth us\" \"to live not unto ourselves, but unto Him that died for us, and rose again.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[81],{"id":82,"tag":83},2516219,{"id":84,"tag_name":85},1410,"belonging",{"id":87,"quote_text":88,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":89,"source":90,"quote_tag":91,"commentary":9},238237,"If you want to reach a hand to your poor perishing fellow-sinners who are just sinking in the quicksands, you must have your own feet on the rock, for it is only by walking in God's ways that you can have firm standing-ground, whence you may reach downward, and give a helping-hand and a strong pull to those who are being engulfed in the quicksands of a perishing world.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[92,97,102,107,112,117],{"id":93,"tag":94},1482786,{"id":95,"tag_name":96},370,"strength",{"id":98,"tag":99},1482782,{"id":100,"tag_name":101},705,"lost",{"id":103,"tag":104},1482785,{"id":105,"tag_name":106},3603,"stand",{"id":108,"tag":109},1482781,{"id":110,"tag_name":111},5702,"helping",{"id":113,"tag":114},1482783,{"id":115,"tag_name":116},6683,"saving",{"id":118,"tag":119},1482780,{"id":120,"tag_name":121},9096,"differentiation",{"id":123,"quote_text":124,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":125,"source":126,"quote_tag":127,"commentary":146},231978,"Whatever brings you nearer to Jesus is a means of grace. Prayer is a means of grace, because in prayer you come to Jesus; reading the Word is a means of grace, because that Word is full of Jesus; and so partaking of the Lord's Supper is a means of grace, because it is a means of communion with Jesus.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[128,133,138,143],{"id":129,"tag":130},1448143,{"id":131,"tag_name":132},323,"grace",{"id":134,"tag":135},1448146,{"id":136,"tag_name":137},3176,"prayer",{"id":139,"tag":140},1448147,{"id":141,"tag_name":142},8422,"word-of-god",{"id":144,"tag":145},1448142,{"id":30,"tag_name":31},"**The Backstory**\nStevenson A. Blackwood, a 19th-century American Presbyterian minister, likely penned this quote in a sermon or a devotional text. This period in Blackwood's life was marked by a strong emphasis on personal spiritual growth and the pursuit of a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. As a minister, Blackwood sought to guide his congregation towards a more intimate understanding of their faith.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe quote reveals a paradoxical understanding of what constitutes a \"means of grace.\" On one hand, Blackwood identifies specific practices like prayer, reading the Word, and partaking of the Lord's Supper as means of grace. However, he also suggests that these practices are only valuable insofar as they facilitate a personal connection with Jesus. This implies that the true source of spiritual growth lies not in the practices themselves, but in the relationship they foster.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, focus on cultivating a personal relationship with your work or creative pursuit, rather than solely relying on external practices or routines. This means finding ways to infuse your daily activities with a sense of purpose and meaning that is uniquely yours, much like Blackwood's emphasis on connecting with Jesus.",{"currentPage":148,"totalPages":148,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":149},1,10]