I have a few quotes to share with you today that were spoken or written down by men who walked this earth and were considered by many to be very wise in their time.

“It’s easy to stand in the crowd but it takes courage to stand alone.” – Gandhi
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Confucius
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King

These are all great quotes, and the truths behind them all are good to remember as we live out our lives, but here are three more truths about those quotes.

1. Each of the men who spoke those quotes have since died.
2. None of those quotes contain lifesaving truths.
3. Those quotes hold no real power behind them.

I recently ran across the following phrase concerning another wise man who walked this earth: “Jesus is not some wise, dead sage whose advice is contained in dusty books. Jesus lives!”

Now, Jesus is not just a wise man who walked this earth as the aforementioned men were. We know Jesus best as our Savior from sin, God himself! Thankfully we have Jesus’ words in the Bible. His words hold real power and contain lifesaving truth. How incredible is it that God thought to give us his words in one book! Devote yourself to the words written on each page of the Bible. Our verses for today remind us: remain in him and you will bear much fruit!

Those three men, whose quotes I mentioned above, all did what many people from their time might consider wonderful works for others. And they all had various reasons to do those good deeds for their community. But the good works that we do for our friends, relatives, the students in our classrooms, and those we work with – they stem from the faith we have in Jesus! When we help others – we are sharing Jesus’ love!

You probably spoke or heard these words at Easter: “He is risen! He is risen indeed!” Jesus proved his power over sin, death and the devil when he took your sins to the cross with him, buried them in the grave with him, and then rose victorious on that joyful Easter morn! His words from the cross, “It is finished” are more powerful than any words you’ll ever hear or read from wise men who simply walk this earth. Take in Jesus’ words each day; live your faith out of love and thankfulness for what Jesus has done for you; remain in him.