The late Dallas Willard, author of The Divine Conspiracy (HarperOne, 1998), had much to say about the journey of Christian discipleship in a confused and turbulent world. In the course of his long career as an author and philosopher, he wrote much about Christian spiritual formation—that is, the active pursuit and development of a life of faith.
We’ve launched a daily devotional that draws on the devotional insights of Dallas Willard. In conjunction with that, I’ve gone through Renewing the Christian Mind: Essays, Interviews, and Talks—a newly published collection of Willard’s best work—to highlight some of his most memorable insights. Here are five of my favorites:
5. On Christian Vocation
“It is as great and difficult a spiritual calling to run the factories and the mines, the banks and the department stores, the schools and government agencies for the kingdom of God as it is to pastor a church or serve as evangelist. The division of vocations into sacred and secular does incalculable damage to our individual lives and to the cause of Christ.”
4. On Trust Without Obedience
“The idea that you can trust Christ and not intend to obey him is an illusion…. In fact, you can no more trust Jesus and not intend to obey him than you could trust your doctor or your auto mechanic and not intend to follow their advice. If you do not intend to follow their advice, you simply do not trust them.”
3. On Bible Study and Worship
“Now, we must not worship without study, for ignorant worship is of limited value and can be very dangerous. We may develop “a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge” (Rom. 10:2), and then do great harm to ourselves and others. But worship must be added to study to complete the renewal of our mind through a willing absorption in the radiant person who is worthy of all praise. Study without worship is also dangerous, and the people of Jesus constantly suffer from its effects, especially in academic settings. To handle the things of God without worship is always to falsify them.”
2. On Serving the Poor
“Does it take great and awkward effort even to acknowledge the presence of the needy person, to speak to her, or to take her hand or help her with managing her few possessions? Are we frightened of the homeless though the circumstances in which we encounter them are perfectly safe? Do we shrink from being seen near them or dealing with them? Is his smell and dirtiness alone enough to repel us? Or, if he is not in this extreme condition, does the fact that he is without work or an apartment or an automobile make us treat him as if he were ‘different’ or wholly other? Then we have not truly beheld our own lost and ruined condition, and because of this we cannot heartily love our brother and sister.”
1. On Abandonment to God
“Abandonment to God is the fruitful way to experience good under God. It means relinquishing ‘our way.’ It means not being angry or resentful when things do not go our way. It means that in God’s hands we are content for him to take charge of outcomes. And in that posture we make way for him to occupy our lives with us, and achieve what is best for us and for others far beyond anything we can even imagine.”
“It is as great and difficult a spiritual calling to run the factories and the mines, the banks and the department stores, the schools and government agencies for the kingdom of God as it is to pastor a church or serve as evangelist. The division of vocations into sacred and secular does incalculable damage to our individual lives and to the cause of Christ.”
“The idea that you can trust Christ and not intend to obey him is an illusion…. In fact, you can no more trust Jesus and not intend to obey him than you could trust your doctor or your auto mechanic and not intend to follow their advice. If you do not intend to follow their advice, you simply do not trust them.”
3. On Bible Study and Worship
“Now, we must not worship without study, for ignorant worship is of limited value and can be very dangerous. We may develop “a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge” (Rom. 10:2), and then do great harm to ourselves and others. But worship must be added to study to complete the renewal of our mind through a willing absorption in the radiant person who is worthy of all praise. Study without worship is also dangerous, and the people of Jesus constantly suffer from its effects, especially in academic settings. To handle the things of God without worship is always to falsify them.”
2. On Serving the Poor
“Does it take great and awkward effort even to acknowledge the presence of the needy person, to speak to her, or to take her hand or help her with managing her few possessions? Are we frightened of the homeless though the circumstances in which we encounter them are perfectly safe? Do we shrink from being seen near them or dealing with them? Is his smell and dirtiness alone enough to repel us? Or, if he is not in this extreme condition, does the fact that he is without work or an apartment or an automobile make us treat him as if he were ‘different’ or wholly other? Then we have not truly beheld our own lost and ruined condition, and because of this we cannot heartily love our brother and sister.”
1. On Abandonment to God
“Abandonment to God is the fruitful way to experience good under God. It means relinquishing ‘our way.’ It means not being angry or resentful when things do not go our way. It means that in God’s hands we are content for him to take charge of outcomes. And in that posture we make way for him to occupy our lives with us, and achieve what is best for us and for others far beyond anything we can even imagine.”
“Now, we must not worship without study, for ignorant worship is of limited value and can be very dangerous. We may develop “a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge” (Rom. 10:2), and then do great harm to ourselves and others. But worship must be added to study to complete the renewal of our mind through a willing absorption in the radiant person who is worthy of all praise. Study without worship is also dangerous, and the people of Jesus constantly suffer from its effects, especially in academic settings. To handle the things of God without worship is always to falsify them.”
“Does it take great and awkward effort even to acknowledge the presence of the needy person, to speak to her, or to take her hand or help her with managing her few possessions? Are we frightened of the homeless though the circumstances in which we encounter them are perfectly safe? Do we shrink from being seen near them or dealing with them? Is his smell and dirtiness alone enough to repel us? Or, if he is not in this extreme condition, does the fact that he is without work or an apartment or an automobile make us treat him as if he were ‘different’ or wholly other? Then we have not truly beheld our own lost and ruined condition, and because of this we cannot heartily love our brother and sister.”
1. On Abandonment to God
“Abandonment to God is the fruitful way to experience good under God. It means relinquishing ‘our way.’ It means not being angry or resentful when things do not go our way. It means that in God’s hands we are content for him to take charge of outcomes. And in that posture we make way for him to occupy our lives with us, and achieve what is best for us and for others far beyond anything we can even imagine.”
“Abandonment to God is the fruitful way to experience good under God. It means relinquishing ‘our way.’ It means not being angry or resentful when things do not go our way. It means that in God’s hands we are content for him to take charge of outcomes. And in that posture we make way for him to occupy our lives with us, and achieve what is best for us and for others far beyond anything we can even imagine.”
If you found these quotes insightful, sign up for the year-long Dallas Willard Daily Devotional to get more Willard insights sent to your inbox each morning! It’s a good way to sample the best of Willard’s writing if you’re not familiar with his work. You might also want to check out the book from which the devotional (and the quotes above) are drawn, Renewing the Christian Mind: Essays, Interviews, and Speeches of Dallas Willard. However you do so, I encourage you to explore Willard’s writing—although he passed away several years ago, his lifetime of work remains extremely relevant for Christians today.
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