Bob goff quotes

God's big plan: go love everybody, always!

I'm all for getting together with men and women in small groups around Scripture and letting it just wash over us, but for me, I've been meeting with the same ten guys for like 15 years now, but we don't have a Bible study every Friday, we have a Bible doing.

The teachers I've learned the most from, didn't think they were teaching me; they just thought we were friends.

I used to think God wouldn’t talk to me, but now I know I’m just selective with what I choose to hear.

Love like there's no tomorrow; live like there's no yesterday. We're forgiven; now go love people like we believe it

God's never as nervous about our future, or as concerned about our past, as we are.

Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won't have a title until much later.

God often waits until we're out of ideas before He lets us know His plans. He competes for our hearts, not our attention.

The words we speak to each other should leave stretch marks, not bruises. Love is always picky about what it says.

Instead of closing our eyes and bowing our heads, sometimes God wants us to keep our eyes open for people in need, do something about it, and bow our whole lives to Him instead.

I used to think being loved was the greatest thing to think about, but now I know love is never satisfied just thinking about it.

Jesus always pointed people towards a better version of themselves - particularly when they'd failed.

Selfless love is always costly; fear can't afford it, pride doesn't understand it and friends never forget it.

Love God. Love people. And do stuff. That's my punch list everyday.

We determine how much influence we'll have, when we decide how available we'll be.

The world will figure out what we really believe, by watching what we actually do.

Don't save up love like you're trying to retire on it; give it away like you're made of it.

I've learned that God sometimes allows us to find ourselves in a place where we want something so bad that we can't see past it. Sometimes we can't even see God because of it. When we want something that bad, it's easy to mistake what we truly need for the thing we really want. When this sort of thing happens, and it seems to happen to everyone, I've found it's because what God has for us is obscured from view, just around another bend in the road.

I used to think I could shape the circumstances around me, but now I know Jesus uses circumstances to shape me.

Love one another. We don't need more instructions; we need more examples.

Don't let other people decide who you are.

Stop doing what you're able to do and figure out what you were made to do - then do lots of that.

God finds us in the holes we dig for ourselves. We see failures; He sees foundations.

Jesus modelled that we don’t need to talk about everything we’ve done. It’s like He’s saying, what if we were just to do awesome, incredible stuff together while we’re here on earth and the fact that only He knew would be enough? If we did, we wouldn’t get confused about who was really making things happen. Not surprisingly, we’d get a lot more done too, because we wouldn’t care who’s looking or taking credit. All that energy would be funnelled into awesomeness.

Don't let who you were talk you out of who you are becoming.

Be ambitious about things that last.

Figure out what fuels your joy, then do lots of that

Whimsy doesn't care if you are the driver or the passenger; all that matters is that you are on your way.

If we only do what we're familiar with, we might miss what we've been made for.

No one leads people to Jesus; He leads people to Himself. All the pressure's off; just go love everybody without agenda.

Grace means we don't need to airbrush our lives to make them look like they're working.

Live a life of conspicuous grace and courageous resolve.

I once heard somebody say that God had closed a door on an opportunity they had hoped for. But I've always wondered if when we want to do something that we know is right and good, God places that desire deep in our hearts because He wants it for us and it honors Him. Maybe there are times when we think a door has been closed and, instead of misinterpreting the circumstances, God wants us to kick it down. Or perhaps just sit outside of it long enough until somebody tells us we can come in.

When you love people like Jesus, you get messy. But messy looks good on you!

What distracts us will begin to define us. We don't need to swing at every pitch.

I don't think anyone aims to be typical, really. Most people even vow to themselves some time in high school or college not to be typical. But still, they just kind of loop back to it somehow. Like the circular rails of a train at an amusement park, the scripts we know offer a brand of security, of predictability, of safety for us. But the problem is, they only take us where we've already been. They loop us back to places where everyone can easily go, not necessarily where we were made to go. Living a different kind of life takes some guts and grit and a new way of seeing things.

Jesus never told His friends to play it safe.

The way we deal with uncertainty says a lot about whether Jesus is ahead of us leading, or behind us just carrying our stuff.

Cynicism is fear posing as confidence; joy is hope let off the leash.

Courageous people feel the same fear everyone else does, they just decide to not be afraid anymore.

Every time we see people as ordinary, we turn the wine back into water.

God pursues us into whatever dark place we've landed and behind whatever locked door holds us in. He holds our unwashed and dirty hands and models how He wants us to pursue each other And He says to ordinary people like me and you that instead of closing our eyes and bowing our heads, sometimes God wants us to keep our eyes open for people in need, do something about it, and bow our whole lives to Him instead.

Failure is just part of the process, and it's not just okay; it's better than okay. God doesn't want failure to shut us down. God didn't make it a three-strikes-and-you're-out sort of thing. It's more about how God helps us dust ourselves off so we can swing for the fences again. And all of this without keeping a meticulous record of our screw-ups.

Extravagant love is never wasted.

Love doesn't try to be efficient; when it is most extravagant, it is least wasted.

Whatever you're aiming for, God's better.

Nobody turns down an invitation to the White House, but I’ve seen plenty of people turn down an invitation to fully live.

Something happens when you feel ownership. You no longer act like a spectator or consumer, because you're an owner. Faith is at its best when it's that way too. It's best lived when it's owned.

We won't figure out what's sacred in life if we settle for what's safe.

Fear will give us a reason not to try; hope will give us a reason not to listen.

I used to think I could learn about Jesus by studying Him, but now I know Jesus doesn't want stalkers.

Day turned to night, His friends scattered and death thought it had won. But heaven just started counting to three

See people for who they're becoming. Not who they were.

God never said He'd eliminate all of the chaos from our lives; He just said He'd bring meaning to it.

What I noticed, though, is almost every time I type the word love, it gets changed to the word live… I learned that fully loving and fully living are not only synonymous but the kind of life that Jesus invited us to be part of.

Grace draws a circle around everyone and says they're in.

The thing I love about God is He intentionally guides people into failure.

Grace works that way. It's a kind word from a gentle person with an impossible prayer. It's a force sometimes transmitted best hand to hand in a dark place.

Fix your eyes on Jesus; it's ok to stare.

Words people say not only have a shelf life but have the ability to shape life.

God's grace comes in all shapes, sizes, and circumstances as God continues to unfold something magnificent in me.

We'll fill our lives with what we cultivate the most. Plant grace by the acre.

Loving people the way Jesus did, means living a life of constant interruptions. Bring it.

We'll become whoever we trust the most says we are.

We won't be like Jesus if it's more important to us to be like each other. God doesn't compare what he creates.

I used to think you had to be special for God to use you, but now I know you simply need to say yes.

The way we love people we disagree with is the best evidence of what we really believe.

Don't let not knowing how it'll end keep you from beginning. Uncertainty chases us out into the open where God is waiting.

Being engaged is a way of doing life, a way of living and loving. It's about going to extremes and expressing the bright hope that life offers us, a hope that makes us brave and expels darkness with light. That's what I want my life to be all about - full of abandon, whimsy, and in love.

Love God, love your neighbors, and do stuff!

I used to think God guided us by opening and closing doors, but now I know sometimes God wants us to kick some doors down.

We won't be distracted by comparison if we're captivated with purpose.

God made beauty so we'd know how He felt about us.

I used to be afraid of failing at something that really mattered to me, but now I'm more afraid of succeeding at things that don't matter.

I used to want to fix people, but now I just want to be with them.

Our opinions are what we'll be known for; our love is what we'll be remembered for

God isn't trying to make our lives easier; He wants to make them more meaningful.

The real game of Bigger and Better that Jesus is playing with us usually isn't about money or possessions or even our hopes. It's about our pride. He asks if we'll give up that thing we're so proud of, that thing we believe causes us to matter in the eyes of the world, and give it up to follow Him. He's asking us, 'Will you take what you think defines you, leave it behind, and let Me define who you are instead?'

Love doesn't just keep thinking about it or keep planning for it... Simply put: Love does!

You don't need a plan; you just need to be present.

It will be more love, not more information, that will change our hearts.

People who want to manipulate you will fear your joy, because it's not easily controlled.

We keep telling God our opinions; He keeps asking us about our hearts. We'll grow the most when we have the right conversations.

When you trust someone, you don't need to know everything.

Most people need love and acceptance a lot more than they need advice.

The most beautiful scenery in the world is when our friends come into view.

I want to go barefoot because it’s holy ground; I want to be running because time is short and none of us has as much runway as we think we do; and I want it to be a fight because that’s where we can make a difference. That’s what love does.

Grace means we can put the chalk away and stop keeping score!

Love has the kind of power criticism only wishes it had.

That's what love does - it pursues blindly, unflinchingly, and without end. When you go after something you love, you'll do anything it takes to get it, even if it costs everything.

Love does whatever it takes to multiply itself and somehow along the way everyone becomes a part of it.

Don't let uncertainty talk you into pursuing a backup plan instead of your purpose.

Courage doesn't mean we're not afraid anymore, it just means our actions aren't controlled by our doubts.

We keep asking for answers; God keeps sending us people.

It will be the people with the greatest love, not the most information, who will influence us to change.

No book is a chapter, no chapter tells the whole story, no mistake defines who we are. Hope makes our lives page turners.

I used to hope the things I did would work; now I hope they last.

I used to think that real love involved falling for someone; but now I think it usually involves standing for someone.

Do one heroic thing today; big or small doesn't matter because it defines who you are and what you really believe

Insecurity wants us to keep track of our failures; grace doesn't even write them down.

The way we treat people we disagree with most is a report card on what we've learned about love.

Stop telling people how far they have left to go. Instead tell them how far they’ve come.

People who take huge risks aren't afraid to fail. In fact, they love to fail. It's because failing means they found the edge.

We spend a lot of energy remembering failures God spent a lot of love saying we could forget.

It has always seemed to me that broken things, just like broken people, get used more; it's probably because God has more pieces to work with.

There's a lot to be concerned about; there's more to be hopeful for.

We don't really make friends, they make us.

Most of our decisions are driven by either love or fear. Figure out who's doing the talking, then decide what you'll do.

Sometimes we ask God for help and God gives us hope, not because it's different, but because it's the same.

Every day God invites us on the same kind of adventure. It's not a trip where He sends us a rigid itinerary, He simply invites us. God asks what it is He's made us to love, what it is that captures our attention, what feeds that deep indescribable need of our souls to experience the richness of the world He made. And then, leaning over us, He whispers, "Let's go do that together.

Jesus won't try to speak over the noise in our lives; love whispers so we won't be confused about who's doing the talking.

Stand up like a mountain; have faith like a rock; love like an avalanche

God doesn't break things so He can fix them; He fixes broken things so He can use them.

But the kind of love that God created and demonstrated is a costly one because it involves sacrifice and presence. It's a love that operates more like a sign language than being spoken outright.

Live your life like you're exactly who Jesus thinks you are.

I don't think success is what we've made of ourselves; I think it's what we've made of others.

What I've learned the more time I've spent following Jesus is that God delights in answering our impossible prayers.

Go be the next humblest version of yourself.

We can't always see people's pain; they can always feel our love.

We can be the light of the world without leaving our high beams on and annoying everybody.

Courage isn't the absence of fear, it's just deciding that fear isn't calling the shots anymore

I think God’s hope and plan for us is pretty simple to figure out. For those who resonate with formulas, here it is: add your whole life, your loves, your passions, and your interests together with what God said He wants us to be about, and that’s your answer.

We're part of God's much bigger plan for the whole world. Just like God's Son arrived here, so did you. And after Jesus arrived, God whispered to all of humanity “It's your move.

I don't know every step I'm supposed to take. I think Jesus just wants me to take the next step.

We need to make our faith our very own love story.