“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” John 12:32 (NIV)
Please pray for me, that I may have both spiritual and physical strength to perform my duties;that I may not only speak the truth but become the truth; that I may not only be called a Christian, but also live like a Christian.
Yet I do not want people to look to me as an example, for at best I can only be a pale reflection of Christ Jesus; let people look away from the reflection and turn to the reality. Christianity is not a matter of persuading people of particular ideas, but of inviting them to share in the greatness of Christ.
So pray that I may never fall into the trap of impressing people with clever speech, but instead I may learn to speak with humility, desiring only to impress people with Christ himself.
- Ignatius of Antioch, 35-108 A. D.More on Igantius here.