There is nothing I want more than to make His Gospel known to the world and to convert many people (LW 26:379).

ON FAITH

Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man would stake his life on it a thousand times . . . O, it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith; and so it is impossible for it not to do good works incessantly (Romans’ Preface).

Rather than seeking its own good, the love of God flows forth and bestows good. Therefore sinners are attractive because they are loved; they are not loved because they are attractive (LW 31:57).

ON PRAYER

Oh, if I could only pray the way this dog watches the meat! All his thoughts are concentrated on the piece of meat. Otherwise he has no thought, wish, or hope (LW 54:38).

I am accordingly compelled to pray it [the Catechism] every day, even aloud, and whenever I happen to be prevented by the press of duties from observing my hour of prayer, the entire day is bad for me (LW 54:17).

ON MARRIAGE

It is impossible to keep peace between man and woman in family life if they do not condone and overlook each other’s faults, but watch everything to the smallest point. For who does not at one time offend (W 1, 457)?

ON DEPRESSION

Those who are troubled with melancholy ought to be very careful not to be alone, for God created the fellowship of the church and commanded brotherliness, as the Scriptures testify, ‘Woe to him who is alone when he falls, etc.’ [Eccles. 4:10] (LW 54:16).

ON GOD’S LOVE AGAIN

Our Lord God must be a devout man to be able to love knaves. I myself can’t do it, although I am a knave myself (LW 54:32).

ON BIBLE READING

For some years now I have read through the Bible twice every year. If you picture the Bible to be a mighty tree and every word a little branch, I have shaken every one of these branches because I wanted to know what it was and what it meant (LW 54:165).

ON KATY, HIS WIFE

I wouldn’t give up my Katy for France or for Venice (LW 54:7).

ON CHURCH GROWTH

We should preach the Word, but the results must be left solely to God’s good pleasure . . . I opposed indulgences and all the papists, but never with force. I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept, or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philip and Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing; the Word did everything (LW 51:77).

ON FAITH WITHOUT LOVE

Dear friends, the kingdom of God, - and we are that kingdom - does not consist in talk or words, but in activity, in deeds, in works and exercises. God does not want hearers and repeaters of words, but followers and doers, and this occurs through faith and love. For a faith without love is not enough - rather it is not faith at all, but a counterfeit faith (LW 51:71).

ON THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN DOCTRINE AND LIFE

Therefore doctrine and life should be distinguished as sharply as possible. Doctrine belongs to God, not to us; and we are called only as its ministers. Therefore we cannot give up or change even one dot of it (Matt. 5:18). Life belongs to us; therefore when it comes to this, there is nothing that the Sacramentarians can demand from us that we are not willing and obliged to undertake, condone, and tolerate (LW 27:37).

ON LOVE THAT TOLERATES FALSE DOCTRINE

A curse on a love that is observed at the expense of the doctrine of faith, to which everything must yield - love, an apostle, an angel from heaven, etc.! (LW 27:38).

ON MUSIC

Music is an outstanding gift of God and next to theology. I would not give up my slight knowledge of music for a great consideration. And youth should be taught this art; for it makes fine skillful people (W-T 3, No. 3815).

Nor am I at all of the opinion that all the arts are to be overthrown and cast aside by the Gospel, as some superspiritual people protest; but I would gladly see all the arts, especially music, in the service of Him who has given and created them (W 35, 474).

ON HUMILITY

if you are highly pleased when someone praises you in the presence of others; if perhaps you look for praise, and would sulk or quit what you are doing if you did not get it — if you are of that stripe, dear friend, then take yourself by the ears, and if you do this in the right way you will find a beautiful pair of big, long, shaggy donkey ears (LW 34:288).