Reflections from Blaise Pascal

One of my favorite Christian French mathematicians and philosophers is Blaise Pascal. I recently came across one of his quotes that I used in one of the messages that I taught in my church. Since I had not blogged in a while I thought it would be fun to share a few quotes with you. Let me know if any of these are thought provoking for you.

First of all, my favorite that has been quoted in many different sources:

“What else does this craving and this helplessness proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and traces. This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God Himself.”

I like this quote because as I examine the people that I know, both saved people and those who are not, I see that they are searching form something. Many times they do not know what they are searching for and the only true answer to fill that hole in their heart is God.

“Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.”

I like this one and have actually used it when I have been presenting the gospel to other people. We have the world to gain if we believe in a God and He does exist and nothing to lose if we believe in Him and He does not.

“Human beings must be known to be loved; but Divine beings must be loved to be known.”

Love this one as well. It seems that those who never really make God their priority never truly experience His person completely.

“I have made this letter longer than usual, only because I have not had the time to make it shorter.”

This is so true. It is amazing that as I look at my own life how easy it is just to talk and pretty much say nothing but if I want to say something impacting it takes forever to plan what I want to say.

“If our condition were truly happy, we would not seek diversion from it in order to make ourselves happy.”

I like the point he is making. If we really were so happy with the way things were going then why do we spend so much time trying to get away.

“It is the heart which perceives God and not the reason. That is what faith is: God perceived by the heart, not by reason.”

Although God can be proved to exist by reason there are still things that we have do simply do by faith and simply trust in God. I like it.

“Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction.”

Ouch!!! Enough said.

“The only shame is to have none.”

I like this one because it keeps us humble.

“The strength of man’s virtue must not be measured by his efforts, but by his ordinary life.”

So many times we find ourselves trying to be great by trying to do great things when greatness is a result of living the same way day in and day out. I like this basic truth.

“Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that unless we love truth, we cannot know it.”

It is amazing how times have not changed much from his time to ours.

I encourage you to pick up a few books by Pascal. Makes you think and challenges you.


DaRonn