“If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God first, it will make little difference what you have chosen instead.”

“If you have not chosen the kingdom of God first, it will in the end make no difference what you have chosen instead.”

“If [we] have no chosen the kingdom of God [first], it will make in the end no difference what [we] have chosen instead.”

“If, in the end, you have not chosen Jesus Christ it will not matter what you have chosen.”

“Count the number of times you have spoken. And really meant what you have said. Count the number of times you have chosen to keep quiet instead.”

“In friendship...we think we have chosen our peers. In reality a few years' difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another...the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting--any of these chances might have kept us apart. But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking no chances. A secret master of ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you," can truly say to every group of Christian friends, "Ye have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another." The friendship is not a reward for our discriminating and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of others.”