Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Play the Man: Becoming the Man God Created You to Be (p. 10). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Here is how Mark says it, “I’m naturally a peacemaker, and that can be Christlike. But sometimes keeping the peace is just conflict avoidance. Yes, Jesus calmed the storm. But He also rocked the boat! Jesus didn’t avoid conflict; He often caused it. Why? Because Jesus knew that conflict, not comfort, is the catalyst for growth. He goes on, “Orson Welles gives a famous speech in The Third Man : In Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed— but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock. ( The Third Man . Directed by Carol Reed. London: London Films, 1949.)   M...

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Play the Man: Becoming the Man God Created You to Be (p. 9). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) You may question that thought so let’s go on. Mark says, “In fact, Scripture uses the strongest type of anger, hate , to describe how we should feel about sin (Romans 12:9).   And if we hated sin more, we might do it less! Now, if that gets translated the wrong way, it’s extremely dangerous. It’s sin, not sinners. “Jesus got mad. He got mad at the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. He got mad at death when it robbed Him of His friend Lazarus. He got mad at the disciples when they tried to deter Him from the cross. He got mad at the money changers who turned the temple into a den of thieves, and then He threw a temple tantrum! That’s tough love!” He goes on, “Now, here’s a little tip. If you try to play God instead of playing the man, it won’t work out so well. When ...

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Play the Man: Becoming the Man God Created You to Be (p. 6). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Love has so many meanings, doesn’t it?   Now tough love may not be so romantic, but it could make a real difference in you and someone close to you. Mark says, “The message of the gospel can be captured in two words: love conquers. But that love is not the puppy love our culture celebrates à la The Bachelorette. It’s a long-suffering love. It’s a love that always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres (1 Corinthians 13:7). It’s a love that even loves its enemies. “Tough love is sacrificial love— a love that is willing to be nailed to a cross for someone else’s sin. Tough love is unconditional love— a love that is not dictated by someone else’s performance. Tough love is covenantal love— for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in ...