Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by John Ortberg from his book, The Me I Want to Be (p. 86). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) We know about physical desires, don’t we? John says, “The Old Testament is filled with commands for God’s people to feast, eat, drink, celebrate, sing, dance, shout, and make music — all things we do with our bodies. These appetites, desires, and delights can then become a way of remembering how good our God is and can lead us to become more joy-filled people. “God loves it when you enjoy stretching or training your body in new skills, or when you enjoy what your eyes see, your ears hear, your mouth tastes, and your skin feels. The physical is not separate from the spiritual; it is the Spirit who makes our bodies come to life.” He goes, on, “Have you ever had the desire to be physically attractive? (I will ask that once in a while at churches, but no one ever raises their hand.) This needs to be kept in pr...

A thought by John Ortberg from his book, The Me I Want to Be (p. 86). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) That may be true of you but as John says, “You get too busy. If deep relationships don’t just fall into your lap, you give up. Deep relationships, however, don’t just fall into our lap. Jonathan (in the Bible) had to overcome unbelievable barriers to build his friendship with David — and there is a good chance that you will, too, to build a friendship.” John goes on, “My friend Chuck has the spiritual gift of breakfast. He meets people at a southern franchise called the Waffle House. The waitress loves to wait on him because he tips well and makes everybody laugh. He is both really funny and utterly unguarded about his own brokenness, which makes people open up to him like tulips in the sun. And although he often ponders doubts when he is alone, he feels God’s presence most powerfully when he sits in the Waffle Hou...

A thought by John Ortberg from his book, The Me I Want to Be (p. 85). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) John continues, “He was constantly moving, teaching, building, and motivating. He described his life with metaphors such as ‘I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race.’ (2 Timothy 4:7) God did not take away Paul’s desire to achieve; rather, he harnessed it so that Paul could serve others.” John goes on, “We all have desires to achieve things because God created us to have dominion. That is why the writer of Ecclesiastes says, ‘Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.’ (Ecclesiastes 9:10) It is a good thing to want to achieve. “Maybe you have a strong drive in your career. Maybe you are highly motivated by the opportunity to learn. Maybe you just love to accomplish. If your achievement desires are leading you to workaholism, to worshiping status, to neglecting prayer, or to using ...