"Stop for a moment and reflect on the implications."

A thought by Charles R. Swindoll, from his book, Jesus: 09 (Great Lives Series) (p. 28). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

Okay!

Charles says, "Stretch your imagination and put yourself in His position. You are the supreme power over everything. You are beyond the need for food or safety, you do not feel pain, you cannot suffer death, you exist in a realm beyond the confines of time and three-dimensional space, and you are entirely content. As the almighty Creator of everything, you spoke the universe into existence, established a perfect habitat for living creatures, fashioned people to reflect your image, and then breathed life into them, only to have them rebel and make a mess of your world."

He goes on, "For reasons we may never completely understand, the almighty Creator loves the people He made so much that He devised a plan to save us from this mess. And that plan called for the Creator to become a human being. In the person of the Son, the timeless, all-powerful God voluntarily exited eternity and stepped into time to become a helpless human being; the Creator became as a creature to suffer the same pains we suffer, to endure the same heartaches and disappointments, struggles and temptations that afflict us, to bear the same injustices that plague human existence, and even to subject Himself to the awful consequences of sin."

He later says, "We justly and unjustly suffer the consequences of a world given over to wrongdoing. It treats us unfairly and we too often respond by committing our own unjust deeds, thus adding to the sin of the world. Then, collectively and individually, we all reap the terrible consequences of unwise and immoral choices. What a mess!"

He then says, "Fortunately, God didn’t leave us to suffer alone. In His grace, He voluntarily became one of us in the person of Jesus. And He did this in order to share our burden and, ultimately, provide a permanent solution for the mess we’ve made—the problem of evil."

God through Christ loved us so much. Now that is real love, isn't it? Yes, yes! #continuethought

Comments

“We believe it’s important to derive value from everything in our lives.”

A thought by Jon Tyson from his book, The Burden Is Light: Liberating Your Life from the Tyranny of Performance and Success (p. 118). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) But is that all that is important? Jon says, “We want to realize an immediate return from whatever we invest in. I am prone to this way of thinking in so many areas of my life. ‘I paid a lot for that meal, yet the portions were not that big.’ ‘I invested two hours in that movie, and it was just okay.’ ‘I went to church, but the sermon wasn’t that profound.’ We believe it’s important to derive value from everything in our lives. But beauty doesn’t fit within that framework. When Mary anointed Jesus with oil, there was an immediate outcry against her extravagant generosity. ‘It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.’ (Mark 14:5) One gospel depicts the disciples crying, ‘Why this waste?...

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book, Winning the War on Worry (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...

“Hurry and love are incompatible.”

A thought by John Mark Comer from his book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry (p. 23). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Wow, pretty strong thought isn’t it? John says, “All my worst moments as a father, a husband, and a pastor, even as a human being, are when I’m in a hurry—late for an appointment, behind on my unrealistic to-do list, trying to cram too much into my day. I ooze anger, tension, a critical nagging—the antitheses of love. If you don’t believe me, next time you’re trying to get your type B wife and three young, easily distracted children out of the house and you’re running late (a subject on which I have a wealth of experience), just pay attention to how you relate to them. Does it look and feel like love? Or is it far more in the vein of agitation, anger, a biting comment, a rough glare? Hurry and love are oil and water: they simply do not mix.” He goes on, “Hence, in the apostle P...

Just Continue That Thought...

Search This Blog