"God’s plan was made for you before you!"

A thought by Michael Todd, from his book, Relationship Goals (p. 19). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

He really was.

Michael continues, "Let me prove it.

"Once, God told the prophet Jeremiah, 'Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.' (Jeremiah 1:5)"

"In other words, Jeremiah had a God-given mission before he even took his first breath. But before you dismiss that as a special case, let me tell you that it’s not just prophets or other unusual people who have a place in God’s plan. We all have God-given, inborn purposes."

Michael says, "An apostle said it: 'We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago' (Ephesian 2:10). You’re a masterpiece! He’s got good things for you to do, planned before you were born!

"... We all have a variety of purposes in life that I truly believe we’re supposed to fulfill. These aren’t just things we dream up. They’re dreams that God has planted in us. And my purposes added to your purposes, added to the purposes of millions of others, combine to produce the kingdom that God is building. Within that perspective, what seems small (my little dreams and aspirations or yours) is really big."

He goes on, "So, we should look at this purpose thing in a context—the context of what God is doing. What is God’s purpose in relationships? What guidelines has He been teaching about relationships that we need to follow so that we’re doing this His way?

"Our encouragement is this: It’s not all on us. God instructs us, guides us, and teaches us how to aim at the right relationship goals."

Psalm 32:8, (NKJV) says, I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye."

Michael then says, "The more we seek Him, the more we’ll find out what He wants for us and the more we’ll desire to pursue it. God will help us find the right target for our relational arrows. And it will be better than we could find anywhere else.

"Culture’s views on relationship are a moving target. Culture says marriage looks like this in one decade, then like that in another decade. The term dating used to imply physically going out somewhere. But now we have 'Netflix and chill,' and you don’t have to be committed to anybody to cross the line into private areas.

"God wants every single one of us to have successful relationships, but we have to have a goal that is stable enough for us to aim at. So, let me point out to you that the only thing that is unchangeable, unwavering, and immovable is the Word of God. Isaiah 40:8 tells us, 'The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.' So, I dare you—no, I double-dog dare you—to let the standard of your relationships be God’s Word... Let’s just see what would happen in our hearts, minds, and lives if we would follow the stable, biblical model of relationships instead of following our own feelings or other people’s examples."

And that is a great place to go, isn't it? Yes, yes! #continuethought

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle? Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

“God does big things with small deeds.”

A thought by Max Lucado (2011-05-02) from his book, Cure for the Common Life (p. 115). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I don’t know how you feel about what you are doing and how it can make a difference. You may feel that it is so small and not even worth the effort. Max says, “Begin. Just begin! What seems small to you might be huge to someone else. Just ask Bohn Fawkes. During World War II, he piloted a B-17. On one mission he sustained flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. Even though his gas tanks were hit, the plane did not explode, and Fawkes was able to land the plane. “On the morning following the raid, Fawkes asked his crew chief for the German shell. He wanted to keep a souvenir of his incredible good fortune. The crew chief explained that not just one but eleven shells had been found in the gas tanks, none of which had exploded. “Technicians opened the missiles and found them void of explosive cha...

"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...

Just Continue That Thought...

Search This Blog