Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Gary Chapman, from his book, When Sorry Isn't Enough (p. 10). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) This could be an important subject at this time of the year. Gary continues, "That is because we have different 'languages' of apology. He says, " 'I have seen this often in my counseling,' Dr. Jennifer Thomas said. 'One spouse says, " 'If he would only apologize,' " and the other says, " 'I have apologized.' " So they get into an argument about what it means to apologize. Of course, they have different perceptions.' "I have observed numerous couples in my office exhibiting similar behavior. It was obvious they were not connecting with each other. The supposed apology was not having the desired effect of forgiveness and reconciliation. I also remember occasions in my own marriage when Karolyn would apologize but I considered it rather weak, ...

A thought by David Jeremiah, from his book,  Why the Nativity?: 25 Compelling Reasons We Celebrate the Birth of Jesus  (p. 21). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Sounds a lot like us, doesn't it? Earlier David says, "Imagine this scenario: A world leader plans to send a man on a mission of the utmost urgency. The fate of the world rests upon the success of this operation. So the commander thinks carefully, strategically, about his plan. Nothing can be left to chance; every detail must be carefully considered. "The leader will send only the perfect candidate for his mission. He must decide where to deploy his agent, how to get him there, and what goals should be attempted. And timing means everything. If the mission goes into operation too soon or too late, everything will be lost." He continues, "The ultimate World Leader—the one at the very top of the chain—planned just such a mission. Th...

  A thought by David Jeremiah, from his book,  Why the Nativity?: 25 Compelling Reasons We Celebrate the Birth of Jesus  (p. 17). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) These are two of the first four writers of the New Testament in the Bible. David continues, "These writers wanted to set down the wonderful story of how Jesus first entered our world. Imagine what would have been lost to our understanding and appreciation if someone hadn’t preserved the remarkable events of Bethlehem, of the shepherds and wise men, of the inns and the stable. "Without our accounts of the early life of Jesus, we would know almost nothing about Joseph, the quiet adoptive father who protected the infancy of the Savior of the world. Of course, that was a detail our Lord didn’t want us to miss. So he sent these two men from different backgrounds and with different goals for their narratives." He goes on, "Luke, the physi...

  A thought by David Jeremiah, from his book,  Why the Nativity?: 25 Compelling Reasons We Celebrate the Birth of Jesus  (p. 11). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) But something was about to happen. David continues, "These were her final days as a young maiden. "And then, in the midst of routine and readiness, a single supernatural moment shattered the normality of her life. An angel stood before her, as the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel recounts. When did it happen? Perhaps Mary was kneeling beside her bed, attending to prayers, beginning or finishing a day. How frightening the sudden arrival of a heavenly messenger must have been! " 'Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you,' Gabriel said—for it was that particular angel, one of the greatest in God’s service (Luke 1:28). Seeing her terror, he assured her there was no reason to fear, for the news he brought was wonderful. God had de...

A thought by David Jeremiah, from his book,  Why the Nativity?: 25 Compelling Reasons We Celebrate the Birth of Jesus  (p. 7). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) So there had to be a solution for us to be introduced personally to God the Father. David continues, "But there was another way: God himself could make the journey. He could pour his Godhood into flesh and blood and visit the earth as a man himself! He could walk among people as a full-fledged human being in every respect, yet be fully God at the same time. He had sent prophets many times, but now he would do something far more shocking. He would leave the throne of heaven to walk among them—a King in disguise, the Lord of the universe in human scale, the Creator among his creatures." He says, "Then the nature of God would be clear to all. People on earth could see what God was like. They would behold his perfect love and faithfulness, his ...

A thought by David Jeremiah, from his book,  Why the Nativity?: 25 Compelling Reasons We Celebrate the Birth of Jesus  (p. 5). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Yes they are. David continues, "He made a universe of unbounded dimensions, measured out in stars and galaxies. Its size was matched by its vast complexity, in the intricate dance of atom and molecule. The range of his artistry—his color, his sound, his silence—reflected the wealth of his power and love." He says, "But God wanted more than worlds, so he created life . He turned to his special world, the earth, and filled it with plants and animals, monstrous and microscopic—a kingdom of moving and breathing and even thinking creatures, all fashioned in wild variety. There were towering, brooding redwood trees that held court for twenty centuries, decorated by mayflies whose lives began and ended within a single day. "But God wanted mor...

A thought by David Jeremiah, from his book, Why the Nativity?: 25 Compelling Reasons We Celebrate the Birth of Jesus (p. 1). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Yes it is but what is David's point? He says, "We live each day immersed in it, so we cannot imagine a life outside of it, looking in. Time marches by us, moment by moment and year by year. It leaves its mark upon us more than we leave our mark upon it." He goes on, "Imagine standing several miles from a great mountain range. You admire the majestic chain from its foothills in the west to the last outcroppings in the east. But if you didn’t have that separation—if you were standing on one of the mountains—you would see only the scenery that was right around you. "God watches over us from outside the straight mountain range that is time. He sees past, present, and future in one unbroken line. And as long as we are travelers through t...

  A thought by Max Lucado, from his book,  You Were Made for This Moment  (p. 162). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) He does, He really does. Max says, "It seems to me that the entire world is in a state of trauma. "People do not know why they were born or where they are destined to go. This is the age of much know-how and very little know-why. The invisible enemies of sin and secularism have left us dazed and bewildered. "The world needs you! We need people with the resolve of Mordecai and the courage of Esther. The world is in desperate need of a people of God who will stay steady in the chaos." He later says, "Bombs are still dropped. Worlds still explode. Walls still collapse. Pandemics still rage. But in the midst of it all, the Lord still has his people. And when they proclaim the truth of God in the middle of a crumbling world, you never know who might be changed." He then says, "God is ...

A thought by Max Lucado, from his book,  You Were Made for This Moment  (p. 154). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Ok, what is it? Max asks, "Is anything too hard for God? Does he ever give up because the problem is too great? Does he ever throw up his hands and quit? Does he ever shake his head at the sound of a prayer request and say, 'I can’t handle that problem'?" He continues, "The answer, the welcome answer, is, 'No, nothing is too hard for the Lord.' "You must start here. Don’t measure the height of the mountain. Ponder the power of the One who made it. Don’t tell God how big your storm is. Tell the storm how big your God is. Your problem is not that your problem is so big but that your view of God is too small. "Accept the invitation of the psalmist: 'O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together' (Ps. 34:3 KJV). Our tendency is to magnify our fears. We pl...

A thought by Max Lucado, from his book,  You Were Made for This Moment  (p. 154). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is the story. Max says, "When I was twelve years of age, I took on a summer responsibility of managing the houses of vacationing neighbors. It was their idea, not mine. Three families who lived side by side were planning to be out of town for a month. They each needed someone to cut their lawns, feed their pets, water their gardens. In sum they wanted to make sure their properties were cared for. They invited me to take the job. More accurately, they asked my dad to ask me to take the job. He didn’t ask me. He told me. I didn’t want to do it. After all, I had Little League games to play, a bike to ride, and uh, uh, uh . . . Those were the only two reasons I could muster. They got me no traction. "Before I knew it, I was sitting down with each of the families, making a list of the tasks I needed to...

  A thought by Max Lucado, from his book,  You Were Made for This Moment  (p. 131). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) A what? Max continues, "It’s a literary device that describes a redirected storyline. It’s that moment in the book that causes you to stay up past your bedtime because you can’t believe what just happened." He later says, "Are your days marked by mourning, fasting, weeping, and lamenting? Does the promise of a reversal seem too distant, too remote? "Maybe an illness has taken its toll. Sorrow has taken your joy. Maybe you live under the shadow of a Haman. You report to a self-centered creep. Your elected officials are out of touch with reality. You are married to a spouse who isn’t the same spouse you married. Your skin color isn’t the accepted color of your culture. "The struggles of life have pilfered the life out of your life, and you don’t know where to turn. You’ve been disappointed s...

A thought by Max Lucado, from his book,  You Were Made for This Moment  (p. 120). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Yes, God is love but He also is just. Max continues, "When you do, when you teach a disabled child to walk or read, when you care for the elderly whose sight is dim or memory is fading, when you rally support for the marginalized or oppressed, you accomplish something that will continue into the world to come. It’s a wonderful thing to restore art, antique cars, or dilapidated houses. But it is a holy thing to restore human dignity." Max later says, "... when we join hands with God, justice finds oxygen, and oppression hides in the corner. "To be clear, the day is coming when God will forever balance the scales of justice. The glory of the new kingdom will be hallmarked by prosperity and justice. The next life will have no need for rescue missions, welfare programs, homeless shelters, or relief a...

  A thought by Max Lucado, from his book,  You Were Made for This Moment  (p. 107). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) No matter what you are going through, "Assume that God is at work." Max says, "Yours is coming. Assume that God is at work. Move forward as if God is moving forward in your life. Give no quarter to the voices of doubt and fear. Don’t cower to the struggle." He continues the thought, "You can’t see God’s hand? Can’t make sense of his ways? That’s okay. Obey what you know to do, and be patient for what you don’t. 'Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength' (Isa. 40:31 NKJV)." He then says, "When the world seems off the rails, hold fast to this truth: Butterfly wings don’t determine the course of history. God does. He did in the days of Esther. He still does today." Maybe that is what you needed to read today. Maybe! Yes, yes! #continuethought