Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Craig Groeschel from his book, Divine Direction: 7 Decisions That Will Change Your Life (p. 191). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) There are things that we say that sound so good and we hope they are true. Craig says, “Maybe you’ve heard well-meaning people say, ‘God will never give you more than you can handle.’ While this sounds good and it might feel right, nowhere in the Bible does it ever actually say that. I’m almost certain most people are misquoting 1 Corinthians 10:13 when they say this. That verse reads, ‘And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.’ Clearly, we see that God won’t let you be tempted beyond what you can handle. But Scripture never says that God won’t give you more than you can handle.” He goes on, “I’d argue the opposite. God often allows you to experience more than you can handle to teach you to trust and depend on him.” Later he says, “D...

A thought by Craig Groeschel from his book, Divine Direction: 7 Decisions That Will Change Your Life (p. 190). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) There are a lot of questions that we have about storms and troubles and if God causes them or just allows them to happen. Craig says, “Some say that God never causes anything bad to happen. Since God is a good God, they suggest that he causes only good things, and all bad things come from our evil opposition. Others argue that God is so big and sovereign that he rules the whole universe and causes everything that happens on earth and in heaven.” He goes on, “Honestly, I don’t know. I’m not God. I can’t tell you whether God causes storms or just allows them. But one thing you can count on is this: God always uses storms. When we love him and we’re pursuing his purposes, he’s always working things out for our good (Rom. 8:28). “When we recognize this truth, we can decide ...

A thought by Craig Groeschel from his book, Divine Direction: 7 Decisions That Will Change Your Life (p. 144). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I remember when we were living in Las Vegas and I was sitting with my kids waiting in a hospital for Cancer surgery on Margaret, my wife, and their mother and looking up and seeing a very good friend from Phoenix walking in to be with us.   I don’t think he really realized what that meant to me.   Real friends are so important. Craig said, “Who do you call in those moments? Who do you want to confide in as you enter the valley of the shadow of life’s most heart-wrenching events? “Other than family members, most people either call a close friend or wish they had someone they could call. In those moments, we desperately need each other. We need someone who cares to be present with us, someone to listen to us vent or hold us while we cry. We need trusted friends to lo...