Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Max Lucado (2015-09-15) from his book, Glory Days: Living Your Promised Land Life Now (p. 147). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Now Max is not talking about being on the 101 headed to my wife’s work each morning.   I do change lanes to get there.   No, he’s talking about being the you that you were created to be. He gives an illustration, “A little boy named Adam wanted to be like his friend Bobby. Adam loved the way Bobby walked and talked. Bobby, however, wanted to be like Charlie. Something about Charlie’s stride and accent intrigued him. Charlie, on the other hand, was impressed with Danny. Charlie wanted to look and sound like Danny. Danny, of all things, had a hero as well: Adam. He wanted to be just like Adam. So Adam was imitating Bobby, who was imitating Charlie, who was imitating Danny, who was imitating Adam. Turns out, all Adam had to do was be himself.”   Max goes on, “Nothing good happen

A thought by Max Lucado (2015-09-15) from his book, Glory Days: Living Your Promised Land Life Now (p. 133). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Now there is something you and I need to do before this and that is to as Max says, “Consult God on everything. Always. Immediately. Quickly. Live with one ear toward heaven. Keep the line open to God.”   That is where we start. He goes on, “At every decision. At each crossroads. Acknowledge him, heed him, ask him, ‘Do I turn right or left?’ ‘Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths’ (Prov. 3:5–6). Our relationship with God is exactly that, a relationship. His invitation is clear and simple: ‘Come and talk with me, O my people’ (Ps. 27:8 TLB). And our response? ‘Lord, I am coming’ (v. 8 TLB). We abide with him, and he abides with us. He grants wisdom as we need it.” Max says

A thought by Max Lucado (2015-09-15) from his book, Glory Days: Living Your Promised Land Life Now (p. 110). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Maybe you need this today.   Maybe you feel like one big failure. Max says, “His (God ’s ) book is written for failures. It is full of folks who were foul-ups and flops. David was a moral failure, yet God used him. Elijah was an emotional train wreck after Mount Carmel, but God blessed him. Jonah was in the belly of a fish when he prayed his most honest prayer, and God heard it. Perfect people? No. Perfect messes? You bet. Yet God used them. A surprising and welcome discovery of the Bible is this: God uses failures.” The Bible says, “The steps of good men are directed by the Lord. He delights in each step they take. If they fall, it isn’t fatal, for the Lord holds them with his hand” (Ps. 37:23–24 TLB). Max says, “How essential it is that you understand this. Miss this tr