Just Continue That Thought...

  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

  A thought by Max Lucado, from his book,  You Were Made for This Moment  (p. 72). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) A very good and important question, isn't it? Max says, "That is no small question. Indeed, that is the question. The vast majority of people see no pending relief. Their summary of life reads like a Shakespearean tragedy. 'We live in a beautiful but broken world. It cannot be fixed. Nothing can be done. We make the best of it and then die.' For many people that’s life in a nutshell. So it’s hardly any surprise that we live in a day marked by despair and suicide." He continues, "The story God offers is, by comparison, a golden meadow. It begins like the other but ends in a far better place. " 'We live in a beautiful but broken world. However, our Creator made this world and did not destine it or us for brokenness. He destined us for a wonderful life. His intentions for us are g...

  A thought by Max Lucado, from his book,  You Were Made for This Moment  (p. 60). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) This is so important to do. Max says, "Don’t wait until the heat of the moment. A crisis is no time to prepare an escape plan. Being in the arms of your date in a motel room is not the time or place to make up your mind about morality. The day of your final exams is not the time to decide about honesty. There is a reason the airline attendant points out the emergency exits before the plane leaves the ground. We don’t think clearly during a free fall. The time to determine to resist temptation is before it strikes." He then says, "Make up your mind now about what you will do then. And remember: Stand up for God, and he will stand with you." And that is so true, isn't it? Yes, yes! #continuethought

A thought by Max Lucado, from his book,  You Were Made for This Moment  (p. 42). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) That is a good question, a very good question. Max continues, "And whose you are? "You are the presence of Jesus in this world—an eternal being, destined for an eternal home. Pimply faced and gangly? Hogwash. You are a citizen of heaven. Unique in all of creation. . . The devil can’t touch you. The demons can’t have you. The world can’t possess you. What people think about you matters not one whit. You belong to your heavenly Father." A live oak He goes on, "I received an unexpected reminder about my identity a few weeks ago. My wife and I had the opportunity to drive through my hometown and pay respects at the grave site of my mom and dad. It’d been ten years since our last visit. It is easy to locate their burial spot. It is the only one with a live oak tree. The cemetery has many trees, mind yo...

A thought by Max Lucado, from his book, You Were Made for This Moment (p. 8). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Do you ever ask that question and are you unsure of the answer? Max continues, "Might you be open to a gold nugget that lies in the substratum of the Esther story? Quiet providence. Providence is the two-dollar term theologians use to describe God’s continuous control over history. He not only spoke the universe into being, but he governs it by his authority. He is 'sustaining all things by his powerful word' (Heb. 1:3). He is regal, royal, and—this is essential—he is right here . He is not preoccupied with the plight of Pluto at the expense of your problems and pain." He says, "He has been known to intervene dramatically. By his hand the Red Sea opened, the manna fell from heaven, a virgin gave birth, and a tomb gave life. Yet for every divine shout there are a million whispers. The book of Esth...

A thought by Max Lucado, from his book, Begin Again (p. 78). Thomas Nelson, Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Yes we do. Max says, "When God breathed into Adam, he gave him more than oxygen; he gave him a soul. He made him an eternal being. "Because of your soul, you wonder why you are here. Because of your soul, you wonder where you are going. Because of your soul, you wrestle with right and wrong, you value the lives of others, and you get choked up at the singing of the national anthem and teary-eyed at the sight of your baby." He goes on, "Your soul unites you to God. And your soul needs an anchor. Your soul is fragile. It feels the pain of death and knows the questions of disease. Your liver may suffer from the tumor, but your soul suffers from the questions. Hence, your soul needs an anchor, a hooking point that is sturdier than the storm. "This anchor is set, not on a boat or person or possession. No, this ancho...

  A thought by Max Lucado, from his book,  Begin Again   (p. 75). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) That is so true isn't it? Max says, " Boss demands more hours, doctor requires more tests, spouse wants more attention, church needs more volunteers—everyone wants more. Before long you are out of gas. Heaven has an ample supply of energy. But how do you make the connection? How do you put God’s gas in your tank?" He goes on, "Here is my suggestion. Fill your tank with the promises of God. One student of Scripture spent a year and a half attempting to tally the number of promises God has made to humanity. He came up with 7,487 promises! 1 God’s promises are pine trees in the Rocky Mountains of Scripture: abundant, unbending, and perennial. . . You’ll go further on a full tank of his love." Later he says: "Do critics define your identity? No, because God said, 'Let us make human beings in our image...

A thought by Max Lucado, from his book,  Begin Again   (p. 71). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) It sure can! Max says, " Choose it, won’t you? For the sake of your fresh start. For the sake of your journey. For Christ’s sake, and yours, choose it. The prayer is as powerful as it is simple: 'Lord, I receive your love. Nothing can separate me from your love.'" Max goes on, "My friend Keith took his wife, Sarah, to Cozumel, Mexico, to celebrate their anniversary. Sarah loves to snorkel. Give her fins, a mask, and a breathing tube, and watch her go deep. Down she swims, searching for the mysteries below. "Keith’s idea of snorkeling includes fins, a mask, and a breathing tube, but it also includes a bellyboard. The surface satisfies him. "Sarah, however, convinced him to take the plunge. Forty feet offshore, she shouted for him to paddle out. He did. The two plunged into the water where she showed hi...

A thought by Max Lucado, from his book,  Begin Again   (p. 60). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Good question. Max says, " Have they? Have bad things really happened to you? You and God may have different definitions for the word bad . Parents and children do. Look up the word bad in a student dictionary, and you’ll read definitions such as 'pimple on nose,' 'Friday night all alone,' or 'pop quiz in geometry.' 'Dad, this is really bad!' the youngster says. Dad, having been around the block a time or two, thinks differently. Pimples pass. And it won’t be long before you’ll treasure a quiet evening at home. Inconvenience? Yes. Misfortune? Sure. But bad ? Save that adjective for emergency rooms and cemeteries. "What’s bad to a child isn’t always bad to a dad. When a five-year-old drops her ice cream cone, it is a catastrophe to her. Her father has a different perspective." He goes o...

A thought by Max Lucado, from his book,  Begin Again   (p. 55). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Yes He does! Max says, " What a sentence worthy of a highlighter. Who does not need this reminder? Weak bodies. Weak wills. Weakened resolves. We’ve known them all. The word weakness can refer to physical infirmities, as with the invalid who had been unable to walk for thirty-eight years (John 5:5), or spiritual impotence, as with the spiritually 'helpless' of Romans 5:6 (NLT)." He goes on, "Whether we are feeble of soul or body or both, how good to know it’s not up to us. 'The Spirit himself is pleading for us.' "Imagine: your value to God is so great that your needs top the Holy Spirit’s to-do list. Did you have any idea that your needs are being described in heaven? The Holy Spirit 'prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what ...

A thought by Max Lucado, from his book,  Begin Again   (p. 48). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) And that is such a great thought. Right before this thought, Max says, " Ah, but God is not angry with Job. Firm? Yes. Direct? No doubt. Clear and convincing? Absolutely. But angry? No." He goes on, "If you underline any passage in the book of Job, underline this one: 'I had heard about you before, but now I have seen you.' Job 32:5 (TLB) "Job sees God—and that is enough. "But it isn’t enough for God. He will give Job a chance to begin again." Max continues, "The years to come find Job once again sitting behind his mahogany desk with health restored and profits up. His lap is once again full of children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren—for four generations! A new beginning indeed. "If Job ever wonders why God doesn’t bring back the children he has taken away, he doesn’t ask. Ma...

A thought by Max Lucado, from his book,  Begin Again   (p. 40). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) That's where we live, isn't it? Max says, " We are proud of our long hours and late flights. Weariness is a badge of honor. If we aren’t swamped and overworked, we almost hate to admit it. "The consequence? A society of exhaustion. People pushed and pulled in a thousand directions." He goes on, "Are you among them? You don’t have to be. Jesus has an invitation for you. 'Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest' (Matt. 11:28 NASB). "Rest. Isn’t that what we need? Rest for the soul. God has plenty to offer." Max continues, "The story is told about a poor man who lived in Eastern Europe in the early 1900s. Seeking a better life for himself and his family, he scraped together enough money to buy a third-class ticket on a steamship to New York City. He plann...

A thought by Max Lucado, from his book,  Begin Again   (p. 25). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) That is so true, we hope! Max says, " When you lost your job, flunked the exam, dropped out of school. When your marriage went south. When your business went broke. When you failed. The voices began to howl. Monkeys in a cage, they were, laughing at you. You heard them. "And you joined them! You disqualified yourself, berated yourself, upbraided yourself. You sentenced yourself to a life of hard labor in the Leavenworth of poor self-worth. Oh, the voices of failure." He goes on, "Failure finds us all. Failure is so universal we must wonder why more self-help gurus don’t address it. Bookstores overflow with volumes on how to succeed. But you’ll look a long time before you find a section called 'How to Succeed at Failing.'" "Maybe no one knows what to say. But God does. His book is written for fail...

  A thought by Max Lucado, from his book,  Begin Again   (p. 16). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) So what is it? I want to know? Max says, "We are blind. We can’t see the future. We have absolutely no vision beyond the present. I’m not talking nearsightedness or obstructed view; I’m talking opaque blindness. I’m not talking about a condition that passes with childhood; I’m describing a condition that passes only with death. We are blind. Blind to the future." He goes on, "It’s one limitation we all share. The wealthy are just as blind as the poor. The educated are just as sightless as the unschooled. And the famous know as little about the future as the unknown. "None of us know how our children will turn out. None of us know the day we will die. None of us know if another pandemic is on the way. We are universally, absolutely, unalterably blind." Later he says, "There are times in life when everyt...

  A thought by Max Lucado, from his book,  Begin Again   (p. 13). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Yes it is. Max says, " If worry is a burlap bag, fear is a trunk of concrete. It wouldn’t budge." He goes on, "How remarkable that Jesus felt such fear. But how kind that he told us about it. We tend to do the opposite. Gloss over our fears. Cover them up. Keep our sweaty palms in our pockets, our nausea and dry mouths a secret. Not so with Jesus. We see no mask of strength. But we do hear a request for strength. "'Father, if you are willing, take away this cup of suffering.' The first one to hear his fear is his Father. He could have gone to his mother. He could have confided in his disciples. He could have assembled a prayer meeting. All would have been appropriate, but none were his priority. He went first to his Father. "Oh, how we tend to go everywhere else. First to the bar, to the counselor, ...