Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Max Lucado (2012-01-02) from his book, He Chose the Nails (p. 55). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I know, I know.   There are so many things about us that we are tempted to say are unfair.   I mean, I should have been taller.   I don’t have a weight problem, I have a height problem.   Or whatever it is about you that you may not like. Max says, “It would have been nice if God had let us order life, the same way we order a meal. I’ll take good health and a high IQ. I’ll pass on the music skills, but give me a fast metabolism . . . Would’ve been nice. But it didn’t happen. When it came to your life on earth, you weren’t given a voice or a vote.   But when it comes to life after death, you were. In my book that seems like a good deal. Wouldn’t you agree?” He goes on, “Have we been given any greater privilege than that of choice? Not only does this privilege offset any injustice, the gift of free will ca

A thought by Max Lucado (2012-01-02) from his book, He Chose the Nails (p. 53). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Do you realize how wonderful but also far-reaching that gift to us from God is?   For most kings, they choose everything for us.   We have no choice.   But not God. Max says, “And no one delineates this more clearly than Jesus. According to him, we can choose.”   But he goes on, “God gives eternal choices, and these choices have eternal consequences.”   Yes, we are free to choose but not free of the consequences of our choices.” He then says, “Isn’t this the reminder of Calvary’s trio? Ever wonder why there were two crosses next to Christ? Why not six or ten? Ever wonder why Jesus was in the center? Why not on the far right or far left? Could it be that the two crosses on the hill symbolize one of God’s greatest gifts? The gift of choice.” Max continues, “The two criminals have so much in common.

A thought by Max Lucado (2013-04-29) from his book, Facing Your Giants: God Still Does the Impossible (p. 15). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I’m sure you know the story of David and Goliath.   In a nutshell, it is the story of a teenage shepherd boy who defeated an enemy warrior giant.   We love these kinds of stories, don’t we?   Because the truth is there are some giants in our lives that we need to defeat, aren’t there? Max says, “Your Goliath doesn’t carry sword or shield; he brandishes blades of unemployment, abandonment, sexual abuse, or depression. Your giant doesn’t parade up and down the hills of Elah; he prances through your office, your bedroom, your classroom. He brings bills you can’t pay, grades you can’t make, people you can’t please, whiskey you can’t resist, pornography you can’t refuse, a career you can’t escape, a past you can’t shake, and a future you can’t face.” He goes on, “You know Goliat

A thought by Max Lucado (2012-01-02) from his book, He Chose the Nails (p. 45). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) That is so true. Max says, “Which leads us to a delightful question. What language is he speaking to you? I’m not referring to an idiom or dialect but to the day-to-day drama of your life. God does speak, you know. He speaks to us in whatever language we will understand.” He goes on, “There are times he speaks the ‘language of abundance. Is your tummy full? Are your bills paid? Got a little jingle in your pocket? Don’t be so proud of what you have that you miss what you need to hear. Could it be you have much so you can give much? ‘God can give you more blessings than you need. Then you will always have plenty of everything— enough to give to every good work’ (2 Cor. 9: 8). “Is God talking in the ‘language of abundance’? Or are you hearing the ‘vernacular of want’? We’d rather he spoke the language o