Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Max Lucado from his book, When God Whispers Your Name (p. 52). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Now that seems like another good thought to explore, don’t you think? Max says, “God’s judgment has never been a problem for me. In fact, it’s always seemed right. Lightning bolts on Sodom. Fire on Gomorrah. Good job, God. Egyptians swallowed in the Red Sea. They had it coming. Forty years of wandering to loosen the stiff necks of the Israelites? Would’ve done it myself. Ananias and Sapphira? You bet. ” Max goes on, “Discipline is easy for me to swallow. Logical to assimilate. Manageable and appropriate. But God’s grace? Anything but.   Examples? How much time do you have? “David the psalmist becomes David the voyeur but, by God’s grace, becomes David the psalmist again. Peter denied Christ before he preached Christ. Zacchaeus, the crook. The cleanest part of his life was the money he’d laundered.

A thought by Max Lucado from his book, When God Whispers Your Name   (p. 42). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I had never thought about this but Max says, “We learn brevity from Jesus. His greatest sermon can be read in eight minutes (Matt. 5–7). His best-known story can be read in ninety seconds (Luke 15:11–32). He summarized prayer in five phrases (Matt. 6:9–13). He silenced accusers with one challenge (John 8:7). He rescued a soul with one sentence (Luke 23:43). He summarized the Law in three verses (Mark 12:29–31), and he reduced all his teachings to one command (John 15:12).   He made his point and went home.” Max goes on, “I believe in brevity. I believe that you, the reader, entrust me, the writer, with your most valued commodity—your time. I shouldn’t take more than my share. For that reason, I love the short sentence. Big-time game it is. Hiding in the jungle of circular construction and six-syllable canyo

A thought by Max Lucado from his book, When God Whispers Your Name   (p. 27). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Superheroes are a big deal, today aren’t they?   Did you as a child dream of being Superman?   Did you?   Well, there are a lot of heroes around us who look more like Clark Kent than Superman.   Maybe you are one of them in God’s eyes. Max says, “…a hero could be next door and you wouldn’t know it. The fellow who changes the oil in your car could be one. A hero in coveralls? Maybe. Maybe as he works he prays, asking God to do with the heart of the driver what he does with the engine. “The day-care worker where you drop off the kids? Perhaps. Perhaps her morning prayers include the name of each child and the dream that one of them will change the world. Who’s to say God isn’t listening? “The parole officer downtown? Could be a hero. She could be the one who challenges the ex-con to challenge the teen