Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Larry Osborne, (2009-04-04) from his book, Ten Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe (p. 34). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. ( Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) That’s a good question and this one goes with it is, “Does it mean we have to trust the other person again?”   There is great confusion in the answer to these questions. Larry says, “Some people seem to think so. Once they've been forgiven, they expect to be immediately restored to full trust and relationship. But that's not the case. Trust, close relationships, and forgiveness are not necessarily related. While forgiveness puts aside all bitterness and all plans for revenge, it doesn't make someone trustworthy or turn the person back into our best friend. Trust has to be earned. Close social ties are a privilege. We don't owe anyone either one.” That is so important to understand.   As he says, “While forgiveness puts aside all bitterness and all pl...

A thought by Larry Osborne, (2009-04-04) from his book, Ten Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe (p. 30). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) But oh, we love to keep score.  One guy after a fight with his wife said, "She was historical."  The other guy said, "Don't you mean hysterical?"  He said, "No, I mean historical.  She brought up everything I have ever done wrong."  So the question is, "Do you do that?"  This thought says, "Biblical forgiveness doesn't keep score." Larry says here, "When Jesus spoke of forgiving seventy times [Luke 17: 3-5] (or seven times seventy as some scholars translate the passage), he wasn't suggesting we keep a tally sheet. He was using hyperbole— or exaggeration for effect— to remind us to keep on forgiving." He then goes on to say, "I think I know why. When it comes to keeping track of life's hurts, c...

A thought by Larry Osborne, (2009-04-04) from his book, Ten Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe (p. 25). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) This is a book that I think we all need to pick up and read to get some clarity about some things that we think that the Bible teaches but it doesn’t.  Forgiveness is one of those areas that we have some confusion and one area is the false belief that forgiving means forgetting.  That isn’t what forgiving means. Now one problem that Larry says occurs when forgiving gets confused with forgetting is that “we tend to assume that if someone has forgiven us, whatever happened in the past should be a dead issue. The other person should just get over it and move on.”  “But” he says, “that's unreasonable. It unfairly turns the tables on the one who has been wronged. It assumes his or her pain should magically disappear. And if it doesn't, we get to write off the i...

A thought by John Ortberg (2015-05-05) from his book, Life-Changing Love: Moving God's Love from Your Head to Your Heart (p. 188). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) But for so many of us we feel that we won’t be loved if we don’t hide.  As John says, “I hide because I’m afraid that if the full truth about me is known I won’t be loved. But whatever is hidden cannot be loved. I can only be loved to the extent that I am known. I can only be fully loved if I am fully known. When I hide parts of myself, I seek to convince another person I am better than I am. If I’m a good enough hider, I may get away with it. The other person may express affection and love for me. But always comes the voice inside me: Yes, but if you knew the truth about me, if you saw the hidden places, you would not love me. You love the person you think I am. You do not love the real me, for you do not know the real me.” But John goes on to say, “In Phan...

A thought by John Ortberg (2015-05-05) from his book, Life-Changing Love: Moving God's Love from Your Head to Your Heart (p. 166). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. David C. Cook. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Here is the context of this thought.  John says, “Dallas Willard writes that Jesus lived a life of utter trust because he understood his Father to be unfailingly competent and wholly devoted. Here is the striking result: ‘With this magnificent God positioned among us, Jesus brings the assurance that our universe is a perfectly safe place for us to be.’” John says, “A mother wakes up during a thunderstorm. She hurries to her son’s room after a particularly bright flash of lightning, knowing he will be terrified. To her surprise, he is standing at a window. ‘I was looking outside,’ he says, ‘and you’ll never guess what happened. God took my picture.’ He was convinced God was at work and therefore that the universe was a perfectly...

A thought by Larry Osborne (2015-04-01) from his book, Thriving in Babylon: Why Hope, Humility, and Wisdom Matter in a Godless Culture (Kindle Location 1985). David C. Cook. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I know.  That is not really what we want to hear on a Monday morning especially if you live in Los Angeles, California.  I mean every day on our freeways there is a battle to win.  Nobody waits for a space to open up so you can change lanes.  No we race to get in front.  We must win the battle.  But that isn’t necessarily God’s way. Larry says, “There will be times when following God’s plan doesn’t seem to be working. But to those who have Daniel-like wisdom that begins with the fear of the Lord, that doesn’t matter. Even when God’s way seems to lead nowhere, it’s still the right path to take. He’s always right, even when we think he’s wrong. That’s why we call him God.” But I know what is best....

A thought by John Ortberg (2015-05-05) from his book, Life-Changing Love: Moving God's Love from Your Head to Your Heart (p. 145). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) That is so true.  As John says, “We need some people who accept us, welcome us, and love us, no matter what. I need some grace-providers. You do too. You need them because you have other kinds of people in your life. You have some ‘grace-impaired’ people in your life, who will judge you and critique you and remind you of your raggedness in ways that will tear you down.” He then says, “How do you recognize these grace-providers? Grace-providers notice things about you; they pay attention to your heart and life. Grace-providers speak truthfully to you — both easy words and hard ones. Grace-providers are not people who only say what you want to hear, but they speak the truth in love. Grace-providers simply never cease to love you. They see beneath the surface; t...