Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Larry Osborne, (2009-04-10) from his book, Spirituality for the Rest of Us: A Down-to-Earth Guide to Knowing God (p. 134). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) We really need to realize that, don’t we?   Look at what Larry says, “He got the Bible right the first time. Nothing was left out. Nothing was forgotten. Our extra fences, hoops, and traditions not only aren't needed, they're harmful. And they certainly don't deliver on their promises.” “Rather than producing God-pleasing spirituality, they're more likely to produce pride, arrogance, and self-sufficiency.” “Rather than providing extra protection against sin, they increase the odds that one day we'll try to ignore his clear warnings through the mistaken assumption that they're no more valid than the empty threats posted on our man-made fences.” “Rather than honoring God and keeping the church pure, they scar...

A thought by Larry Osborne, (2009-04-04) from his book, Accidental Pharisees: Avoiding Pride, Exclusivity, and the Other Dangers of Overzealous Faith (Kindle Locations 2335-2336). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Here is the context of this statement.   Larry says, “Today there’s also a strong tendency to read the Bible through the lens of a poverty gospel. This is the predictable pendulum swing away from the nonsense and excesses of the prosperity gospel, which claimed that God wanted everyone healthy and wealthy. The poverty gospel declares the opposite. It asserts that godliness is found in simplicity, suffering, and poverty. It has a built-in bias against wealth.” He then says, “Try this sometime. Ask a group of younger Christians if the Bible says that money is the root of all evil. Nearly every hand will go up. But that’s not what the Bible says. It says that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil and t...

A thought by Andy Stanley (2010-10-19) from his book, The Grace of God . Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) But I thought everyone deserves it, don’t you? But Andy says, “You can no more deserve grace than you can plan your own surprise party. In the same way that planning voids the idea of surprise, so claiming to deserve voids the idea of grace. You can ask for it. You can plead for it. But the minute you think you deserve it, the it you think you deserve is no longer grace. It is something you have earned. But grace can’t be earned. To earn something is to find an equivalent. There is no equivalent where grace is concerned.” He then says, “Grace is the offer of exactly what we do not deserve. Thus, it cannot be recognized or received until we are aware of precisely how undeserving we really are. It is the knowledge of what we do not deserve that allows us to receive grace for what it is. Unmerited. Unearned. Undes...