Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Charles R. Swindoll, from his book,  Jesus: 09 (Great Lives Series)   (p. 64). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) That is a great way to put it, isn't it? Charles says, "It’s clear enough, but you can see only a reflection of what’s behind you if your focus isn’t right. The people of Judah made the mistake of thinking the Messiah would merely recapture the glory days of King David and merely turn the world into a Jewish empire. In other words, they hoped the Messiah would bring them the same power and prosperity they once enjoyed, only magnified and multiplied. Given their exclusive worship of God, that’s not a bad wish, but compared to the reality that lay before them, it was a wispy, unsubstantial likeness of former glory. That was the old covenant; God had a new covenant in mind. The new would build upon the old in order to provide God’s people much more than mere temporal power and material wealth. I...

A thought by Charles R. Swindoll, from his book,  Jesus: 09 (Great Lives Series)   (p. 56). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Charles goes on, ". . . existentialists and self-help gurus are wrong about that. I learned years ago that following a call—fulfilling one’s purpose—isn’t that complicated and it isn’t as mysterious as it sounds. It begins with a realization that God has created each person with a unique design and a special purpose." He says, "Unfortunately, sin and selfishness make fulfilling that purpose impossible. Sin creates a barrier between our divine design and our ordained path, creating a tension that can be excruciating. Life becomes meaningless; a drab, colorless, pointless existence in which even pleasure and success bring no satisfaction. But that gnawing hunger for meaning can also create the opportunity and means for God to heal our sin-sick souls and put us on the right path." He conti...

A thought by Charles R. Swindoll, from his book,  Jesus: 09 (Great Lives Series)   (p. 48). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another interesting thought. Charles says, "Disciples, through the teaching of their mentor, were to become reproductions of their master. If they failed to learn or did something publicly embarrassing, critics would look past the pupil to condemn the teacher. So, naturally, teachers took great care to choose disciples who not only had promise, but would completely submit to their instruction. A person could ask a rabbi to become his mentor, but the relationship didn’t begin until the teacher extended an invitation." He goes on, "Another potential disciple named Philip lived in Judea, perhaps with extended family in the little town of Emmaus, seven miles or so from Jerusalem. Jesus knew him to be from Bethsaida, 'house of fish,' a fishing village on the northern banks of the ...

A thought by Charles R. Swindoll, from his book,  Jesus: 09 (Great Lives Series)   (p. 48). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) I find this interesting. Charles says, "The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—the only accounts of Jesus’ life that were unanimously accepted by the people who knew Him—offer no information about what happened to Him during those eleven years. History is silent. Luke alone offers this tidbit: 'The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him' (Luke 2:40).  Between the ages of one and twelve, we know nothing about Jesus’ life." He goes on, "Leave a blank space in history and, before long, someone will try to fill it. Many decades after the last eyewitnesses had died, several new documents emerged containing fanciful stories of Jesus’ childhood. They first appeared in the second century, but none of them was considered remote...

A thought by Charles R. Swindoll, from his book,  Jesus: 09 (Great Lives Series)   (p. 43). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) He came to do more. Charles says, "No, the birth of Jesus was an invasion, a benevolent takeover whereby everyone and everything in the world must be transformed. So we will have to remind ourselves often that, while Jesus was a flesh-and-bone man, He was no ordinary man. And His teaching will be, quite literally, out of this world. He will sometimes sound cryptic, even evasive with His answers, but rather than write off His words as nonsense or try to squeeze them into old categories, I challenge you to see with different eyes. Open yourself up to the possibility that what He said, did, and taught was intended to create a very different world than the one you presently occupy. In fact, you might even find that the truth He brought is intended to create a very different you ! Charles continue...

A thought by Charles R. Swindoll, from his book,  Jesus: 09 (Great Lives Series)   (p. 36). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) And that has made all the difference for us all. Charles says, "However, when God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ, He did not cease to be God, nor did He lose His divine attributes, such as omnipresence and omnipotence. He merely laid them aside for a time. Theologians call this choice kenosis , which derives from a Greek term meaning 'to empty.' Perhaps the best way to illustrate the concept is to tell the story of Thomas Mott Osborne."  Charles tells his story, "In October 1914, Osborne entered Auburn Prison in upstate New York, and like all the other prisoners, he was photographed, fingerprinted, stripped of his possessions, issued a set of prison grays, and led to a cell, four feet wide by seven and a half feet long and seven and a half feet tall. The only difference b...

A thought by Charles R. Swindoll, from his book,  Jesus: 09 (Great Lives Series)   (p. 35). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) So true, so true. Charles says, "I have often wondered why Mary made the trip with Joseph knowing that she would likely deliver her child before returning home again. Perhaps he thought they could make the trip, conclude their business, and return in time. Maybe she delivered early or they miscounted the weeks. I happen to think they intended to stay with relatives, found Bethlehem overrun with travelers, and were surprised to find that the registration process took much longer than anyone anticipated. It really doesn’t matter, though. The decisions of men only served to accomplish the sovereign plan of God." He then says, "Caesar Augustus [he was the one who called for a census to be taken] thought this exercise of power would give him greater control over the world, but in the end, all he ...