Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Kyle Idleman, from his book,  One at a Time  (p. 150). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) That is so very true. Kyle continues, "You’ve had people who spoke lifegiving words to you, who helped you believe in God, in yourself, in the possibility of change. Those words built you up and created the positive things you appreciate about your life today." He also said, "You’ve also probably had some words spoken to you that felt like death and have stayed with you ever since. I asked my Facebook friends to give examples of words that were tattooed on their souls and shaped their lives in a negative way. Within minutes I received responses like, 'No one will ever want to be with you,' 'You’re damaged goods,' 'You are irresponsible,' 'You’re just not smart enough,' 'I wish you were never born,' 'I’m just not attracted to you anymore,' 'You lost the ga...

A thought by Kyle Idleman, from his book,  One at a Time  (p. 138). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) How can we make a difference through a party? Kyle continues, "Maybe this doesn’t seem like the best ambiance for a party, but it’s a lot where people park their cars and then get on a bus that takes them to their workplace in the city. People park in this lot early in the morning, so instead of hors d’oeuvres the party refreshments were muffins and juice. The party throwers cranked music and put out games people could play as they waited for the bus." He says, "One woman who was walking toward the bus from her car was obviously distressed. A few volunteers asked if they could give her some snacks for the road. "She declined, then stopped and asked, 'Are you from a church?' "When they said yes, she asked, 'Would you . . . would you please pray for my family? We just found out last nig...

A thought by Kyle Idleman, from his book,  One at a Time  (p. 128). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) That is a very interesting thought. Kyle continues, "It says something that people wanted him at their parties. For instance, in John 2 we read of a wedding party and we’re told, 'Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding' (v. 2). "Doesn’t that seem a little weird? If you didn’t know anything about Jesus or the Bible, and someone told you that God came to earth and lived a human life, would you expect this God-human to be invited to parties?" He goes on, "I might guess that people would be like, 'Don’t invite the God-human. He’ll be walking around with his good/bad checklist on a clipboard, spying around corners, shaking his head in disapproving ways. It’s a hard no to inviting the God-human.' "But that’s not what happened. Jesus was invited to parties. Someone ...

A thought by Kyle Idleman, from his book,  One at a Time  (p. 126). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) What would you say? Kyle says, "Perhaps 'Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus' (1 Thess. 5:16–18 NLT)?" He continues, "This might not be what you expect, but God tells us his will includes joy. Always. "When the angels announced the birth of Jesus, their message was, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people' (Luke 2:10). "Jesus came to bring great joy . "Jesus came to bring his joy and fill us with it. He said, 'These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full' (John 15:11 ESV)." He goes on, "God’s will, the Good News of Jesus, is about joy. Yet listen to how someone once describ...

A thought by Kyle Idleman, from his book,  One at a Time  (p. 117). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) And there is a difference. Kyle says, "If you show someone compassion and they confuse that as condoning, that is a mistake on their part because the two are not the same. Jesus did not condemn the woman (caught in adultery) but did tell her to go and sin no more." He continues, "We aren’t telling people, 'God loves you just the way you are, so keep doing what you’re doing.' I’ve heard the message of God’s love summed up this way: 'God loves you just the way you are, but he loves you too much to leave you that way.' "Accepting a sinner is not accepting their sin, but some people probably will take it that way. And? I think it’s worth the risk. How do I know that? Because it is a risk God is willing to take. "God’s grace is so amazing, so outlandish, that some people do mistake ...

A thought by Kyle Idleman, from his book,  One at a Time  (p. 106). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) That is a very good question, isn't it? Kyle continues, "It’s a significant question. Have you ever met someone who told you, 'Well, I was always this certain way, but then I met this hate-filled person who made me feel condemned, and that’s when my whole life changed!' "No, you haven’t. Me neither."  He goes on, "Another question: Has feeling condemned ever helped you to change? Has condemnation ever led you to transformation? I bet not, because that’s not the way it works. Romans 2:4 says it’s kindness that leads us to repentance. "Angrily pointing out a person’s sins doesn’t lead them out of those sins. Don’t confuse your bitterness and hatred with showing tough love. Loathing doesn’t lead to life change. "In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talked about how we are to treat oth...

A thought by Kyle Idleman, from his book,  One at a Time  (p. 94). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is what Kyle is talking about. He continues, "There was this law back then that Roman soldiers could force civilians into acts of service, but there were limitations. A Roman soldier could force a Jew to carry his pack for one mile, but not any farther. The Jewish person didn’t have an option, so they’d pick up the pack and carry it a mile, but not another step. They couldn’t be forced into a second mile. "Roman soldiers were the enemy. They treated Jewish people like dogs. So, imagine this scenario: a Jewish man is coming home from work. He’s tired and hungry and just wants to get home in time for a little SportsCenter before going to bed. He sees a soldier on the side of the road. Oh, great. This is the last thing he needs. "The Jewish man is angry and upset every step of the way. As soon as he hits...