Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Craig Groeschel from his book, Altar Ego: Becoming Who God SaysYou Are (p. 150). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Here is the problem.   Craig says, “We think we earned it, deserved it, or are worthy of it. That’s pride. And pride breaks God’s heart. Among other things, pride is a God-repellent. He opposes the proud. The good news is that God gives grace to the humble. Just as pride disgusts God, praise delights him.” Earlier Craig said, “How do you overcome the seeds of ungratefulness that culture has planted in your soul? How do you learn to be grateful in a world that excels at its opposite? “I’d like to borrow a line from a Matt Redman song called ‘Blessed Be Your Name.’ In it, he sings to God, ‘Every blessing you pour out, I’ll turn back to praise.’ To cultivate an attitude of gratitude, we should turn everything good in our lives into an opportunity to worship. When we do, we’re acknowledging the give

A thought by Craig Groeschel from his book, Altar Ego: Becoming Who God Says You Are (p. 145). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I never thought about that.   But it is true, isn’t it? Craig goes on, “These attitudes reflect the false belief that we don’t deserve bad but we do deserve good.”   Think about how we whine and gripe when things are going bad and even how we talk to God during bad times. But then Craig brings us back to the truth.   He says, “Remember, all we really deserve is hell. If you’re a Christian, Christ has saved you from the pit of your sin. You’ve been filled with the Spirit of God. You’re adopted into God’s eternal family. Your life is not your own. You were bought with a price — the blood of Jesus shed for you on the cross.”   And we need to constantly be reminded of that fact, don ’t we ? Craig is dealing with gratitude in this section and earlier he said, “ When you dig up the roots of enti

A thought by John C. Maxwell from his book, Make Today Count: The Secret of Your Success Is Determined by Your Daily Agenda (p. 25). Center Street. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Now that is a thought that if understood and lived will make a difference in how we live each day. John says, “When you have something to live for, not only does it make you desire a long life, but it also helps you to see the importance of the steps along the way. Seeing the big picture enables us to put up with little irritations.” He then says, “It’s hard to find motivation in the moment when there is no hope in the future. A sense of purpose helps a person to make a decision to change and then to follow through with the discipline required to make that change permanent. I found that to be true after my heart attack. A friend who spent a lot of time with me during my recovery saw me pass on desserts time after time—something that was not characterist