Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Jentezen Franklin from his book, Love Like You've Never Been Hurt: Hope, Healing and the Power of an Open Heart. Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Jentezen continues, “Or when we share the same viewpoints. Or the same theology. Or the same standard. It’s easy to love when marriage is in the honeymoon stage when our children act right all the time when we have our health and our happiness. But no one lives in that kind of state all the time.” No, we don’t. He goes on, “Jesus told us that in this world we would have trouble (John 16:33). In Matthew 18:7 (NKJV), He even says, ‘Offenses must come.’ Getting hurt is part of life. It’s inevitable. But that is not the end of the story. “God does not want us to be the walking wounded. He intended for us to be healed and to be whole. He created us to love like we’ve never been hurt because that is what He does, and we are made in His image.

A thought by Max Lucado from his book, Every Day Deserves a Chance: Wake Up to the Gift of 24 Hours (p. 98). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Let’s look for a moment at finding your God-designed task.   OK? Max says, “It matches your passions and enlists your gifts and talents. Want to blow the cloud cover off your gray day? Accept God’s direction.” After some examples he says, “‘The Lord has assigned to each his task’ (1 Corinthians 3:5 niv). What is yours? What is your unique call, assignment, mission? A trio of questions might help: “ In what directions has God taken you? Tally up the experiences unique to you. ‘Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to find out and do whatever the Lord wants you to’ (Ephesians 5:17 tlb). In what culture were you raised? To what lifestyles have you been exposed? Your past is a signpost to your future. Ask Moses. His Egyptian childhood experiences prepared him to stand before

A thought by Max Lucado from his book, Every Day Deserves a Chance: Wake Up to the Gift of 24 Hours (p. 70). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) How do you handle tough days?   They can really be difficult, can’t they?   Last Friday was Good Friday.   That was a very tough day for Jesus. Max says, “During the Friday of suffering, Jesus spoke thirteen times. Ten of those remarks were to or about God. Nearly 80 percent of his comments were heaven gilded. Jesus talked to or thought about God all day long. “The next time you fight through a season of Fridays, do the math. Does God consume 80 percent of your thoughts? He wants to. You can endure change by pondering his permanence. Survive rejection by meditating on his acceptance. When health fails you or problems disturb you, take a break from them! ‘Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground… look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the actio