Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Charles R. Swindoll, from his book,  Jesus: 09 (Great Lives Series)   (p. 28). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Okay! Charles says, "Stretch your imagination and put yourself in His position. You are the supreme power over everything. You are beyond the need for food or safety, you do not feel pain, you cannot suffer death, you exist in a realm beyond the confines of time and three-dimensional space, and you are entirely content. As the almighty Creator of everything, you spoke the universe into existence, established a perfect habitat for living creatures, fashioned people to reflect your image, and then breathed life into them, only to have them rebel and make a mess of your world." He goes on, "For reasons we may never completely understand, the almighty Creator loves the people He made so much that He devised a plan to save us from this mess. And that plan called for the Creator to become a human

A thought by Charles R. Swindoll, from his book,  Jesus: 09 (Great Lives Series)   (p. 12). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) We strive to be so smart, don't we? Charles says, "They readily accept that Jesus existed, that He was a Galilean Jew who lived and taught during the first century, that He was martyred for His teachings, and that those teachings were both radical and influential. But they deny Jesus’ miracles and reject even the suggestion that He is deity." He goes on, "Unfortunately, this view of Jesus fails to explain why so many were willing to follow Him, even to a martyr’s death, and why He continues to impact the world so profoundly. Think of men like Alexander the Great, Caesar Augustus, and Constantine, men who conquered vast stretches of the known world. Think of Plato, Newton, and Einstein, men who revolutionized the thinking of humankind. Think of all the musicians, composers, philosophers,

A thought by Charles R. Swindoll, from his book,  Jesus: 09 (Great Lives Series)   (p. 11). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) And He was and is. Charles said, "Everyone agreed that Jesus was someone special, and everyone had his own theory as to how or why. John the Baptizer back from the dead? An ancient prophet returning to announce the revival of Israel? As theories abounded, only a very few thought of Jesus as the Hebrew Messiah. Eventually, when Jesus thought the time was right and that His disciples had enough evidence, He put them on the spot. His companions would have to make a decision. He asked them, 'But who do you say that I am?' (Matthew 16:15)." Charles goes on, "The 'you' in that question is plural. Who do all of you say that I am? The group probably stammered and squirmed before one brave disciple blurted out, 'You are the Christ' (Matthew 16:16).  "The word 'Christ

A thought by Charles R. Swindoll, from his book, Jesus: 09 (Great Lives Series)   (p. 8). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) I'm sure that is so true. Charles says, "As I read the accounts of Jesus in the Bible, I find that time has done little to change how people respond to an encounter with Jesus. Like today, many wrote off reports of His miracles as myth. Like today, others who accepted His miracles as genuine attributed them to the work of evil or something else. Like today, some saw His works and accepted them as blessings from God but rejected the One who brought them." He goes on, "I also find that a relative few—perhaps numbering in the hundreds—saw the miraculous deeds of Jesus as proof that they had met someone very, very special. And their response was to stop what they were doing and consider the possibility that something remarkable was happening, something that deserved closer examination." C

  A thought by David Jeremiah, from his book,  Hope: Living Fearlessly in a Scary World  (p. 76). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) And He is so faithful. Psalm 37:40 says, "The LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him." David says, "David knew from experience that God rewards faith with blessings. As a young man, David had been anointed as the next king of Israel. Then he spent years living in forests and caves as the reigning king hunted him down. He had to do more than merely assent to the idea of God’s faithfulness—he had to stake his life on it. Life was hard during those long, perilous years. But in time, Saul died, David became king, and he could attest to the fact that God keeps His promises." He continues, "Timothy George, the dean of Beeson Divinity School, recalls a story from one of his professors, D

  A thought by David Jeremiah, from his book,  Hope: Living Fearlessly in a Scary World  (p. 73). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) They make such a difference. David says, "Don’t crave more than you need; demonstrate your trust in God by being content with what you have. It’s why Paul could be stripped of all he owned and thrown into prison, yet still manifest incredible joy. The world is filled with wealthy, miserable people who have everything but contentment. Their money is an empty god that can never fill the vacuum in their souls with peace. Here Paul points those with money toward right thinking: 'Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time t

A thought by David Jeremiah, from his book,  Hope: Living Fearlessly in a Scary World  (p. 69). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Okay, this is what I need to see today. David says, "To trust is to be confident—to possess a strong sense of security. When we trust, we place confidence in someone or something. Trust is not an emotion that just springs up in our hearts as does anger, jealousy, or sadness. It is always a choice based on reason. We use evidence and discernment to conclude that this man or that bank or this investment is 'trustworthy.' Yes, God gives us the faith to act, but He first gives us a choice to make." David goes on, "To illustrate the process, let’s take a look at the stock market, which is based on high-level choices of trust. If you don’t trust in a company, you don’t buy its stock. The stock price represents an index of the overall trust people have in a company. Wis