GOD’S THOUGHTS

Lord you have done such great things! How deep are your thoughts!

Psalm 92:5

God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are they even like ours. We aren’t even in the same neighborhood. We’re thinking, Preserve the body; he’s thinking, Save the soul. We dream of a pay raise. He dreams of raising the dead. We avoid pain and seek peace. God uses pain to bring peace. “I’m going to live before I die,” we resolve. “Die, so you can live,” he instructs. We love what rusts. He loves what endures. We rejoice at our successes. He rejoices at our confessions. We show our children the Nike star with the million-dollar smile and say, “Be like Mike.” God points to the crucified carpenter with bloody lips and a torn side and says, “Be like Christ.”

The Great House of God
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

A Season of Renewal - Day Three <-- Click here for a seasonal devotion.

Prayer Request: My 15-year-old granddaughter, Brandy Culbreth, is having open heart surgery, scheduled to start at 6:00 a.m. EST, this morning. The surgery is projected to last four hours. The doctors are going in to repair a hole in the wall of her heart. She is at Eggleston Children’s Hospital in Decatur, GA. Please pray for Brandy, a successful surgery, peace of mind for the parents (and the rest of the family), and wisdom for the attending medical staff. “We’re thinking, preserve the body…” Praise God that He answers our prayers and meets our immediate needs.

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 370

THE SOUL KILLER

When people sin, they earn what sin pays—death.

Romans 6:23

Sin does to a life what shears do to a flower. A cut at the stem separates a flower from the source of life. Initially the flower is attractive, still colorful and strong. But watch that flower over a period of time, and the leaves will wilt and the petals will drop. No matter what you do, the flower will never live again. Surround it with water. Stick the stem in soil. Baptize it with fertilizer. Glue the flower back on the stem. Do what you wish. The flower is dead.…

A dead soul has no life.

Cut off from God, the soul withers and dies. The consequence of sin is not a bad day or a bad mood but a dead soul. The sign of a dead soul is clear: poisoned lips and cursing mouths, feet that lead to violence and eyes that don’t see God.…

The finished work of sin is to kill the soul.

In the Grip of Grace
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

God With Us - Day Two <-- Click here for a seasonal devotion.

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 369

THE CURE FOR DISAPPOINTMENT

The ways of God are without fault.

Psalm 18:30

When God doesn’t do what we want, it’s not easy. Never has been. Never will be. But faith is the conviction that God knows more than we do about this life and He will get us through it.

Remember, disappointment is cured by revamped expectations.

I like the story about the fellow who went to the pet store in search of a singing parakeet. Seems he was a bachelor and his house was too quiet. The store owner had just the bird for him, so the man bought it.

The next day the bachelor came home from work to a house full of music. He went to the cage to feed the bird and noticed for the first time that the parakeet had only one leg.

He felt cheated that he’d been sold a one-legged bird, so he called and complained.

“What do you want,” the store owner responded, “a bird who can sing or a bird who can dance?”

Good question for times of disappointment.

He Still Moves Stones
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

Jesus is the Reason for the Season - Day One <-- Click here for a seasonal devotion.

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 368

Christmas With a Capital 'C'