“Wish good for those who harm you; wish them well and do not curse them.”  Romans 12:14 (NCV)

It would be hard to find someone worse than Judas. Some say he was a good man with a backfired strategy. I don’t buy that. The Bible says, “Judas . . . was a thief” (John 12:6). The man was a crook. Somehow he was able to live in the presence of God and experience the miracles of Christ and remain unchanged. In the end he decided he’d rather have money than a friend, so he sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. . . . Judas was a scoundrel, a cheat, and a bum. How could anyone see him any other way?

I don’t know, but Jesus did. Only inches from the face of his betrayer, Jesus looked at him and said, “Friend, do what you came to do” (Matthew 26:50). What Jesus saw in Judas as worthy of being called a friend, I can’t imagine. But I do know that Jesus doesn’t lie, and in that moment he saw something good in a very bad man. . . .

He can help us do the same with those who hurt us.

by Max Lucado
used by permission

From: Just Like Jesus
Copyright (Word Publishing, 1998)
To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
https://www.maxlucado.com/info/view/about_max_lucado/

FURTHER READING

Betrayed by Judas

How to Love the Unlovable

Let it Go

How to know God – Four Spiritual Principles

The post Finding Good in the Bad appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Love does not boast, it is not proud (1 Corinthians 13:4 NIV). Jesus has no room for pecking orders. His solution to man-made caste systems? A change of direction. In a world of upward mobility, choose downward servility. “Regard one another as more important than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3 NASB). Jesus flip-flopped the pecking order.

Would you do what Jesus did? He swapped a spotless castle for a grimy stable. He exchanged the worship of angels for the company of killers. If you knew that only a few could care that you came, would you still come? If you knew that those you loved would laugh in your face, would you still care? The palm that held the universe took the nail of a soldier. Why? Because that’s what love does! He loves you that much! Drink deeply of God’s love for you—and ask him to fill your heart with a love worth giving!

By Max Lucado
Read more A Love Worth Giving
Used by permission

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:  https://maxlucado.com/about/

FURTHER READING

The Upside Down Life

Living in God’s Upside Down Kingdom

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

The post No Pecking Order with Jesus appeared first on Thoughts About God.

You’ve got to admit—anger shows up, and we let him in. Revenge needs a place to stay, so we have him pull up a chair. Pity wants a party, we show him the kitchen.

Don’t we know how to say no?  For most of us, thought management is, well, un-thought of.  Shouldn’t we be as concerned about managing our thoughts as we are managing anything else?

Jesus stubbornly guarded the gateway of his heart. On one occasion the people determined to make Jesus their king. Most of us would delight in the notion. Not Jesus.  When He saw they were about to grab Him and make Him king,  John 6:15 tells us, “Jesus slipped off and went back up the mountain to be by Himself.”

Proverbs says, “be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life!”  Proverbs 4:23.  Jesus did, shouldn’t we do the same?  Most certainly!

by Max Lucado
used by permission
From: Just Like Jesus

*To learn more about Max Lucado visit his websit e at:
https://maxlucado.com/about/

FURTHER READING

Capture Our Thoughts

How to Turn Tangled Thoughts into Trust

Taking Our Thoughts Captive

The post Managing Our Thoughts appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25 NIV).

Make it your aim to walk in the Spirit by inviting him into the details of each day. Let this prayer be quick to come to your mind: “How am I to respond to this challenge, Lord?” Or, “Direct me, please. Which way should I go?” Pause and listen. Keep an ear inclined toward the Spirit.

For us not to consult the Spirit of God would be foolish. He is here to teach us, and our privilege is to stay in mindful communion with him. Day by day, moment by moment. Listen as the divine instructor whispers wonders in your ear. And be assured that, as you smile, the Spirit smiles with you. After all, he is your teacher.

by Max Lucado
used by permission

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
https://maxlucado.com/about/

FURTHER READING

Peace and the Holy Spirit

Power for Living

His Spirit Tells Us

The post Keep in Step appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“. . shall not perish but have eternal life . . ” John 3:16

On a trip to China, I rode past Tiananmen Square in a bus full of Westerners. We tried to recollect the causes and consequences of the revolt. Our knowledge of history was embarrassing. One gave one date; another gave a different one. One person remembered a certain death toll; someone else disagreed. All this time our translator remained silent.

Finally one of us asked her, ‘Do you remember anything about the Tiananmen Square revolt?’

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
https://www.maxlucado.cjesuom/about/

FURTHER READING

In Our Place

Substitute God

Jesus Talks About Jesus

The post He’s Been There appeared first on Thoughts About God.

In Matthew 11:28 Jesus says,

“Come to me, all you who are weary and I will give you rest.”

You’ve been there. You’re turned your back on the noise and sought his voice. You’ve stepped away from the masses and followed the Master as he led you up the winding path to the summit. His summit. Clean air. Clear view. Crisp breeze. The roar of the marketplace is down there, and the perspective of the peak is up here. Gently he invited you to sit on the rock and look out with him at the ancient peaks that will never erode.

Just remember, he says, you’ll go nowhere tomorrow that I haven’t already been. Truth will still triumph. Death will still die. The victory is still yours. And delight is one decision away — seize it! Joy begins by breathing deep up there before you go crazy down here!

By Max Lucado
Used by permission

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:    
https://maxlucado.com/about/

From: The Applause of Heaven

FURTHER READING

Fullness of Joy

What God Already Gave – JOY

Count it All Joy

Feature Photo credit: Michael Knapek https://www.flickr.com/photos/50390668@N04
Some Rights Reserved  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

The post The Beginning of Joy appeared first on Thoughts About God.

This question has been asked of me:

“It breaks my heart to see patients who pray every day for miracles, and still they suffer. What do I tell them?”

The last years of my dad’s life were scarred by A.L.S., amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It took him from a healthy mechanic to a bed-ridden paralytic. He lost his voice and his muscles. But he never lost his faith. It wasn’t so much what he said, but more what he didn’t say. Never outwardly angry or bitter, Jack Lucado suffered with dignity.

After my dad’s funeral, a man told me it was because of my dad’s example that he became a Jesus follower. I’ve wondered, did God orchestrate my father’s illness for that very reason? Knowing the value God places on one soul—I wouldn’t be surprised. And imaging the splendor of heaven, I know my dad is not complaining!

“Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine.” 1 Peter 1:6-7

by Max Lucado
From: Max on Life
used by permission

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website.

FURTHER READING

Frank’s Story  – he also had ALS

Choosing to be Bitter or Better – Following her husband’s diagnosis with Lou Gehrig’s Disease, June Krause and her husband had a choice as to how they were going to face it.

Am I Ready for Heaven?

When Death Becomes Birth

Are You Done Yet, Lord?

The post Suffering with Dignity appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Love one another as I have loved you” John 13:34

The Greek word used for love (agape) denotes an unselfish affection.  The final phrase is the essential one: “as I have loved you.” Have you let God love you?  Please don’t hurry past the question.

We don’t love people because people are lovable.  People can be cranky, stubborn, selfish, and cruel.  We love people for this reason: we have come to experience and believe the love that God has for us.  We are beneficiaries of an unexpected, undeserved, yet undeniable gift— the love of God.

It is only by receiving our Father’s agape love that we can discover an agape love for others.  Be loved, and then love.  Just as hurt people hurt people, loved people love people.  So let God love you!

This is how happiness happens.

By Max Lucado
Used by Permission

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:    
https://maxlucado.com/about-max/

The post Have You Let God Love You? appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that we might have hope.” Romans 15:4 (NIV)

Encourage those who are struggling. Don’t know what to say?  Then open your Bible.

To the grief stricken: “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  Hebrew 13:5 (NIV).

To the guilt ridden:  “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  Romans 8:1(NIV).

To the jobless: “In all things God works for the good of those who love him.” Romans 8:28 (NIV).

To those who feel beyond God’s grace: “Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16 (NIV).

Your Bible is a basket of blessings. Won’t you share one?

By Max Lucado
Used with permission
From: A Love Worth Giving

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
https://maxlucado.com/about-max/

RELATED READING

Be an Encourager

I Love Encouragement

Who Could Use Your Encouragement Today?

Encourage One Another

The post Words of Hope appeared first on Thoughts About God.

The problem is not that God hasn’t spoken but that we haven’t listened.

Imagine your reaction if I were to take a telephone book, open it up, and proclaim, I have found a list of everyone who’s on welfare! Or what if I said, Here is a list of college graduates! Or, This book will tell us who has a red car. You’d probably say, “Now wait a minute, that’s not the purpose of that book. You’re holding a telephone book. Its purpose is simply to reveal the name and number of residents of a city during a certain time frame.”

Only by understanding its purpose can I accurately use the telephone book. Only by understanding its purpose can I accurately use the Bible!

The purpose of the Bible is simply to proclaim God’s plan to save his children. It asserts that man is lost and needs to be saved. And it communicates the message that Jesus is the God in the flesh sent to save his children.

Though the Bible was written over sixteen centuries by at least forty authors, it has one central theme – salvation through faith in Christ. Begun by Moses in the lonely desert of Arabia and finished by John on the lonely Isle of Patmos, it is held together by a strong thread: God’s passion and God’s plan to save his children.

What a vital truth! Understanding the purpose of the Bible is like setting the compass in the right direction. Calibrate it correctly and you’ll journey safely. But fail to set it, and who knows where you’ll end up.

What do you Want?

By Max Lucado
From: Let the Journey Begin: God’s Road map for New Beginnings
Used by permission.

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:    
https://maxlucado.com/about-max/

RELATED READING

Where to Start Reading the Bible

Read the Manual

The Christian and the Bible

You Have a Bible?

The post Set Your Compass in the Right Direction appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“The LORD hates what evil people do, but he loves those who do what is right.” Proverbs 15:9 (NCV)

Perhaps the wound is old. A parent abused you. A teacher slighted you. A mate betrayed you…. And you are angry.

Or perhaps the wound is fresh. The friend who owes you money just drove by in a new car. The boss who hired you with promises of promotions has forgotten how to pronounce your name…. And you are hurt.

Part of you is broken, and the other part is bitter. Part of you wants to cry, and part of you wants to fight…. There is a fire burning in your heart. It’s the fire of anger….

And you are left with a decision.

“Do I put the fire out or heat it up? Do I get over it or get even? Do I release it or resent it? Do I let my hurts heal, or do I let hurt turn into hate?“….

Unfaithfulness is wrong. Revenge is bad. But the worst part of all is that, without forgiveness, bitterness is all that is left.

By Max Lucado
From: The Applause of Heaven
Used by permission

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
https://maxlucado.com/about/

FURTHER READING

Brokenness as a Good Thing

From Brokenness to Holiness

Brokenness and Glory

The post A Broken Heart? appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything” Philippians 4:6.

God offers you and me the possibility of a worry-free life.  Jesus said,

“Can all your worries add a single moment to your life!  Of course not”  (Matthew 6:27).

Worry is irrelevant.  You don’t add one day to your life or one bit of life to your day by worrying.

Worry is also irreverent; it’s distrusting God…an “unconscious blasphemy.”  The Apostle Paul urges us to “be anxious for nothing.”  How?  Our part includes prayer and gratitude.  Instead of looking forward in fear, look upward in faith and backward in appreciation of past victories. God’s part is peace and protection.  God enjoys perfect peace because he enjoys perfect power.  And he offers his peace to you to guard your heart.  Do your part and God will do his.

By Max Lucado
From: Come Thirsty
Used by permission

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
https://maxlucado.com/about-max/

Further Reading

• The Worry-Free God – Devotional by Debbie West

• Victory over Worry –  by Palitha Jayasooriya

• Why Worry Yourself Sick?

The post You Don’t Have to Worry appeared first on Thoughts About God.