Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Leaving

Matthew 8:34 -- "... and when they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their region."

WOW! Can you imagine seeing the holy Son of God and immediately asking Him to leave? Word had most likely spread from nearby regions to their area of His miracles and healings, yet they asked Him to leave. Don't we as believers ask Jesus to leave certain areas of our lives when we try to take the reins of control back? He is the Creator Lord of heaven yet we try to control our lives and our futures. Hmmmm, crazy idea huh? He knows the very infinitesimal millisecond that everything will happen in our lives but still we try to control Him. In essence what we are doing is robbing ourselves of blessings that He may have in store for us. What areas immediately sneak into your mind as you read this? Birth control, lack of faith... etc? He is the Lord and His name shall be exalted.

"If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" Matthew 7:11

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Book Review for BookSneeze

Cast of Characters, Common People in the Hands of an Uncommon God by Max Lucado is a wonderful book. This book is a collection of short stories about people in the bible. Some of the individuals are ones you have heard of and remember their stories; others are not as well-known. Max leads you to think about these common stories in a totally different light and to in turn examine yourself in that light as well. One example is Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father. Who would have dwelled and thought on the matter of Joseph pacing outside while Mary is inside laboring to give life to the Creator of the Universe? He is being brought into this world in a filthy stall. Who wouldn’t rail at God at the unfairness of it all? Then Joseph remembers that Jesus is God’s son, He has a purpose in the timing and in the place of Jesus’ birth. That is just one example of the many stories that are included in this read. Max puts a twist on well-known stories that make you think and yearn to dig deeper into God’s word and contemplate the thoughts and feelings behind the people there in that time and age. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will recommend it to others who think that they know all the stories, to challenge their views and make them seek to drink deeply of God.