I decided as I prepared this week’s message that it was time to share another of my Max Lucado daily devotionals from his Grace For The Moment book. However, I was torn between two different messages that I want to share, so I will give one of the messages this week. I will then give the second one either next week (depending if God gives me a different message next week) or in the near future.
The message I want to share today is from December 5, in case you have his book and want to check out that message. The title of the message is God’s Thoughts and his scripture to begin the message is:
Psalm 92:5 – Lord you have done such great things! How deep are your thoughts!
His message then reads – 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 [and grandchildren] 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”.
God is clearly focused on areas much different, and more important to our future, than the areas in which we choose to focus. Our eternal salvation depends on our being able to, and choosing to think at a higher level of meaning than we may have previously.
As I reported in last week’s message, many young adults are searching for true meaning in their lives today. This devotional message makes clear that many of our life goals are quite different from God’s goals for us. A key question for us to consider and respond to with the young adults in our sphere of influence is getting them to understand God’s plan for us, and to focus on seeking God to bring the true meaning, as shown above, to their lives.
We need to try and get these folks to see the importance of reading God’s Word in His Bible, and to understand the messages that God sends us through His Word that will make all the difference in our walk through life.
We need to try and get these folks to begin to pray for others, that they can understand the power of a life of prayer. Through prayer for others, they will also learn the importance of focusing on others besides themselves in this world.
We need to try and get these folks to consider the importance of faithfully serving others rather than to focus on only their individual happiness. This result should be a natural step following prayer for others.
I hear a lot of discussion these days on TV regarding the importance of the nuclear family, especially comments that no one needs a nuclear family of husband, wife, and children to find happiness. My personal opinion is that nothing could be further from the truth! The nuclear family is the backbone of society and a centerpiece of God’s Word.
I hope and pray that we can use our relationships with those close to us to assist younger adults find their way to God. This can be our individual contribution to the needed Christian revival our country, and the world, so desperately needs today.