STAND TOGETHER
"A husband and wife can bond when a threat arises. We can be two people living very separate lives when, all at once, crisis shoves us onto common ground. In satan's vicious attacks against our marriages and families, he remains unmoved until we decide, as different as we are and as much conflict as we've had, to stand together." - (page 163)
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. - Matthew 12:25 (NIV)
"Praise His merciful name, the reverse is also true." - (page 163)
FOR GRANTED
"Sometimes we take for granted what we have until we see that someone else admires it. When we've grown sadly accustomed to a beautiful sight, nothing jars a fresh vision quite like seeing it through somebody else's astonished eyes." - (page 166)
This doesn't have to just be outward beauty, but it can be seeing someone for the beautiful person they are inside, too.
It is way too easy to take people and things in life for granted.
EMOTION
On page 168, "Xerxes' state of mind" was referred to as "confused fury".
"Few things make us feel more out of control than being large on emotion and low on information."
Imaginations can easily start making up scenarios.
GREATNESS
"The story line will loop around the neck of Haman and hang him from the top of the ladder he spent his life climbing." - (page169)
"Haman, a man poisoned by his own pursuit of greatness. Driven by selfish ambition, his life ended tragically..." - (page 171)
From page 171:
"The thought occurs to me afresh that great lives don't always seem great while we're living them. They may seem embarrassingly regular. Seeking to be extraordinary isn't the answer because great lives are never achieved by making greatness the goal."
(Beth referring to herself) "This is no Queen Esther. This is a middle-aged woman who pulled a load of underwear out of the dryer this morning."
"This is the stuff of ordinary life. We have trash to take out. Bills to pay. Mortgages to meet. Make no mistake. Extraordinary things happen around us continually. We just don't always recognize them."
"To live for the greatness of God is to live the great life." - (page 173)
Focus on Him.
"... look at the challenging things in your life through a different lens - the lens of eternity." - S. Williams
"What if we awakened ... ... To how pitifully small and unworthy a goal personal greatness is?" - (page 172)
"Christ, the very One who called us to abundant, effective life and commanded us to splash in the cool springs of joy while living it, announced the following secrets to a great life..." - (page 173)
Pick up cross and follow Jesus. Lose life to find it. Don't gain world just to end up forfeiting your soul. Be a servant and be a slave of all. (Matthew 16:24-26 and Mark 10:43-44)
"Christ says ... ... "Just follow Me."" - (page 173)
"Every one of us who embraces the glory of God as our purpose will end up doing great things precisely because we do God-things. His holy hand resting on the least act renders the ordinary extraordinary." - (page 173)
GIFTS
"... every gift is a trust placed in human hands by a holy God." - (page 173)
I've learned and believe that we are ALL on equal playing field in this life. Without God, none of us are anything but dust. No person is greater than the next because anything good and any gifts we have are given to us by God for His specific purpose(s). Our talents are not ours from ourselves. There are reason(s) God gives specific gifts to specific people.
Feel free to leave a comment below with your thoughts and/or things you took away from week 7 - days 3, 4 and 5. (If you are reading this in your email, you can click HERE and it will take you to this post on the seek Him blog where you can comment.)
Thanks!
Cari
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