Post Category → Bruce Wilkinson

Question & Thought for June 27th, 2016!!!

Question & Thought for June 27th, 2016!!!
Good Monday Morning!
1. Question – Sure, a spiritual giant like the apostle Paul can live a life of radical pruning, but is that really what God wants for me, too?
​2. Thought​ – You may be thinking, Sure, a spiritual giant like the apostle Paul can live a life of radical pruning, but is that really what God wants for me, too? For your answer, don’t miss Paul’s closing exhortation: “All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.” (v.15, NIV)
Here is a testimony to the goal of mature pruning: that you will be finally so surrendered to God that everything you now love dearly – even worthy activities and goals – will be let go into God’s sovereign keeping. What remains in your grip is one passion, one goal, one unhindered opportunity: to bear more fruit.
The truth is, Christians who have experienced deep pruning don’t focus on what is left behind anyway. They’re given to courageous, hope-filled, forward-straining prayers on the order of this one from author John Piper:
“Lord, let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who I am.” (Secrets of the Vine by Bruce Wilkinson)
Pay it forward! For God!!!
rem – I had no knowledge that I had no knowledge.
Question & Thought & ANDs.

Question & Thought for May 18th, 2015!!

Question & Thought for May 18th, 2015!!
Good Monday Morning, continued from yesterday!!
1. Question – Why would tomorrow’s king behave like tonight’s houseboy?
2. Thought – THE UNRAVELING
The apostle John recorded the exact moment the mood changed:
And supper being ended…Jesus…rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with a towel with which He was girded. (John 13:2-5)
Shocked, the men can only watch in shame as the Messiah swabs grime from between their toes. Water plinks into the bowl. The disciples shift nervously, not daring to speak. Why would tomorrow’s king behave like tonight’s houseboy?
It gets worse. “Most assu​redly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me,”​ Jesus announces (v.21): The stunned men look around the circle. Then comes the clincher. Jesus tells Peter that before sunup, he will deny his Lord three times. An awful realization begins to dawn: Their whole mission is doomed.
Of course, Jesus has been trying to tell them for months that His appointment in Jerusalem is with a cross, not a throne. But His warnings have been mixed with predictions that Messiah is about to return in power and glory, and the disciples have heard what they have wanted to hear.
But tonight Jesus strips away their last hopes. “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more,” He says, “but you will see Me.” That rules out any public triumph. (Secrets of the Vine by Bruce Wilkinson)

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rem – know the why behind the what! 
Question & Thought & ANDs.

Question & Thought for May 17th, 2015!!!

Question & Thought for May 17th, 2015!!!
Good Sunday Morning!!!
1. Question – Have you ever been with someone very close to you who is about to die, someone who loves you and wants to leave you with a final word?
2. Thought – “Come closer.” You lean close straining to hear.
“I want to tell you something. I’ve waited until now…but I can’t wait any longer.”
You know that you’ll remember every word for the rest of your life.
Now imagine that the person who is about to speak is Jesus. How closely would you listen? How long and how hard would you ponder your Lord’s last words to you?
These final words are so little understood today that I’ve called them “secrets,” but I’m convinced that Jesus meant for their meaning to be clear. The time for parables and hidden meanings had passed. He wanted every follower for generations to come to know exactly how to live an overflowing life and understand what God would do to make it happen.
THURSDAY NIGHT UPSTAIRS
If you’ve been a Christian for a while, you’ve probably heard a lot about the upper room – the scene of the climatic evening meal Jesus had with His disciples.
The disciples have spent three years with Him, and one by one they’ve come to the same conclusion: Jesus of Nazareth is Messiah – the One worth risking everything to follow. In fact, the disciples are so certain about how the events of Passover week will unfold that they have spent a good part of the journey from Galilee arguing about who will get which position of honor in the new kingdom.
Dinner begins.
Peter, pass the lamb.
Hey James, let’s get to the temple early. I don’t want to miss ten thousand angels teaching those Roman legions a lesson.
Pst, Matthew! I’d say our money woes are about to be history!
The disciples expect that these lamp-lit hours among friends in the upper room will carry on into the evening, poignant but peaceful, full of toasts to the good years to come. But things begin to unravel. (Secrets of the Vine by Bruce Wilkinson)
Continued tomorrow!

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rem – know the why behind the what! 
Question & Thought & ANDs.