THOUGHT STRETCHERS...Quotes from prominent people, related words from the Scriptures

"Fantasies are more than substitutes for unpleasant reality; they are also dress rehearsals, plans. All acts performed in the world begin in the imagination." (Barbara Grizzuti Harrison,
Author and Publicist)

Jesus says: "...what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person..." (Matthew 15:18-20)

The Jesus-follower Paul writes: "Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Philippians 4:8)

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no help at all." (Dale Carnegie, 1888-1955, Author and Trainer)

Jesus-follower Paul talks about continuing to faithfully follow Christ in spite of the obstacles, knowing that life forever with God belongs to those who remain 'pursuers of Jesus.' Eternal life and being right with God--righteousness--is the prize for those with faith in Jesus. "Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal," Paul writes, "but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-14)

"To win, you have to risk loss." (Jean Claude Killy, Olympic Gold Medalist in skiing)

"As Jesus was walking along, He saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and He said to him, 'Follow Me." And he got up and followed Him." (Matthew 9:9)

"Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young." (Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1790, Scientist, Publisher, and Diplomat)

Jesus tells His followers: "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." (John 15:12)

"There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness." (Josh Billings, 1815-1885, Humorist and Lecturer)

"Then Peter came and said to [Jesus], 'Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?' Jesus said to Him, 'Not seven times, but I tell you seventy-seven times.'" (Matthew 18:21-22)

What's important to remember in all these quotes is that...

to think rightly,

to persevere in the face of challenges or the evil in us and around us,

to risk loss for a great end,

to love others unconditionally,

and to forgive without limit...

are all laudable goals. Very few, except perhaps those given over totally to evil or those not in their right minds, would argue with the propriety of living the kind of life pointed to in the quotes above.

But here's what I have learned: We can't live these ways with any degree of consistency without help!

In the New Testament portion of the Bible, Paul said he knew what was right, but found it hard to live rightly. He would have agreed with what all the non-Biblical persons quoted above had to say about right living. But when he tried to resolve to live rightly, he couldn't do it!

"So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand," he writes. "For I delight in the law of God...but I see...another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in [me]...Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!...There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Jesus Christ sets us free to move toward becoming the people we know--and which the wisdom of the ages, written on our hearts by God confirms--to be the best way to live. After we turn from sin and receive Jesus Christ as the absolute ruler of our lives, He gives us His Holy Spirit to live as we yearn to live...as God made us to live. That's pretty cool stuff!