2019 Bob Goff
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ISBN 978-1-4002-0378-9 (eBook)
ISBN 978-1-4002-0377-2 (HC)
Epub Edition February 2020 9781400203789
Library of Congress Control Number: 2019939195
Printed in the United States of America
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CONTENTS
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
MATTHEW 11:2830
I remember learning to ride my first bike, but my favorite bike memories are when I taught my kids. Without fail, at the beginning, the front tire would wobble back and forth more and more wildly just before one of them bit the dust. And they all bit the dust. Sometimes they would try again; sometimes they would call it quits. Learning to ride a bike at first is completely unnatural. Once it clicksthe balance, pedaling, steeringits hard to imagine not knowing how to do it. With enough practice, you dont even think about riding a bike anymore. You just do it.
Jesus talks about taking up a challenge to live differently. Its sort of like riding a bike. He wants us to live in grace and walk in love, but at first it is a gangly, wobbly wreck. We might even get banged up a little. Then, after a while, you just know how to do it. The Bible describes it as a rhythm, like breathing itself, where we are taking in grace for ourselves and holding out love for others. It is not natural, and it takes some practice. But Jesus showed us the way. Maybe one day well look a little more graceful and pull off some cool trickshop a couple of curbs, do a wheelie or a bunny hop. Not unlike Peter and John, who healed a man in Acts 3, Jesus wants us to stick with Him through the awkward learning parts so we can learn to ride like He does. He wants to take our mind off of falling so we can pedal more fearlessly. Sure, there will be some scratches and scrapes. But we can pick each other up and help each other get back on for another go.
What habits and rhythms do you need to practice to help you naturally experience Gods grace in your life?
The entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself.
GALATIANS 5:14
What is it about January 1 and making New Years resolutions? I think theyre terrific because they get people inspired to move toward the person they want to be. Later in January, I go around asking people if they made any resolutionsit gives you a window into what their hopes and dreams are. One predictable recurring theme is friends who want to go the gym on a regular basis. They say their gyms are like ghost towns in November and December, then January hits and they get as busy as a New York City subway. They also say the crowds begin to trickle down as the month goes on, and by February theyre back to the familiar faces they see throughout the year. If only we could make our commitments surefire bets, right? Heres the thing. Plans are a toss-up: sometimes they work out and sometimes they wither. Love always works. What if we simply commit to love?
Dont plan on doing it or make a resolution to do it the way people hope to go to the gym. Just do it. No plan, no agenda. Just Jesus leaking out through you into the world. Our lives are a series of positive experiences and more than a few negative ones. Make your life about people and you wont regret it. Theres no gym to join, no pounds to lose. Our hours and minutes are what make up our lives, and God never intended relationships to be an afterthought. Make this year about people. We wont give our friends the love they deserve if we try to work them in when our lives slow down. Well wake up one day and realize we never really got to know the people we bump into every day, even if theyre the ones who sit across the dinner table from us each night. If you have to choose between your plans and your loved ones, go with the sure thing and choose love.
Who do you need to focus your love toward today?
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
PSALM 23:4
Have you ever heard a plane break the sound barrier?
About 768 miles per hourthats how fast you have to go to outrun sound itself. Modern planes can do it pretty easily. Around World War II, though, scientists and engineers thought Mach speeds might be impossible in a manned aircraft. Their hesitance had everything to do with what happened at 767 miles per hour. Just before a plane breaks the sound barrier, all the created energy is pushing against the plane. Think of riding an old, rickety roller coaster in midairall the shaking, jerking, and rattling made more than a few pilots throttle back.
When were chasing our dreams, all the turbulence we face shouldnt scare us into pulling back, though. The shaking, jerking, and rattling in our lives are telling us were getting close to the breakthrough.
If theres anything to fear, often its pulling back, not pressing forward. Is fear of failure holding you back from breaking your personal barriers? You might be at 767 miles per hour. Throw the throttle down, because once you push through fear produced by the rattling, you find the next-level experience youve been hoping for. God hopes well develop a greater fear of inaction than of failure, because then, well experience with wide-eyed excitement what its like to cruise, doing what we were made to do.
Where is fear holding you back right now?
[Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why it was credited to him as righteousness.
ROMANS 4:2022
The city where I live is known for one of the best fireworks shows on the planet. Its no secret either. People from all over fly into San Diego to witness the spectacle. The city loads four barges down with munitions, parks them in different parts of the bay, then synchronizes the launch with music as hundreds of thousands of people assemble to watch an hour of explosions. Thousands of fireworks are put on display. Its a pyromaniacs dream. The question isnt whether the show will burn your retinas a little bit but if youll get there early enough to get a parking spot and a good seat.
