Archive for January, 2009
January 28, 2009
· Filed under thoughts · Tagged Bible, destination, goal, Heaven, Hell, highway, Jesus, Lord, map, road, sign
Which way are you going? There are all kind of signs out there……..one way, this way, highway….no way! Any “way” you decide to go, will eventually lead you somewhere – or nowhere!
Figuring out where we want to end up will help determine the “best” way. In life there are many paths we can take towards our life goals. Not all of them will lead to our destination. Some will be dead ends, or be barricaded by the debris of distractions.
When we drive towards a destination, using a map helps us find the best route. Making life choices also depends on what sources we use to find our way. In the Bible are many examples of how to make wise choices. God gave us true life stories to help steer us away from destructive “ways”, along with examples of the best “ways”.
Ultimately, death awaits us, with either Heaven or Hell as our eternal destination. When we get there, we will find it was a good idea to have mapped out a ”way” ahead of time. That ”way” was receiving Jesus as Lord.
Jesus said that “He” is the “only” way to Heaven. No other “roads” lead there.
Make sure you are on the right road !
January 26, 2009
· Filed under thoughts · Tagged Bible, comfort, God, masterplan, order, plan, security
I’m a planner. I like knowing there is some sort of a plan. Within the plan, it’s nice to know there are options, A, B, C, D, etc………….
Life seems more orderly with a plan, more predictable, and secure. Many things we do benefit from making a plan first. The Bible talks about doing things in order and putting a plan together.
“Who” the planner is can make a difference. When someone with experience in the subject area puts the plan together, there is comfort in knowing things will probably go to plan. But what about those times when the plan does “not” go to plan?
That’s the time to hand everything over to the “Masterplanner” !
God !
January 22, 2009
· Filed under relationships · Tagged Bible, Jesus Christ, joy, kindness, lonely, neighbor, pleaser, selfish, service
Please thyself !
Life seemed simple and easy when all I had to do was please myself. Being selfish fit right in with today’s culture. Go my own way, and do my own thing. Just think about my own self, and avoid dealing with others who got in my way.
Unfortunately, trouble finally came, and I found out, I could use some help. Not only that, but it started to become pretty boring just pleasing myself…………not to mention a bit lonely.
Daily doses of emptiness finally caused me to search for something more. My search led to Jesus Christ, who filled my life, abundantly. Now I need never be lonely, and I can look forward to each day with hopeful anticipation. My days now include daily doses of joy as I serve the Lord through acts of kindness towards others.
The Bible tells us to “love thy neighbor as thyself”.
Now pleasing “thyself” involves pleasing others, but most of all, pleasing my heavenly Father !
January 20, 2009
· Filed under relationships · Tagged Bible, Co-dependent, direction, God, healthy, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Lord, motivation, Savior, strength, tackle
I had a “tendency” towards “co-dependency” !
Being co-dependent allowed me to depend on someone else for motivation, direction, gratification. It was a great way to avoid dealing with myself !
Although it is always good to surround yourself with encouraging people, it is not healthy to depend on others to live your life for you. Breaking away from this unhealthy tendency was a rewarding process.
Receiving Jesus as my Lord and Savior was the most important first step. Through Him I was given the Holy Spirit to guide me into the truth – the truth about myself, as well as life around me. God’s Word in the Bible and prayer helped provide the strength I needed to tackle issues.
Now, I can be co-dependent on God – and that’s a “healthy” tendency !
January 19, 2009
· Filed under thoughts · Tagged approval, average, control, depression, discouragement, expectation, failure, fear, God, Holy Spirit, imperfect, Jesus Christ, love, perfectionism
Life is all “mixed” up !
I call myself a “recovering” perfectionist! It has been later in my life that I discovered that being imperfect was fine. Looking back, I realize that trying to control not only myself but the world around me was virtually impossible, and fruitless.
Perfectionism potholes are all around us. Expectations which are too high either promoted by our own self, or others around us can cause us to stumble. Running around looking for approval based on accomplishments can put us on a difficult pathway to discouragement. Fear of failure , because being average isn’t “good enough” blocks our way.
When we find out that life is all “mixed” up with “imperfections”, it could be a relief instead of an annoyance. We as people are imperfect, and accepting imperfection actually releases us to discover new territory. We can feel more freedom in trying new things, and experiencing more joy.
If we try to be loved and accepted through perfectionism, we are destined for despair and depression. Our heavenly Father loves us all, just as we are. He sent His Son Jesus, to bring us into “His” perfect kingdom. Through Jesus Christ, our imperfections are washed away. The Holy Spirit continues to guide us into God’s perfect world.
“He” is the only “perfect” one, and we don’t have to be………..
………….what a relief !
January 17, 2009
· Filed under thoughts · Tagged failure, faith, God, good, home, job, life, perfectionism, pessimism, relationship
When someone says, “nothing can go wrong” – that makes me nervous!
Let’s face it, if something can go wrong, it probably will. Is that pessimistic? No, maybe “realistic”! All through our lives, we find out that nothing is “foolproof”.
Throughout history we’ve seen how mankind’s views of perfection have been thwarted. The sinking of the Titanic is one example. It was supposed to be “unsinkable”. The Berlin Wall “did” come down, Hitler never achieved the “perfect race”, the list goes on and on………….
Bringing this concept down to our own personal lives, we find that “foolproof” doesn’t exist there either. Our jobs, home life, outside relationships – they all include times of failure.
Failure is a fact. None of us can escape it. We can try to avoid it, but eventually it will find us. How we deal with it, can be more important than the failure itself. Fear of failure can paralyze us, cause us to hold back.
If we rely on our faith in God, His fortitude sustains us through failures. Many times we find that so called “failures” brought us to something even greater………..even to a point that perhaps it no longer seems that we have failed at all………because God promises to make all things work together for good…………….
…………. “He” is truly “foolproof” !
January 15, 2009
· Filed under relationships · Tagged free, friend, God, money, relationship, rob, service, talent, thief, time, tithe
Stop……..thief !
Most of us have probably not had that phrase yelled at us. We’ve heard it used in movies, seen it in stories we’ve read. It is usually obvious that the perpetrator has stolen something. Many times it is money, expensive jewelry or precious possessions which are taken.
But all around us there is evidence of other kinds of thievery. When personal business is done during company time, the employer is being “robbed”. A service could be considered stolen when it is rendered by a friend, and that service is “expected” to be either discounted or free, even though this is how they make their living. Time can be stolen by taking too much time from someone else with phone conversations, and visits which are too long. Ignoring relationships with others can “rob” them from having the chance to be a friend, partner, spouse, mentor…….
We can even rob God by neglecting time spent with Him - by not offering our gifts and talents to serve Him – by not donating to His Kingdom……….
In the book of Malachi it is said, “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me ! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ – In tithes and offerings.”
Hmmmmm……instead of getting something for nothing, how about …….
……..giving something to get nothing ?
January 14, 2009
· Filed under relationships · Tagged God, organize, peace, power, refresh, schedule, time, vision, weariness
I’m so tired…………
I hear this phrase more and more these days. In a world of advanced technology, time saving gadgets, state of the art “stuff”, weariness is running rampant.
It seems so many of us are running somewhere playing “catch up”. Demands from jobs, home maintenance, personal paperwork, and relationships require us to “keep up” somehow, stay abreast and not fall behind.
What we shouldn’t fall behind on is our quiet time with God. A personal relationship with Him requires constant attention. When our best time is with Him, the rest of our time becomes better organized. Although weariness still remains a reality, we can trust in His promise that we can continually rest in “Him”.
His perfect peace arching over our endless schedules can alleviate our burdens, and bring us clarity and refreshment. He promises to guide us to vibrant visions for our lives fueled by His power. Then our weariness can reflect His good works through us………
…………….of those we need never grow weary !
January 13, 2009
· Filed under thoughts · Tagged emotions, exercise, faith, fear, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, life, potitive thinking, recreation, resource, strength, test
Does the word “test” make you nervous?
For some people the thought of a test can invoke such fear that they are dumbstruck. But yet there are some who relish any challenge to be tested.
Some types of testing give us a chance to be prepared. We feel more confident when we are given advance notice and can study up or practice whatever it is we need to know. But in reality, much testing happens in our lives without advance notice. We can be taken unaware by circumstances beyond our control.
Our emotions our tested routinely throughout our lives. Unmet expectations, unforeseen disappointments , tragic events are crisis points we all contend with sooner or later. As time goes on, it becomes apparent that preparing for these “tests” can be a life saver.
But how does one prepare for the upsets of life? Avoidance tactics, stoic exercises of the mind, positive thinking , pleasure filled recreation are some of the most popular choices. To an extent, they are all good tools for a supportive strategy when trouble hits. But after time, their strength diminishes…….becomes faded………..runs out……….
The answer key to life’s tests ultimately points to our faith in God. When we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we can now rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us to the strongest preparations and solutions available.
This resource “never” dinimishes, fades or runs out………..
