Appraising Your Life

Remember him — before the silver cord is severed, and the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, and the wheel broken at the well, and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:6-7 (NIV)

IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE you took stock of where you are going, hasn’t it?  And how about an evaluation of the kids?  Or your marriage?  Or your own future?  You know what I mean: trimming off the fat of lazy thinking and taking a lean, hard look at your remaining years.

As I write, I’m now in my eighties.  If Christ doesn’t return (and I don’t die in the meantime), I figure I’ll keep going until I’m at least one hundred!  How old are you?  How many years lie between now and when you turn sixty-five or seventy years of age?  It’s about time you came to terms with your future, isn’t it?

If that doesn’t grab you, consider your family in the next decade.  Cynthia and I feel it was only last week when our home resembled a cross between Grand Central Station, the Indianapolis 500, and the San Diego Zoo!  That was long ago.  We now find ourselves with ten grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.  It’s amazing how quickly all that happened.  As the old newsreel used to say, “Time marches on.”

Consider Solomon’s wise counsel:

Remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken.  Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well.  For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.
ECCLESIASTES 12:6-7

For what are you asking the Lord on behalf of your children and grandchildren?  I challenge you to stop long enough to make an honest appraisal of your life.  By the way, don’t just think about it . . . get alone and write down your thoughts, your dreams, your aspirations.  Refuse to let tonight’s television programs or some insignificant activity interrupt this necessary discipline.  If you put it off, you may lose the urgency you’re feeling right now.

{From Good Morning, Lord . . . Can We Talk? A Year of Scriptural Meditations by Charles Swindoll}

THE POWER OF GENTLENESS

THE POWER OF GENTLENESS

Do you remember the old fable about the contest between the wind and the sun?  It seems they got into an argument over which one of them was the most powerful.

An elderly man in a tattered coat came walking down the path.  The wind challenged the sun to see which one of them could get the man’s coat off.

Confident in his own strength, the wind went first.  He began blustering and blowing with all his might, ripping at the edges of the tattered coat.  But the poor old man ducked his head, hunched his shoulders, and pulled the coat more tightly to his chest.

When at last the mighty wind gave up, it was the sun’s turn to shine.  The sun slipped out from behind the clouds and beamed down on the old man so gently—and warmly— that the man immediately removed his coat and folded it over his arm.

This story always reminds me of the truth of Proverbs 15:1: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”  In our relationships with others, we often take an aggressive posture.  Like the blustering wind, we try to win the point—or the argument—by overpowering and intimidating the other person.  We blast him or her with the full force and strength of our sharpest words.  But seldom does this approach produce the results we’re looking for.  Often we achieve the exact opposite!

The Scripture tells us there is a better way.  Whether we’re giving or receiving constructive criticism, settling an argument, or addressing a sensitive situation, we’d do well to remember the wisdom of Proverbs 15:1 and the power of a “gentle answer.”

Take It To Heart!

Can you think of a problem or circumstance in your life that was exacerbated by harsh words?

How could it have been handled differently?

What about a situation where a gentle answer saved the day?

Pray that God will give you gentle answers for the difficult people and circumstances that come into your life today.

Read James 3:3-18. Write down the areas that you need to work on.

Taken from : Take it to Heart by Christin Ditchfield

A Wounded Heart

For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded and stricken within me.—Psalm 109:22

Is it wrong to have a wounded heart?  No, a wounded heart is not wrong, but you need to get it healed and go on.  In Old Testament days, if a priest had a wound or a bleeding sore, he could not minister.  I think today we have a lot of wounded healers.  By that I mean there are a lot of people in the body of Christ today who are trying to minister to other people but who themselves still have unhealed wounds from the past. These people are still bleeding and hurting themselves.

Am I saying such people cannot minister?  No, but I am saying they need to get healed.  Jesus said that the blind cannot lead the blind; because if they do, they will both fall into a ditch. There is a message in that state- ment.  What is the use of my trying to minister victory to others if I have no victory in my own life?  How can I minister emotional healing to others if I still have unresolved emotional problems from my past?

In order to minister properly, we need to go to God and let Him heal us first.  I think we need to wake up and realize that God is not looking for wounded healers.  He wants people with wounds He can heal who will then go and bring healing to others.  God loves to use people who have been hurt and wounded, because nobody can minister to someone else better than one who has had the same problem or been in the same situation as that person.

If we are still bleeding and hurting from our own wounds, we are not going to be able to come against other people’s problems with the same kind of aggressive faith we would have if we had already worked through that problem ourselves. The bottom line is that we need to let God heal us so He can use us to bring healing to other people.

[Source : New Day New You by Joyce Meyer]

Humility is concerned with what is right

James 4:10 - Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (NIV)

James reminds us of an important biblical principle that is found throughout the pages of Scripture, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." James lays out the criteria on living a humble life that honours the Lord in chapter four of his epistle.  He lists a series of commands that will not only keep us in close fellowship with God but encourage us towards humility of heart and gentleness of spirit.

Humility is a fruit of the Spirit that should be exhibited in every believer’s life, but there is much misunderstanding about biblical humility and what it means to humble oneself before the Lord.  Humility is not thinking less of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves less.  It is understanding ourselves properly considering who God is and who we are and living accordingly.  This humbling of oneself is not meant to be forced, but instead should be voluntary in a willing action.

James gives us a challenge that demands us going against our current day of self-exaltation culture.  He encourages us to appropriately humble ourselves before God.  When we recognize who we are apart from the Lord, the only response that can come from us in the presence of God is humility.  True humility grows in the heart of someone who is submitted to God, growing in grace, and maturing in the Christian faith.  The reward of true humility is exaltation from God - He will lift you up.  The exaltation from God is far greater than the exaltation of the world.

Gossip

In Ancient Greece, Socrates had a great reputation of wisdom.  One day, someone came to find the great philosopher and said to him:

- Do you know what I just heard about your friend?
- A moment, replied Socrates.  Before you tell me, I would like to test you the three sieves.
- The three sieves?
- Yes, continued Socrates.  Before telling anything about the others, it's good to take the time to filter what you mean.  I call it the test of the three sieves.  The first sieve is the TRUTH.  Have you checked if what you're going to tell me is true?
- No, I just heard it.
- Very good!  So, you don't know if it's true.  We continue with the second sieve, that of KINDNESS.  What you want to tell me about my friend, is it good?
- Oh, no!  On the contrary.
- So, questioned Socrates, you want to tell me bad things about him and you're not even sure they're true?  Maybe you can still pass the test of the third sieve, that of UTILITY.  Is it useful that I know what you're going to tell me about this friend?
- No, really.
- So, concluded Socrates, what you were going to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor useful.  Why, then, did you want to tell me this?

"Gossip is a bad thing. In the beginning it may seem enjoyable and fun, but in the end, it fills our hearts with bitterness and poisons us, too!"

- Pope Francis

Hopeful Connection

I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me - Proverbs 8:17

Do you recall falling in love?  You hoped to know the person better and learn all the details that made the individual special.  You spent all your free time with your new love.  You formed strong bonds to last through troubles and time.  It was a moment when you felt connected to another person, when there was someone outside of yourself whom you could not picture your life without.

A. W. Tozer spoke of the desire to know God better.  The moment God became real and special to him was when he was fifteen years old.  He had heard a street preacher say that people needed to call on God if they did not know how to be saved.  Tozer ran home to his attic, got on his knees, and began a lifelong pursuit of God.  This moment inspired his pursuit to a deeper knowledge of God.  He loved and grew in his connection to God for the rest of his life.  Our pursuit of God should be lifelong.  God is too deep, too wide, and too high for the knowing to ever end.  The pursuit begins at the moment you understand that God truly loves you, and this begins your connection of hope.

Just tell our heavenly Father, "I love You and long to know You deeper. Lead me in Your ways so that I may walk closer to You day by day."  Amen

Source: 365 Devotion for hope by Karen Whiting

Walk the Talk

James 1:22 - Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (NIV)

The book of James encourages Christians to act like Christians and live a life that proves the gospel is at work.  It is intensely practical, action oriented and describes the outward serving of faith.  According to James, if faith is real and if we truly trust God, then our faith will lead to all kinds of practical actions for the benefit of others.

In today’s verse, James urges the believers who listen to God’s Word to demonstrate a sincere commitment to the Lord by reacting to what they hear with obedient action.  The very nature of this passage is application, being doers of the Word.  The original language gives the sense that we must “keep on becoming” doers of God’s Word.  Genuine faith calls for obedience that endures.

The Word of God is not just a beautiful piece of literature to be savored and enjoyed.  Its purpose goes beyond provoking thought and inviting meditation.  It demands a change of heart that prompts a change of behavior.  Genuine faith does what God’s Word says and experiences the blessings from it.  Genuine faith believes God is right and is willingly to change to do what is right based on God’s Word.

Taste and See ...

Our Christian life's journey on earth is to know God.  As such, we need to spend time reading His love letter that was written to us.  When we read the Bible, a miracle happens in the deepest part of us and strengthen our spiritual man.

Christians primarily read the Bible for transformation and not for information.

..head knowledge is never the same as heart knowledge. That is why Psalm 34:8 proclaims, "Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him."

John Piper argues that, in the end, theology in itself is insufficient to change our hearts. There is something more that is needed. "There is a knowledge that only comes through tasting ...

MANY PEOPLE WILL WALK IN AND OUT OF OUR LIFE, BUT ONLY TRUE FRIENDS WILL LEAVE FOOTPRINTS IN OUR HEART

Growing Old

As we grow older, we can dwell on the failures and hardships of our past, or we can remember God's faithfulness, accept His discipline, and keep looking to the future in faith.

Just like Moses, when he was 120 years old, he stood with the Israelites before they crossed the Jordan River and entered the Promised Land.  He could not go with them because he had disobeyed the Lord when in anger he struck the rock in the wilderness。 (Numbers 20:12,24)

The three temptations

One of the greatest foes of the Christian is religious complacency.  Religious complacency is encountered almost everywhere among Christians these days, and its presence is a sign and a prophecy.   For every Christian will become at last what his desires have made him.

The world system uses three devices to trap Christians :

a) the lust (desire) of the flesh; also commonly known as "sex"

b) the lust of the eyes; also commonly known as "money"

c) the pride of life; also commonly known as "power"

These same devices trapped Eve back in the Garden of Eden. "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food [the lust of the flesh], and that it was pleasant to the eyes [the lust of the eyes], and a tree to be desired to make one wise [the pride of life], she took of the fruit" (Genesis 3:6)

a) The lust of the flesh refers to the basis nature of unregenerate man that makes him blind to spiritual truth.  It is a disordered desire for pleasure, such as gluttony, disordered sexual acts, drug & alcohol abuse, etc. 

In First Corinthians 2:14, "The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness,and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit."

b) The lust of the eyes operates in a more refined way.  It is a disordered desire for possession, such as theft, covetousness, and materialism in general.  The context is loving the things of this world more than loving God.

c) The pride of life is the desire to be like God but apart from God.  This happens whenever we put ourselves in the place of God by failing to recognize that He is God, and we are not.

Any sin you can think of will have its origin in one of these three and in a way, the first two stem from the third.  Pride is also known as the root of sin.

In James 4:13-17, it says this about boasting "Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”  Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.   What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”  As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes.  All such boasting is evil.   If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

"Contentment with earthly goods is the mark of a saint; Contentment with our spiritual state is a mark of inward blindness". - A.W. Tozer 

Philippians 3:13-14 "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." KJV

Why children need to obey their parents

The Bible says, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  "Honor your father and mother" - which is the first commandment with a promise - "so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." Ephesians 6:1-3 NIV

If our children disobey this command of the Lord, they could not only be cut off from all God has for them, but heir lives could be cut short as well.

The Bible also says, "If someone curses their father or mother, their lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness."  The fact that we can affect the length and quality of our children's lives is reason enough to pray, instruct, and discipline them.

Honoring our parents is more than an obligation.  It's also a privilege.  As children we honor them by obedience; as adults by frequent calls or visits and self sacrificing care.

SALT vs RICE

If you were to cook 3 cups of rice, would you add 3 cups of salt to it?  I certainly hope not!
So, in every preparation of rice, the rice always outnumbers the salt, yet a little salt makes a huge difference/impact in the overall outcome.

In the room in which you currently are, look up at the ceiling...  Yes, I said look up!  What is the size of the bulb compared to the size of the room?  In the room from which I typed this, my guesstimate is probably a ratio of 1:5000.  Yet, darkness flees the entire space once the small bulb is flipped on.

If I am the salt of the earth, and the light of the world, then "little me" has the ability to make big things happen.

Sometimes, because we feel outnumbered or overwhelmed at the sheer magnitude of evil or wrong-doers, we then choose powerlessness, and decide to go with the flow, not standing up for what we believe is right.

Stop it!  Little doesn't mean insignificant.  You are significant.  Your presence should make a BIG difference.  Stop waiting to be on the side of the majority.  They may be the majority, but they are the trivial majority, and you are the impactful minority.  They are the rice of the world, and you are the salt of the world.  They are the room, and you are the light.  Make your influence felt!

"You are the world's seasoning, to make it tolerable."

[Extract from : Archana Shastry

PoSH Consultant, NLP practitioner , Behavioural, Soft Skill]

True salt, which comes from the sea and dried under the sun and commonly called rock salt, has 72 natural minerals including natural sodium, chloride, and iodine.
Why salt? Because without salt the body cannot retain water no matter how much water is drunk. You will still be dehydrated because you will just keep urinating and sweating the water out.

Two Ways To Be HAPPY

There was a young man who constantly complained about everything.  One day, he decided to start over and live a new life.  So he went to the wise king and asked him how to live a successful life.  The king filled a big glass of wine for him and said, "Take this glass and go around the market once and come back.  Then I will tell you the secret to living a successful life.  However, do not spill any of the wine, or else you will be punished!"  The young man took the glass of wine and did as the king said.  When he returned, the king asked, "What did you see on the streets of the market?  What kind of people did you pass?  What kind of sounds did you hear?  The man responded, "Oh king! To obey your command, I could only focus on my glass of wine so that I would not spill it.  I was not able to see or hear anything other than my glass of wine!"  The king answered, "That is the secret to a successful life.  The reason you are not satisfied with your life and always complaining is because you are wasting it.  If you have a purpose and run towards it with passion, you will not have time to complain."

[Extracted from LivingLife ]

Blesser not the Blessing

In the Old Testament, riches were considered tangible evidence of God blessing.  Prosperity was seen as a proof of right living.  In ideal conditions, people prosper when God runs their lives, but prosperity is not guaranteed.  Wealth does not prove that a person is living right before God, and poverty does not indicate sin.
I believed when God blesses us, He wants to use us as a channel to bless others.

In fact, 1 Samuel 2:7 states  "The Lord sent poverty and wealth, He humbles and He exalts."  In other words, God is the sources of all blessing - He gives and He takes away because He is God.

Salt: Good or Bad?

Salt is an essential nutrient and the amount of salt in the diet influences health.  Too much salt can raise blood pressure and may increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes in susceptible populations.  On the other hand, a low-salt diet may cause serious health consequences and higher overall mortality, especially in the presence of certain chronic health conditions and lifestyle factors.

So is salt good or bad?  It's not that simple, is it?  For example, the salt that an athlete needs to prevent dehydration is the salt that some experts believe play a significant role in many health problems, such as high blood pressure.

God calls us to be salt in a bland, dark society.  Matthew 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?   It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."

However, salt is now considered so bad that international health organisations have made calls to reduce salt content in edibles.  Likewise with churches today, instead of heeding Paul's call as written in Romans chapter 12, not to conform to the pattern of the world, we are now compromising to the culture and expectation of the world.

Are Christians doing what Christians need to do?

Are we salt that flavors food?

Are we living our faith?

What happen often times is that Christians live in this cozy bubble, and we do not know any non Christians.  How then can we truly be the salt of the world?

Romans 12:1-2 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Privilege to grow old

Important of Christian fellowship

The Christian life has two relationships : the vertical (God-ward) and the horizontal (man-ward).

If a Christian walks in the light and is in fellowship with God, he will also be in fellowship with others in God's family. It is easy to talk about Christian love, but much more difficult to practice it.

This is one reason why God established the local church, the fellowship of believers. "You can't be a Christian alone" - a person cannot live a complete and developing Christian life unless he is in fellowship with God's people.

Fellowship comes from the Greek word, KOINONIA, which means “to share in common.”  Christian fellowship is more than attending Church — it is “assimilating” into the body of believers, becoming “one” in worshipping, loving, caring and sharing.

Not only does the Bible say that “fellowship” is the evidence of walking in the light (1 John 1:7), but it also says that “loving the brethren” is evidence of that walk.  “He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him” (1 John 2:10).  This shows that there is a strong, inseparable relationship between “fellowship” and “loving the brethren.”  Consequently, it appears that fellowship is intended to be the practice of loving the brethren, which helps keep us in a right relationship with Christ so that His shed blood can continue its full cleansing effect!

Fellowship with the brethren is an exercise of love bringing us toward spiritual maturity.  Your relationship with the brethren is the thermometer that measures your spiritual temperature.  Your degree of love toward the brethren is the gauge that shows our love for God. “...If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us” (1 John 4:12).

Living the Good Life or God Life ?

The 'good life' according to the world standard is all about wealth, power and getting what you want, when you want it.  Living the truly good life means living for God.

Life is not always black and white, and while some choice are right and wrong, many are just better or worse.

Parents who refuse to let their children experience failure or sadness give them a false view of the world and do not prepare them for the harsh realities of adult life.

Some Christians expect that the Lord will be the kind of parent who protects them from all sorrow and disappointment.  But our Father in heaven is not like that.  He lovingly allows His children to go through suffering as in Isaiah 43:2 and 1 Thessalonians 3:3.

God's goal is to make us holy, not just happy.  When we face the truth that life is difficult, we can start investing our lives in the pursuit of a good and godly life instead.  The pursuit of holiness occurs daily as we yield ourselves in obedience to the Lord instead of following our old ways of self-gratification.

TO  BE  RICH  IN  GOD  IS  FAR  BETTER  THAN  TO  BE  RICH  IN  GOODS

Praising God Every Morning

The importance of recreation

Recreation is defined this way.  To recreate, create anew.  The Christian's definition is not the world's definition.  The world is unable to distinguish between recreation and dissipation.  To the world recreation is synonomous with amusement.  That is, whatever appeals to the eye, satitates the desires of the flesh, and contributes to popularity.

The Christian distinguishes between recreation and dissipation.  Recreation is not always amusing.  Amusement is not always recreational.  Study is recreational, but not amusing.  Lascivious literature is amusing, but not recreational.  To the Christian,' recreation is not synonomous with amusement.  A Christian is interested in that which builds spiritually, morally and physically.

The home is a recreational unit.  It molds the immature personalities.  It commands mature affection and loyalty.   Many modern homes are not recreational units but many of the older homes were.  The father organized farm activities.  The mother supervised the household tasks.  The children were definitely interested in the success of the home as an economic, educational and recreational unit.  The older homes believed in hard work and frugal habits.  It believed in practical education.  The homes of years gone by were recreational in that they studied the Bible daily, prayed daily, enjoyed mealtime association, fireside discussions and group entertainments.  The home should and must be a recreational unit.

It is not the duty of the church to furnish recreation but Christian fellowship, prayer, Bible study, singing, church meetings, etc. are recreational.

Christians also have other sources of recreation such as nature.  Yes, we can go walking, travelling, and camping, Nature provides much recreation.  Mental travel, good books such as geography, history, poetry, fiction etc., also with uplifting conversations is recreational.  Bodily exercise such as swimming (not mixed bathing with both men and women), tennis, volleyball, softball, soccer, badminton, basketball, golf, horseshoes, table tennis, etc. provide good recreation under the right circumstances.

Choosing recreation for Christians is a great problem for some and should always employ our deepest consideration.  There are not many iron clad rules that can be laid down, so therefore, we must consider certain principles honest answers and actions to these questions will keep our recreation right. [Doyle Banta, Decatur, Alabama]

Recreation is not a license to be lazy, but diligence is not a command to work until you drop.  In fact, the biblical mandate is to rest and enjoy life as you work.  It is about doing an honest day's work and appreciating play.  It is about living within our means - not hoarding our wealth or pining for more, being driven by greed, but really focusing on a biblical quality of life.

[Extracted from LIVING Life Jan 2013]