Jesus

Be thankful for what you have got

English: Scroll of the Psalms

English: Scroll of the Psalms (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

O, give thanks to the Lord, for He is gracious!

For His mercy endures forever.

2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,

Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,

3 And gathered out of the lands,

From the east and from the west,

From the north and from the south.

4 They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;

They found no city to dwell in.

5 Hungry and thirsty,

Their soul fainted in them.

6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,

And He delivered them out of their distresses.

7 And He led them forth by the right way,

That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.

8 Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,

And for His marvellous works to the children of men!

9 For He satisfies the longing soul,

And fills the hungry soul with goodness” (Psalm 107:1-9).

The key to living in a loving state is to be thankful for what you have. Most of us take life for granted and fail to appreciate the gifts we have been given by our heavenly father. The next time you feel a little down take a few minutes to think about how miraculous and how blessed your life is. There is so much to be thankful for.

In her book, “the 10 second Kiss” Ellen Kreidman, Ph.D. asks a the following thought-provoking questions which I find particularly compelling.

Are you breathing on your own? There are people at this moment who need a respirator to help them breathe.

When you got up this morning, were you able to hear the alarm go off? Could you hear the birds singing, the wind blowing, the heat or air-conditioning going on? There are people who are deaf and can’t do that.

Are you able to talk? Can you scream, whisper or sing a song? There are people who will never be able to use their vocal cords.

Look around you. Can you see the clouds, the blue sky, the grass, and flowers and trees? There are people who see only darkness. They are blind and cannot see nature’s beauty.

How about your legs? Can you walk, skip, jump, hop and crawl? There are people who are confined to a wheelchair for the rest of their lives.

Did you have enough money to buy food today? One-third of the world’s population will go to bed hungry tonight.

Do you have a home to live in? All over the world, there are men, women and children who are homeless.

Do you have bills to pay? That means someone was willing to trust you enough to give you a product or service in advance of getting paid. There are many people who have no credit and cannot get anything without cash their hands.

Do you have a savings account? That means you were able to put some extra money away for a rainy day. There are so many people who do not have enough money to get through today.

How to reap the benefits of God’s leadership in your life?

Icon of Jesus Christ

Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A college professor laid out his teaching philosophy on the first day of class: “If you allow me, I will teach you as much as I can in these few short weeks, but if you defy me, I guarantee that you will learn nothing. You will not like everything I tell you, but if you follow my instructions, you will leave these class much better thinkers than when you came in.”

The professor was a task master who demanded perfection from his students. Many students who were too lazy to put forth the actual effort, lost interest and complained about the strict grading and disparaging comments. The few extremely dedicated ones, found their professor to be one of the finest they ever had, and they valued his opinion above all others. This man helped them become better than they thought possible.

God offers us the same deal. If we are open to His leadership, He will help us achieve our full potential. However, if we resist His help, we can never hope to achieve that goal. Wise men and women get to be smart by listening and trying to improve themselves. They are never satisfied with whom they are today, but they always look forward to what they can become tomorrow. Proverbs 9:9 say it best: “Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still;  teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.”

So Let no one deceive himself brethren. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” Therefore, let no one boast in men. For all things are God’s: whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are God’s. And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” (1 Corinthians 3:18-23).

Steadfast Discipline is Better Than Strength

The choice came down to two salesmen. The question was, which one of these two top performers was more suitable for the big job? The first got great results, but he was a bit wild, and he could not always be counted on. The second man got average results, but he could be counted on every time. The account was important, and they really wanted the best person to go after it. The first man figured he would be selected, while the other man only hoped. It came as a surprise to them both when the second man was selected. It was decided that dependability was more important than a smooth come-on.

“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city” (Proverbs 16:32).

God requires His followers to be disciplined. If we practice self-control, we are well on the road to wisdom. It is not always easy to be a Christian, but we are expected to hold fast to the faith through bad times as well as good. The disciplined person learns to deal with hardship and, through discipline, gains endurance. God loves the person who is steadfast and unyielding in faith. The person who gives up easily and forgets their trust has no place with God. We need to pray for strength in our faith and trust that God will grant it. Discipline is greater than strength or intelligence or charm. (David slew the mighty Goliath with a sling and a stone). Discipline gives us the foundation; we need to build a faith, which cannot be shaken.

Give me a faith that will never fail, O Lord. I put my trust in You, because you are God and there is nothing on earth, which is more powerful than Your might. Be with me to strengthen me and give me your peace. Amen.

God does not look at your possession; He looks at your Heart

English: Sacred Heart

Image via Wikipedia

“Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand” (Ecclesiastes 5:15).

Think for a moment about the things you own; like your house, your car, and the money you’ve saved. Think about your many assets and the stocks you’ve traded, the clothes and electronics toys you have purchased. Contrary to what some people think, there is nothing wrong about owning stuff. It is good to have stuff after all! But let me remind you that your stuff cannot save you–only Jesus can.

So while you are on your quest to owning as much stuff as you can get your hands on; bear in mind that your heavenly father says you are to: “Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for you treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:20).

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36) It is a fact that your stuff isn’t really yours. They are loan to you; enjoy them while you can; because when you die you’ll take nothing with you. When one of the richest men in history, John D. Rockefeller, died, his accountant was asked, “How much did John D leave?” The accountant replied, “All of it.”

All that stuff is not yours, and it’s certainly not who you are. Who you are has nothing to do with the clothes you wear or the car you drive. Jesus said. “Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot” (Luke 12:15). God does not know you as the fellow with the nice suits or the woman with the big house or the kid with the new bike. God knows your heart.

Mankind looks at your earthly possession, but God looks at your heart. In the end, it is the pureness of your heart that will define you when you appear before the judgment seat. Solomon spent much of his life pursuing riches but he soon realizes that all was vanity. “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:11).

The Filter of God’s truth

Detail - Glory of the New Born Christ in prese...

Image via Wikipedia

“But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:13).

“Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church” (Ephesians 4:14-15).

One of the greatest errors that a follower of Christ can make is to believe something that is a lie. There is a powerful filter that God has given you to keep all lies from setting into your thinking process.

The filter that is available to you is God’s truth. When a thought first enters your mind there is an important question you must ask, “Is this thought the truth?” But your answer to this question cannot be based upon your reasoning, because truth transcends reason; your answer cannot be based upon your experiences, because they are too subjective; your answer cannot be based upon your circumstances, because they are always changing.

The answer can only come from God’s Word, the revelation of the Holy Spirit, and the testimony of Jesus Christ. “. . . If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”” (John 8:31-32).

The truth is constant, it cannot change, and it doesn’t retreat like humans do. It is always staring you in face and eating at your conscience like a mouse nibbles at cheese.

Truth

There are times when the truth is not what we want to hear,
Then perhaps question it, almost before it reaches the ear.
When the truth’s been disguised, it’s difficult to recognize,
Then as it’s revealed, it may catch some people by surprise.

Truth of the activities of some, if known, would cause shame,
Instead of being what they pretend, mud would be their name.
As the truth’s known, some may receive credit that’s past due,
For they’re behind the scenes doing those things others want do.

The place to go if the fountain of truth we seek to discover,
Is God’s Word, for there it is contained from cover to cover.
God’s instruction book to man that he can live a truthful life,
Dealing with the events that could cause him trouble and strife.

Jesus is the way, truth and life, only through Him is God reached,
And that’s the way it is, no matter how differently it’s preached.
He said, trust him, we’ll know the truth and it will set us free,
Although He said this some years ago,