Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Hope Sustained By Giving Thanks And Counting Blessings
Under normal circumstances, we walk through life and take most things for granted. Darkness falls and hope is often lost when the things we take for granted are taken away. Persons of hope not only can see past the present darkness and look forward with expectation, but persons of hope are also able to look past their present darkness as they count their blessings. Persons of hope deal with adversity by piecing together the shattered nature of their life as they count their blessings. Persons of hope have or call upon the Light of Christ, and the Light shines within them. The Light illuminates the parts of their life and consequently, persons of hope have profound gratitude. Instead of letting the darkness prevail when darkness falls, persons of hope find a flower growing amidst the manure. Persons of hope may not see a shiny silver dollar in a mud hole but they still find it, wash it off, and count it as one of their blessings. Persons of hope focus on what they can do when darkness falls instead of what they cannot do. The focus of our heart determines how alive hope remains in us. When we experience real gratitude within us for the blessings of our life, even if those blessings are small, then hope has a chance to flourish. When we direct our heart, mind, and spirit outward instead of inward, we are more likely to be thankful persons. Losing hope is easy when we lose sight because our spiritual vision does not work in the darkness. However, when we call upon the Light of Christ to shine within us we can see small things mean a lot.
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
How to Overcome Fear, Anxiety, and Worry
Historians will probably call our era “the age of anxiety.” Anxiety is the natural result when our hopes are centered in anything short of God and His will for us. —Billy Graham When Billy Graham wrote those words in 1965, no one knew how true they would be 55 years later. At its best, anxiety distracts us from our relationship with God and the truth that He is “Lord of heaven and earth” At its worst, anxiety is a crippling disease, taking over our minds and plunging our thoughts into darkness. But God wants so much more for us than to walk through life full of fear, worry and anxiety.
“Do not be
anxious about anything,” the Bible tells us in the book of Philippians, chapter
4, “but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Monday, September 28, 2020
How We Treat Others
Hebrews 13:2---Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Things are not always what they seem. People are not always who or what they appear to be. Look at this verse from a common-sense perspective. If God was going to send an angel into the world to do a special work…would God use an angel with wings and feathers or would God send an angel in the form of an ordinary person? To keep down undue attention, God would use the form of an ordinary person as an angelic disguise. From this verse, people you pass on the street, the person you stand in line with at the store, maybe even the stranger you sit next to in church, could be an angel. However, this verse is not about angels but about how we treat strangers. For many reasons, people we do not personally know need our care, concern, love, and attention. Strangers and others need to be enriched by us. Take the time to reach into someone’s life today.
Sunday, September 27, 2020
How You Can be an Example to Future Generations
Proverbs 22:1--- A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold.
An old
Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,”
he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One
is evil he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt,
resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He
continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity,
humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and
faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person,
too.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his
grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one
you feed.”
Saturday, September 26, 2020
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)