DO THESE WORDS DESCRIBE MY ATTITUDE?

There was a very cautious man

Who never laughed or played

He never risked, he never tried

He never sang or prayed

And when he one day passed away

His insurance was denied

For since he never really lived

They claimed he never died.

EACH MUST ASK:

DO THOSE WORDS DESCRIBE MY ATTITUDE?

THINK!!!

Don’t forget that people will

judge you by your actions…

not your intentions.

You may have a heart of gold…

            but then so does a hard-boiled egg.

Obviously you cannot get anywhere unless you start…

            so begin where you are…

            but don’t stay there.

It pays to keep your feet on the ground…

            but keep them moving.

So if you are going to climb the tree of life,

            you must grab the branches…not the blossoms.

It doesn't do any good to sit up and take notice

            …if you keep on sitting.

Start An Epidemic of Cheerfulness!

No cases

of eyestrain

have been developed

by looking on the bright side

of LIFE.

Your day generally goes the way the corners of your mouth turn. So start the day with a private smile.

(DO NOT follow the attitude of W.C. FIELDS, “You might as well smile when you get up and get it over with for the day.”)

Instead remember that while cheerfulness is contagious,

you DO NOT have to wait to catch it from someone else.

Start your own epidemic of cheerfulness…be a carrier.

Timeless are these biblical thoughts, “…whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable…if anything is excellent or praiseworthy…think about such things.”  Philippians 4:8

PREJUDICE is the reason of fools.

To keep prejudice from successfully invading our minds and hearts, we must remember:

1.      God is the author of the universe.  All things are in subjection to Him

2.      All people are His creatures. Each human being is unique.

3.      When differences arise…endeavor to see the other person through the eyes of God.  Apply careful thinking rather than senseless anger.

4.      God is aware not only of my actions but also of my motives as I deal with others.  ALWAYS ASK GOD FOR WISDOM.  

Do You Give Life All of Your Heart?

“The best and most beautiful things in the world

cannot be seen or even touched.

They must be felt with the heart.”

Helen Keller

A tourist on his first trip west, traveling on a bus tour, was unmoved by the scenery, scoffed at the Grand Canyon, yawned at the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, and had no interest in Yellowstone Park.

Tired of the man’s carping and indifference, the bus driver turn to him and said quietly, “Mister, when you haven’t got it on the INSIDE, you can’t see it OUTSIDE.”

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men…”  Colossians 3:23

IT WAS...

A DESCRIPTION THAT FITS “OUR DAY”

    (Courtesy of Charles Dickens)

It was the best of times.

It was the worst of times.

It was the age of wisdom.

It was the age of foolishness.

It was the epoch of belief.

It was the epoch of incredibility.

It was the season of Light.

It was the season of Darkness.

It was the spring of Hope.

It was the winter of Despair.

(The recognition that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” provides the sure foundation for us to be winners in our complex world.)

DON'T QUIT LIVING...

We cannot deny the presence of the

darkness that permeates our culture

…we cannot pretend that dangers

do not exist.

HOWEVER, we can recognize the God who created the universe.  We can find hope and strength in Him.  He is the only adequate foundation for all of the experiences of life.

THEN we can see good in the midst of the bad.  And even though they are imperfect, there are people who are attempting to practice being courteous…kind…unselfish…thoughtful…trying to make this world a better place.

You and I can choose to be one of those.

Remember that all of the darkness in the world

cannot put out the light of one small candle!

                  

Do you ever want to give up?

“If Columbus had turned back during the hazardous journey to the new world, no one would have blamed him.  HOWEVER, NO ONE WOULD HAVE REMEMBERED HIM.”

So if you give up trying to make your family…your work…your community…or your school better…perhaps no one can blame you because the odds are apparently so great.  But then, no one is going to be inspired or lifted because of you.

The difference that you can make in times of stress is in direct proportion to your trust in the resources that God has placed before you.

The biblical promise to Christians in the first century applies to us, if we follow their example of faith and obedience:  “What shall we say to this? (the times of stress) If God be for us, who is against us?  …No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”  Romans 8:31, 37

WHO ARE YOU?

WHO ARE YOU?

1.      A WATCHER

2.      A WONDERER

3.      A WANDERER

4.      A PLAYER

WATCHERS always remain at a safe distance from the action.  Quite often WATCHERS feel that they could do a better job than the hard-working player who stumbles at times.  WATCHERS never have dirty uniforms…moth eaten, perhaps…but never dirty.

WONDERERS are curious and interested…know data and trivialities…but they refuse to be involved.

WANDERERS are enthusiastic for a little while…easily bored…something else is always more appealing.

PLAYERS continue game after game.  Players make mistakes.  Players have to endure criticism from spectators. Players do not always win.  However, PLAYERS ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO DO WIN!

DISCIPLINE: WHY DO WE NEED IT?

We have been created in the image of God. We are creatures of both time and eternity.  Discipline is a must because of the awesome freedom and potential within each of us. 

·        God’s discipline will bring us to the destination that lasts rather than a blind alley of stagnation.

·        A child specialist has observed that in critical illness the child who has been taught to obey stands a four times better chance of recovery than the undisciplined one.

·        “Train yourself in godliness…godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”  I Timothy 4:8

The discipline of Jesus:  “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man.”

Finger Prints & HEART PRINTS

Wherever we go today, we leave “fingerprints” on everything we touch.  So our fingerprints identify our geographical locations of the day.

We also have the opportunity TODAY to leave “Heartprints” on each person that we contact.  Let us resolve that we will leave “Heartprints” of compassion, understanding and love.

A PRAYER…

“Lord, we ask for wisdom that with sincerity we will touch hearts as your instruments to inspire and to encourage.  May our “Heartprints” be recognized as being in Your direction and honor.  Through Christ.  Amen.

God and False Guilt

Charlie Brown, Peanuts comic strip, moaned, “Everything that I do makes me feel guilty.”  A poorly informed conscience can create a miserable mind. 

Examples of improper thinking:

“God expects perfection therefore it is impossible to please Him.”  FALSE.  REALTY:  God invites each of us to turn to Him on a journey that is to be for a lifetime.  He expects us to grow and He patiently encourages as we clumsily make our way.  Jesus came into our history to make victory possible for those who seek God with sincere respect for His word. 

“I’ve made too many mistakes for God to forgive me.” FALSE.  REALTY:  Jesus came because all of us are sinners.  Paul’s words, “Christ came into the world to save sinners, and I am the foremost (chief) of sinners.”  I Timothy 1:15

What have you done to better yourself today?

“By the YARD, life is HARD; but by the INCH it’s a CINCH.”

Jesus taught day-by-day, inch-by-inch, living.  He said, “Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.”  Matthew 6:34

JESUS GIVES DIRECTIONS

1.      See yourself as God see you.  Using the example of the care the Father gives for a sparrow, Jesus concluded, “You are somebody! So stand up straight and recognize both your importance and responsibilities!”

2.      Accept your God-given, unique talent.  You are qualified to do something.   Do not waste time comparing yourself with another or becoming envious of another. Develop yourself an inch TODAY!

3.      Turn to the foundation that will not fail regardless of the “earthquakes” of life.  “Seek first His kingdom…that is, His authority.”  The God described in the Bible has revealed Himself in a historical, “human” setting.  Through Jesus, we can see the love of God for each of us. 

Do you have a 'sound proof' head?

Unless there is within you that which is above you…you can be easily overwhelmed by the things that are around you.

Regardless of your age, Jesus can make a new person of you.  He can smooth away all of the wrinkles of your soul.

You can be born again!!

The book of Acts in the New Testament describes what people did to enjoy “newness of life” through the grace of God in Jesus.

The complete authority of Jesus was declared by the Apostles and the early Christian teachers.  Those who believed this declaration were instructed to “repent” (to turn their lives in His direction for a life-long journey).  The believers made a public statement of their faith in Christ.  They were baptized.  (Read the reminder that Paul gives of baptism to the Christians in Rome.  Romans, chapter 6)

You and I cannot afford to have “sound proof heads” to the teachings of the Bible!!

Have you been disappointed lately?

“…been disappointed recently?” 

Probably your answer, “Yes!”

But what can a person do?

Turning to unchecked, self-pity will create a spiritual acid capable of destroying one’s emotional fabric.

THEREFORE:

MAKE TIME to count some good things…not easy but possible.

DETERMINE to do something worthwhile for another. This is a painful exercise for one’s emotional muscles.  This calisthenic does wonders for the dedicated practitioner, however.

REMEMBER God is concerned about your hurts.  The fact that Jesus came into our history is proof of that concern! 

CONSIDER there is an “afterwards.”  The capacity to hope is one of the distinguishing factors of being human.  Only humans can dream…with perseverance some dreams can be fulfilled. 

What Kind of Words Do You Speak?

Kind words do not wear out the tongue…SO SPEAK THEM!!

You and I think on an average of 60 thousand thoughts daily…we speak an average of about 5 thousand words daily. 

We do not always have a choice as to the thought material that is introduced to our minds.  WE DO HAVE A CHOICE AS TO WHAT THOUGHTS ARE TO BE RETAINED.

We have a choice of the words that we speak.  This is a God-given awesome choice.

You and I can make this world a better place by words of kindness, courtesy, thoughtfulness, encouragement and support.  YOU AND I HAVE A CHOICE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE GOING TO SPEAK THESE WORDS!  

LISTEN!!!

LISTEN TO THESE WORDS OF JESUS:

“I am the resurrection and the life.

He who believes in me will live,

even though he dies…”

“Let not your heart be troubled;

you believe in God, believe also

in Me.  In my Father’s house are

many mansions…I go to prepare

                 a place for you.”

                 John 11:25 & John 14:1,2 

The Price of Anger

“In your anger do not sin…”  Ephesians 4:26

Expensive, terrible products of an uncontrolled temper:

1.      Violence in the home, school and community.

2.      Punishment for the innocent. Coming home from work angry and taking out your   frustrations on your family and even the family pet.

3.      An atmosphere of uneasiness that causes mistakes to be made and repeated.  The high-tempered person is impossible to please.

4.      Destruction to physical and emotional health.

To control the temper:

1.      Recognize how destructive it is!

2.      Ask God for help.

3.      Ask loved ones to pray for you.

4.      Resolve that temper control requires a daily effort!

THINK!!!

A STIFF NECK usually supports an EMPTY HEAD.

The wheels of progress are not turned by “CRANKS.”

Some drink deeply of the foundation of knowledge while others get just enough to gargle.

The person who boasts about being “self-made” is usually just another example of unskilled labor.

The easiest thing to find is F A U L T.

If you didn't start today with a smile; it is not too late to begin practicing for tomorrow.   

YES, MANNERS MATTER!!!

Courteous words set the stage for a better day in the home.  So often a potentially good day is destroyed by crude, thoughtless remarks.  Keep your words sweet… you never know when you have to eat them.

Courteous actions make for efficiency whether in the work-place, the classroom, or the highway.  Discourtesy creates a dangerous atmosphere of antagonism that can cause accidents or acts of violence.

Developing habits of basic courtesy will do much for your appreciation of yourself. After all who wants to live with a rude person 24 hours a day?

Yes, manners matter… remember that you have to work at creating good habits… only the bad ones grow wild.  

LIFE HAS A 'GRAMMAR' LESSON FOR EACH OF US

Live in the active voice, not the passive.  Think more about what you make happen than what happens to you.

Live in the present tense, facing the duty at hand without regret for the past or worry for the future.

Live in the first person, seeking to develop your life rather than finding fault with others.

Live in the singular number, caring about the approval of God for your conscience instead of going for the applause of the crowd.

And for a verb to conjugate, no one can find a better one than “to love.”  Use I Corinthians 13 as the guide. 

What is your choice?

CHOICES:

Feed your mind on God’s bread of life or suffer indigestion on Satan’s junk food.

Bring happiness WHEREVER you go instead of WHENEVER you go.

Cultivate habits that are worthwhile…only bad habits grow wild.

Discipline yourself to be a solution to life’s problems rather than simply drifting as another problem in this world.

Recognize that while knowledge has its limitations that ignorance is LIMITLESS.

RESPECT:  “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”  Ecclesiastes 12:13

Are you more than "average?"

“Life is a series of collisions with the future.”

Because of this daily collision, we owe it to ourselves to remember:

The goal of life is to live, not just exist.  Andrew Carnegie observed: The average person puts only 25% of his energy into his work. The world take off its hat to those who put in more than 50% of their capacity and stands on its head for those few-and-far between souls who devote 100%.

Let us resolve to be more than average.  Being average means that you are as close to the bottom as you are to the top.  Being average is being the best of the worst and the worst of the best.

GOD CREATED US TO BE MORE THAN “JUST AVERAGE.”

Want to make this a better day?

To make this a BETTER DAY, remember:

“We live in deeds, not years;

in thoughts, not breaths;

in feelings, not in figures on a dial.

We should count time by heart throbs.

He most lives who thinks most,

feels the noblest, acts the best.”

Created in the image of God, you and I have the opportunity to discipline ourselves to careful thinking… to distinguish between good and evil… and with the grace and forgiveness of God to seek to live the best way we can.

Can you afford to ignore God?

Some are so busy worrying about their stomachs that they do not allow their food to digest.

It is wise to be concerned about life.

It is foolish to become so anxious that you cannot face life.

        

To gain strength for TODAY, REMEMBER:

   

                                                                          

You are unique.  God created you that way.

You have some unused strength.

Evil seeks to defeat you by making you afraid.

Created in the image of God, you have

sources of strength provided.

You can associate with God.

Without God you are like an unplugged light bulb.

Jesus is saying to you daily, “Come unto me...”

YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO IGNORE HIM!

What can we do about anxiety and stress?

More students have anxiety (FIVE TIMES AS MANY) as they did during the Great Depression of the 1930’s.  (USA TODAY, 12 January, 2010)

Materially this generation has more

fantastic “things” than any in history.

What seems to be lacking?  A genuine reason for living in this world of STRESS.)

What can we do about it?

As starters, those of us who are adults (chronologically) could MAKE time to talk to young people about topics like these:

1.      The origin of the political freedom that we have in this nation. Consider the significance of our pledge of allegiance… the Declaration of Independence… the Constitution.

2.      Encourage the reading of the New Testament book of Mark to see in the example of Jesus the meaning of courage, discipline, greatness and hope both in this world and the next. 

What keeps your heart running through the darkest days and longest journeys of life?

Hope is the fuel that keeps our hearts running through the darkest and longest journeys of life.

BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES FOR THE CREATION OF HOPE

1.      God knows you…your predicaments, opportunities, strengths and weaknesses.

2.      God cares for you…He is patient.  He allows you to start again…to get up again.  He always sees the best within you!

3.      God is stronger than evil. Therefore, history, your history, is going somewhere with purpose.  The final word will not be disappointment but fulfillment...not defeat but victory…not death but life.

These sentences are punctuated into reality by the coming of Jesus, His life, His death, His resurrection, His kingdom, His invitation and His promise to bring all history to a glorious conclusion.

Choices Are Personal

OUR PREDICAMENT

“Human life has within it the element of despair… This despair is caused by a gap between what man is and what he knows he ought to be… The human situation has at the very heart of it an element of tragedy.  We are all disappointed.”  Gerald Kennedy, THE LION AND THE LAMB

THERE IS HOPE FOR US

No one can go back and make a “brand new start” but each can start where she/he is and make a “brand new ending.”  It is the final score that counts in the game of life.

KEYS TO THE “BRAND NEW ENDING”

“All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness…”  2 Timothy 3:16.  “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”  Jesus, Matthew 7:24

THE CHOICE IS A PERSONAL ONE!!

CARPE DIEM

CARPE DIEM (Seize the Day)

This day is “opportunity gift wrapped in a few short hours.”

Seize this day with the determination that you are going to make a step towards being the person that you want to be.  You will discover that if you “begin to weave, God will give you the thread.”

                  REMEMBER

        Habits are “trait jackets.”

The good ones have to be cultivated.

        The bad ones grow wild.

For all of us life presents the choice of “more rigor” or “rigor mortis.”  Choose “life as the journey of long obedience” in God’s direction rather than stagnation and death in the blind alley of careless indifference.  

Concerning Happiness...

Three Simple (not superficial) Principles:

1.      Give to others. COURTEOUS

            ACTIONS AND KIND WORDS

            are always welcome.  No great

            talent or money required.

2.      Forgive others.  Remembering how

            God has forgiven me through

            Christ will certainly enable me

            to forgive another.

3.      Counting blessings.  More than

            simple grade school math

            required.  (Try beginning by a

            quick contrast with other nations.

            Why did I deserve to be born in

            the USA?)

Would you consider these resolutions?

RESOLUTIONS TO MAKE “TODAY” BETTER…

MAKE time to encourage a young person…

VISIT a “physically challenged” older person even if it is by cell phone…

EXAMINE your mind to see what is being allowed to grow there…

TALK to God, your Creator, with the assurance that He always listens…

PRAY for the leaders of nations…

REMEMBER that Jesus said, “But seek first His (God’s) kingdom (respect for His authority) and His righteousness (faith and obedience in His direction).”   Matthew 6:33