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.”