Perspective

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. ~ Ephesians 4:31-32

Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. ~ 1 Peter 3:9 

Read Philippians 1:18-26

Lately, I’ve realized just how easy it is to get down or to be negative. On the other side of things, it can be extremely hard to be positive all the time especially when you are struggling with something.

If someone wrongs you, getting back at the person is often one of the first thoughts that can cross our minds. We feel the need to even up the score. We feel that they won and we lost. Having felt like the loser of the situation, we want to redeem ourselves in order to feel better about ourselves and our situation. But what do we accomplish if we “fight fire with fire” as they say? Generally, we get nowhere or maybe we have the success of hurting the other person. But is that how we should define success?

I think one of the hardest parts of it all is letting go. It’s easier said then done. Maybe we hold on to the hurt and it just keeps building up. It becomes something big. It changes our hearts, making as angry, leading us to seek revenge. We can ask God all we want to take the pain, the anger and the burden from us. But we aren’t going to feel any different unless we are actually willing to let go of the anger and pain we are holding on to.

Recently, God has been showing me so many things. It took going through the hard times for me to fully grasp what God was telling me. Healing happened to be one of these things. I asked God for the healing of my heart. But only when I was truly willing to let go of everything I was keeping inside, did I feel God’s peace cover me. God doesn’t want us to hold on the pain, anger, etc. He wants us to be free. He wants us to grow, to learn, to be joyful and positive.

Further, I think it is so easy to let the embarrassments, little strokes of bad luck, the rude comments, or whatever bring us down. But as Joel Osteen says, we can’t let anyone take away our joy. God is a God of love and mercy. He’s watching over us and knows exactly what we need and what we are going through. We can’t let the views of a few people interfere with what God has in store for us. We can’t let these things steer us away from the truest words: God loves you. He made you. He cares for you no matter what. He is the One we are living for. No one else. Thus, we need to focus on what God feels about us and what He has in store for us.

Finally, do you know someone who always seems happy no matter what? I happen to know someone like that. In fact, I’ve never seen a time where this person has been down. This person is so thrilled and joyful to serve such an amazing God. His faith is strong. He praises God even when a storm is brewing. This characteristic of being positive is such an admirable quality. It takes a whole lot of effort to be positive but I think it’s a quality worth striving towards. We can’t go through life holding grudges and having a heart full of anger. We don’t get anywhere that way; at least any place good. We just push people away from us and we might even eventually pull away from God.

So, be joyful for God is good! Feel His presence around you. Seek the changes He is making in your life. Open your eyes to what He is showing you. Be positive for while there is pain in the night, joy comes in the morning!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv2LxgnL_ls

Connected With God Lately?

Be still, and know that I am God; ~ Psalm 46:10 

Read Psalm 66

Have you connected with God lately? Have you found time to praise Him who is worthy? Have you prayed today?

I encourage you to spend at least half an hour in the presence of God today. Find a quiet spot where the distractions of the world aren’t going to interrupt. A spot where it can be just you and God. Feel His presence around you as you praise Him. Talk to Him in prayer and feel His love wash over you.

Here’s some suggestions:

– Sit in silence and meditate. Pick a passage from the Bible and think about its meaning. Think about how you can apply it to your life and what you can do to show the world God’s love. You can even pick something as simple as the word “love”. Come to a deeper understanding of God’s word.

– Talk to God in prayer. Tell Him about your day: what you found exciting, what troubled you, what you are grateful for, etc. Have an actual conversation with God. This means that you need to listen to God too. It shouldn’t be a one-sided conversation.

– Put some worship music on. Close your eyes, listen to the lyrics of the songs and feel God’s presence.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. ~ Philippians 4:4-9   

Comments:

What did you do?

How did you feel afterwards?

Did you learn anything or come to a deeper understanding of something?

How will you show this in your everyday life?

The Middle Path

What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? ~ Matthew 16:26 

Do you buy something every time you go shopping or to the city? I don’t mean things like groceries. I mean something besides the essentials. Do you have to buy something for yourself? Do you have to have to that pair of shoes or the latest technology?

Not too long ago, I learned that in Buddhism there’s a concept called the middle path. The idea is that people live in between two extremes: great asceticism and having enormous riches. These Buddhists won’t abstain from having the essentials but they won’t overindulge themselves either.

As Christians, we need to find the middle path. We can’t have everything. We could try but, honestly, what would be the point? We are living for God not for our material possessions. God doesn’t want us to deny the essentials but he doesn’t want us to horde everything either.

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 yourselves 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 6:19-21

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:18

Furthermore, money tends to be associated with power. We don’t need either. We need God. By choosing to live simply, we can focus on what’s important. There’s more time to spend with family if technology and other material possessions aren’t consuming our time. There’s more time for God!

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 4:19 

Not only do we find that we have more time, but we have a change in character. By limiting our possessions, we can humble ourselves. We aren’t above anybody else because we have all the latest things. Instead, we are content with what we have, and who we are. Thus, be devoted to God! Be humbled!

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. ~ Matthew 6:24

Perseverance, Character, & Hope

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. ~ Romans 5:3-4

Everyone has bad days. You get a flat tire and are late for work. Your computer breaks down or you have a fight with a friend. Or maybe your dealing with something worse. Maybe you have to make a life changing decision or are dealing with a loved one who is sick. All this happens. It happens to everyone. Not just you.    

But with everything we deal with, we become stronger. Suffering produces perseverance! Overtime, we learn to deal with these struggles. We need to keep going always. Never give up and never look back! By looking to God in these situations, we can get through anything (Philippians 4:13).

When we start persevering and looking to God more often, we become changed. We can grow spiritually, develop a better relationship with God. We can learn to have more patience and not get so angry when things don’t go our way. We can learn from our mistakes and try to make our wrongs right.

And finally, character produces hope. It’s the hope that we can get through it. The hope for a brighter future. The hope that we will do better next time. And most importantly, the hope that we are one day closer to being with God.

Ultimately, it is how you deal with your struggles that will change you. Will you blame Him, and slowly grow away from Him? Or will you look to God and grow spiritually?