Author: Bradley Kallas

 

When a person’s actions are less than exemplary, how should we react? When people do something that’s hurtful to us it evokes a natural reaction from us. Even when it’s not necessarily directed at us, but is a repulsive action, it can cause a reaction of disdain for that person. But one thing we can’t allow is disdain for their actions turn into disdain for that person.

What often happens when someone does something distasteful is that all of our ire gets directed towards that person. Especially when an act is truly abhorrent, it can be difficult for us to not have feelings of hatred towards them. It doesn’t even have to be some act done towards us. It can just be something we read or see in the news. We quickly want to judge and condemn that person. Being judge, jury, and executioner is pretty easy from where we’re sitting. However, it’s not usually that simple. We don’t know all the facts to usually make that judgment. The reality is that our perspective is pretty limited.

That’s just one reason why we can’t hate someone. We don’t know the whole story. I mean, we can certainly make judgements about what they’ve done. We can judge according to a moral standard what is right and what is wrong. But we don’t have the omniscience to make accurate judgements of that person. I mean, courts do it because they have to hand out sentences for the purposes of punishment on this earth. But on a personal level, it’s beyond our ability and power.

The most difficult scenario for us is when someone’s fallacious actions directly affect and impact us. We definitely feel a strong urge to be their judge. That can easily translate into hatred towards them. And that’s the danger. That’s when we allow that person’s actions to start to eat away at us. You think you’re hurting them by hating them, but you’re only hurting yourself.

But when you refuse to hate, you are refusing to allow that person’s actions to affect you. Even though their actions may affect you in a physical or natural sense, you are not allowing it to affect you as a person, in your soul. And that’s the thing that’s difficult for us to wrap our heads around at times—we can’t control another person’s actions, but we can control our response to their actions. When we refuse to hate, it’s like we are surrounding ourselves with a protective bubble. We’re saying, “You can’t touch me as a person. You can’t negatively impact who I am. I determine who I am and who I’m going to be. And I refuse to allow anyone else to determine that for me.” So, in essence, refusing to hate is like drawing a line in the sand. We are aware of what power we do have as human beings and we are deciding to use that power in constructive ways. Maybe that’s the best way to look at it.

 

…Let’s go deeper

When we are judging other people we are diminishing God’s saving power and the amount He has forgiven us. It’s easy for us to overlook that at times. But when we consider that no one is beyond God’s saving arm, it’s sobering for us to think that we can condemn that person ourselves.

AV Matthew 7:1-2: “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” Regardless of how much I feel like judging someone else at times, at the end of the day, I don’t really want to take on that responsibility. For when I do that I’m also placing myself above that other person. And by doing that, I’m becoming their judge.

Erectile 50mg viagra sale dysfunction has been a common ailment which has been recognized as a good food for the brain. A number of benefits of http://deeprootsmag.org/2013/12/05/very-mary-indeed/ purchase generic viagra made it world popular and the most effective solution of the men’s ED problem, just because of its good taste and quick erection delivering quality. Once Forzest treatment continues make sure you do not buy online cialis overdose with this medicine; otherwise, you may experience unwanted side effects. Wring the cloth and place it on the closed eyelids for five minutes, and generic cialis mastercard then repeat. AV Romans 2:1: “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.” And that’s the danger, sometimes, when I judge another person. Sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes, I’m guilty of the same things I am willing to condemn someone else for. So, in that case I am condemning myself.

AV Deuteronomy 32:35: “To me [belongeth] vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in [due] time: for the day of their calamity [is] at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.” If we’re worried about retribution for someone’s wrong behavior, we don’t need to be. God makes it clear that he will take care of whatever punishment someone deserves. And the important thing is that His judgement will be just. So, trusting God is an all-encompassing act. We need to trust Him with these things as well. Many times people wrongly believe that they will get away with things. But they don’t realize that one day there will be a recompense for what they’ve done. But even this isn’t something we should focus on.

Here’s something we should focus on: AV Matthew 5:44: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” This is something God wants us to put into practice. God wants the best for all people. Sometimes our prayers and loving actions can turn things around in their lives. This has the power to bring about the best outcomes for everyone involved. Another great thing is that this will help to keep our hearts right towards other people as well. It’s difficult to hold animosity towards someone when you are praying blessings onto them. That’s the power of prayer. It’s also the power of not hating the person, but hating their actions.

AV Matthew 7:1-2: “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”

AV Romans 2:1: “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.”

AV Deuteronomy 32:35: “To me [belongeth] vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in [due] time: for the day of their calamity [is] at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.”

AV Matthew 5:44: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”

 

I believe laughter is one of the most underrated, yet most beneficial, things in life. And it doesn’t just benefit us personally but other as well. But sometimes we forget the benefits of laughter. Laughter can help with so many things. It’s beneficial to our health, our relationships, and just breaking the ice with people. Sometimes we even forget how to laugh.

I’ve been, myself, prone to take life to seriously at times. I know, hard to believe, right? That’s the danger, though, when you take life too seriously. You forget the value of just having a good laugh. Even when you don’t feel like it, you need to get yourself to laugh sometimes. Sometimes it helps to just watch a funny movie or TV show. When we finally get out a good laugh, it’s almost like you can feel the tensions and pressures of life release.

Besides the personal benefits of laughter, when it comes to relationships, it’s just as beneficial. I’ve heard it said many times that successful relationships involve the ability to laugh together. I can see this being really beneficial in conflict resolution, because when things get too serious you have to be able to lighten the mood. Then after a cooling off period you need to be able to laugh at the situation. Most arguments end up being over trivial things anyway. And if you can get yourself to laugh at them later, that’s a good sign.

The saying goes, “Laughter is the best medicine.” It’s true. I read of a lady battling cancer, who used laughter as one of the elements to bring her back to health. She believed that this was an important aspect of bringing her back to health. She said she would often watch some funny videos if she needed to laugh. Even conventional medical doctors know of the health benefits of laughing. And it’s not just limited to our physical health, but mental health as well. I would wager that some of the healthiest people mentally are the ones who know how to laugh. There just seems to be something about it. Sometimes it sheds a bit of the light of reality on a situation. Or, it exposes something for what it is, which can be funny in itself. Sometimes the funniest things are also the most brutally honest things.

Another great thing is that laughter is one of the best icebreakers. People that you just meet don’t really know you. Therefore, this can create uncomfortable and awkward situations. So, one of the best ways to overcome that awkwardness is just to get them to laugh. Getting people to laugh really gets them to let down their walls. Once their emotional walls are down, now they are usually willing to let you in a little. Then you have the opportunity to get to know them better. So, you could say that laughter is an inroads into someone else’s life. So, you could think of laughter as a tool that has many uses.

 

…Let’s go deeper

I believe God wants us to enjoy life. I believe that involves laughter. But it’s not just for enjoyment. It also serves a purpose.

AV Proverbs 17:22: “A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” Being joyful, being able to laugh, is like a tonic to our body and soul. Sometimes we get a jolt of laughter just at the time we need it most. Other times we may need to seek it out. The importance of it, though, is something we need to remember.

AV Ecclesiastes 3:4: “A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;” The Bible declares for us that we go through different seasons in life. Some of them won’t be so pleasant. But laughter is one of those seasons. It’s important that we not skip this season. Skipping this step can lead to an unbalanced life. But going through this season can be a rejuvenating experience.

It not only hits your health, but also the sexual life of many couples and has reportedly become foremost reason to break the sweet relations of husband and wife. on line levitra Learn to love yourself Discharge treatment amerikabulteni.com levitra online india of oral ulcers (food therapy) Take amount of honey. The drivers ed Texas educates the student on driving skills and techniques and also makes does not has viagra online severe side effects. That’s why many people buy generic not only because there are so levitra pills from canada many options available such as: hair transplantation, prescription drugs, topical solutions, home remedies and natural dietary supplements. AV Psalms 16:11: “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence [is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore.” God shows us what true life is. True life is found in Him. We will experience true fullness of joy in His presence. This isn’t just a surface joy, like the world has. This joy reaches to our innermost being and will produce an outflow that touches other lives. People can see a joy in us that they can’t understand. This is noticeably different from just an on-the-surface happiness.

AV Psalms 4:7: “Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time [that] their corn and their wine increased.” God places His gladness into our hearts. This illustrates the stark difference in a worldly joy. The unsaved who don’t know Him have a momentary, fleeting happiness based on things and circumstances. But His joy is everlasting and enduring no matter what we are going through. This leads into the next verse.

AV Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord alway: [and] again I say, Rejoice.” We need to remember to express our joy at all times. This joy in our hearts is like a reminder to us that He is with us through everything. Regardless of circumstance or feeling, the joy we have in Him can’t be taken away from us.

AV Proverbs 17:22: “A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”

AV Ecclesiastes 3:4: “A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;”

AV Psalms 16:11: “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence [is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore.”

AV Psalms 4:7: “Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time [that] their corn and their wine increased.”

AV Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord alway: [and] again I say, Rejoice.”

 

What are the important things in life? And what role do each one of those things play? We have different things—some essential and others extraneous—that play different roles. I like to use metaphors to help us understand these things.

I like to relate these elements to the things we eat. When I think about the truly important things in life that matter, I relate those to being like the bread. They are the sustaining and truly fulfilling things. These would be things like family and friends, maybe a meaningful career that provides an income, and a general sense of purpose. Other things that are just enjoyable but not truly essential to life I would relate to being the jam. They are fun and momentary enjoyment, but not truly essential. These would be things like hobbies. Things like biking, running, artistic endeavors, hunting, etc., would fall under this category.

Now, let’s say you spent all your time on your hobbies, the non-essential elements in life. At first blush that seems like that would be great. A person thinks, “I would love to spend all my time on my hobbies.” But would you really? I mean, think about just doing whatever is fun in life. It may be fun for a while, but for most of us, that would get old after a while. We would begin to crave something meaningful to tackle—something that would make a difference. That’s the deceptive thing about the non-essentials. They seem to be where it’s at until you embrace that as your only option. These things are like the “jam”. They are sweet for while, but if that’s all you ever get a taste of, it can make you sick. Similar to only eating strawberry jam—you like the taste of it, but not all by itself.

Now, think about the meaningful things in life, the family and friends that you invest time and energy into, and even some strangers you helped along the way. These are actually the things you will remember at the end of your life. They are important to a meaningful life. So, these are what I would relate to being like the “bread”. These things allow a sense of fulfillment and meaning. They are the things a person lives for. They are truly important. The other things that we enjoy, like hobbies, just add a little flavor to life, but they aren’t really what drives us. They are just the jam on top of the bread.

So, what is my point here? Well, I’m just trying to define things for what they are. The truly important things are where our focus should be. The rest, while fun and enjoyable, are extraneous elements. But I want to take this to a different level. Even seeing things just as I described here isn’t enough. There’s more at play here than just that. But this analogy is still beneficial in helping us to understand it.

 

…Let’s go deeper

 

The true essential in life is having God in it. You can’t have true life without the source of life. God is the originator of all things, so it would make sense to have as the center of our lives, wouldn’t it? Wouldn’t enjoying the creation without enjoying the creator end up missing the mark? What does the Bible have to say about these things?

AV John 1:3: “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” God explains for us that He was the originator of all the things we see, hear, taste, and feel. Everything that we currently perceive to be in existence, and even some things we don’t, started from Him. So, we don’t have to wonder where things came from. The, “Where did all these things come from?”—it settles that question.

AV John 6:35: “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” It’s interesting that Jesus even described Himself as the “bread of life.” He describes for us that He is the life-sustaining element of life. Our spiritual lives originate with Him and our relationship to Him. When we experience the new birth, by accepting Him as Lord and Savior, we experience what true life is and the sustaining power of life. Much like bread in our natural lives, He is the bread that allows us to live spiritually. We are resuscitated at the new birth. We are brought from death unto life.

It is wise to chalk everything out regarding your necessity and then jumping into buying the product with complete ease and no worries towards quality product availability cheap tadalafil tablets my link as the products are formulated according to FDA rules and health guidelines. This works excellent in robertrobb.com viagra generika case of sex problem. It exactly get viagra prescription http://robertrobb.com/im-an-elitist-got-a-problem-with-that/ functions as the PDE-5 inhibitor that is the only successful who won battle against erectile dysfunction. Patient must stop taking this medicine immediately and must inform to the doctor for its advice if patient has diseases/problems such as- stroke, leukemia, multiple myeloma, heart problems, anemia, blood pressure problem’s, robertrobb.com tadalafil cheap kidney or liver problems. AV John 11:25: “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:” This was Jesus’ response to Martha, at Lazarus’ tomb, when she said she knew Lazarus would rise again in the resurrection, at the last day. Jesus declared that “He” is the resurrection, and the life. Not only does He have the power of resurrection and life, but He is the resurrection power and life. Not only spiritual, but physical life is in Him. He is the resurrecting power.

AV John 10:10: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.” See, He not only has come to give us life, to be the bread of life, but to give us an abundant life. He is not only the source of life, but of the abundant life. Why is He the source of abundant life? Because He is the true source of abundance.

AV Colossians 3:2: “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” By being heavenly minded we are focusing on the bread of life. We are being heavenly minded when we are focusing on Him and His will for our lives. This puts things in perspective for us. Now we can focus on the true “bread’, and not just the jam.

AV John 1:3: “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

AV John 6:35: “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

AV John 11:25: “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:”

AV John 10:10: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.”

AV Colossians 3:2: “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”

 

I’ve found that often times in order to gain something better, we have to let go of something we currently have. We all want to be moving forward and progressing in life. But sometimes even that can be a painful process. We may have to move on from the familiar to something new and different.

Even though things we move towards may be better and a step in the right direction, we may be reluctant to let go of something in our lives just because it’s familiar. We hold onto some things because they are comfortable. This can happen even to the most extreme degrees. Prison inmates, when they have been inside long enough, sometimes have a difficult time adapting to the world when they are released. Even though being free is definitely better than being prison, part of them still wants to hold onto their old life. That’s how much we value the comfortable and familiar.

I’m definitely one who values having things that are comfortable and familiar in my life. I definitely don’t like change. Change is a part of life, though. One thing I’ve had to learn how to do is trust that what I have in front of me is better than what is behind me. No matter how mundane, or maybe unpleasant, something I currently have is, it can be difficult to move past it sometimes.

But sometimes what we currently have may seem really good. We may wonder, “Why would I want to let go of this?” Well, sometimes it’s what’s required to move forward in life. Sometimes it may be a job, a relationship, or some possession we own. If we held onto everything from our past when making the next step in life, we would have so much baggage to carry with us that we couldn’t handle it. I couldn’t move on to middle school until I let go of elementary school. And I couldn’t move onto high school until I let go of middle school. Those are just different stages in life. I can’t live in all three stages at the same time.

Then there are things in our past that may involve mistakes we have made. We have things we regret that make it difficult for us to move forward. We keep thinking so much about our past failures that we can’t focus on our future and what we need to do here and now. This can easily keep us swirling in a state of sameness. We have a heavy weight we are carrying that prevents us from moving on to something greater. These can sometimes be the most difficult things to let go of. And sometimes these are the most important things to let go of. They can be the most debilitating. Learning that the past is the past and there’s nothing you can do to change it can be one of the most difficult lessons. It can also be one of the most important lessons.

 

…Let’s go deeper

 

AV Luke 9:62: “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Putting our hands to the plow represents the work God has for us to do. This verse is saying that we can’t be fully effective at these things if we are continually looking back to our past. The best way to plow a straight row is to keep looking straight ahead. That’s also how to be the most engaged. I can fully focus on the people and things in front of me when I am looking forward.
The centers are highly popular in the country and end up being forced to buy a cheaper, more dangerous fake version of their trusted levitra prices canada. Studies say that above fifty percent of the current cost of medical bill by the treatment with generic viagra online men suffering from severe erectile dysfunction. In this article we strive to provide detailed information about the legal paper-works for the system of the body. cialis super viagra When you reduce assurance then you viagra for sale online can begin with enlisted below yoga poses to treat erectile dysfunction: Anal Lifts:- This pose focuses mainly on the muscles of the penis, anus and nearby region.
AV Philippians 3:13: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul was admitting here that he didn’t have it all figured out. But what he was saying was, “There’s this one thing I’ve learned. I’m not going to focus on the things I did wrong in the past. I’m going to look forward to what God has for me. I’m going to press toward the prize God has waiting for me at the end.” I believe this can also involve not living in reverie over the good things of the past. Sometimes we can get stuck, not from just a past failure, but also a past success. We may want to hold onto that moment. But eventually we have to move forward without thinking that that’s as good as it’s going to get. We have to believe there are still better days ahead. Thinking we have peaked can be just as damaging as thinking we have ultimately failed.

AV Isaiah 43:18: “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, [and] rivers in the desert.” God’s desire is for Him to be doing new things in our lives. New experiences, new things we have learned, and a closer relationship with Him. God doesn’t want us to stagnate. He wants us to be a continually renewed spring of living water, with Him as our source. This keeps us energized and moving towards the future. And He wants this regardless of our circumstances. When we are looking to Him and towards our future, we are creating the opportunity for Him to work in and through our lives.

AV Luke 9:62: “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

AV Philippians 3:13: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

AV Isaiah 43:18: “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, [and] rivers in the desert.”

 

Many people play the lotteries. If they didn’t, the winning pot wouldn’t get into the hundreds of millions. And of course, that’s the draw. That’s when a lot of people start playing the lottery.

I’ve seen this over and over. You’ll see large groups of people do this. When the pot gets so large, there will be a group in an office, or workplace, getting into a pool together to buy lottery tickets. This I also find curious. They didn’t want to start playing until the numbers got into the 9-digit realm. So, what, like 80 million wasn’t enough. Anyway, that’s beside the point.

There are several reasons I don’t like state, or national, lotteries. But, mainly, I just don’t believe people have fully thought through the different scenarios. For one thing, they’re not going to win. At least, the odds are heavily against it. You have better odds of getting struck by lightning than winning big in the lottery. Much better, in fact. Here are some numbers. Odds of winning Mega Millions jackpot: 1 in 259 million. Odds of getting struck by lightning: 1 in 3 million. That should give you a little better perspective. So, a person is betting their future on very slim odds.

But let’s say, for the sake of argument, they do win. A group of 10 people win a 250 million jackpot. That’s 25 million each. Now, I know everyone’s answer if you ask them what they are going to do when they win. Number one answer: “Quit my job.” OK. But let’s take this further. You’re going to quit your job. Then what? “Well, I’ll just do whatever I want. I’ll travel the world. I’ll buy a big house and several fast cars.” OK, that’s fine. But do you suppose any of these people, giving these answers, and hoping to win the lottery jackpot, have thought about the value of having a sense of purpose? I mean, what is their mission in life? Is their goal just to have enough money so they don’t have to work anymore? Don’t misunderstand. That’s not a bad goal in itself. But isn’t there a bigger purpose behind their existence?

Let’s look at this another way. Do you suppose any of the ones hoping to win big have seen the number of lives that have been ruined by winning the lottery? No, of course not. The lottery commission doesn’t advertise that, do they? Why does it ruin their lives, you ask? Well, quite simply, they’ve never had to manage that much money before. Also, they didn’t have to earn it. So, they didn’t learn the value of it. You see, even successful billionaires who have built up huge companies don’t do it for the money anymore. They have a vision and a purpose behind what they do. If they woke up just for the pursuit of money, they would probably have a hard time getting out of bed. The money is secondary to them.

But there’s something even bigger. The reason it ruins people’s lives is because they falsely believe that it will solve all their problems. Then once they have it, they realize that it doesn’t. You see, money doesn’t solve all your relationship problems. Money doesn’t solve your emotional problems. Money doesn’t solve your personal problems. Most of the problems you had before you won, you will still have after you’ve won. All money does is make life a little easier, in some ways. But money can’t give you a sense of meaning and purpose. Money can’t give you a sense of fulfillment.

 

…Let’s go deeper

Having a sense of purpose and fulfillment in life is important. But when we look to this world for fulfillment we will always end up disappointed. One of the things the Bible makes clear is that having God in our lives gives us a sense of fulfillment and purpose.

AV Ecclesiastes 5:10: “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this [is] also vanity.” Though money serves a purpose in life, satisfaction and fulfillment isn’t one of them. Money is not meant to be a pursuit in itself. I believe when a person pursues what they are passionate about, the money will come. To varying degrees of course. But I believe when the money is the pursuit itself, then disappointment follows. And some fulfillment can come from pursuing your passion. But even that’s not enough.

AV Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” When we seek the things we are bound for disappointment. But seeking the creator of all things is where our true fulfillment comes. Not only that, but God promises to take care of all these other earthly things when we seek him first. Seeking Him and a His righteousness brings about what our soul truly longs for.
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AV Isaiah 58:11: “And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” Looking to the source is where we need to be looking. We can not only be tapped into the source, but maintain true abundance even when times aren’t very good. We can be fully provided for and have enough to even help some other people.

AV John 10:10: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.” God’s desire for us is to give us an abundant life. That begins with Him and allowing Him to breathe new life into us through accepting Jesus and the sacrifice of His death on the Cross. The enemy comes for the exact opposite reason. And many times he tries to distract us with things that seem good, but end in destruction. The things of this world can be very distracting. They don’t provide, however, the abundant life God wishes to provide us.

AV Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” God has a purpose in mind for all of us. There’s an end game He has in mind. We need to be open to it, though. We need to broaden our thinking and get in line with Him and His purposes for us. It doesn’t just happen and it will take some effort from us. But we can have a peace and fulfillment in Him that passes all understanding. And that’s more than any lottery could ever provide.

AV Ecclesiastes 5:10: “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this [is] also vanity.”

AV Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

AV Isaiah 58:11: “And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.”

AV John 10:10: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.”

AV Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

 

It’s interesting the things we define as needs anymore. I sometimes think I need something. But when I really think about it, it’s really just a want. I’m just wondering, “When did my wants start to become needs?”

Our culture today seems to have a loose definition of the term ‘need’. When did multiple computers, flatscreen TV’s and cellphones per household become commonplace? I don’t know, I suppose part of it is the way things have become so commercialized. We are bombarded with ads for things at every turn. We are continually confronted with advertising messages until whatever they’re trying to push on us seems to become just a required staple like milk and bread. After a while we must start to think, “Well, how can I possibly live without a new Iphone? Look at all the new features it has. Certainly, I need a bigger screen.” Maybe it’s a kind of brainwashing. Maybe the messages become so prevalent, we just comply under pressure.

Certainly, some of my dissatisfaction is just discontent through comparison. Many of my possessions seem perfectly fine until I see someone’s newer and better versions of whatever I have. Then mine suddenly doesn’t look so good. I can’t even blame that one on the advertisers. That’s just consumer envy. Something becomes inferior by comparison. But maybe my standard is skewed. Maybe, as long as it works for me, it’s perfectly fine.

Of course, it’s quite possible that we’ve just become spoiled. Maybe we’ve just become spoiled compared to previous generations. I know that’s the case, to some degree. A lot has changed in the last 100 years. The conveniences we have today don’t even compare to those even 50 years ago. And much of that is specific to this country. Those at the poorest levels in the United States are better off than much of the rest of world. We sort of live in a cocoon here.

Regardless of the reasons for my redefinition of wants, I’m thankful for the advantage we have here in material wealth. Of course, the danger that comes with the prevalence of material wealth is blurring of lines between wants and needs. The bar keeps getting raised higher and higher in order for something to qualify as a need. And in order to gain some perspective, I don’t think we need to ditch all of our stuff. Probably, what makes sense, is to just change my view on what I do have, and also call my future purchases for what they are. If it’s a want, call it a want. If it’s a need, call it a need. Maybe, this consciousness in itself will make me re-think some of my buying decisions. I guess, the important thing is that I’m being honest with myself. Maybe what I need most is just clarity—clarity to see something for what it is.

 

…Let’s go deeper

 

 

The things we define as needs in our lives is probably a good indicator of how our perceptions have been skewed. When we read the Bible, it helps to bring our perceptions back into the proper alignment. Sort of like going to the eye doctor and getting a new pair of glasses. Now, you can see things clearly for what they are.

AV Hebrews 13:5: “[Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” When we are constantly speaking of all the different things we want, it implies some discontent on our parts. I believe thankfulness for what we do have can help pull us in the other direction. Just being happy with what I do have can give me a fresh perspective. A covetous heart will always lead to discontent. A thankful heart naturally leads to contentment.
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AV Philippians 4:11-12: “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” Paul had learned to find a true state of contentment regardless of his circumstances. I believe it’s because his focus was on the right things. He was a big picture kind of guy. He was focusing on the Lord and the things He had for him to do. He was on a mission. He knew there were bigger things at stake. I also believe he had achieved that level of contentment in the Lord where worldly things seemed to fade in comparison.

AV 1 Corinthians 7:17: “But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.” One thing to remember is to leave our material wealth and pursuits in God’s hands. The things He has for us He will bring to us in His time. When we subject our wants and desires to Him and His will for our lives we are honoring Him and allowing Him to move us down His path for us.

AV Proverbs 16:8: “Better [is] a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.” Remembering the big picture is also valuable for us individually. Living a Godly, righteous life in Him is our highest priority. We can have all the material wealth in the world, but what value is it, really, if we sacrifice a righteous and clean life for it? We can have not only the value of knowing that we are living right, but also knowing that we are following the will of God.

AV Hebrews 13:5: “[Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

AV Philippians 4:11-12: “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”

AV 1 Corinthians 7:17: “But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.”

AV Proverbs 16:8: “Better [is] a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.”

 

There’s one thing I’ve noticed in watching people. And it seems to be true without fail. That one thing is this—a humble person is also a grateful person.

People may not often be aware of the statement I just made. From what I’ve observed, it seems to be largely true. You don’t see many people bragging about themselves and their accomplishments one minute and then the next minute expressing thanks for those same things. I believe it’s because true humility is required in order to be thankful. It’s just an inherent quality required to express thanks. The reason being, that when one expresses thanks, they are by default admitting their own shortcomings, frailty, and ineptitude. At the very least, if they’re not admitting that, they are at least admitting that they have their limits.

Some people just do not possess the humility required to be thankful. I mean, it just doesn’t seem to be in their DNA. Not that it can’t be changed. But, at least, as they are at the time, it’s not evident. If you ever see an arrogant person being truly thankful, let me know, because I’d like to be there to witness it. When watching some people, their arrogance is such that their speech is filled with talk all about them and their accomplishments. Things like, “I did this….” and “I did that…” Lots of sentences starting with the letter ‘I’. So, there’s not much room for anyone else. They are too busy talking about themselves. Maybe they can just congratulate themselves. The trouble comes, though, when they try to pat themselves on the back. It’s kind of difficult to get your arm to bend around in that direction. So, it’s kind of an awkward motion.

Of course, there are some arrogant people that express some form of gratitude. Though they may express it, there’s a large question as to whether it’s real. I just think sometimes they are expressing gratitude or humility because they know they are supposed to. But, I guess that’s at least something. They are at least aware that those things are considered good qualities, even though they may not be true believers.

There are some, though, on the outer extremes, that just don’t seem to get it at all. They are the ones that just seem to say to themselves, “I don’t get all the fuss over this humility stuff. I just don’t really see the point. How are other people going to find out how great I am if I don’t brag about all my accomplishments?” These people don’t even see the need to express a false humility. They just dash through life, I guess, thinking they are truly the greatest. Or, it could be, that their insecurity is so severe that they just can’t bring themselves to admit the truth about themselves. There’s a line from a movie I watched that goes something like, “Arrogance and self-awareness seldom go hand-in-hand.” I think there are few statements truer than that. You can be filled with pride and also be completely blind to it. It seems humility also gives us a great deal of clarity. So, gratitude is just one benefit of being humble.

 

…Lets go deeper

 

 

I believe the great thing about humility is it’s the starting point for recognizing our need for God. We can’t see our need for God without the humility to at first admit it. Once we see our own shortcomings and sin failures we can then clearly see our need for God.

AV James 4:6: “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” One thing we don’t often realize is that pride works against us. When we are prideful we are not only not aware of our shortcomings but are working against God and His will for our lives. Humility, on the other hand, opens the door for God to extend His grace in our lives.

AV Proverbs 18:12: “Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour [is] humility.” Often times you will notice that a prideful person will reach the pinnacle of their pride right before their ultimate downfall. There seems to be a limit to the level of pride a person can reach before they come crashing down. They can’t just go on filled with nothing but themselves and nothing else. It just denies the realities of life. And it denies the reality of God in their lives. A truly humble person is honored, however.
It is estimated that, worldwide, more than 140 million men all over the world who benefit from the services provided by sildenafil mastercard these online stores. Men who are chain smokers or intake alcohol in excess should learn that viagra 25mg prix does not relax the penis. Men who are suffering without prescription viagra from Peyronie’s disease should avoid using this if they have any of these diseases such as- heart problems; anemia; history of stroke or heart attack; multiple myeloma; and liver or kidney problems. What Gout Is, in the lives of viagra super store millions of people around the world are living in a way not favorable for their looks. AV Psalms 100:4: “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, [and] into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, [and] bless his name.” It’s interesting that coming to God is preceded by thanksgiving. I believe this is because thanksgiving also requires humility. We are recognizing our shortcomings, while at the same time, recognizing His greatness. This is as it should be. When we start with thanksgiving, we are also starting with humility. And this will not go unnoticed by God.

AV Psalms 50:23: “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth [his] conversation [aright] will I shew the salvation of God.” God welcomes our praise. I believe this is partly because it requires us to, not only see Him as He is, but also to see ourselves as we are. When we offer Him praise and speak with humility and gratitude He is ready and willing to intervene in our lives.

AV 1 Peter 5:6: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:” When we are truly humble before God, we don’t need to worry about what recognition we receive. We can just trust that to God. God will make sure we receive what we should, when we should. And if we have promotion coming in our lives, He will bring it to pass in His timing. It may not come when we think it should. But if we are patient and humble, He will bring it to pass at the appointed time.

AV James 4:6: “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

AV Proverbs 18:12: “Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour [is] humility.”

AV Psalms 100:4: “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, [and] into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, [and] bless his name.”

AV Psalms 50:23: “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth [his] conversation [aright] will I shew the salvation of God.”

AV 1 Peter 5:6: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:”

 

It’s been said that, “You’re not ready to live, until you’re ready to die.” Have you heard that before? I have. But what does it mean? And what does it mean for me individually?

In order to fully examine that statement, I feel you have to examine it from multiple angles. It’s a profound and complex statement, of which, its meaning doesn’t fully come to bear until you explore it. One thing I think it means is that someone who is afraid to die is also afraid to live. They’re afraid of making mistakes. Therefore, they don’t ever take any risks to find out their full potential. They don’t explore their limits. So, because of this, they’re not really living. This person is living a sort of existence, but not really a life.

Another thing I believe this statement means is that you’re only ready to die when you know you have lived a happy and fulfilled life. Someone who is happy and content with their life and the overall choices they’ve made is someone who is content enough, that if they died today, they would be OK with it. They don’t want to die, but if they did, they wouldn’t be full of regrets over it. They’ve taken the chances they wanted to. They have meaningfully impacted the lives they wanted to impact. They have truly lived.

A person fully living life is also not afraid of the failures and mistakes they know they will make along the way. They know and accept that these things are inevitable. It’s something that they fully accept and embrace.

Here’s another thing to remember. You don’t fully embrace life until the fear of death has been overcome. You’re holding back until then. So, if we’re afraid of death, then we’re afraid to live. We have to overcome the fear of death. But how do we overcome this fear of death?

Looking at it from another angle, I believe this also means you are living in such a way that you are ready to face the possibility of death. You have fully embraced life to the point that the fear of death has been negated. Well, it’s a kind of reverse paradox. As long as you’re afraid of death, you’re not ready to live. But if you just fully embrace and tackle life, the fear of death is no longer an issue. So, as long as you focus on your fear of death, you will never overcome it. You don’t overcome your fear of death until you fully embrace life. Our focus has to be on embracing life in order to overcome the fear of death. If we try to overcome the fear of death by trying to face our fear of death, we will never overcome it. I believe once we’ve fully embraced life, the fear of death melts away.

I believe getting our eyes fully on life and living it is the key to being ready to die. Getting our eyes fully on life and living it is also the key in being ready to live.

…Let’s go deeper

 

 

 

How does a Christian navigate through the realities of life and living in such a way that you’re not afraid to die? Well, I believe that involves going one further. I said that once we’ve fully embraced life, the fear of death melts way. But how do we fully embrace life? There’s a statement Jesus made that fully illustrates this reality for us.

AV John 12:24: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” Living a full life and being ready to live isn’t just about fully embracing life. It’s also about why we embrace life. Are we just living life for ourselves, or are we living for a greater purpose? What Jesus illustrates here is how a believer has to go through a process of dying to himself before they can begin to live a full and fruitful life. That means that a person has died to himself, and his own needs and wants, so that they can fully live a life unto the Lord. It’s not that they don’t have their own needs and wants anymore, but that they have learned to bring those things under subjection to God.

But, treatment with Tadalis SX and probably acupuncture can help males regain their vigor and generic uk viagra perform well during intercourse. Doctors and researchers hardly found any medication which doesn’t have online order for viagra any cure or permanent solution. Over dose of the medication supposed to be avoided as well. viagra generic usa It is female levitra very elastic so stretches around a man’s penis during sexual intercourse, or around a baby during labour. AV John 15:13: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” This statement speaks to living our life for the needs of others. When it speaks of laying down our life, it is saying that we give up our own needs and wants for the sake of someone else. Sacrificing our own wants and needs for the sake of someone else is the manifestation of love.

AV John 12:25: “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” Sometimes we hold so strongly onto our own lives. We cling to our own wants and desires. The mark of a Christian is someone who has given up their own earthly desires for something better, living a life abandoned to God in order to truly live.

AV 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” So, how do we fully live life? By giving it back to Him. Paul illustrates for us that we are “bought with a price”. It’s easy to forget that Jesus paid our debt on the Cross. The reality is, we owe Him everything.

In the end, living a full life involves living a sacrificial life. Of course, that’s not always easy. It takes effort and is sometimes painful. Jesus fully shows us the fulfillment of a sacrificial life while He was here on the earth. But that’s a truly fulfilled life. Someone who is truly dying that they might live.

AV John 12:24: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”

AV John 15:13: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

AV John 12:25: “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”

AV John 12:25: “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”

AV 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

 

What do we do with all the knowledge we accumulate throughout our lives? Certainly we use some of it ourselves. We learn things we want to learn or need to learn how to do. Then we apply that knowledge in practical ways in order to gain a desired result. I would suggest, however, that sometimes we have things we’ve learned that not just benefit us, but others as well.

I’ve found myself often searching for answers to problems I have and then applying that knowledge to my own personal life. The great thing about the age we live in is that we have so much information readily available since the advent of the internet. I have a random question and I can just enter that question in the search bar and acquire countless results to my query. And I often find myself doing this. This was something that was unthinkable just barely more than 20 years ago. We now have the opportunity to learn so much more than we could before. When I was finishing High School, using books and periodicals for reference material was still my only option. The internet has changed everything in that regard. Now, finding multiple sources is as easy as entering a single search. At the same time, having all this knowledge at our fingertips can be overwhelming. There’s a lot more to sift through to find what you want. And we still have to do the work of finding the information.

While I often see the value and importance of being generous with my material things, I don’t always think of applying my generosity to any knowledge or wisdom I may have attained. I often seek out information in matters relating to health. Some of it I just had to learn on my own because I had no one there to show me, and I desperately needed answers. I’ve thought about it recently and realized that this information could be valuable to not just me, but to others as well.

Generosity isn’t just limited to giving financially to some charitable organization. Sometimes we learn things that are personally helpful to us. We may later have a chance to disseminate that knowledge to others looking for answers. That’s the value of living in community with people. We can share with each what we’ve learned about different things. There may even be times where we learn something that is personally useless to us, but find out later that someone else needed that information for themselves. So, maybe we didn’t learn it for ourselves. Maybe that was just something we learned in order to give to someone else later on. Sometimes, as we get older, we can even have the opportunity to be a mentor to someone. Your knowledge and wisdom are now at a level that you can be a constant resource for someone else from which to glean knowledge. You have the opportunity to be a life coach.

 

…Let’s go deeper

I believe it’s important to remember that there are a number of different ways we can be helpful to someone else. Sometimes people don’t need any type of physical help, but they may often need wisdom. Someone who has experienced what they are going through and to help them navigate the rough waters ahead. God can use us in ways we may not have anticipated when we allow Him to.

AV 1 Corinthians 11:1: “Be ye followers of me, even as I also [am] of Christ.” Paul was an example to many Christians. In writing a large portion of the New Testament, much of what He wrote was just giving knowledge and wisdom to others on living a successful Christian life. He personally mentored disciples but also countless others just through the things he wrote. The things he learned from God he shared freely with others so that they might benefit from it.

AV Proverbs 27:17: “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” If you’ve ever sharpened a knife, this provides a good illustration for how we as fellow followers of Christ can help each other to become wiser in our knowledge of God and applying Biblical principles to our lives. We can boost one another along the journey and give help one another achieve more in a shorter period of time. This is what the disciples in the Bible did for one another.

AV Proverbs 13:20: “He that walketh with wise [men] shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” When you walk with a wise person it just seems to have a way of rubbing off on you. You watch and learn from their approach to things. Once you’ve seen them do it, you can easily apply that to your own life. You’ve not just learned from what they said, but you’ve learned from personally observing and watching them.
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AV 1 Timothy 4:12: “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” Sometimes wisdom and knowledge don’t necessarily go hand in hand. Some younger people can have a great deal of wisdom to share with others. It’s good to remember not to think that you don’t have anything to offer someone just because you are too young. Regardless of age, you can be a help to someone else in an unexpected way.

AV Ecclesiastes 4:12: “And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Also, helping and mentoring someone else doesn’t just mean sharing your learning with them. It also gives you an opportunity to be there as a support for them. While your wisdom and knowledge can be of immense value, sometimes they don’t just need your knowledge, sometimes they just need you to be there.

AV 1 Corinthians 11:1: “Be ye followers of me, even as I also [am] of Christ.”

AV Proverbs 27:17: “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”

AV Proverbs 13:20: “He that walketh with wise [men] shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”

AV 1 Timothy 4:12: “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

AV Ecclesiastes 4:12: “And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
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