Live The Life

00616 Live the Life

"…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all."

(Mark 10 vs. 43&44) 

        Spiritual growth is an essential part of living a peaceful and rewarding life. Defining it is sometimes tricky. It is more than reading a passage. It is living the life and climbing the Christian ladder of success. Not running around preaching; it is demonstrating the lifestyle.  In the above quote, Mark mentions greatness, and to be great, one must be at peace. This peace is found by walking the walk, Serving others as a lifestyle. 

            Television Evangelist Mac Hammond defined serving others as "...meeting another person's needs when they do not believe you are serving them". 

Thought for Today: Let's reach out and help someone in need.

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, today we feel the need to help. We pray that we recognize those in need that you have placed before us. We thank you for the opportunity to serve.

Amen

 

Perfect Peace

 

Perfect Peace 

"You will keep in perfect peace

those whose minds are steadfast

because they have trust in you."

(Isaiah 26 verse 3)

            Peace is a direct result of faith and trust. It is essential to stay on an upbeat track and be steadfast. When situations are not what we like, we have options. One is to fear negative results; another is to focus on how we can avoid or minimize negative impact.           

In life, we need to keep our eye on the sky, and look upward, and outward for positive results. Our news and media outlet rating systems have proven that bad news sells. The news about pandemics, riots, fires, and murders is essential to hear but risks dampening our positive attitudes. 

As Christians, we need to be steadfast and optimistic; have a positive outlook. We need to be the leaders in fairness, equality, and displaying the social values Jesus taught us. We can help solve the world's issues when we are steadfast and trust in our faith. 

Thought for Today: Today, be positive in the face of all challenges. Let's snatch peace from the grasp of negativity. 

Prayer for the Day: Dear Lord, today we give thanks for the opportunity to have peace in our lives. We pray that we may focus on doing your will and that through our steadfast love, we will have peace and contribute to the peace of others.

Amen

Harmony

Harmony

 

“I urge Euodia, and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord.”

(Philippians 4:2)

 

            Recently, in our neighborhood, we watched as a family fell apart. There were court orders, police escorts, and all the ungodly things that go with a broken home. Respect, love, and spirituality had left the relationship. It was sad.

Let me confess that our family did not always go to church. (Sunday was a long training run and cleaning the pool.) Also, when the kids were small, church on Sunday was our only “quiet time.” Somehow, there was always trust and a spiritual presence within our family that held us together. 

Consider this analogy. If your car battery was dead this morning, you could put it on a charger and be able to get going. However, if your alternator was weak, your car would quit running in a few hours. Many of us use Sunday’s service as our time to charge our spiritual batteries. 

Families and individuals with solid spirituality tend to survive. They grow while meeting life’s challenges, develop deeper friendships and learn the value of love. Somehow we all need to carry Sunday’s charge throughout the week. I pray that my messages help.

“ And I pray that Christ will make his home in your hearts through faith. I pray that you have your roots and foundation in love.” (Ephesians 3:17). 

Thought for Today: Somehow, we need to ensure that the weekly calendar does not overwhelm our spirituality. We cannot be too busy to love each other. We all know that is a formula for tragedy. Today and always, let us focus on positive interactions with friends and families. 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, our lives are full of distractions. Somehow, we don’t have time. Children’s activities, work projects, and many other issues get in the way of peace and love. Today we pray for the presence of mind to focus on your love and include it in our daily lives.

Amen

 

Perseverance

Perseverance

 "Therefore, since you have been justified through faith, we have peace with God...

we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our

sufferings. Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance brings character, and

character brings hope. And hope does not disappoint us."

(Romans 5:1-5) 

             The keyword this week is perseverance. Our lives are a constant search for serenity or peace. Where does it hide, or do we hide it on ourselves? Indeed, we all go through phases when we are not at peace. Careers get in the way, illness occurs, and our lifestyle's general business disturbs tranquility. 

            When we are not at peace, which is in control? Years ago, during stressful times, my daughter gave me a daily meditation book and suggested I pay attention to it. Not reading the morning newspaper and replacing the news with meditation resulted in a more positive start to the day. I no longer knew the baseball scores, how Tiger did, or how many negative things occurred in the world yesterday. Meditating gave me a level of peace at the start of the day. 

            So, where does persistence fit? Well, peace is elusive and hard to grasp or even define. The search may be everlasting. Paul's message to the Romans is reasonably straightforward. Throughout our lives' ups, downs, and general activities, we must be persistent in our faith and keep God in our lives. Through the grace of God, we will find the hope, peace, and tranquility we desire. 

Thought for Today: Today, let us review our long-standing frustrations. The demanding boss, the developing teenager, the morning commute, whatever is in our lives. Let us pray for God's guidance on how we should help Him deal with the frustration. If He is involved, we will be less frustrated. 

Prayer for the Week:  Dear Lord, I give thanks for the many blessings in my life; the good friends, the lifestyle, the rain, and flowers. There still are many issues that need attention. I pray for your guidance to work through these everyday issues.

Amen