Character

“Now all has been heard;
   here is the conclusion of the matter:
… keep his commandments,
   for this is the duty of all mankind.”

(Ecclesiastes 12 vs. 13) 

            What a wonderful world it would be! We are all aware of the rules and will have a chance to break them daily, weekly etc. Temptation is always around and I frankly succumb to it too often. I guess each morning I need to pray “Dear Lord, for today I pray to be perfect.” No coveting, jealousies, anger, aggressiveness toward others (that must mean complete stops at the stop signs!). Ok, when I am done writing this I will try again!

            There are only ten rules to obey for a great life and a great world. Most of us try, many of us fail. That’s why we go to church on Sunday and pray daily. Somehow we end the day wishing we were better- that we were perfect.

            Each day we strive for perfection; that is we try to build character. We attend church and pray and that generates spiritual growth. Building character is slightly different, but parallels it. The closer we are to the spirit, the easier it is to have that perfect character we all desire.

            Persistence is the word, perfection is the goal. Pray daily, obey the commandments daily and life will be good. Never give up being the best you can be. 

Thoughts for Today: For today let us be aware of the commandments in all of our activities. 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and father today we give thanks for our wonderful lives and the hope we have for the future through our belief in Jesus. For today we pray for the strength and judgment to be obedient and of the highest character.

Amen

           

Strebgth!

Thought for Today:  Today there will be times when we need more strength. Let us find it through Him; through prayer and meditation. 

“For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those

 whose hearts are fully committed to him.”

(2 Chronicles 16 vs. 9) 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, today is a day that you have made for me to enjoy. Today is a day where stress and problems are waiting for me. Today I give thanks for the wonderful day, the people around me and the strength to deal with whatever happens. I am blessed through You.

Amen

Plan your Life

Good News 032005 Plan 

^“The plans of the diligent lead to profit

as surely as haste leads to poverty.”

(Proverbs 21:5) 

            In the 40’s and 50’s there was a Boston announcer that used to say “A quitter never wins and a winner never quits.” Today we live in a fast paced society that seems to demand instant gratification.  In the business world everyone is looking for the proverbial “low hanging fruit”; the diet fads are advertising fast weight reduction; if a trip is more than 400 yards we drive to save time. We want what we want when we want it and often fail to be diligent, persistent and patient.

            In the 80’s at a sales meeting Ty Boyd did a presentation called “The Life Plan” in which he talked about making a plan for life like we do for business. He preached that we needed to set goals for life and keep our focus on attaining those goals.  We all start out with a plan, but many let it go and start reacting to life’s situations rather than implementing the plan.

            A strong factor in keeping a life plan in order is spirituality. Spirituality gives us the ability to focus on the good rather than reacting to the negative. Having the ability to forgive and to pray helps get through the tough days and keep our focus on the plan. In Paul’s message to the Romans in verse twelve he advised, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” We need that to be a part of our life plan. 

Thought for Today: Today let us remember where we want to go. There will be both positive and negative distractions. Today let us focus on our spirituality in both celebration and under stress. Let us give thanks when things go as planned and pray when they do not.  

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord we are busy working our plan every day. Today we pray for success, positive memories and that our plan fits your plan.

Amen

Somebody!

Thought for Today: Today with God’s help, let us be winners no matter which way our battles turn out! We have the parts and the image to be winners. Enjoy. 

Two short quotes from Pastor Mike Miller, my spiritual mentor and friend! 

“Everybody is Somebody-including you and me.”  

“…My theology and values are centered on the conviction that because we are created in the image of God, each of us is valued and has deep within us the potential to reflect the goodness and beauty of our Creator….” 

“For it was you who formed my inward parts;

You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

(Psalm 139 vs. 13 & 14)

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, today we give thanks for who and what we are; your image here on earth.

Don't Forget to Call

"The Lord said, 'Call to me and I will come to you.'"

(Jeremiah 33:3) 

            It is easy to go through a busy day without acknowledging the presence of God in our lives. In fact, sometimes when we get to the end of a day and look back, the day seemed out and out un-Godly. That is our own fault. When that happens, we have not done the best job of caring for ourselves.

            We will have busy and stressful days. Whether working or playing, bad things happen to all of us. Confusion and stress always seem to find their way into our lives. Counselors will advise us to put ourselves first for a part of each day. That requires a bit of selfishness to help maintain our sanity. The results make us a better worker, a better parent and overall a better person. There is nothing selfish about that!

            Henri Nouwen called it a still place “…This still place is where God can dwell and speak to us. It also is the place from which we can speak in a healing way to all the people we meet in our busy days.” We all need to think about that. 

Thought for Today: As our economy changes and adjusts to market conditions, many of our friends and neighbors are undergoing unplanned changes in their lives. Let us pray that God will be present in their lives as they pursue the opportunities presented to them through these changes. 

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, the world around us is confusing, sometimes cruel and always difficult to understand. Please allow us time to step aside from our busy schedules and dwell upon "your will" rather than "our needs". Let us find the peace or stillness to allow "…thy will to be done on earth as it is in heaven."

 

Who is the Judge?

Thought for Today: Today we to give thanks for the many fall activities; school begins, kids are excited and the formal learning process starts. To some, the start of the fall sports season is meaningful. To others the fall means hunting and being outdoors. It would be easy amongst all the activity to forget God. Let us try remembering that all this is God's work and give thanks for it all.  

From Gandhi:

"The day the POWER of LOVE overrules the LOVE of POWER, the world will know PEACE" 

Who are you to judge someone else's servant?
To his own master he stands or falls.
And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand."
(Romans 14: 4)

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, we thank you for your patient love. We hope and pray that we may use that love to understand this complex world and apply it to everyone's benefit.

Amen

Perserverance!

Good News 010616 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 key word this week is perseverance. Somehow in our lives we search for serenity or peace. Where does it hide, or do we hide it on our selves? Certainly we all go through phases when we are not at peace. Careers get in the way, illness occurs and the general business of our lifestyle disturbs tranquility.

            When we are not at peace, which is in control? About three years ago, my daughter gave me a daily meditation book. Two years ago I gave up reading the morning newspaper and reading a meditation. It helped me have a better day. I no longer new the baseball scores, how Tiger did or better yet, how many negative things occurred in the world the day before. Meditating gave me a level of peace at the start of the day.

            So where does persistence fit in? Well, peace is illusive and hard to grasp, or even to define. The search may be everlasting. Paul’s message to the Romans is fairly clear. Throughout the ups, downs and general activity of our lives, 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 Today:  Dear Lord, I give thanks for the many blessings that are present 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 so that as I work through the issues, you are with me and somehow am doing your work.

Amen