Follow Your Heart

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00708 Follow your Heart 

“Above all else, guard your heart,
   for everything you do flows from it.”

(Proverbs 4:23) 

            We need to make decisions to get through every day. Sometimes we know we are wrong when we make them. My bad choices involve skipping exercise sessions, eating an extra cookie, and putting off something until tomorrow. During the 1960s, my dark period, my daily decisions were challenging and created a life of darkness. My focus during those years had much to do with “self.” I was not listening to my heart and ended up divorced and chemically dependent. 

            Somehow, we get punished when we focus too much on our self-interests. As a young married adult, part of my focus was education; another was earning enough money to survive; a third was my golf game. My family life was a distant fourth priority. In summary, I attended Northeastern University two or three evenings a week, worked full time, had a part-time job at the YMCA teaching fitness and coaching, maintained a seven handicap, and maybe had too many beers. My focus was all on myself.         

            Dr. Joyce Meyer says, “You cannot be selfish and happy. The two never go together.”  My life from the late 1950s through the mid-1960s confirms that. Somehow, there was a conversion through my church, twelve-step programs, and my newfound attention to family. I am blessed. 

            Today, my message is simple: if you are not as happy as you would like to be (And is any of us?), the solution lies in spiritual growth, both personal and within our family and friends, or being true to your heart. 

Thought for the Day:  For today, stop when you feel stressed or unhappy. Try to feel what it is all about. Then try to be more faithful to our hearts. Chances are, it will be a conflict between doing what our heart says rather than what our calendar says. 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, today we give thanks for the many blessings you have given us. We are incredibly blessed by friends, family, and those around us.

Amen

 

Stand Free

Stand Free

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again

by a yoke of slavery.”

Galatians 5 vs. 1 

            You that know me probably have heard my definition of retirement; having four days a week without a calendar commitment and a long to-do list with the opportunity to choose. That is the definition of freedom and the way Christ would want us to live. Unfortunately, few careers offer that kind of flexibility, and most families today have two jobs working to clutter up their calendars.           

            The new normal economy and the financial status of the American family do not always allow freedom. It is easy to get caught up in the pursuit of becoming an average family or average Joe. It takes a certain amount of control to take a deep breath and step out of line to seek peace. The “…yoke of slavery...” has become habitual, and many feel uncomfortable when they have free time. We need to evaluate that, each on our terms. 

            We can experience freedom through meditation and prayer. It takes a few minutes to unwind when we focus on being at peace. My old standard of balance, the YMCA triangle of Spirit, Mind, and Body, is a model we need to keep in our lives. We must stop, look, and listen to Christ, be at peace, and be the best we can be. 

 Thought for Today: Let’s evaluate our “yoke of slavery” to determine what is necessary and what is not. Let’s accept the guidance from Christ and take one step closer to being free. 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, we pray for a light at the end of our tunnel.

Amen 

 

Turn Around

“May those who delight in my vindication
   shout for joy and gladness;

(Psalm 35 vs. 27 & 28) 

                We learn in basic physics that perpetual motion does not and cannot exist. Something in motion will eventually stop due to outside forces unless we apply energy to keep it moving. For non-technical people reading this, a good summary statement is that there is no free lunch. If you don’t believe it, take your foot off the gas. 

            In our lives, we have stress and negativity. Early Christians felt a lot of resistence. The majority did not believe or support them, and they had some long days. Paul and Peter, and many others were martyred. They experienced tough times while promoting Christianity. 

            We need to understand that somehow negativity is an opportunity for growth. When we resolve it, we will feel better. Through dedication and prayer, and a bit of effort, we can turn things around. 

            We can apply physics to our lives, congregations, and careers. We need to use our skills and efforts to keep the ball rolling in a positive way. There is no free lunch and no penalty for success. As stated above, “The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.” 

            We need to turn negativity around through our strength and faith. 

Thought for the Day: We will have an opportunity to turn over a negative force; to improve our lives. Let’s make it happen through our strength, efforts, and prayers. 

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, today is the first day of the rest of my life. It will start carefree with a beautiful sunrise. We may run into negative forces, hostile situations, and items we would rather not deal with. We pray that you guide us and give us the faith and strength to make it through.

Amen

 

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