Thursday, June 30, 2011

Wisdom in action!



I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good
and something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.
Just like no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is, "my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others. You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes for my life?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, "God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know you more and love you better." God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human
beings, not human doings. 


Happy moments, PRAISE GOD. 
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD. 
Quiet moments,WORSHIP GOD. 
Painful moments, TRUST GOD. 
Every moment, THANK GOD.

This is so true, So many of us are always concentrating on stuff and or getting more stuff. Focused on fulfilling our needs we forget that there are others around us who are hurting, who need our help and prayers. We forget our true purpose in life is to serve Him. Look around your life and see who's life you can change with just encouragement and prayer. They have endless possibilities. In Matthew 19:26 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."


There is Peace in His Presence, Hope in His Promises, and Unspeakable Joy in His Love.

The Sermon on the Mount

My first attempt at a blog. Here goes!


Do you ever feel like sometimes you get it, and then, other times, you are completely lost? I mean, there are those moments in life when everything is going exactly as we would want it to go, and then there are other instances when something so simple and biting can come along and throw us right on our face.


I was just reading the words of Jesus, a section in the Bible most refer to as the sermon on the Mount... I guess because he was up on a mountain preaching a sermon? Nevertheless, there are some really tricky ideas tangled up in His words. For example, He likens being angry to murdering someone. He also says that if someone looks at a woman lustfully it's the same as committing adultery. He says that it's not a good idea to swear to someone, but simply say yes or no to them. He says if a man hits you in your face, turn so he can hit punch you in the other cheek as well. He even says love the people that hate you. He says to never ever judge people because you will be judged the same. This is only fraction of what is there too...

When I was reading this, I realized that I have probably broken every one of these at some point in my life. I am sure that I have judged someone this week. I know I have gotten angry with someone too. People may say that Jesus didn't say these things to show us we can't ever live up to them... But, I think that is exactly why He said them. It hit me that these things are good things to strive for and all, but a part of why he said all of these things was, in fact, to show us that we, in fact, can't measure up. Even more than that, it shows us how much we need Him in our lives. Reading on in the book of Matthew, we can see Jesus healing so many people of wretched diseases, and He forgives people of their filthiest sins. He puts back together that which was shattered to pieces by humanities destructive ways.


Just thought I would share... It doesn't matter what you have done. Jesus knew you wouldn't measure up, and that's why He gave us His life.