Philippians 4:12
There are many who know "how to be abased" who have not learned "how to abound." When they are set upon the top of a pinnacle their heads grow dizzy, and they are ready to fall. The Christian far oftener disgraces his profession in prosperity than in adversity. It is a dangerous thing to be prosperous. The crucible of adversity is a less severe trial to the Christian than the fining-pot of prosperity. Oh, what leanness of soul and neglect of spiritual things have been brought on through the very mercies and bounties of God! Yet this is not a matter of necessity, for the apostle tells us that he knew how to abound. When he had much he knew how to use it. Abundant grace enabled him to bear abundant prosperity. When he had a full sail he was loaded with much ballast, and so floated safely. It needs more than human skill to carry the brimming cup of mortal joy with a steady hand, yet Paul had learned that skill, for he declares, "In all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry." It is a divine lesson to know how to be full, for the Israelites were full once, but while the flesh was yet in their mouth, the wrath of God came upon them. Many have asked for mercies that they might satisfy their own hearts' lust. Fulness of bread has often made fulness of blood, and that has brought on wantonness of spirit. When we have much of God's providential mercies, it often happens that we have but little of God's grace, and little gratitude for the bounties we have received. We are full and we forget God: satisfied with earth, we are content to do without heaven. Rest assured it is harder to know how to be full than it is to know how to be hungry-so desperate is the tendency of human nature to pride and forgetfulness of God. Take care that you ask in your prayers that God would teach you "how to be full."
"Let not the gifts Thy love bestows
Estrange our hearts from Thee."
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
The Giant
After dinner, the children turned to Jacob and asked if he
would tell them a story.
"A story about what?" asked Jacob.
"About a giant," squealed the children.
Jacob smiled, leaned against the warm stones at the side of the
fireplace, and his voice turned softly inward.
"Once there was a boy who asked his father to take him to see
the great parade that passed through the village. The father,
remembering the parade from when he was a boy, quickly agreed,
and the next morning the boy and his father set out together.
"As they approached the parade route, people started to push in
from all sides, and the crowd grew thick. When the people along
the way became almost a wall; the father lifted his son and
placed him on his shoulders.
"Soon the parade began and as it passed, the boy kept telling
his father how wonderful it was and how spectacular were the
colors and images. The boy, in fact, grew so prideful of what
he saw that he mocked those who saw less saying, even to his
father,
'If only you could see what I see.'"
"But," said Jacob staring straight in the faces of the
children, "what the boy did not look at was why he could see.
What the boy forgot was that once his father, too, could see."
Then as if he had finished the story, Jacob stopped speaking.
"Is that it?" said a disappointed girl. "We thought you were
going to tell us a story about a giant."
"But I did," said Jacob. "I told you a story about a boy who
could have been a giant."
"How?" squealed the children.
"A giant," said Jacob, "is anyone who remembers we are all
sitting on someone else's shoulders."
"And what does it make us if we don't remember?" asked the boy.
"A burden," answered Jacob.
would tell them a story.
"A story about what?" asked Jacob.
"About a giant," squealed the children.
Jacob smiled, leaned against the warm stones at the side of the
fireplace, and his voice turned softly inward.
"Once there was a boy who asked his father to take him to see
the great parade that passed through the village. The father,
remembering the parade from when he was a boy, quickly agreed,
and the next morning the boy and his father set out together.
"As they approached the parade route, people started to push in
from all sides, and the crowd grew thick. When the people along
the way became almost a wall; the father lifted his son and
placed him on his shoulders.
"Soon the parade began and as it passed, the boy kept telling
his father how wonderful it was and how spectacular were the
colors and images. The boy, in fact, grew so prideful of what
he saw that he mocked those who saw less saying, even to his
father,
'If only you could see what I see.'"
"But," said Jacob staring straight in the faces of the
children, "what the boy did not look at was why he could see.
What the boy forgot was that once his father, too, could see."
Then as if he had finished the story, Jacob stopped speaking.
"Is that it?" said a disappointed girl. "We thought you were
going to tell us a story about a giant."
"But I did," said Jacob. "I told you a story about a boy who
could have been a giant."
"How?" squealed the children.
"A giant," said Jacob, "is anyone who remembers we are all
sitting on someone else's shoulders."
"And what does it make us if we don't remember?" asked the boy.
"A burden," answered Jacob.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Freedom and Boundaries
Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
God is big on giving man freedom and boundaries - freedom to manage what He has entrusted to us, boundaries to protect us from evil. The boundaries in the Garden of Eden were not set for the purpose of limiting Adam. Man got into trouble when he questioned those boundaries. God had provided everything he would need for life. He also entrusted man with responsibility to manage and work the Garden. God gave him freedom in that responsibility. God knows we were made to express ourselves creatively through our work.
Each of us must have freedom and boundaries in our work life. Whenever you are hired for a job, you must have the freedom to make certain decisions. You must have the authority to manage things within your area of expertise. You must also have limits within your area of responsibility. You need to know where those limits are and stay within them. Both freedom and boundaries are always under the umbrella of God's authority and our authorities at work.
Jesus understood these boundaries. When He was tempted for 40 days by the devil after being baptized, He was challenged by satan to go outside His freedom and boundaries. (See Matthew 4:1-11.) Satan said that He had the power to turn a stone into bread. Jesus was hungry and easily could have justified using His power to feed Himself. However, Jesus understood He could do nothing outside the boundaries of God's will for His life. It was God's will for Jesus to be tempted and to withstand the temptation. God was showing His Son that "man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Mt. 4:4b).
You and I are tempted every day to go beyond our God-ordained boundaries. Whether it is solving financial problems that have arisen through debt, making wrong decisions due to pressure, or manipulating someone in order to achieve our ends, it all represents rebellion toward God.
Ask God to show you His freedom and boundaries for your life. These are meant to enhance your life, not hinder it.
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
God is big on giving man freedom and boundaries - freedom to manage what He has entrusted to us, boundaries to protect us from evil. The boundaries in the Garden of Eden were not set for the purpose of limiting Adam. Man got into trouble when he questioned those boundaries. God had provided everything he would need for life. He also entrusted man with responsibility to manage and work the Garden. God gave him freedom in that responsibility. God knows we were made to express ourselves creatively through our work.
Each of us must have freedom and boundaries in our work life. Whenever you are hired for a job, you must have the freedom to make certain decisions. You must have the authority to manage things within your area of expertise. You must also have limits within your area of responsibility. You need to know where those limits are and stay within them. Both freedom and boundaries are always under the umbrella of God's authority and our authorities at work.
Jesus understood these boundaries. When He was tempted for 40 days by the devil after being baptized, He was challenged by satan to go outside His freedom and boundaries. (See Matthew 4:1-11.) Satan said that He had the power to turn a stone into bread. Jesus was hungry and easily could have justified using His power to feed Himself. However, Jesus understood He could do nothing outside the boundaries of God's will for His life. It was God's will for Jesus to be tempted and to withstand the temptation. God was showing His Son that "man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Mt. 4:4b).
You and I are tempted every day to go beyond our God-ordained boundaries. Whether it is solving financial problems that have arisen through debt, making wrong decisions due to pressure, or manipulating someone in order to achieve our ends, it all represents rebellion toward God.
Ask God to show you His freedom and boundaries for your life. These are meant to enhance your life, not hinder it.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Forgiveness for Bitter Days
Scripture Text: Matthew 18:21-35
Theme: Forgiveness
You and I save things. Favorite photos, interesting articles ? we all save things. Homer and Langley Collyer hoarded things. Everything. Newspapers, letters, clothing ? you name it, they kept it.
Born in the late 1800s to an affluent Manhattan couple, the brothers lived in a luxurious three-story mansion at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 128th Street. Homer earned a degree in engineering; Langley became a lawyer. All seemed good in the Collyer family.
But then mom and dad divorced in 1909. The boys, now in their 20s, remained in the home with their mother. Crime escalated. The neighborhood deteriorated. Homer and Langley retaliated by escaping the world. For reasons that therapists discuss at dinner parties, the duo retreated into their inherited mansion, closed and locked the doors.
They were all but unheard of for nearly 40 years. Then in 1947 someone reported the suspicion of a dead body at their address. It took seven policemen to break down the door because the entrance was blocked by a wall of newspapers, folding beds, half a sewing machine, old chairs, part of a winepress and other pieces of junk. After several hours of digging, policemen found the body of Homer, seated on the floor, head between his knees, his long and matted gray hair reaching his shoulders.
But where was Langley? That question triggered one of the strangest searches in Manhattan history. Fifteen days of quarrying produced 103 tons of junk ? gas chandeliers, a sawhorse, the chassis of an old car, a Steinway piano, a horse’s jawbone and, finally, one missing brother. The stuff he’d kept had collapsed on and killed him.
Bizarre! Who wants to live with yesterday’s rubble? Who wants to hoard the trash of the past? You don’t, do you? Or do you?
Not in your house, mind you, but in your heart? Not the junk of papers and boxes, but the remnants of anger and hurt. Do you pack-rat pain? Amass offenses? Record slights?
A tour of your heart might be telling. A pile of rejections stockpiled in one corner. Accumulated insults filling another. Images of unkind people lining the wall, littering the floor.
No one can blame you. Innocence takers, promise breakers, wound makers ? you’ve had your share. Yet doesn’t it make sense to get rid of their trash? Want to give every day a chance? Jesus says: Give the grace you’ve been given.
Take a long look at his reply to Peter’s question: “‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’‘No,not seven times,’Jesus replied, ‘but seventy times seven!’” (Matt. 18:21-22 NLT).
That noise you hear is the sound of clicking calculators. Seventy times seven equals 490, we discover.
Theme: Forgiveness
You and I save things. Favorite photos, interesting articles ? we all save things. Homer and Langley Collyer hoarded things. Everything. Newspapers, letters, clothing ? you name it, they kept it.
Born in the late 1800s to an affluent Manhattan couple, the brothers lived in a luxurious three-story mansion at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 128th Street. Homer earned a degree in engineering; Langley became a lawyer. All seemed good in the Collyer family.
But then mom and dad divorced in 1909. The boys, now in their 20s, remained in the home with their mother. Crime escalated. The neighborhood deteriorated. Homer and Langley retaliated by escaping the world. For reasons that therapists discuss at dinner parties, the duo retreated into their inherited mansion, closed and locked the doors.
They were all but unheard of for nearly 40 years. Then in 1947 someone reported the suspicion of a dead body at their address. It took seven policemen to break down the door because the entrance was blocked by a wall of newspapers, folding beds, half a sewing machine, old chairs, part of a winepress and other pieces of junk. After several hours of digging, policemen found the body of Homer, seated on the floor, head between his knees, his long and matted gray hair reaching his shoulders.
But where was Langley? That question triggered one of the strangest searches in Manhattan history. Fifteen days of quarrying produced 103 tons of junk ? gas chandeliers, a sawhorse, the chassis of an old car, a Steinway piano, a horse’s jawbone and, finally, one missing brother. The stuff he’d kept had collapsed on and killed him.
Bizarre! Who wants to live with yesterday’s rubble? Who wants to hoard the trash of the past? You don’t, do you? Or do you?
Not in your house, mind you, but in your heart? Not the junk of papers and boxes, but the remnants of anger and hurt. Do you pack-rat pain? Amass offenses? Record slights?
A tour of your heart might be telling. A pile of rejections stockpiled in one corner. Accumulated insults filling another. Images of unkind people lining the wall, littering the floor.
No one can blame you. Innocence takers, promise breakers, wound makers ? you’ve had your share. Yet doesn’t it make sense to get rid of their trash? Want to give every day a chance? Jesus says: Give the grace you’ve been given.
Take a long look at his reply to Peter’s question: “‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’‘No,not seven times,’Jesus replied, ‘but seventy times seven!’” (Matt. 18:21-22 NLT).
That noise you hear is the sound of clicking calculators. Seventy times seven equals 490, we discover.
Forgiveness for Bitter Days
Scripture Text: Matthew 18:21-35
Theme: Forgiveness
You and I save things. Favorite photos, interesting articles ? we all save things. Homer and Langley Collyer hoarded things. Everything. Newspapers, letters, clothing ? you name it, they kept it.
Born in the late 1800s to an affluent Manhattan couple, the brothers lived in a luxurious three-story mansion at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 128th Street. Homer earned a degree in engineering; Langley became a lawyer. All seemed good in the Collyer family.
But then mom and dad divorced in 1909. The boys, now in their 20s, remained in the home with their mother. Crime escalated. The neighborhood deteriorated. Homer and Langley retaliated by escaping the world. For reasons that therapists discuss at dinner parties, the duo retreated into their inherited mansion, closed and locked the doors.
They were all but unheard of for nearly 40 years. Then in 1947 someone reported the suspicion of a dead body at their address. It took seven policemen to break down the door because the entrance was blocked by a wall of newspapers, folding beds, half a sewing machine, old chairs, part of a winepress and other pieces of junk. After several hours of digging, policemen found the body of Homer, seated on the floor, head between his knees, his long and matted gray hair reaching his shoulders.
But where was Langley? That question triggered one of the strangest searches in Manhattan history. Fifteen days of quarrying produced 103 tons of junk ? gas chandeliers, a sawhorse, the chassis of an old car, a Steinway piano, a horse’s jawbone and, finally, one missing brother. The stuff he’d kept had collapsed on and killed him.
Bizarre! Who wants to live with yesterday’s rubble? Who wants to hoard the trash of the past? You don’t, do you? Or do you?
Not in your house, mind you, but in your heart? Not the junk of papers and boxes, but the remnants of anger and hurt. Do you pack-rat pain? Amass offenses? Record slights?
A tour of your heart might be telling. A pile of rejections stockpiled in one corner. Accumulated insults filling another. Images of unkind people lining the wall, littering the floor.
No one can blame you. Innocence takers, promise breakers, wound makers ? you’ve had your share. Yet doesn’t it make sense to get rid of their trash? Want to give every day a chance? Jesus says: Give the grace you’ve been given.
Take a long look at his reply to Peter’s question: “‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’‘No,not seven times,’Jesus replied, ‘but seventy times seven!’” (Matt. 18:21-22 NLT).
That noise you hear is the sound of clicking calculators. Seventy times seven equals 490, we discover.
Theme: Forgiveness
You and I save things. Favorite photos, interesting articles ? we all save things. Homer and Langley Collyer hoarded things. Everything. Newspapers, letters, clothing ? you name it, they kept it.
Born in the late 1800s to an affluent Manhattan couple, the brothers lived in a luxurious three-story mansion at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 128th Street. Homer earned a degree in engineering; Langley became a lawyer. All seemed good in the Collyer family.
But then mom and dad divorced in 1909. The boys, now in their 20s, remained in the home with their mother. Crime escalated. The neighborhood deteriorated. Homer and Langley retaliated by escaping the world. For reasons that therapists discuss at dinner parties, the duo retreated into their inherited mansion, closed and locked the doors.
They were all but unheard of for nearly 40 years. Then in 1947 someone reported the suspicion of a dead body at their address. It took seven policemen to break down the door because the entrance was blocked by a wall of newspapers, folding beds, half a sewing machine, old chairs, part of a winepress and other pieces of junk. After several hours of digging, policemen found the body of Homer, seated on the floor, head between his knees, his long and matted gray hair reaching his shoulders.
But where was Langley? That question triggered one of the strangest searches in Manhattan history. Fifteen days of quarrying produced 103 tons of junk ? gas chandeliers, a sawhorse, the chassis of an old car, a Steinway piano, a horse’s jawbone and, finally, one missing brother. The stuff he’d kept had collapsed on and killed him.
Bizarre! Who wants to live with yesterday’s rubble? Who wants to hoard the trash of the past? You don’t, do you? Or do you?
Not in your house, mind you, but in your heart? Not the junk of papers and boxes, but the remnants of anger and hurt. Do you pack-rat pain? Amass offenses? Record slights?
A tour of your heart might be telling. A pile of rejections stockpiled in one corner. Accumulated insults filling another. Images of unkind people lining the wall, littering the floor.
No one can blame you. Innocence takers, promise breakers, wound makers ? you’ve had your share. Yet doesn’t it make sense to get rid of their trash? Want to give every day a chance? Jesus says: Give the grace you’ve been given.
Take a long look at his reply to Peter’s question: “‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’‘No,not seven times,’Jesus replied, ‘but seventy times seven!’” (Matt. 18:21-22 NLT).
That noise you hear is the sound of clicking calculators. Seventy times seven equals 490, we discover.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Land of Comfort
I was counseling a member of the church.
They were explaining how their diligence in doing what God said
had made a major turnaround. They were attributing it to one
thing after another, but I noticed turnaround started exactly at
the point when they lost their job.
Often during our periods of comfort and security, we abide in
our strength and wisdom. When that security is removed then we
pray like we never have before, we listen to the messages like
we never have before, we change like we never have before.
As painful as it is,
...sometimes we can’t be reached in the land of comfort.
They were explaining how their diligence in doing what God said
had made a major turnaround. They were attributing it to one
thing after another, but I noticed turnaround started exactly at
the point when they lost their job.
Often during our periods of comfort and security, we abide in
our strength and wisdom. When that security is removed then we
pray like we never have before, we listen to the messages like
we never have before, we change like we never have before.
As painful as it is,
...sometimes we can’t be reached in the land of comfort.
Monday, April 20, 2009
MY BELIEFS:
I believe-
that we don't have to change friends
if we understand that friends change.
I believe-
that no matter how good a friend is,
they're going to hurt you every once in a while and
you must forgive them for that.
I believe-
that true friendship continues to grow,
even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.
I believe-
that you can do something in an instant
that will give you heartache for life.
I believe-
that it's taking me a long time
to become the person I want to be.
I believe-
that you should always leave loved ones
with loving words. It may be the last
time you see them.
I believe-
that you can keep going
long after you can't.
I believe-
that we are responsible for what we do,
no matter how we feel.
I believe-
that either you control your attitude
or it controls you.
I believe-
that regardless of how hot and
steamy a relationship is at first,
the passion fades and there had
better be something else to take its place.
I believe-
that heroes are the people
who do what has to be done
when it needs to be done,
regardless of the consequences.
I believe-
that money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I believe-
that my best friend and I can do anything
or nothing and have the best time.
I believe-
that sometimes the people you expect
to kick you when you're down,
will be the ones to help you get back up.
I believe-
that sometimes when I'm angry
I have the right to be angry,
but that doesn't give me
the right to be cruel.
I believe-
that just because someone doesn't love
you the way you want them to doesn't
mean they don't love you with all they have.
I believe-
that maturity has more to do with
what types of experiences you've had
and what you've learned from them
and less to do with how many
birthdays you've celebrated.
I believe-
that it isn't always enough to be
forgiven by others. Sometimes you
have to learn to forgive yourself.
I believe-
that no matter how bad your
heart is broken the world doesn't stop for
your grief.
I believe-
that our background and circumstances
may have influenced who we are,
but we are responsible for who
we become.
I believe-
that just because two people argue,
it doesn't mean they don't love each other
And just because they don't argue,
it doesn't mean they do.
I believe-
that you shouldn't be so eager
to find out a secret.
It could change your life forever.
I believe-
that two people can look at the exact
same thing and see something totally different.
I believe-
that your life can be changed
in a matter of hours
by people who don't even know you.
I believe-
that even when you think you
have no more to give,
when a friend cries out to you
you will find the strength to help.
I believe-
that credentials on the wall
do not make you a decent human being.
I believe-
that the people you care about most in life
are taken from you too soon.
I believe-
That you should send this to all of the people
that you believe in.
I just did
that we don't have to change friends
if we understand that friends change.
I believe-
that no matter how good a friend is,
they're going to hurt you every once in a while and
you must forgive them for that.
I believe-
that true friendship continues to grow,
even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.
I believe-
that you can do something in an instant
that will give you heartache for life.
I believe-
that it's taking me a long time
to become the person I want to be.
I believe-
that you should always leave loved ones
with loving words. It may be the last
time you see them.
I believe-
that you can keep going
long after you can't.
I believe-
that we are responsible for what we do,
no matter how we feel.
I believe-
that either you control your attitude
or it controls you.
I believe-
that regardless of how hot and
steamy a relationship is at first,
the passion fades and there had
better be something else to take its place.
I believe-
that heroes are the people
who do what has to be done
when it needs to be done,
regardless of the consequences.
I believe-
that money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I believe-
that my best friend and I can do anything
or nothing and have the best time.
I believe-
that sometimes the people you expect
to kick you when you're down,
will be the ones to help you get back up.
I believe-
that sometimes when I'm angry
I have the right to be angry,
but that doesn't give me
the right to be cruel.
I believe-
that just because someone doesn't love
you the way you want them to doesn't
mean they don't love you with all they have.
I believe-
that maturity has more to do with
what types of experiences you've had
and what you've learned from them
and less to do with how many
birthdays you've celebrated.
I believe-
that it isn't always enough to be
forgiven by others. Sometimes you
have to learn to forgive yourself.
I believe-
that no matter how bad your
heart is broken the world doesn't stop for
your grief.
I believe-
that our background and circumstances
may have influenced who we are,
but we are responsible for who
we become.
I believe-
that just because two people argue,
it doesn't mean they don't love each other
And just because they don't argue,
it doesn't mean they do.
I believe-
that you shouldn't be so eager
to find out a secret.
It could change your life forever.
I believe-
that two people can look at the exact
same thing and see something totally different.
I believe-
that your life can be changed
in a matter of hours
by people who don't even know you.
I believe-
that even when you think you
have no more to give,
when a friend cries out to you
you will find the strength to help.
I believe-
that credentials on the wall
do not make you a decent human being.
I believe-
that the people you care about most in life
are taken from you too soon.
I believe-
That you should send this to all of the people
that you believe in.
I just did
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Nails In The Fence
There once was a little boy who had a bad temper.
His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time
he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the
fence.
The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence.
Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger,
the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He
discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those
nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at
all.
He told his father about it and the father suggested that the
boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold
his temper.
The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his
father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by
the hand and led him to the fence.
He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in
the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say
things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can
put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many
times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there."
His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time
he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the
fence.
The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence.
Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger,
the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He
discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those
nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at
all.
He told his father about it and the father suggested that the
boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold
his temper.
The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his
father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by
the hand and led him to the fence.
He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in
the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say
things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can
put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many
times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there."
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