How Strong Are YOU?

Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

Colossians 3:11 

 

When you think of strength, what comes to mind?  Could it be extreme muscular abilities?  How about someone who can remain calm in the face of terrifying circumstances? When we think of strength, it usually involves some physical or mental capability. However, one of the greatest feats of strength is to FORGIVE. And forgiveness is one of the most precious gifts we have to give.

 

Let's take a look at that for a moment, shall we?  If someone has hurt you or a family member it is very natural and easy to hold a grudge and, quite probably, seek revenge in some way. Yet every moment we hold onto a grudge, the venom seeps into our spirit and turns us bitter.  However, when we go against our nature and forgive, we are expressing that the love we have for others, even those who have hurt us, is far more important to have than to do without.  

Being angry, hurt and carrying a grudge is easy...for a while.  Soon it will become a burden that will eventually destroy us and rob us of any joy!  Let us also consider how God forgives us....quickly and without malice.

 

Edward Teech, also known as the pirate Blackbeard, upon choosing to leave Charleston Harbor after he got his ransom rather than destroying the entire city, is credited with saying, "True power comes in knowing you can utterly destroy, and so do they, yet you choose, instead, to withhold your hand."    

 

So the question we need to address is "How Strong Are YOU?"

Plug Into The Power

Did you know that as a Child of God you have the ear of God?  Having God listen to your prayers means you have incredible clout with the Creator of All Things!  There are times when we may not think God is listening, but He always hears us and listens to us.  There are times we may not like the answer God gives us, but He has our best in His plans.  There will be times we do not understand why God answers the way He does, but God knows the whole story and we see only a tiny part.

There will be times when you feel overwhelmed by a seemingly impossible situation, but when you pray, God moves!  There will be times where you want to quit, but when you pray, God moves! There will be times when your plans come crashing down around you, but when you pray, God moves!

When you pray, brace yourself because when God moves, it's going to be in ways we never could expect! 

Gospel According to Van Morrison

"For I have learned how to be content with whatever I have."

Philippians 4:11 

One of my favorite songs, from my growing up years, is "Days Like This" by Van Morrison.  When I first heard it, the first thing that came to mind were days that my Dad would refer to as "Murphy's Law" days, where if it can go wrong it will.  However, when I read the lyrics I got it!

  

"When it's not always raining....there will be days like this

When there's no one complaining.....there will be days like this

When everything falls into place, like the flip of a switch,

My Mama told me..... there will be days like this"

So, if we take the word of the Apostle Paul, we will learn that whatever kind of day you are having, contentment will make it tolerable because "there will be days like this."  Are you having an amazing day?  There will be days like this.  Are you have the worst day? There will be days like this.  Nothing that happens to us is a surprise to God, who has already given us a way to make it through every day.  Why? Because God knows there will be days like this.

Ponder that for a bit.  

Surprise!

"I may not have gone where I intended to go,

but I think I ended up where I needed to be."

-Douglas Adams-

Remember Christopher Columbus?  He intended to find a route to the Orient by sailing West.  That was where he INTENDED to go.  However, he ended up discovering new places, and we enjoy his discoveries today.  Our lives don't always go as intended, but God has a plan to get us where we need to be.  

Don't believe me?  Moses was raised as an Egyptian by Pharoah's daughter.  After he killed an Egyptian overseer, he fled intending to be forgotten.  God had a plan to put Moses where he was needed.  What about Joseph?  Do you think he intended to be sold as a slave or put in jail due to false accusations? But God had a plan to put Joseph where he was needed to help his family survive a famine.  The Bible is full of such reminders.

In Acts 9:1-2 we find "Meanwhile Saul, still breathing out threats to murder the Lord’s disciples, went to the high priest and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem."  Saul INTENDED to go out and destroy the church, yet God had other plans to get Saul/Paul where he was needed.

Look back on your own life.  You may have intended your life would turn out a particular way, but God puts you exactly where you are needed.   

Take Time To Rest

I find rest in God;
    only he gives me hope.
He is my rock and my salvation.
    He is my defender;
    I will not be defeated.
My honor and salvation come from God.
    He is my mighty rock and my protection.

People, trust God all the time.
    Tell him all your problems,
    because God is our protection. 

Psalm 62:5-8 

I have to admit it, there are times when I have trouble sleeping.  I will toss and turn, never being able to get comfortable, and when the alarm sounds I hate the world!  Why?  Because in those times, my mind and body did not get the rest needed to refresh and restore and recharge.  And here's a fun little factoid: God did not design us to charge through life at full steam ahead all the time.  And yet, we try to do just that.  When we take a "vacation" is it restful or filled with activities and scurrying from place to place trying to fit a year's worth of interest into a few days?  

Let me ask you something, and I am smacking myself between the eyes as well, when was the last time you simply took time to be still and quiet in God's incredible Cathedral that He created for us and simply enjoy it.  No plans; no schedules; no need to dash off to some other activity...just resting and enjoying.

I have a list of things I want to do and places I want to see, but I also have one thing I MUST do and that is learn to rest in God so He can recharge me and keep my focus where it should be instead of that mental list I keep running through and planning.  

Think about this:  If the Pit Dweller can keep us doing everything EXCEPT rest, he knows we will burn out and become ineffective because that is his plan.  God knew we couldn't keep that pace, so He commanded us to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy, because that was the day God rested. 

Revenge

“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also."

Matthew 5:38-39 

 

When we feel hurt or slighted or insulted by someone, we want REVENGE!  Let's face is, our revenge is usually an act that is escalated to the point that we believe the other person will back down.  Yet when they, in turn, escalate their revenge on our revenge, we begin a war.  A war where there are only losers, no winners.  We lose respect; we lose relationships; we lose credibility...we lose!

 

Now...Jesus is in no way saying we should not protect ourselves from physical or emotional abuse.  You see, in Jesus' time, a backhanded slap was meant to sting and cause embarrassment, it was considered an insult.  No one tried to knock your teeth out with a slap.  However, our human nature has a short fuse and we don't tolerate being embarrassed very well.  Therefore, if someone slaps us, our natural instinct is to punch them which will draw more punches and perhaps even friends will jump into the fray on our behalf.  On and on this will go until weapons are drawn, property is damaged, furniture gets broken and then the police arrive.

 

And what gets accomplished?  Injury, having to pay for property damage, going to jail...is an insult worth that?  Jesus reminds us that we are to be strong enough that we don't feel the need to respond to an insult.  We have the option to simply walk away.

Revenge leads to our desire to do harm to someone else.  Jesus reminds us that revenge is not worth the stress, headache or any other consequence.

Unlimited Resources

"No eye has seen,

No ear has heard, 

And no mind has imagined

What God has prepared

for those who love Him."

1 Corinthians 2:9

 

This verse hit me with excitement when I took the time to think about it in depth. Why? Read it again...slowly.  God loves us so much that He has prepared unlimited resources for us that our limited minds cannot even begin to comprehend.

 

"No eye has seen" such amazing things that God readily makes available to us.  "No ear has heard" all that God shares with us. "No mind has imagined" all God gives us.

 

Think about it...need more joy? Ask and God has it for us in abundance.  Need wisdom? God has it ready to pour into us until we are overflowing. Need patience? God has an endless supply and is ready to teach us just how patient He is with others so we can become more patient.  Is your love running low? God has so much love that we can swim in it!

 

There is no way we can ever us up all that God has available for us.  And here's the kicker, God makes all of His resources available to us ALL the time!  He has no "store hours."  He never tells us to come back later when He's better rested.  Nope....All is available to us ALL of the time! 

Lean On Me

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

I must confess, the Army taught me some pretty amazing stuff.  Things like: Keep your locker locked (or the First Sergeant will toss your stuff out of the window); Keep your weapon clean and in good working order; The oil from the MRE peanut butter with the powdered creamer makes a good Sterno to heat your coffee.  But one of the most important lessons was to work as a team, because if one fails, we ALL fail; if one succeeds, we ALL succeed.

You see, when something needed to be moved, everyone pitched in and got it done.  When foxholes needed to be dug, everyone grabbed their entrenching tools and knocked it out. When one of us became a new Dad, we ALL celebrated.  When one of us got bad news, we ALL commiserated. All because, as a Unit, whatever happened to one, happened to ALL.

I miss that closeness and camaraderie.  The Army taught me what Galatians 6:2 meant and what Bill Withers voiced so well.  We need to be able to lean on each other!  

Primary Purpose

If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

Romans 14:8 

 

 

As believers, we have a Primary Purpose for existing...to honor God! That is our primary reason for being. I can here it now: "But what about helping others?"  "What about love?" "What about all the other stuff?"  Yeah, I had those questions too.

 

But remember what Jesus said was the greatest commandment? "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength."  And the second greatest is tied to the first because when we love God that much, we will be able to "Love others as you love yourself."  And in doing that, we honor God!

 

The Apostle Paul also reminded us, "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."  So you see, our every action, thought, word, and our very existence is for the primary purpose of bringing glory to God!

Attention Deficit?

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 

 

I was talking with a friend, a while back, who had her young child with her.  As we sat and talked, her child would holler, "Mommy, LOOK AT ME!" every time some activity was being performed.  The more we talked, the more insistent the child became that Mommy needed to LOOK AT ME.  When we were children, we wanted that attention and to be recognized for everything we did.  We even played the "Guess what I did?" game (or was that just me?).

 

As we got older, we became more self-reliant and did not need the constant attention...Right?  Yet take a look around before you answer that.  How many times and ways do we still seek the constant need for attention and want others to focus their attention on us.  

 

C.S. Lewis said, "Don't shine so others can see you. Shine so, through you, others can see God."  Isn't that what we should be doing?  Pointing others to Christ?  

Thief!!!

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;

I have come so that they may have life,

and may have it abundantly."

John 10:10

 

Believe it or not, there are those who do not believe the Pit Dweller exists. Because if he exists then we have a choice to make; if he doesn't exist, we can just chalk our sins up to "human nature" and thus deny any responsibility for our actions and words.

 

The Pit Dweller is very real and very active.  His purpose is to steal our joy and sense of security in Christ, so he can replace it with fear and doubt.  His purpose is to kill our desire to seek God and reach out in love to others.  His purpose is to destroy your desire to love and care so that EVERY relationship and friendship will become a source of pain and anger.

 

Today...this very moment...you must decide to pull out ALL stops and go to God for your warplan. Brace yourself for the fight like no other. The Pit Dweller does not fight fair and takes no prisoners, and gives no quarter. 

 

God found you worthy of Christ's coming to die for you...what worth do you place on His gift?  Is it worth fighting for?  Is it worth forgiving others for?  Is it worth letting go of your anger and animosity for? Is it worth reaching out to restore those bruised and broken relationships for?

 

You decide! 

Reflections Of

Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

1 Corinthians 13:12

 

Mirrors are remarkable items because they always show us the truth.  Look in the mirror first thing in the morning and you may be a bit frightened by what you see looking back.  In ancient times, mirrors were thought to reflect the soul rather than the appearance. Over time, a mirror can become stained, dirty and dull.  Then the reflection becomes distorted.  

 

As Christians, we are to reflect Christ to the world.  However, being that we are sinful human beings, our sinfulness can distort that reflection at times. However, just because the mirror is dirty doesn't change the fact that it is still a mirror!  Our sin does not change the fact that we are still Christ's.

 

A mirror can be cleaned and made clear again, and so can we when we seek God's forgiveness through the sacrifice of Christ.  

On Purpose

When God created us, is was ON purpose and FOR a purpose.  Before God ever spoke the first speck of the universe into existence, He had already worked out His plan for each of us.  He already knew all we would face and need and had a plan in place, as well as, people available to help us.

We are God's handiwork and no one else's!  God created each of us as a masterpiece...HIS masterpiece.  Each of us has been perfectly created for God's purposes. NO ONE can take that from us unless we let them.

If nothing else you remember from this bit today, burn this on your soul: God has a plan for each life, so we must choose to rebel or live and look to Him to fulfill His plan in us. 

To Die For

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

Genesis 1:26

 

I was watching the History Channel, a while back, where the program was looking at Ancient Rome.  One of the things that stuck out for me were the mirrors that were found.  Now, their mirrors and our modern mirrors are vastly different.  The mirrors in ancient Rome were made of polished brass or bronze.  They were not completely smooth and therefore the image it displayed was rather distorted.  And THAT brought to mind today's verse.

 

We have been made in the image of God.  The Hebrew word used for "Image" is "Tselem" which literally means resemblance.  Therefore, we have been made in the Resemblance of God and God spends our lives working to perfect that resemblance into true image.

 

But consider this: we may be imperfect, but God perceived us before our parents conceived us so that when He calls us, He will receive us.  And because of that, He loves us so much that He knew we are worth dying for, and that is why Jesus came...so He could die for us that we might be received by God and truly become His likeness.  Children are the resemblance of their parents...  We are to be the resemblance of God, our Father!

 

 

Setbacks Are NOT The End Of Your Journey

Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.

Proverbs 4:23 

 

We all have setbacks because life is not perfect, not is it fair (in our way of thinking).  In our journey on this 3rd Rock From The Sun (see what I did there?), we will fall down more than we think is necessary, due to our own means or because someone else pushed us.  We will have mishaps and missteps; we will get off track and we will get discouraged.  But that's not anything noteworthy because we all know it will happen.  Now, here's where the brain cells need to be jump-started, so go get some (more) coffee and let's figure out how to deal with setbacks.

 

Here we go:

 

1. Stay Positive

God already knew before time existed that we cannot handle the situations we will encounter in this life alone.  Guess what?  He never intended for us to carry the burdens in this life.  I can tell by your stunned expression that you are rather surprised by that statement.  But here's what we have to remember, God gives us a choice!  Paul reminds us in Philippians 4:6 that we have God's promise that when we come to Him in prayer and lay our burdens at His feet, He will give us His peace.

 

We can also stay positive by giving God praise.  Psalm 42:5 reminds us that when our hearts feel discouraged, we should look to God and praise Him.  So think about this: How can we keep a heavy heart while we thank God for ALL He does for us and gives us?  We can't!  Being discouraged is a natural response, but STAYING negative is a decision!

 

2.  Guard Your Mind

Today's verse: "Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts." is a reminder that where our minds goes, so does our life.  We will live as we believe!  If we believe that, due to a setback, we are worthless failures and we will NEVER amount to anything, we will begin to live that way.  "As a man thinks, so is he."  Focus on things YOU can control...and you control what you think!

 

We will face setbacks.  Don't lose heart! You aren't alone in this!  Life is a journey and God put a LOT of other people on this Earth as a reminder that we do not walk this journey alone!  Trust God by taking ALL your cares and concerns to Him (and LEAVE THEM WITH HIM), and you will begin to see just how much better this life can be. 

News We Need To Hear

The Lord deserves praise!
Day after day he carries our burden,
the God who delivers us.

Psalm 68:19 

 

Maybe you were like me growing up.  We attended the First Baptist Church of Don't.  SO many rules and regulations about how to look; how to act; what to say; to whom to say it; when to speak; when not to speak; what to read; what not to read; where to go; where not to go; and on and on and on.  

 

I felt, as a teenager, that church was a bunch of rules which was a huge burden.  AND I felt, because God's made them, then God was a burden as well.  The more I grew, the more I resented it.  I was tired of carrying so much guilt and anxiety. Constantly asking for forgiveness from God.  Hardly a day went by that I didn't feel like a complete failure and drug that heavy burden of guilt everywhere.

It wasn't until much later in life that I learned how wrong I was.  God isn't the burden.  God carries our burden.  We have to learn to let our burden go. 

I was watching a National Geographic program and found that in Indonesia, farmers will trap monkeys by putting their favorite food in a jar.  The opening of the jar is just big enough for the monkey to slip his hand inside.  But when the monkey grabs the goodies, he can't get his hand back out and becomes trapped.  One farmer put our struggle so perfectly when he said, "All he has to do to be free is let go of his burden."

Isn't it time for us to let go of our burden and let God set us truly free?

I Hope

For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance.

Romans 8:24-25 

 

I was talking with a friend recently, who told me that in the last 5 weeks she had lost a friend to suicide.  One of the reasons people attempt suicide is they have lost hope.  They feel as if there is no reason for them to continue existing.  Yet that is a lie we are being fed every single day!

 

You see, the English word "HOPE" conveys doubt.  "I HOPE is doesn't rain."  There is some question as to whether it will rain or not.  However, the Greek word "ELPIS" which is used in today's passage, means "Joyful & Confident Expectation."   And it's companion word in Hebrew "PATAH" means confidence, security, being without care.  In the Greek and Hebrew, the word "HOPE" does not have even the concept of doubt as part of the word.

 

So what does that mean to us?  When we HOPE in Christ, we have confidence and security that He will do as He promised.  When He said 'I will NEVER leave you or reject you' we don't have to wonder if that is true because we KNOW it is true.  And here's the Kicker...even when we don't SEE Him working in our lives, we can rest in the knowledge that He is, and THAT is HOPE.

 

Think about this, when we see someone struggling, we become that messenger of HOPE for them.  As the Apostle said in 2 Corinthians 1, "God didn't comfort us to make us comfortable, he comforts us so that we may comfort others" and THAT is one way we can become the HOPE for others. 

Finding Footing In A Shaky World

Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.

Romans 4:20 

When you look around at all that is going on in this world, it is easy to be uneasy.  Take a look, We've never been more educated.  We are SATURATED with entertainment and recreation. Yet more and more people are orchestrating their own exit from this life.

Suicides are up more than 24% since 1999.  More and more people are feeling hopeless.  Many people believe this world is as good as it gets so they develop a lack of hope....  "If this is as good as it gets, why bother being staying here?" 

One of the classes I get to help facilitate for the deputies is "Suicide Prevention."  During this class, a video is shown of a man named Kevin Hines who jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge in order to end his life, yet he survived.  Kevin said that the second his hands turned loose of the railing, he regretted his decision but he plunged into the water at 75 mph.  When the Coast Guard picked him up, the diver told him it was a miracle that he survived.  He spent months recovering from his decision and he found that he had HOPE!  He now spends his days trying to help other people understand that "It's okay not to be okay.  But it's NOT okay not to ask for help."  

I don't know if Kevin is a Christian, but I know he has HOPE!  As Children of the King of Kings, we know this world isn't our home (we're just passing through) and we know that God's promises are unbreakable, unsinkable, and indefatigable which makes our hope in Him UNSHAKABLE!!!   Because of God's Promises, we have an anchor that holds us strong!

In The Way?

Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead. But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”
Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
Matthew 16:21-23 

Did you know that we have a tendency to get in God's way?  In Matthew 16:21-23, Jesus gave His disciples a "heads up" as to what was going to happen to Him.  Jesus wanted them to understand that He was the Messiah and that His death was necessary to pay for our sins.  Then we see Peter pull Jesus aside and reprimand Him.  Can you imagine having the nerve to pull Jesus aside and try to correct Him?  Me either, but Peter did it.  Why? Because Peter was actually opposing God's plan with his human reasoning.

Guess what? We are just like Peter because we are also guilty of putting our own interests ahead of God's Plan.  Why do we do that?  We don't understand that God already knows the WHOLE story!  Peter didn't understand that Jesus' death was essential to God's plan of salvation.  Sometimes God's will seems so bizarre from our human perspective because it takes us out of our comfort zones and may even involve pain, illness, suffering or even loss.  But God's plan is incredibly better than anything we could possibly think up, because it is His Heavenly plan.

We may not see that the hurt we endure is actually God's tool to accomplish something in our lives. We seem to have this idea that the Christian life is supposed to a stroll along the beach with no trouble or struggle.  When our lives become uncomfortable, we try to be like Peter and reprimand God because WE think His plan is flawed.  Yet, God is the one who knows what it takes to complete His plan for our lives.

When Peter reprimanded Jesus, what did Jesus say to him?  “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”  Remember, God already knows the WHOLE plan...we don't. Let God do His job!

Make A Difference!

Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.

1 Corinthians 15:58 

 

Have you ever had a task at work that you didn't like doing, didn't understand why you were the given the task, and didn't think it made any sort of difference?  How about this, have you ever seen or known anyone you didn't want to get to know because they were different (weird) and you didn't find any sort of advantage in getting to know them?  When you are finished staring at me, let's continue.

 

To whom did Jesus minister?  Outcasts, Lepers, demon possessed, one weird collection of oddballs (Disciples - fishermen, dreamers, tax collectors, zealots, hotheads, sons of thunder), prostitutes, pretty much everyone that "good people" would overlook or ignore.  Which begs the question: Do we cling to our "good people" status or do we follow the example of Christ?  

 

Think about it, you could be the conduit of God's love for someone who has had a rough life. God has chosen us to do the work with the downtrodden, the ignored, the fringe, the overlooked. Let's reflect God's love to this dark world! 

Time!

No one knows when that day or time will be, not the angels in heaven, not even the Son. Only the Father knows.

Matthew 24:36 

 

 

One of my favorite television shows happens to be NCIS: New Orleans, where the Special Agent in Charge has a catch phrase of "Learn Things."  We, as humans, like to know what's going to happen, when it's going to happen, and where it's going to happen.

 

One of the questions I am asked with regularity is "Do you think the end of the world is near?"  To which my answer is almost always "It's one day closer than yesterday."  Why do we worry about such things?  Even Jesus admitted that the ONLY one who knows is God the Father!  And if He didn't share that information with Jesus or the Angels...it's not for us to know either.  In fact, Jesus said in verse 42: "So always be ready, because you don’t know the day your Lord will come."

 

You see, why get all worked up about such things?  Be ready!  Don't wait until the last minute, because we don't know when that will be.

 

My Grampa told me a story when I was much younger:  A young man, who was pretty lazy, wanted to marry the rancher's daughter.  The rancher told the young man to wait outside the barn and he would send out 10 bulls one at a time, and all the young man had to do was catch one of them by the tail, then he could marry the rancher's daughter.  So the young man sat in the shade outside the barn and waited.  First bull came out, the young man just rested.  Second bull came out, the young man rested.  This went on until the eighth bull came out, the young man decided he'd better get up and get ready.  The ninth bull came out, the young man decided to assume his "attack stance."  When the tenth bull came out, it didn't have a tail.  Moral of the story: "Don't wait, be prepared!"  

Do It!

It is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

James 4:17 

 

The Right Thing...we all know what that is, yet do we do it?  Let's say you see someone who has been injured...what's the right thing to do?  Grab your phone and start recording so you can be the first to get it on Facebook or grab your phone and call for help?

 

We KNOW the right thing to do, yet we struggle in doing it.  Why?  Because we fear ridicule of others?  Because it's too inconvenient? Because we just don't want to get involved?  To KNOW the right thing to do and not do it is just plain WRONG.  In order to DO the right thing, we must focus on God rather than what others will think or say about us.

SHINE!

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

Philippians 2:3 

 

Ever know someone who seemed to be doing things to impress others?  Our natural bent is to be self-promoting because, after all, if WE don't get in the spotlight, no one will know all we have done.  Let's face it, if I can get my face in front of a camera enough, people will know how important I am.  

 

Think about this, what purpose does it serve to be "important" in the eyes of others?  Who do we think we are fooling when we are "Proudly Humble"?  Look at what Paul is saying, our place on this earth is NOT in impressing other occupants of THIS EARTH!  Instead, our place on this Earth is in helping each other, which is what it means to "think of others as better than yourselves." 

 

Our place on this Earth is to let God's love flow THROUGH us to others in such a way that God is the only one receiving the praise.  If we seek to receive the praise of our fellow Earth Dwellers, that's the only reward we will receive...a few fleeting moments in the spotlight.  But when we invest ourselves in helping others, God received the praise and He will reward us.