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Non-Self Promotion!

8/31/2017

“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:2-3

We don't need to promote ourselves. God will do it for us. If we take care of His business, He will take care of our business.

Lord, give me the strength and faith to take care of your stuff because you will take care of my stuff.

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Ownership!

8/30/2017

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“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?" Job 38:4-7

My brothers and I spent a long weekend to build me a new deck for my house. It was a lot of hard work. The four of us invested a lot of time and effort into the construction of the deck, and I saved quite a bit of money with the free labor. Even though the deck was less expensive than if it was professionally built, I value the deck I helped build much more. God values us in the same way.

Lord, thank you that you created me and you value your creation.

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Public Relations!

8/29/2017

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The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1

We can tell everyone how great we are and how much we have accomplished ... OR ... we can live a fruitful life and let others tell of our hard work and acts of service while also witnessing the fruits of our labor for themselves.

Lord, help me to be more concerned with what I do for others than what I say about myself.

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Our "Enemy's" Enemy Is Our Friend!

8/28/2017

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“Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. Zechariah 2:11

As human beings, we have countless "enemies". Sickness, injury, death, loss, depression, failure, unmet expectation, suffering, and most of all, our own sin and the temptations from Satan. God exists. So does His enemy. His enemy is our enemy. We need to fight that battle first. We should spend more time fighting that battle than we do fighting with others who are also in that battle.

Lord, help me to see EVERYONE as being on "my team" and not against me.

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"You Can't Be So Damn Passive"!

8/24/2017

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Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. 1 Chronicles 16:10

Obscure Movie Quote Alert: One of my favorite movie quotes comes from the original "Karate Kid" (1984) when Daniel addresses Mr. Miyagi after being taught to be more defensive and patient, " ... Mr. Miyagi. You can't be so damn passive!". I find myself using that quote (or at least saying it in my head) about a dozen times a day. I notice too many people sitting around and waiting for something to come to them. God desires us to "seek" Him. He doesn't desire for us to sit around and wait for Him.

Lord, help me to seek You and realize that a relationship with You is both active and a two way relationship.

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Add Value To Others!

8/22/2017

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In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:17

A good rule of thumb for life is "Add Value To Others". This is a nice idea but the reality is that most of us go through life with the priority "Add Value To Me". If we truly desire to value others, words can do that. A word of encouragement. A word of thanks. A word of warning. However, our actions toward others ... actions of love and service ... will usually add much deserved value to those around us.

Lord, please help me to add to others in both words and action.

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Bumping Into Things!

8/21/2017

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When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

I typically bump into furniture, walls and stairs at a greater frequency when the lights are turned off than when the room is well lit. Darkness tends to do that to a person. You can't see what is coming. We bang our shins and sometimes, yell out a scream of discomfort. The same is true in any area of life. When we walk in darkness, we tend to run into more obstacles and often yell out something in discomfort.

Lord, thank you for your light and now help me to walk in that light.

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Being Religious!

8/18/2017

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Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

"Being Religious" is not something that religious people desire. The main reason is that religion does not have a good reputation and those who are religious often have a worse reputation. The reason for the negative view of religion is because most people focus on the wrong things. God makes it pretty simple: Look after others, especially those who have less than you AND don't get caught up in what the world values but instead value what God values.

Lord, help me to value what you value and what you value most is people ... all people.

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Pride Prevents Us From Getting Better!

8/17/2017

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For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12

The first step is to admit that we have a problem. This is a fundamental fact. If we don't recognize that a problem exists then we can not be in a position to find the true solution. Pride is one of the largest barriers to admitting that we have a problem or sometimes more importantly, recognizing that we are unable to find a solution on our own. We are far from perfect. That is a fact. It doesn't make us failures; It makes us human. We can be better humans if we allow ourselves to grow and realize that we aren't perfect yet.

Lord, thank you for the grace and understanding that I am a work in progress and please help me to realize that as well.

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Goal Setting!

8/16/2017

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Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

What is the goal? If the goal is comfort, then our life should be filled with activities that have a high probability of happiness and very low risk of failure. In other words, mostly sitting on our couch at home binge watching our favorite shows. If the goal is to reach our full potential, which includes contributing to a greater good because any full potential must include how that potential benefits others and not only ourselves or our full potential is never truly met, then we should acknowledge that our life should and will be full of trials. Trials are an opportunity to move closure to maturity and completeness.

Lord, please give me the courage to see trials as a gift to grow and not as a burden to resent and be bitter about.

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<<Previous

Non-Self Promotion!

Ownership!

Public Relations!

Our "Enemy's" Enemy Is Our Friend!

"You Can't Be So Damn Passive"!

Add Value To Others!

Bumping Into Things!

Being Religious!

Pride Prevents Us From Getting Better!

Goal Setting!

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