Proverbs 29:11
'A fool gives vent to all his feelings, but the wise, thinking of afterwards, stills them.' - Reaction reveals something about our condition. - But God wants us to develop self-control. - The wise person takes a moment and calms the anger within them. - This leads to life and blessing and minimizes potential damage. PRAYER: Lord, it is my desire to do what pleases You. Help me to be a wise person and give me the grace to respond correctly. Amen. It is time for you to enjoy God’s favour see Isaiah 61:2 . That means He will bless you even through you do not deserve it. If you put your faith in Him. God wants you to enjoy yourself and your life. He wants to heal you everywhere you hurt! Spiritually Mentally, financially physically an emotionally.
An old missionary couple had been working in Africa for years and were
returning to New York to retire. They had no pension; their health was broken; they were defeated, discouraged, and afraid. They discovered they were booked on the same ship as President Teddy Roosevelt, who was returning from one of his big-game hunting expeditions. No one paid any attention to them. They watched the fanfare that accompanied the President's entourage, with passengers trying to catch a glimpse of the great man. As the ship moved across the ocean, the old missionary said to his wife, "Something is wrong." "Why should we have given our lives in faithful service for God in Africa all these many years and have no one care a thing about us? Here this man comes back from a hunting trip and everybody makes much over him, but nobody gives two hoots about us." "Dear, you shouldn't feel that way", his wife said. He replied "I can't help it; it doesn't seem right." When the ship docked in New York, a band was waiting to greet the President. The mayor and other dignitaries were there. The papers were full of the President's arrival. No one noticed this missionary couple. They slipped off the ship and found a cheap flat on the East Side, hoping the next day to see what they could do to make a living in the city. That night the man's spirit broke. He said to his wife, "I can't take this; God is not treating us fairly". His wife replied, "Why don't you go in the bedroom and tell that to the Lord?" A short time later he came out from the bedroom, but now his face was completely different. His wife asked, "Dear, what happened?" "The Lord settled it with me", he said. "I told Him how bitter I was that the President should receive this tremendous homecoming, when no one met us as we returned home. And when I finished, it seemed as though the Lord put His hand on my shoulder and simply said; "But you're not home yet." Author Unknown Keep your eyes on Me! I am with you, taking care of you in the best possible way. When you are suffering, My care may seem imperfect and inadequate. You seek relief, and I make you wait. Just remember: There are many different ways to wait, and some are much better than others. Beneficial waiting involves looking to Me continually, trusting and loving Me.
Thank Me for this time of neediness, when you must depend on Me more than usual. Do not waste this opportunity by wishing it away. Trust that I know what I'm doing-that I can bring good out of everything you encounter, everything you endure. Don't let your past or present suffering contaminate your view of the future. I am the Lord of your future, and I have good things in store for you. I alone know the things I am planning for you, to give you a future and a hope. The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. -Lamentations 3:25 NKJV But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. -Isaiah 40:31 NKJV We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. -Romans 8:28 For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. -Jeremiah 29:11 Jy sal noodwendig jou stempel op jou kinders afdruk, maar dis nie vanselfsprekend dat jy 'n goddelike stempel op hulle sal afdruk nie. Die saad wat jy vandag saai, sal lewenslank in jou kinders en jou kleinkinders aanhou groei. Paulus het in Timoteus die potensiële oes gesien wat hy vir Christus sou lewer. Hy het ook gesien dat die vrug sy oorsprong in die wortel gehad het: 'n ma en die ouma wat aan Christus behoort het. Hierdie twee vroue het 'n dienaar van God grootgemaak sonder die hulp van 'n Christenvader. Wat is nodig om 'n Timoteus groot te maak? Twee goed:
1) 'n Rolmodel. Paulus het gepraat van Timoteus se "opregte geloof, dieselfde geloof wat al in [sy] ouma Loïs en in [sy] ma Eunice was... [en] ook in [hom] is." Die geloof wat hulle oorgedra het, het eers in elkeen van hulle gewoon. As ons kinders geloof moet hê, moet hulle eers sien dat ons geloof het. In 'n wêreld waar bedrieërs hulle soms voordoen as Christene, staan ware geloof uit soos 'n baken teen die naghemel. Ons kinders het 'n ingeboude radar wat valshede optel en dit dan verwerp. Die ware Jakob sal hulle egter soos magnete aantrek. 2) Onderrig in God se Woord. Timoteus se ma en ouma het die Skrif in 'n ontvanklike jong hart geplant voor die omringende kultuur vatplek aan hom kon kry. Paulus het hom herinner: "... jy ken van kleins af die heilige Skrif..." (2 Tim 3:15 NV). Dit is hoe 'n mens 'n Timoteus grootmaak. Sielskos: Ef. 4:17-6:24; Luk 6:27-36; Ps 79; Spr. 17:24-26 Colossians 4:6 'Your words should always be with grace, as if seasoned with salt, and be aware how it is appropriate for you to answer each man.'
- What we say and how we say it is very important. - A good idea can be rejected because of an inappropriate attitude. - How we deal with different people will not always be the same. - So speak with kindness and grace and expect God to give you favour. PRAYER: Lord, may my words and the way in which I say things, be a source of blessing and hope to those I interact with. Amen. Life could be so much better for many people, if they would just spot
their negative thinking habits and replace them with positive ones. My friend Zig would always call it Stink'n Think'n. Negative thinking, in all its many-splendored forms, has a way of creeping into conversations and our thinking without our noticing them. The key to success, in my humble opinion, is learning to spot these thoughts and squash them like little bugs. Then replace them with positive ones. You'll notice a huge difference in everything you do. Let's take a look at 10 common ways that negative thinking emerges — get good at spotting these patterns, and practice replacing them with positive thinking patterns. It has made all the difference in the world for me. 10 Deadly Sins of Negative Thinking 1. I will be happy once I have _____ (or once I earn...). Problem: If you think you can't be happy until you reach a certain point, or until you reach a certain income, or have a certain type of house or car or computer setup, you'll never be happy. That elusive goal is always just out of reach. Once we reach those goals, we are not satisfied — we want more. Solution: Learn to be happy with what you have, where you are, and who you are, right at this moment. Happiness doesn't have to be some state that we want to get to eventually — it can be found right now. Learn to count your blessings, and see the positive in your situation. This might sound simplistic, but it works. 2. I wish I were as ____ as (a celebrity, friend, co-worker). Problem: We'll never be as pretty, as talented, as rich, as sculpted, as cool, as everyone else. There will always be someone better, if you look hard enough. Therefore, if we compare ourselves to others like this, we will always pale, and will always fail, and will always feel bad about ourselves. This is no way to be happy. Solution: Stop comparing yourself to others, and look instead at yourself — what are your strengths, your accomplishments, your successes, however small? What do you love about yourself? Learn to love who you are, right now, not who you want to become. There is good in each of us, love in each of us, and a wonderful human spirit in every one of us. 3. Seeing others becoming successful makes me jealous and resentful. Problem: First, this assumes that only a small number of people can be successful. In truth, many, many people can be successful — in different ways. Solution: Learn to admire the success of others, and learn from it, and be happy for them, by empathizing with them and understanding what it must be like to be them. And then turn away from them, and look at yourself — you can be successful too, in whatever you choose to do. And even more, you already are successful. Look not at those above you in the social ladder, but those below you — there are always millions of people worse off than you, people who couldn't even read this article or afford a computer. In that light, you are a huge success. 4. I am a miserable failure — I can't seem to do anything right. Problem: Everyone is a failure, if you look at it in certain ways. Everyone has failed, many times, at different things. I have certainly failed so many times I cannot count them — and I continue to fail, daily. However, looking at your failures as failures only makes you feel bad about yourself. By thinking in this way, we will have a negative self-image and never move on from here. Solution: See your successes and ignore your failures. Look back on your life, in the last month, or year, or 5 years. And try to remember your successes. If you have trouble with this, start documenting them — keep a success journal, either in a notebook or online. Document your success each day, or each week. When you look back at what you've accomplished, over a year, you will be amazed. It's an incredibly positive feeling. 5. I'm going to beat so-and-so no matter what — I'm better than him. And there's no way I'll help him succeed — he might beat me. Problem: Competitiveness assumes that there is a small amount of gold to be had, and I need to get it before he does. It makes us into greedy, back-stabbing, hurtful people. We try to claw our way over people to get to success, because of our competitive feelings. For example, if a blogger wants to have more subscribers than another blogger, he may never link to or mention that other blogger. However, who is to say that my subscribers can't also be yours? People can read and subscribe to more than one blog. Solution: Learn to see success as something that can be shared, and learn that if we help each other out, we can each have a better chance to be successful. Two people working towards a common goal are better than two people trying to beat each other up to get to that goal. There is more than enough success to go around. Learn to think in terms of abundance rather than scarcity. 6. Why do these bad things always happen to me? Problem: Bad things happen to everybody. If we dwell on them, they will frustrate us and bring us down. Solution: See bad things as a part of the ebb and flow of life. Suffering is a part of the human condition — but it passes. All pain goes away, eventually. Meanwhile, don't let it hold you back. Don't dwell on bad things, but look forward towards something good in your future. And learn to take the bad things in stride, and learn from them. Bad things are actually opportunities to grow and learn and get stronger, in disguise. 7. You can't do anything right! Why can't you be like ____ ? Problem: This can be said to your child or your subordinate or your sibling. The problem? Comparing two people, first of all, is always a fallacy. People are different, with different ways of doing things, different strengths and weaknesses, different human characteristics. If we were all the same, we'd be robots. Second, saying negative things like this to another person never helps the situation. It might make you feel better, and more powerful, but in truth, it hurts your relationship, it will actually make you feel negative, and it will certainly make the other person feel negative and more likely to continue negative behavior. Everyone loses. Solution: Take the mistakes or bad behavior of others as an opportunity to teach. Show them how to do something. Second, praise them for their positive behavior, and encourage their success. Last, and most important, love them for who they are, and celebrate their differences. 8. Your work sucks. It's super lame. You are a moron and I hope you never reproduce. Problem: I've actually gotten this comment before. It feels wonderful. However, let's look at it not from the perspective of the person receiving this kind of comment but from the perspective of the person giving it. How does saying something negative like this help you? I guess it might feel good to vent if you feel like your time has been wasted. But really, how much of your time has been wasted? A few minutes? And whose fault is that? The person saying it or yours? In truth, making negative comments just keeps you in a negative mindset. It's also not a good way to make friends. Solution: Learn to offer constructive solutions, first of all. Instead of telling someone their work sucks, or that they're a moron, offer some specific suggestions for improvement. Help them get better. If you are going to take the time to make a comment, make it worth your time. Second, learn to interact with people in a more positive way — it makes others feel good and it makes you feel better about yourself. And you can make some great friends this way. That's a good thing. 9. Insulting People Back Problem: If someone insults you or angers you in some way, insulting them back and continuing your anger only transfers their problem to you. This person was probably having a bad day (or a bad year) and took it out on you for some reason. If you reciprocate, you are now having a bad day too. Their problem has become yours. Not only that, but the cycle of insults can get worse and worse until it results in violence or other negative consequences — for both of you. Solution: Let the insults or negative comments of others slide off you like Teflon. Don't let their problem become yours. In fact, try to understand their problem more — why would someone say something like that? What problems are they going through? Having a little empathy for someone not only makes you understand that their comment is not about you, but it can make you feel and act in a positive manner towards them — and make you feel better about yourself in the process. 10. I don't think I can do this — I don't have enough discipline. Maybe some other time. Problem: If you don't think you can do something, you probably won't. Especially for the big stuff. Discipline has nothing to do with it — motivation and focus has everything to do with it. And if you put stuff off for "some other time", you'll never get it done. Negative thinking like this inhibits us from accomplishing anything. Solution: Turn your thinking around: you can do this! You don't need discipline. Find ways to make yourself a success at your goal. If you fail, learn from your mistakes, and try again. Instead of putting a goal off for later, start now. And focus on one goal at a time, putting all of your energy into it, and getting as much help from others as you can. |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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