Passion is Powerful

By:  John L. M.

The starting point of all accomplishment is desire. Keep this in mind: feeble desires bring feeble results just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat. Be passionate about your life.

Deep desire creates not only its own opportunities, but its own talents.  Attitudes alter abilities. It's passion that persuades. Does the path you're traveling capture your heart? Learn to be comfortable with being enthusiastic.

Every time zeal and passion are discussed someone brings up balance. Balance is a tremendous virtue, but the immediate neighbors of balance are apathy and weakness. Being balanced is usually an excuse for being lukewarm. Indifference, lukewarmness, and neutrality are always attached to failure.

Enthusiasm can achieve in one day what it takes centuries to achieve by reason. Put a smile on what you do. When your enthusiasm increases, stress and fear in your life diminish.

Passion is powerful.

God's Masterpiece

By:  C. Irvin

Have you ever sat and really looked at God's handiwork? Isn't it amazing? You can see the starlit sky at night. The stars seem to shine like diamonds. Or have you ever watched the heavens at dawn when it looks like a blazing orange canvas? Even when stormy days come, filled with gray skies and torrents of rainfall, and winds sway the trees like they are dancing, it is a sight to see the wonders of God's artistic hand.

I couldn't help from daydreaming the other day as I gazed out my window. I watched the lightening and heard the thunder. The rain was so heavy you could hardly see the shapes of the trees. The Creator of the universe created all that artwork. Our minds are captivated at the wonders of God's creation. Flowers bounce back after torrents of rain. Birds and squirrels even sit in the trees as if to watch what is happening around them. Yet in all this beautiful scenery there is something greater.

His greatest masterpiece is you and me. Wow! When the Lord created the heavens and the earth, He rested and said all that He made was good. Yet, something was missing… us. So He made man in the image and likeness of Himself. Man and woman were created to have fellowship with God. We weren't the afterthought in creation. We were the special finishing touches. He longs for the day when he shall gather His children and we shall be with Him for all eternity.

The Lord dropped a thought in my heart. He loves us so much he chose not to live without us at the beginning of creation nor when He went to the cross! We are His greatest work of art, so valuable that He says we are the apples of His eye.

For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. He says we are His workmanship (Zechariah 2:8).

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).

Next time you look in the mirror, see what God sees and cherish your time on this earth. Take time to tell Him how much you love Him and all He has done for you. Try not to take life for granted, but rather value it. I see the tiny newborn baby who looks for someone to hold it and take care of it. I am glad that their mother chose not to abort them. Then I think of the sick and elderly people, and how they look to the Lord to help them.

The point I am trying to make is that you are the most prized possession God has. You are His masterpiece. What matters most to Him is you. He loves you.

Giants in the Land

By:  M. McCrary

The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size (Numbers 13:32).

Perhaps you’ve wondered, as I have, why God required the Israelites to work so hard to inherit a land He had already promised to give them. When someone offers to do us a favor, we normally expect no strings to be attached.

God has a long and storied history of requiring human activity to carry out His will – not because He needs our help, but because He wants our hearts. I’m not so sure we would relinquish this most vital of organs any other way.

If God did everything, He’d become a genie. If God did nothing, He’d become an afterthought. If either was the case, the best you could say of us is that we acknowledged God’s existence. But that’s not the same as knowing or loving Him.

The only way for God to have a relationship with us is for God to have a partnership with us. That’s His desire, and that’s one reason why He won’t always give us the easy way out.

As you look out over the landscape of your own life, you may see some very real problems. There are giants in the land. They aren’t living, breathing Canaanites, but they’re a big deal to you – fear and guilt and worry – not to mention the really big sources of pain like losing a child or watching a parent grow old.

If He wanted to, God could remove these giants in His sleep. And we sometimes slide into bed at night hoping He’ll do it in ours. He rarely does, and for this, we should be thankful. Because if He magically removed all the problems in our lives without asking us to do anything hard, anything “impossible,” we would never be able to demonstrate faith. That means we would live our entire lives without ever pleasing God. We would gain the Promised Land in such a way that it would cost us the very thing we need most: a relationship with our Creator.

We serve a God who has the ability to do anything, but chooses not to. He doesn’t let us off so easily. But the real beauty of it all is that, even when He requires us to do the seemingly impossible, it’s never as difficult as it appears. And sometimes, it’s almost easy – at least after that first difficult step.

In the end, all we need is faith . . . midget-sized faith. That’s all it takes to embolden us to walk into the land of giants, trusting God to either make them smaller, or to make us bigger.

Choices

By:  C. Davis

 “To obey is better than sacrifice …”1 Samuel 15:22 (NIV)

Life is full of meaningful moments, days and events. Often, when thinking of anniversary moments, we think of weddings, birthdays, deaths, and other special events which impact our lives.

A while back, an interesting discussion took place at church regarding the high price of gasoline ($4.19/gallon at the time) and how it would affect travel to out-of-town weddings and graduation parties. The majority felt it would be less expensive to not travel, and add extra to a money gift.

Suddenly, my husband Wade, popped up from his seat and said, “I have a story to share!” He told of a man who had faithfully attended an out of town archery shoot for ten years. It was one of the biggest in the Midwest and he looked forward to it every year.

One day he opened his mail and found an invitation to a graduation party for the same weekend. This man was immediately filled with conflict over which event to attend. The graduate was the daughter of a close friend he had known since he was 3-years-old. On the other hand, the archery shoot had been a top priority in his life for many years; one he anticipated with great excitement as it involved an extended weekend of camping, shooting and renewing friendships. What a dilemma!

When he sought advice from his friends at work, they suggested sending a card and some money. “After all, they only want the money,” was the consensus. The man agreed, and yet he couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling he should go to the party.

A few seconds passed; then Wade quietly shared . . . “That man was me. Had I just sent the check, I would have missed out on a big blessing!” he reflected, as he pointed toward me. Yes, we met at that graduation party, married two years later, and recently celebrated our ten year anniversary.

As he ended, the story brought to mind a favorite scripture, “… choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

Wade made a choice that year to be obedient to the prodding of the Holy Spirit. Even though he was a new Christian, he knew in his heart an important choice must be made. He chose to sacrifice an exciting weekend and the desires of his own heart to make a decision that would have positive, lasting consequences far beyond both of our imaginations.

Choices made correctly result in blessings, both seen and unseen. However, incorrect choices can be, and most likely will be, “blessing-blockers”. What choices are before you today? What blessings could you missing?

Father God, so many choices come our way daily, even hourly. We pray for your heavenly guidance and wisdom in making these decisions. Holy Spirit, we thank you for your counsel and direction. And Lord Jesus, most of all, we give thanks for your sacrifice for us; so undeserving are we of your love, mercy and grace. Amen.

Betrayed By a Friend

By:  M. Johnson

"It is not an enemy who taunts me—I could bear that. It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me—I could have hidden from them. Instead, it is you—my equal, my companion and close friend. What good fellowship we once enjoyed as we walked together to the house of God. Let death stalk my enemies; let the grave swallow them alive, for evil makes its home within them."Psalm 55:12-15 (NLT)

Of all experiences in life, betrayal by a trusted friend is one of the most difficult to bear.

Because of his preaching of judgment, Jeremiah found himself increasingly isolated until finally his close friends turned against him, seeking his downfall (Jeremiah 20:10).

Similarly, our lamenting psalmist describes an intimate friendship: "my equal, my companion, my familiar friend, with whom I kept pleasant company" (verses 13-14).

They had worshiped together in the house of God, but now the friend has joined the enemies. From his enemies he could hide (verse 12), but how can he deal with treachery?

Betrayal by a close friend is devastating. It produces a feeling of worthlessness for having trusted an untrustworthy person. If foments anger and depression. It raises questions about our judgment. Because of the intimate friend's knowledge of our situation, such betrayal has great potential for further damage.

The betrayed psalmist turns to God, but with what language! He curses them to "go down alive to Sheol" (verse 15). In ancient Israelite thought, Sheol was the grave, around which might hover the specters or shadows of the dead.

But here the thought perhaps includes also the idea of punishment for the "evil [that] is in their homes and in their hearts" (verse 15). So also, Jeremiah prayed that his enemies "will not succeed" and that "their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten" (Jeremiah 20:11).

Can we do better, even in the extremity of betrayal by a friend? We can perhaps not rid ourselves of our negative emotions, but we can keep in mind that revenge is counterproductive. The word "forgiveness" in New Testament Greek means to "let go" -- not necessarily to have a change of emotion. If we can let go of such experiences we can move beyond our betrayal.

Help me, Lord God, to let go of the hurts that have come my way. Amen.

Enjoy All Our Years

By:  E. Jones

However many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all. - Ecclesiastes 11:8

Twenty-six years ago I drove my wife to the emergency room. For the next eight hours we played backgammon while waiting for her condition to improve. It didn't. The pain became unbearable; they gave her drugs. This helped, but not enough. My parents were in Atlantic City, gambling. Hers in Charlotte. So there we were, a young couple facing our first life or death moment without friends or family nearby.

I forget what I wore that day. A surf shirt, probably. I do recall wearing a white headband with the word "Coach" printed in blue marker. I guess I was a good coach because later that evening she delivered a baby boy, our first.

Birthdays are a big deal in our family. Not as big as Christmas, but close. Birthdays mark our beginnings and suggest we might leave a lasting impression on others. In our family, when it comes to birthdays, nobody does a better job of celebrating our legacy of life than my cousin Ricky.

A typical "Cousin Ricky" birthday box includes a specially mixed CD with songs from the year you were born, DVD movies tailored to your tastes, toys from the Dollar store and candy. Lots and lots of candy. Sometimes the candy has melted by the time the box arrives, but that's okay. Chocolate in any condition and shape is good.

In the past I've received a plastic whistle (with compass) to help ward of bears and keep me from getting lost on the trails above Black Mountain, old Westerns DVDs, several copies of the movie Jaws (in case the player eats one), CDs with music from Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Beach Boys, Beatles, etc… and candy. Lots and lots of candy.

The writer of Ecclesiastes advises us to enjoy all our years – not just those early ones when people were making a fuss over us. Too often we adults discount birthdays and other days and pretend they're not a big deal. But they are. Every day is huge. If you don't think so, try living without one.

I wish every family had a Cousin Ricky. I wish I cared about people as much as Ricky. None of us knows how many years we'll have together; but it seems to me, setting aside one day out of 365 to acknowledge the life of someone we love is a small testimony to their worth.

The Psalmist writes: All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. - Psalm 139:16. When it comes to birthdays, "B" in the moment. Inhale the sweet smell of fresh cut grass on a ball field and hear the sequels of laughter on a playground. Taste and see that God is good today and everyday.

The next time a friend or family member has a birthday, give candy and a song from their good old days. The shipping will probably cost more than the gift but that's okay. It's the thought that counts.

And thoughts of love and life are priceless.

A Child's Faith

By:  S. Jaynes

A little child will lead them. Isaiah 11:6

“And dear God,” my little boy whispered, “I pray that you give Mommy and Daddy another Jaynes baby.”

After four years of praying for God to bless us with a second child, we realized that might not be His plan for our family. However, every night my little boy, Steven, prayed for another “Jaynes baby.” But how do you tell someone to stop praying a prayer?

As I pondered this dilemma, God took care of it for me. Just before his fifth birthday Steven and I were sitting at his child-sized table eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He looked up at me, and with all the wisdom of the prophets asked, “Mommy, have you ever thought that God might want you to have only one Jaynes baby?”

“Yes, son, I have,” I said. “And if that’s the case, I’m glad He gave me everything I ever wanted in one package when He gave me you.”

“Well, what I think we ought to do is pray until you’re too old to have one. Then we’ll know that was His answer.”

Steven had no idea how old “too old” was. He knew Sarah in the Bible was 90 when she delivered Isaac. But whatever the outcome, Steven wasn’t having a problem with God saying no. My son knew I said no to him many times, and no didn’t mean “I don’t love you.” Rather it meant “I’m your parent, and I know what’s best for you.”

God taught me a great lesson that day. Through Steven’s childlike faith, God gave me an example of the attitude of trust I should have toward my heavenly Father who loves me and knows what’s best for me . . . and sometimes that means accepting when His answer is no.