Wednesday, 25 March 2009
Tuesday, 24 March 2009
COME ON, LIVE YOUR OWN LIFE!
The Bible says over and over again, never compare yourself to anybody else. Think about this hard for the day.
Let's get our eyes off others and focus on following God's path for our lives TODAY.
The Bible says over and over again, never compare yourself to anybody else. Think about this hard for the day.
“Those hired last came up and were each given a dollar. And when those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more.” Matt. 20:9-10a (Msg) In other words, they started making comparisons: “Look what they’re getting. So we’re going to get more. We ought to have more.”
Just don't go there! Dno't compare yourself with anybody else, the way you look, your income, your intelligence, your children, your husband or wife or your job or anything else.
For two reasons:
a) You are unique. God made you and your journey special. He made the mold and then He broke it.
b) It will always lead to one of two sins – pride or envy. If you think you are doing so much better than others, you can easily become filled with pride. Also by thinking others are doing so much better than you, it's easy to become filled with envy. Let's all be diligent here, these things can destroy you and others!
Let's get our eyes off others and focus on following God's path for our lives TODAY.
Saturday, 21 March 2009
Found this challenging and inspiring regarding creativity
The truth is that we are all made by God and we are to celebrate our diversity and champion the caouse that everyone has a purpose in life. We all have a contribution to make!
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Developing Self control...
I read this article the other day that really challenged me from Pastor Rick Warren on how to develop self discipline in your life. Check this out..
High achievers usually have one obvious thing in common: personal discipline. Successful people are willing to do things that average people are unwilling to do.
As the pastor of a church with over 15,000 attenders under my care, I've had the opportunity to know and counsel many of Orange County's most successful business leaders. I've observed that successful people express self-discipline in six key ways:
1. Successful people master their moods. They live by their commitments, not their emotions. People who do the right thing even when they don’t feel like it accomplish most of what gets done in the world! "A person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken down walls." Proverbs 25:28 (LB)
2. Successful people watch their words. They put their minds in gear before opening their mouths. "He who guards his lips guards his life." Prov. 13:3
3. Successful people restrain their reactions. How much can you take before you lose your cool?" If you are sensible you will control your temper. When someone wrongs you, it is a great virtue to ignore it." Prov. 19:11 (GN)
4. Successful people stick to their schedule. If you don't determine how you will spend your time you can be sure that others will decide for you! "Live life with a due sense of responsibility … make the best use of your time." Eph. 5:15-16 (Ph)
5. Successful people manage their money. They learn to live on less than what they make and they invest the difference. The value of a budget is that it tells your money where you want it to go rather than wondering where it went! "The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets." Prov. 21:20 (LB)
6. Successful people maintain their health. That way they can accomplish more and enjoy their achievements. "Each of you should control his own body, keeping it pure and treating it with respect." 1 Thess. 4:4
Now, where do you need to develop self-control? The disciplines you establish today will determine your success tomorrow.
But it takes more than just willpower for lasting self-control. It takes a power greater than yourself. Think about this promise from the Bible this week: "God does not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love and self-control." 2 Tim. 1:7
The more I accept God's control over my life, the more self-control He gives me!
High achievers usually have one obvious thing in common: personal discipline. Successful people are willing to do things that average people are unwilling to do.
As the pastor of a church with over 15,000 attenders under my care, I've had the opportunity to know and counsel many of Orange County's most successful business leaders. I've observed that successful people express self-discipline in six key ways:
1. Successful people master their moods. They live by their commitments, not their emotions. People who do the right thing even when they don’t feel like it accomplish most of what gets done in the world! "A person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken down walls." Proverbs 25:28 (LB)
2. Successful people watch their words. They put their minds in gear before opening their mouths. "He who guards his lips guards his life." Prov. 13:3
3. Successful people restrain their reactions. How much can you take before you lose your cool?" If you are sensible you will control your temper. When someone wrongs you, it is a great virtue to ignore it." Prov. 19:11 (GN)
4. Successful people stick to their schedule. If you don't determine how you will spend your time you can be sure that others will decide for you! "Live life with a due sense of responsibility … make the best use of your time." Eph. 5:15-16 (Ph)
5. Successful people manage their money. They learn to live on less than what they make and they invest the difference. The value of a budget is that it tells your money where you want it to go rather than wondering where it went! "The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets." Prov. 21:20 (LB)
6. Successful people maintain their health. That way they can accomplish more and enjoy their achievements. "Each of you should control his own body, keeping it pure and treating it with respect." 1 Thess. 4:4
Now, where do you need to develop self-control? The disciplines you establish today will determine your success tomorrow.
But it takes more than just willpower for lasting self-control. It takes a power greater than yourself. Think about this promise from the Bible this week: "God does not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love and self-control." 2 Tim. 1:7
The more I accept God's control over my life, the more self-control He gives me!
Thursday, 12 March 2009
Revolutionary Love
My only night in this week and my wife decides to set up a meeting with the girls who make our annual Ladies Retreat happen to do some planning. Bummer so I write.....
You can't follow the life of Christ without seeing that He carried a love that was not a normal type of love. To say you love something in our society means very little. We use the word love whether we're talking about our wife or a piece of pizza. So when we say Jesus was love, it doesn't carry the impact it should. Jesus Christ came to earth, lived life like you and I for 33 years except he lived a perfect life, and then He freely gave that life for you and I where we could have a personal relationship with God.
That's not a normal love, it is Revolutionary Love.
‘Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends’ John 15:13 (NIV)
God has left the church here to carry out His mission and His mission was to show love, Revolutionary Love to the world. As I've thought about Revolutionary Love, I've looked at churches, organizations, individuals who have demonstrated Revolutionary Love throughout their lives and have seen two common characteristics in those who show this type of love:
· Sacrificial Giving · Unselfish Serving
Those who have lived lives of Revolutionary Love range all the way from a little old lady named Mother Theresa who showed Revolutionary Love to orphans in Calcutta, India to Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California (one of the wealthiest cities in America) who decided to build an outdoor amphitheater to have church in where they could send the millions of dlloars they would have spent on a building to mission organizations all over the world.
Revolutionary Love comes in all different shapes, sizes, colors, ages, race, and backgrounds, but you will always find the foundation of Revolutionary Love to be sacrificial giving and unselfish serving.
You can't follow the life of Christ without seeing that He carried a love that was not a normal type of love. To say you love something in our society means very little. We use the word love whether we're talking about our wife or a piece of pizza. So when we say Jesus was love, it doesn't carry the impact it should. Jesus Christ came to earth, lived life like you and I for 33 years except he lived a perfect life, and then He freely gave that life for you and I where we could have a personal relationship with God.
That's not a normal love, it is Revolutionary Love.
‘Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends’ John 15:13 (NIV)
God has left the church here to carry out His mission and His mission was to show love, Revolutionary Love to the world. As I've thought about Revolutionary Love, I've looked at churches, organizations, individuals who have demonstrated Revolutionary Love throughout their lives and have seen two common characteristics in those who show this type of love:
· Sacrificial Giving · Unselfish Serving
Those who have lived lives of Revolutionary Love range all the way from a little old lady named Mother Theresa who showed Revolutionary Love to orphans in Calcutta, India to Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California (one of the wealthiest cities in America) who decided to build an outdoor amphitheater to have church in where they could send the millions of dlloars they would have spent on a building to mission organizations all over the world.
Revolutionary Love comes in all different shapes, sizes, colors, ages, race, and backgrounds, but you will always find the foundation of Revolutionary Love to be sacrificial giving and unselfish serving.
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Sunday, 8 March 2009
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