When times are tough, and you don't feel like there is anyway to get out of the situation that you are in, I want you to remember that relief is out there.
I believe that finding relief is also a mindset. If you know in your head and in your heart that relief is out there, you are going to focus on it and find it. Think about it like this, if we didn't know the truth that there is relief out there we would never have the ability to feel relived.
In 2 Thessalonians Paul talks about two dimensions of relief that we can relate to perfectly. The two types that he talks about are what I believe we can focus on and rely on to get us out of the tough times that we all face.
All this is evidence that God's judgment is right and as a result you will be counted worth of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as powerful angels. (2 Thessalonians 1:5-7)
They first type of relief that we can gain is knowing that our sufferings are strengthening us, making us ready for Christ's kingdom. I cannot stress how important it is to view our suffering in a way in which we are being bettered. If we view all the tough things we go through as beneficial, we won't even really be going through tough times anymore. Imagine the power in the mindset. With a mindset like that nothing should ever get us off track.
I challenge you this week to view your sufferings in that way. Whenever you get down in the dumps remember that you have the ability to feel relief when you view your challenge as things that are benefitting you for your future in God's kingdom.
The second type of relief is gaining relief in the fact that one day everyone will stand before God. At that time wrongs will be righted, judgment will be pronounced, and evil will be terminated.
I don't know about you but sometimes I feel like evil is all over the place and there is no hope in getting rid of it. Well someday, evil be totally gone and there won't be a trace of it anyone. There is power in that. Someday evil will be all gone.
I challenge you again that next time you feel like there is no escaping evil, remember that someday you will escape it. You can find relief in that.
Find relief this week my friends. When we begin to shift our mindset to finding relief in all the tough situations we will become more and more like our Father, Jesus Christ.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Saturday, September 28, 2019
5 quick tips
My goal with this post is to encourage you in 5 ways.
I won't get too crazy with it, sometimes the most encouraging things are those which are are the most simple and to the point.
Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:15-18)
1. make sure nobody pays back wrong for wrong
I challenge you this week that when something negative happens to you as a result of another person that you don't have any intentions to do something negative back to them. Forgive that person and move on. You are not perfect either.
2. strive to do what is good for each other and everyone else
Strive to do what is good. Notice, it does not say strive to do what is good for you, but for each others. Strive to be a better person for others. If you are only striving to do good for yourself you are not loving others the way that you should.
3. rejoice always
Rejoice all the time. I think we forget to do this. Sometimes we just celebrate the big things in life. Rejoice the moment you get out of bed every morning. God didn't have to wake you up this morning. Rejoice when you look around and see all of the things that God created. Rejoice when times are tough because you know those tough times are making you stronger and a better person. There is so much power in rejoicing all of the time. People will want to be around you and be like you when you put a positive spin on life.
4. pray continually
If God hears all of our thoughts, why not make all of our thoughts prayers? Pray often. Pray before meals, pray in the morning and a night. Pray with your significant other and pray with your friends. We always have the ability to pray. Let's do it more often.
5. give thanks in all circumstances
Give thanks all of the time. Thankful people are some of the best people. When I have the opportunity to serve others and they are thankful, it is so rewarding. I have come to learn that when people are thankful, it's being obedient to God and you are having an uplifting impact on others. There is a great amount of power in being thankful.
I encourage you to really take those 5 things to heart this week and try to implement those things in your daily life. I promise you it's worth it. Try to make a habit out of doing those things. Once they become a habit, you will really feel what I am talking about.
Friday, September 27, 2019
A quiet life
Have you ever thought about what it means to live a quiet life?
If there was one thing apart from Jesus that I would want to share with the world it would be to mind your own business. We get way too caught up in worrying about others. We worry about what other people have we worry about what people think and we worry about what other people want.
You know what valuable thing worrying takes up? Time.
When we spend time worrying we miss out on time that we could use being productive, improving ourselves, or even investing into other people in a positive way.
I am not instructing you to live a life where you isolate yourself from everyone, that isn't how we are called to live. I am just recommending that we begin to do a better job at minding our own business and living a quiet life.
A quiet life to me is a life where you aren't concerned with the way that others think about you. I believe when you're right with God a quiet life is one that comes with it. A life with God at the center eliminates all the other unnecessary noise.
You begin to slowly recognize that what you need is God. You won't feel like you need what others have, or need what others want. Your focus is solely on God. I've come to learn that when my focus is solely on God the things I need naturally begin to fall into place. I start to recognize that every good thing is from God and any negative thing will better be for the future.
...and to make it your ambition to live a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12)
We must remember to work with our hands in such a way that is pleasing and honoring to God. When you do that, fulfillment will come because God never fails. The results you want might not always be what you want, but I strongly believe that no matter the results, the feeling you get when you're committing everything you do to God is more rewarding than the results. I also firmly believe that the results will come.
Most importantly, when you live a quiet life, you will begin to win the respect of outsiders. I look up to people who mind their own business, live a quiet life, and honor God in all they do. I am naturally drawn to those people.
There is just something about living a quiet life that people are drawn too, it's obedient and an escape from the outside noise of this life.
If there was one thing apart from Jesus that I would want to share with the world it would be to mind your own business. We get way too caught up in worrying about others. We worry about what other people have we worry about what people think and we worry about what other people want.
You know what valuable thing worrying takes up? Time.
When we spend time worrying we miss out on time that we could use being productive, improving ourselves, or even investing into other people in a positive way.
I am not instructing you to live a life where you isolate yourself from everyone, that isn't how we are called to live. I am just recommending that we begin to do a better job at minding our own business and living a quiet life.
A quiet life to me is a life where you aren't concerned with the way that others think about you. I believe when you're right with God a quiet life is one that comes with it. A life with God at the center eliminates all the other unnecessary noise.
You begin to slowly recognize that what you need is God. You won't feel like you need what others have, or need what others want. Your focus is solely on God. I've come to learn that when my focus is solely on God the things I need naturally begin to fall into place. I start to recognize that every good thing is from God and any negative thing will better be for the future.
...and to make it your ambition to live a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12)
We must remember to work with our hands in such a way that is pleasing and honoring to God. When you do that, fulfillment will come because God never fails. The results you want might not always be what you want, but I strongly believe that no matter the results, the feeling you get when you're committing everything you do to God is more rewarding than the results. I also firmly believe that the results will come.
Most importantly, when you live a quiet life, you will begin to win the respect of outsiders. I look up to people who mind their own business, live a quiet life, and honor God in all they do. I am naturally drawn to those people.
There is just something about living a quiet life that people are drawn too, it's obedient and an escape from the outside noise of this life.
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Faithful in distress
As humans living and breathing and walking on this earth every day we are all going through something. I guarantee each and everyone one of you knows someone who is going through something that is really hard for them.
Most of the time when we are facing something that is distressful to us, we have two ways that we can handle it...
The first way is that when we are distressed, we let the stress take over. We become super negative, hopeless, and have an attitude that makes nobody want to be around us. I am sure that you know that person or have been around that person before. It's not fun. There is no hope and you really don't know what to do to help because they have become so closed off.
The second way is having faith. No matter how difficult the situation is that you are going through, having faith through it all is encouraging to everyone around you. I've been very fortunate in my life to not have anything that crazy happen to anyone super close to me, but I have had people close to me who show faith in the midst of their distress and those people are some of the most encouraging and uplifting people I know. Those people have impacted my life in more ways that I will ever be able to impact theirs.
Think about it, those who have faith in the midst of the worst situations not only are encouraging, but their faith allows you to put things into perspective. Having faith in distress is a double-edged sword used to encourage people in all situations and walks of life.
My one thing for you today is to have faith in your stressful situations because not only are you living out your faith in God...you are also encouraging those around you. I am sure that the people who have faith in those situations aren't just having faith for other people, they genuinely are putting their faith in Jesus Christ and as a result of their good faith we are encouraged. It's a beautiful thing.
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Like children among you
I am going to paint this picture in your head...you might think I am crazy...but I believe that we should live like the children among us.
Here are three reasons why:
1. Excitement
2. No expectations/clue
3. Gentleness
Think about how excited children get about certain things. When I was like 5, there was a video of me playing with the styrofoam that was protecting a Christmas present that I had got. I was infatuated by the packaging of my toy. The smallest things get kids excited. As we grow older we loose that excitement about life. We need to get that excitement back.
Another quality that kids have that we lack is not having expectations. Young kids don't really have expectations for their lives yet because they haven't really experienced much. Most of the time they don't have a clue how things work. They are so focused on the moment. I think about when I was a young kid...the days seem to last forever, and I was easily content in all situations. (unless I was hungry) Children also don't full understand what it means to please people. They are content with their lives and with very little. Most children don't wake up thinking about what people they are going to try and please today.
Young children are gentle. A part from the fits that they might through, a young child has a certain amount of gentleness that we lack. Children are often gentle because they don't really understand what it meats to be let down, again they don't really have that much of a clue because they are young and haven't really had much experience with life yet.
Where is this all coming from?
"We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. Instead, we were like young children among you."
(1 Thessalonians 2:6-7)
Children are never looking for praise from people. I am encouraging you to live like the children among you because when we do that, our lives can look totally different. Especially when it comes to the relationships that we have with others.
Have excitement in your relationships. Just like a child does from the little things. Often times children are excited to talk to people no matter what that case is. They're excited because they don't know any better. What would it look like if you approached your conversations and daily interactions with people as if you didn't know any better about that person. I want to have the same excitement I have talking to a janitor as I would when I talk to my Managing Director.
Treat all people without having expectations. Just like what children do. They don't know any better to have a reason for setting expectations for their lives or other people on a daily basis. The moment we start setting expectations for people, we are either thrilled by those or disappointed. It's also not fair to set expectations for other people because we aren't perfect. Only God is perfect, and can fulfill all expectations. If we are really trying to be followers of Christ why do we so often set unfair expectations for others?
Be gentle to everyone. Gentleness is often overlooked as a personal trait in our society. Power and assertiveness gain more respect, even though no one likes to be bullied. Gentleness is love in action-being considerate, meeting the needs of others, allowing time for the other person to talk, and being willing to learn. It's essential. Children are so gentle and it's something we are drawn too. Be that person that people are drawn to because you are gentle.
I feel really passionate about what I wrote tonight in this post, and I encourage you to take it to heart. We need to remember to approach people like the children that are among us. When we do that, it will be a beautiful thing.
Here are three reasons why:
1. Excitement
2. No expectations/clue
3. Gentleness
Think about how excited children get about certain things. When I was like 5, there was a video of me playing with the styrofoam that was protecting a Christmas present that I had got. I was infatuated by the packaging of my toy. The smallest things get kids excited. As we grow older we loose that excitement about life. We need to get that excitement back.
Another quality that kids have that we lack is not having expectations. Young kids don't really have expectations for their lives yet because they haven't really experienced much. Most of the time they don't have a clue how things work. They are so focused on the moment. I think about when I was a young kid...the days seem to last forever, and I was easily content in all situations. (unless I was hungry) Children also don't full understand what it means to please people. They are content with their lives and with very little. Most children don't wake up thinking about what people they are going to try and please today.
Young children are gentle. A part from the fits that they might through, a young child has a certain amount of gentleness that we lack. Children are often gentle because they don't really understand what it meats to be let down, again they don't really have that much of a clue because they are young and haven't really had much experience with life yet.
Where is this all coming from?
"We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. Instead, we were like young children among you."
(1 Thessalonians 2:6-7)
Children are never looking for praise from people. I am encouraging you to live like the children among you because when we do that, our lives can look totally different. Especially when it comes to the relationships that we have with others.
Have excitement in your relationships. Just like a child does from the little things. Often times children are excited to talk to people no matter what that case is. They're excited because they don't know any better. What would it look like if you approached your conversations and daily interactions with people as if you didn't know any better about that person. I want to have the same excitement I have talking to a janitor as I would when I talk to my Managing Director.
Treat all people without having expectations. Just like what children do. They don't know any better to have a reason for setting expectations for their lives or other people on a daily basis. The moment we start setting expectations for people, we are either thrilled by those or disappointed. It's also not fair to set expectations for other people because we aren't perfect. Only God is perfect, and can fulfill all expectations. If we are really trying to be followers of Christ why do we so often set unfair expectations for others?
Be gentle to everyone. Gentleness is often overlooked as a personal trait in our society. Power and assertiveness gain more respect, even though no one likes to be bullied. Gentleness is love in action-being considerate, meeting the needs of others, allowing time for the other person to talk, and being willing to learn. It's essential. Children are so gentle and it's something we are drawn too. Be that person that people are drawn to because you are gentle.
I feel really passionate about what I wrote tonight in this post, and I encourage you to take it to heart. We need to remember to approach people like the children that are among us. When we do that, it will be a beautiful thing.
Monday, September 23, 2019
You were chosen
Sometimes we get caught in the comparison game where we seem to think that God chose some people but not everyone.
We look around, compare ourselves to others, and some people just look like they might have better lives. That is never the case. Perception isn't always reality. Most of the time it's not reality.
The goal of this post is to make it short, sweet, and to the point. My goal is for you to also understand that you were chosen by God.
You didn't just appear on this earth for no reason. God chose you for a reason that is greater than you will ever be able to understand. The great thing is, we don't have to earn God's love. We don't have to do things for him to choose us. He so freely gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
God chose you! We need to sop believing that God is choosing other people other than ourselves. With that belief we get caught up in the negative thinking that we have no value. Well, I am telling you tonight that you have value, because you have been chosen by God.
"For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you..." (1 Thessalonians 1:4)
I just want you all to have that belief and to know that you have significance, importance, and value. It's time to start believing that you have value and that your life is meaningful because you have been chosen by God.
I have been chosen for a lot of really good basketball teams in my life, but being chosen by God is the icing on the cake. You see...I am done with basketball now....I am not a part of any teams any more, but I will always be a part of the team that lasts forever and that is the team hand selected by God.
Believe in yourself, and believe in the one who put together an undefeated team that will last forever.
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Seasoned with salt
I want you to think about one thing...are the conversations that you are having on a day to day basis beneficial for everyone that you are coming in contact with? Or are they just beneficial for yourself?
I believe that one of the things that we need to do better is to make sure that our conversations have significance. We can't only have valuable conversations with a handful of people. If you are only having those types of conversations with a handful of people is what you're saying really that valuable?
I believe that definitely gives you something to think about.
"Seasoned with salt" means that what we say should be tasty and should encourage further dialogue.
I can definitely do better in this area. As I sit here writing this I think of all of the people that I speak differently to. I don't think my conversations are bad, but I talk to certain people different than I do others. I don't think that should be a thing.
When I say that, I am talking content wise. I am not going to talk to a 3 year old the exact same way I would talk to some elders. But the tone, mindset, and positivity should be the same.
I want all my conversations to have meaning. It's easy to identify those people in my life that I know if I go talk to them, I am going to feel rejuvenated after a 5 minute conversation. There are colleagues of mine in my office that I will go talk to when I need to have a 'tasty' conversation.
My challenge for you is to be that person to everyone. Be that persons that people want to talk to when they need to feel uplifted and encouraged. You don't have to be a saint. The people I enjoy having conversations with this most are genuinely happy, outgoing, and positive people who really listen to me and ask my meaningful questions.
It's really not hard to be those thing. Try it out tomorrow...
"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." (Colossians 4:6)
When we are outgoing, positive, and happy people, we are showing love. Having a conversation out of love leads to being able to answer anyone. I really encourage you to try this out tomorrow. Let all of your conversations be full of grace and that is when you will have an impact greater than you could ever imagine.
I believe that one of the things that we need to do better is to make sure that our conversations have significance. We can't only have valuable conversations with a handful of people. If you are only having those types of conversations with a handful of people is what you're saying really that valuable?
I believe that definitely gives you something to think about.
"Seasoned with salt" means that what we say should be tasty and should encourage further dialogue.
I can definitely do better in this area. As I sit here writing this I think of all of the people that I speak differently to. I don't think my conversations are bad, but I talk to certain people different than I do others. I don't think that should be a thing.
When I say that, I am talking content wise. I am not going to talk to a 3 year old the exact same way I would talk to some elders. But the tone, mindset, and positivity should be the same.
I want all my conversations to have meaning. It's easy to identify those people in my life that I know if I go talk to them, I am going to feel rejuvenated after a 5 minute conversation. There are colleagues of mine in my office that I will go talk to when I need to have a 'tasty' conversation.
My challenge for you is to be that person to everyone. Be that persons that people want to talk to when they need to feel uplifted and encouraged. You don't have to be a saint. The people I enjoy having conversations with this most are genuinely happy, outgoing, and positive people who really listen to me and ask my meaningful questions.
It's really not hard to be those thing. Try it out tomorrow...
"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." (Colossians 4:6)
When we are outgoing, positive, and happy people, we are showing love. Having a conversation out of love leads to being able to answer anyone. I really encourage you to try this out tomorrow. Let all of your conversations be full of grace and that is when you will have an impact greater than you could ever imagine.
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