Livin' the life...

This week’s article is about overcoming adversity. Life has a habit of throwing curveballs our way but as you’ll see in the video I’ve included below, it’s all about how we react to them. The clip is from the reality show “China’s Got Talent” (Yes.. I didn’t know one existed either... but to be honest, I should have expected it!) so you’ll have to read the subtitles (it’s definitely worth the read though!).

Amazing isn’t he? The best part to me is when Liu said, “For people like me, there were only two options. One was to abandon all dreams, which would lead to a quick, hopeless death. The other was to struggle without arms to live an outstanding life”. I think more of us should react like Liu has when faced with our problems. Actually, to be honest, when compared to Liu and others like him, do we really have problems?

God bless you and keep you. Amen.

The life of a Christian is full of ups and downs. Apart from the unfortunate events beyond our control, through our actions we often ‘ask’ for trouble knowing full well the pain to follow. There is a trick though. A simple trick we must all ascribe to: when problems come or we make mistakes, we must pick ourselves up, recommit to God, and continue our march onwards! That’s what we HAVE to do.

From a high level, it sounds easy doesn’t it? Well, to be honest, it can actually be a bit difficult. Like a red faced child who has done some wrong and needs to confess to his parents, admitting wrong and asking for forgiveness is never an easy task. Pride, fear of rebuke, or just plain stubbornness are some of the sins that stop us from confessing but also keep us in the hole we’re in. We actively need to pray for strength from God to overcome these things and get on with our Christian march. All that I have covered above is exemplified beautifully in a song I first heard by Donnie McClurkin called We fall down. Here are the core lyrics of that song.

We fall down
But we get up
We fall down
But we get up
We fall down
But we get up
For a saint is just a sinner who fell down
and got up

As the song says, we will fall, but the important thing is to get back up!

I hope you have a great week!

I’ve always found Proverbs to be a though-provoking book. Where else can one find such a range of powerful and poignant adages on how one should live one’s life. Today as I sat reading the OT book I came across a line that aroused my attention even more than usual. It stated, “These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him” (Proverbs 6:16). Seeing what came next, I knew it would be a good reminder to use for this week’s article. It makes for short reading but I hope we’ll use it to remember what God expects of us and what He doesn’t expect.

These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.

Proverb 6:16-19

Remember the scriptures.. they were left for our edification.

Have a great week!

I remember hearing a statement a few years ago that went something like this, “People gravitate towards Christianity because you can do as you like and then simply ask to be forgiven, and *poof* you’re hands are clean!”. There is no need for sacrifices, no need for pain, no putting a penny in the proverbial ‘swear jar’, nothing. While at a *very* simplistic level there is some truth in this statement, to me this gives the feeling that Christians will willingly aim to be malicious then once the deed is done, ask for forgiveness. That is where my problem with it comes. Christians make mistakes, falter and are overcome by worldly pleasures, but as these words suggest, they are not premeditated. One might argue that they are not continual either, for example, making the same mistake daily.

People and surely Christians are not perfect, and that is why Jesus had to come to rebuild that bridge between us and the Father. In rebuilding that bridge, forgiveness of our sins was crucial, that’s why he became the Pascal Lamb. The Father knows of our shortcomings, pains and weaknesses and Jesus experienced them first hand. He didn’t do this so that people could do as they like and then ask for forgiveness – this might even have other repercussions as God is no fool! He did this because we’re not perfect and at times, even though we try our best, we will fall short of our Lord’s expectations. Let’s thank the Lord today for reuniting us with the Father, and let’s thank the Father for sending us His beloved son. I’d like to leave you with the short poem below.

Just Like Me
Dear Lord, forgive our yielding to temptation;
Forgive our pride, our love of worldly things.
Have mercy on our love of sensual pleasure,
Compassion on the sins that self love brings.

It must be hard to understand us sometimes;
So very different is your heart and mind.
But wait, I just remembered that you do know
What it’s like to be a part of humankind.

You suffered just like we do, and you were tempted.
You lived with us so you could comprehend
The things that we go through each trying day,
So you could give us mercy, and be our friend.

Thank you for compassion and forgiveness;
Thank you for your love and empathy.
Thank you, Lord, for coming down from heaven
To experience life’s trials, just like me.

By Joanna Fuchs

Hope you have a great week!

I must admit, coming up with TFTW for this week was no easy task. Last week’s article seemed to raise the bar a notch considering the amount of feedback and praise I received. Just to be clear, I didn’t write that article – it was sent to me by a special friend (thanks AG!). Anyway, this week I wanted to replicate that feat but the pressure itself coupled with a few other engagements were determined to prevent that from happening. Then, guess what hit me? “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase”, Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 3:6. Yes, I want to do great things, but at the end of the day, God is the one that carries my TFTWs from your inbox to your heart. He speaks to you, maybe through words in TFTW, like I could never do. Truth be told, TFTW is God speaking through me!

With the pressure off my shoulders therefore, I chose the following enlightening article for TFTW. (Hopefully you also learned a lesson from my comments above of course. ;-)) I actually stumbled upon it when I was trying to find out the meaning of a Christian, according to the Wikipedia community. On the Christian Wiki page, they report on a Christianity Today study (detailed in this site). In that study, the aim was to understand the range and differences among American Christians. A national attitudinal and behavioural survey found that their beliefs and practices clustered into five distinct segments. These are:

• 19 percent of American Christians are described by the researchers as Active Christians. They believe salvation comes through Jesus Christ, attend church regularly, are Bible readers, invest in personal faith development through their church, believe they are obligated to share their faith with others, and accept leadership positions in their church.
• 20 percent are referred to as Professing Christians. They also are committed to "accepting Christ as Savior and Lord" as the key to being a Christian, but focus more on personal relationships with God and Jesus than on church, Bible reading or evangelizing.
• 16 percent fall into a category named Liturgical Christians. They are predominantly Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, or Orthodox. They are regular churchgoers, have a high level of spiritual activity and recognize the authority of the church.
• 24 percent are considered Private Christians. They own a Bible but don't tend to read it. Only about one-third attend church at all. They believe in God and in doing good things, but not necessarily within a church context. This was the largest and youngest segment. Almost none are church leaders.
• 21 percent in the research are called Cultural Christians. These do not view Jesus as essential to salvation. They exhibit little outward religious behavior or attitudes. They favor a universality theology that sees many ways to God. Yet, they clearly consider themselves to be Christians.

Assuming we can generally apply these segments to most of the Christians in the world... Considering these segments and the definitions provided, I wondered if you would pause for a moment and slot yourself into one of these... Done? .. Ok, next, ponder for a few more minutes on if that segment is really where you want to be, or ought to be, or perhaps if one of the other segments is more towards your goal. Finally, I will leave you with a few passages that I hope might help you identify what segment might be best for you: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (regarding scripture), Hebrews 10:24-25 (regarding fellowship), 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 (regarding our position and involvement), and Psalm 139 (regarding God’s position).

I invite you now to reflect...

Have a great week and feel free to share the word!

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.' One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend. He asked her, 'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.. Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'
This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

Life Is a Gift

Today before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can't speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion..

Today before you complain about life - Think of someone who went too early to heaven.

Before whining about the distance you drive - Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still around!

Hope you enjoyed and that you have a great week!

Protect your minds, use the word of God!