Matthew 18:1-5 -- At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me."
Christ then goes into 3 warnings about His children. One: "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the sea" (re. v 6-9). Don't want to be the guy who offends, got it.
Two: lost sheep. "It is not the will of your Father who in is heaven that one of these little ones should perish" (re. v. 9-14) Our attitude toward all future heirs really should be that we not only long for them to come home, but that we'll set out to find them.
Three: If you're offended, go to your brother (re. v. 15-20).
There are people who come and go in and out of my life. There is not a thing I love more than to love people, to know them and to cherish them. I've ended up hurt and disappointed quite a few times. But really remembering Christ's three points concerning His children brings it back home. No matter what, I'll try not to offend, I'll never give up hope and if I have issues, I'll take it to them first.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
if you want something done...
Do you guys struggle with time management? I do. Sometimes, I kick myself because of the amount of time I waste. TV, Facebook, piddling around. Many of the things I don't accomplish are a result of a dangerous mindset I often fall into: "I've done enough; I deserve" to do this or that. Yes, it's inherently wrong, I am aware. The result of this mindset is that good amounts of bible study, exercise, real prayers simply aren't accomplished. Essentially, it's not that I've done enough, but that I am lazy.
Mr. Rod McNair gave a fantastic sermon that we listened to this week. It was entitled, "Be Prepared." Great points, very well thought out and executed. He said something that I think is vital: "If you want something done, give it to a busy man." If you looked at my schedule, you would not necessarily call me busy. I work 8-5, yes. I keep a house and have a hubby. We serve in our local congregations, but I wouldn't say we are overly busy. But I want to be the one others can count on. I want to be reliable. It's fair to say, given the lack of, like I mentioned earlier, good bible study, prayer and exercise that I am not efficient. Busy people are efficient. I am not referring to busybodies, "in other people's affairs," but people who manage their time well.
So the question is, "what is enough?" Surely, we all need a break. But what is a break? A shift has to occur in my mind. Just because I get home at 5 and am sleepy, does not mean it's time to rest. To be noted, to make good on bible study, prayer & exercise, we're talking 2 hours of commited time a day -- that's it. To eagerly approach these things at the end of the work day means that I may become more reliable. I care about being reliable to we fellow humans, yes. But more importantly, I want to be reliable to God, to be a good and faithful servant.
Mr. Rod McNair gave a fantastic sermon that we listened to this week. It was entitled, "Be Prepared." Great points, very well thought out and executed. He said something that I think is vital: "If you want something done, give it to a busy man." If you looked at my schedule, you would not necessarily call me busy. I work 8-5, yes. I keep a house and have a hubby. We serve in our local congregations, but I wouldn't say we are overly busy. But I want to be the one others can count on. I want to be reliable. It's fair to say, given the lack of, like I mentioned earlier, good bible study, prayer and exercise that I am not efficient. Busy people are efficient. I am not referring to busybodies, "in other people's affairs," but people who manage their time well.
So the question is, "what is enough?" Surely, we all need a break. But what is a break? A shift has to occur in my mind. Just because I get home at 5 and am sleepy, does not mean it's time to rest. To be noted, to make good on bible study, prayer & exercise, we're talking 2 hours of commited time a day -- that's it. To eagerly approach these things at the end of the work day means that I may become more reliable. I care about being reliable to we fellow humans, yes. But more importantly, I want to be reliable to God, to be a good and faithful servant.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Ay, Eire, Zerah.
Neat news: we are cashing in some premature savings bonds and an investment account, both of which Mark's family set up for him over the years. It may not make a whole lot of sense -- "why would you cash in future 'wealth?'" Two reasons -- one, the 'wealth' is only earning us like $30 a year. And two, the $2000 we have 'invested' will easily pay for itself in two months once we have zero debt. Cha-ching.
Second: the study of national symbols and the identity of nations is INCREDIBLE. Have you ever wondered why the eagle on our national seal has an olive leaf in his talon? Have you ever wondered why there is a harp & a red hand on the national seal of Ireland? Have you ever wondered what in the world a 'Saxon' really is? [I watched Arthur last night and Saxons are not portrayed as the good guys...] LCG has a lot of incredible clues. Sometimes I think we forget how many clues are right there for the taking. I just finished God's Church Through the Ages. It took 2 read throughs and a timeline of people & events to slightly grasp all the information. For the millionth time Ivor C. Fletcher's The Incredible History of God's True Church was recommended to me. These reads are extremely thought-provoking. There's a couple more that are must reads if you are going to be somewhat-literate in the history of Sabbath-keeping Christianity. We'll see just how many times they have to be recommended before I'll take heed. It's exciting to know who I am, where I come from, what lessons from history I can learn, and exactly what role our ancestors - both physical and spiritual - play in our lives even today.
Second: the study of national symbols and the identity of nations is INCREDIBLE. Have you ever wondered why the eagle on our national seal has an olive leaf in his talon? Have you ever wondered why there is a harp & a red hand on the national seal of Ireland? Have you ever wondered what in the world a 'Saxon' really is? [I watched Arthur last night and Saxons are not portrayed as the good guys...] LCG has a lot of incredible clues. Sometimes I think we forget how many clues are right there for the taking. I just finished God's Church Through the Ages. It took 2 read throughs and a timeline of people & events to slightly grasp all the information. For the millionth time Ivor C. Fletcher's The Incredible History of God's True Church was recommended to me. These reads are extremely thought-provoking. There's a couple more that are must reads if you are going to be somewhat-literate in the history of Sabbath-keeping Christianity. We'll see just how many times they have to be recommended before I'll take heed. It's exciting to know who I am, where I come from, what lessons from history I can learn, and exactly what role our ancestors - both physical and spiritual - play in our lives even today.
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