Saturday, October 1, 2011

When Last Did Someone Correct You? (Part 2)


Thank you for allowing me to recommend a few everyday-life teachers to you. If you have not yet read  part 1 of this post, please check it out here for a good background.

Mrs. Disintegrating Families. There are numerous pieces of broken families in Mrs. D. Families' classroom for anyone to examine and learn from. Many families are broken because each member of the family had "I-don't-care" attitude(s). The husband, wife, father, mother and children were always right all the time. So everyone did their own thing and no one told anyone what to do. At first, they called it 'individual freedom' and 'personal space' until they realized that everyone cannot be right every time but it was too late. The family disintegrated and the members fell apart. Doesn't the rising number of disintegrating families teach us that you may be right most of the time but you can't be right all the time unless you are God? Doesn't it teach us that children who are left to themselves eventually become terrorists to their families, nation and world at large? While "having your own way" is not the only reason families fall apart, it is a major one. 
 
Mr. Greedy Potbellies. Whether the greed is for food, money, sex, power, position or fame, the lesson Mr. Greedy Potbellies teaches is the same -if you are greedy you will get busted. Many people have vomited their ill-gotten gains and they stand to teach anyone who is prone to greed that greed gets people busted.

Monday, September 26, 2011

When Last Did Someone Correct You? (Part 1)

I remember only few of my high school teachers but there is one that I will never forget. His name was Mr. Bob (not his real name). Mr. Bob was addicted to "correctness". I can hardly remember any student that got an 'Excellent' grade in his class. The best grade the best student got was "Ok" or "C" grade. If you missed as little as a "caps" at the beginning of a sentence or a "full stop" at the end, it was almost certain that you would do the whole work all over again. I thought he was cruel. I could not be any happier when it was all over and I don't think I miss him very much.

However, one truth stands out of my experience with Mr. Bob: While we do not need people to sit on our necks, pick our faults and tell us what we do wrong all the time, NOT having someone to correct us is far worse. I will explain with a story my mom often told to teach  her kids the importance of accepting correction. [.....]

Monday, September 19, 2011

Just Do It

I am a minister. One day I asked God a question: Father God, "how do I continue to tell people that you can do some thing for them when I know you have not done it for me?"  God said to me. "Son, when I give you a cookie for the person beside you, you don't hold it in one hand and stretch out the other hand asking where is my own. If you do what I ask you to do, I know how to take care of you". I responded quickly "I am sorry Sir, I get it". Sure enough the weeks that followed brought with them a new dimension of God's grace to me that I am still thankful for today.

This week's blog is my encouragement to those of us who are waiting on God for something special -spouse, child, job, good health, restoration, increase, debt freedom or whatever your heart desire may be. Be encouraged and continue to wait faithfully. But while you are waiting, remember that you do not have to be anxious, upset or idle. If God has given you a cookie for the person or persons beside you, obey first, give that cookie away. God is faithful to his promises and won't forget your labour of love.

Every believer is a minister. It's easy to be so absorbed with building a career, family, house, health, ministry, church and business that we forget the actual work God assigned to us. Thankfully however, God has clearly defined the right order of things in his word: First, God's kingdom, then our blessings. If we reverse the order we position ourselves to fall out of God's will. We can see this truth play out between Simon Peter and Jesus Christ in Luke 5:1-9

Monday, September 12, 2011

Are You Cool Like That? (revised)


Are you cool, calm and comfortable the way you are? Then don’t expect things to change. Yes, if you like things the way they are, you have permitted them to stay the way they are. Change begins with a desperation for change; a dissatisfaction with the status quo. This is true in business, family, social and spiritual life.

What you don't desire, you don't deserve. But true desire only comes from awareness of the difference between the way things are and the way they could be. Ask yourself, is this the best things can be? How can they be better? This will ignite your mind towards creative ways to break free.

No matter how successful you are or how far from success you may be, there is another level. All you are is all you have become but all you have become is not all there is to be. You may have tried and failed and tried and failed and now you just want to throw in the towel and quit trying. Be encouraged and keep moving; as long as you still have breathe, anything can happen. "It's not over until it's over", someone said

How desperate for change are you? What sacrifices are you making or willing to make for the change you want to see in your life? If you do not get up from here you will not get down there. You must arise to arrive.

Remember, no one makes progress in a state of rest. We make progress only in motion and the energy to be in motion is derived from intense desire to breakthrough. You will find it if you search for it with all your heart. True, you will come across dark spots, stumps and discouraging moments, don’t give up. Keep moving and keep re-fueling your desire by keeping the picture of your destination in mind.

If you can see it within, you will have the strength to pursue it. If you pursue it hard enough, you will eventually possess it. And don’t forget, the difference between a wish and a desire is active pursuit. Pursuit is the proof of desire. Arise from your rest and pursue that dream. You will succeed!

‘...Why should we sit here waiting to die” 2Kings 7:3 (New Living Translation)

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