Life Blogs Archives - Page 19 of 21 - GraceAndWorks

We have all at some time or another been put in a tough situation. Whether it was with family, friends, workplace, Church, school, money problems, etc. Sometimes we can know what to do, yet other times we are at a complete loss on what to do. Today I want to give two different views on tough situations and how those involved saw what to do.

Genesis 22:1-19 tells the story of Abraham and the tough situation he found himself in. God called upon him and Abraham said, “Here am I.” God then proceeded to tell Abraham to sacrifice his only son whom he loved very much. Abraham didn’t question God and set out to do what he was asked. He did all the preparation and took his son to the mountain where God told him to go. Isaac, Abraham’s son, had no idea what was going on and he said to Abraham, “My Father!!” Abraham said, “Here am I, my son.” Isaac asked where the sacrificial lamb was and Abraham said, “God will provide it.”  An angel of the Lord called Abraham and he said, “Here am I.” Then a ram showed up caught in the bushes. God had sent the ram and Abraham did not have to sacrifice Isaac. The point of this story is that Abraham had complete faith in God. Three times he was called, and all three times he answered, “Here am I.” He was in a tough situation and knew God would take care of him.

The second story I want to share is about Moses. In Exodus 3:9-12, God calls on Moses. He tells Moses, “I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” Moses didn’t want to do this for God and started asking all kinds of questions. God wasn’t taking no for an answer. God gave him all of answers and finally Moses said to God, “They are not going to believe me.” (Exodus 4:1-17) God still was not going to take no for an answer, so he gave Moses a couple things to show Pharaoh to convince him about who Moses was. 1) God put a rod in Moses’s hand and Moses dropped it to the ground and it turned to a serpent, Moses picked it up and it turned back to a rod. 2) Now God told Moses to put his hand in his bosom, when he took it out it was leprous. He put it back in his bosom and took it back out and it was restored like it was originally. God now tells Moses, After you show these things to them maybe they will believe you.” God then tells Moses, “If those don’t work, get some water from the Nile and pour it on the ground and it will turn to blood.” Now Moses tells God he is not an eloquent speaker, and asks God to send some one else. God tells him not to worry, “I will put the words in your mouth.” Moses makes one more plea to God to please send some one else. God tells him, “I will get Aaron, your brother to help you.” Moses was in a tough situation, and between he and God, they got things worked out.

What I want you to think about is this: Are you like Abraham and have complete faith in God or are you like Moses and need more help from God to get worked through things. Either way, with God, you will see that you can handle any “Tough Situation” you get put into. Have a good day all!!

Fatso–scumbag–fleabag–curly–you’re not good enough–can’t you do anything right?–you’ll never amount to anything–you’re just stupid–you’re not as good as your brother/sister–slut–piggy–nerd–and the list goes on.

If you have ever been bullied you’ve heard some of these sayings or maybe all of them. Harmless words to some and VERY harmful to others. Making fun of you, brow beating, putting down, making fun of what you do, are all excuses the one doing the bullying uses. No matter what twist you want to put on these sayings, they all amount to bullying. Many people deal with this every day. It doesn’t matter what age, color of skin, or gender you are. IT HAPPENS!!

How it is dealt with varies from individual to individual. Some will resort to cutting. Some will resort to eating disorders. Some will go into a deep depression and completely withdraw from any activity. Some will turn to alcohol. Some will turn to drugs. Some end up in jail, completely throwing their life away. Some will turn to suicide. Regardless of what happens, it could have been prevented had those words not been said.

There is help out there for those individuals who are having this problem happening to them. For kids, there are counselors available at school (They WILL listen and help). If they are a part of a church, there is clergy available to help them. If they have a decent communication line between them and their parents, the parents can help. It may have gotten bad enough for them that as they reach out, professional help may be needed. Parents–watch for signs, before it gets too late to help. Three of the major signs are, 1) Withdrawal and 2) Grades have dropped for no apparent reason 3) Change of friends or no friends.

Adults can also have a problem with bullying. It can be a work related problem. It could be a spouse abuse/marriage problem. It could be getting eliminated from a group. And it could be that some of the above words and sayings are being said and done to them. Whatever the case might be the symptoms are the same as for kids. Depression, drugs, alcohol, eating disorders, and suicide. Adults are like kids in that they sometimes won’t reach out for help. In a strong marriage with good communication, the spouse will see what is happening and reach out to help. If you are part of a church group, they can help, especially the clergy. Most of them are trained to listen and give guidance. And like kids, it may be bad enough that you will need professional help.

Bullying is a huge problem in today’s world. As we read about it and learn about it, the more concern there is for those being bullied. It’s a sad situation for those it is happening to and needs to be addressed. If you know of someone, or you are being bullied, SEEK HELP!!

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off to the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space in front of us.

My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by inches!

The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waived at the guy. And I mean he was really friendly.

So I asked, `Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital?`

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, `A Garbage Truck Life.`

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they’ll dump it on you. Don’t take it personally.

Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don’t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work. at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.

Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. SO…..LOVE THE PEOPLE WHO TREAT YOU RIGHT. PRAY FOR THE ONES WHO DON’T.

Life is 10 percent what you make of it and 90 percent how you take it!

Have a garbage free day.

This is shared from an e-mail from Linda Keim. Thought it was good and wanted to share it with you all.

Baptism is such a topic of debate in the religious world. It shouldn’t be. As we look at baptism, let’s avoid all attitudes such as “I think”, “I feel”, “In my opinion”, “My grandma felt”, etc. Let’s look at what the Bible says about baptism. There’s two areas we’ll look at today.

1) Examples of baptism in the 1st century. There are so many examples of people being baptized in the New Testament. On the day of Pentecost, after Peter had delivered a convicting sermon, the crowd was cut to the heart and cried out to Peter, “Men and brethren what shall we do to be saved?” Peter responded, “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” (Acts 2:37-38) Peter ‘s response addressed how and why to be saved. We’re 1) Baptized in the name of Jesus and 2) for the remission of sins.

Some of the other examples of baptism in the New Testament include: 1) The Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:35-38), Paul (Acts 9:17-18 and  Acts 22:16), Cornelius (Acts 10:47-48), Lydia (Acts 16:14-15), The Philippian Jailer (Acts 16:30-33) and Crispus (Acts 18:8).

Paul explains the importance of baptism to the Christians in Rome (Romans 6:3-4). He compares our “Death To Sin”, immersion in baptism and us being raised out of the water of baptism to a “Newness of Life”, to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

2) The Example and teaching of Jesus. Everything Jesus did was an example for us to follow. We see Jesus being baptized in Mark 1:9-11. Jesus taught of the importance of baptism 1:9-11. Jesus taught the importance of baptism in Mark 16:16 when He said, “HE WHO BELIEVES AND IS BAPTIZED WILL BE SAVED.” How can one argue with the words Jesus of Jesus?

We all have choices. We can choose to follow the words of Jesus and the examples of people being saved in the 1st Century, or, we can reject those many examples. The choice is yours, just realize that choices  have consequences and this choice is for eternal salvation.

A Big Thank You goes to Bruce Eubank for writing this blog for me. Bruce is a full time teacher and coach at one of the High Schools in Las Vegas, Nv. He also fills the pulpit for the South Valley Church of Christ.

Many times, as we go through life, someone or something will speak to us and we just don’t pay any attention. Thus the words and or actions fall on deaf ears.

In Jeremiah 1:4-19 God approaches Jeremiah and tells him he is going to give a speech and no one will listen. He tells Jeremiah that when he gets done the people he’s speaking to will want to kill him. God says don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you. Jeremiah, approximately 15-17 years of age, tells God he is but a youth and doesn’t know how to speak. God touched Jeremiah’s lips and puts the words in his mouth. God then says to not worry because I have given you the words to say and I will be there with you. God then tells Jeremiah that He is calling all the tribes from the North.  God says they have a wickedness about them for forsaking Me, they have burned incense to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands. He then tells Jeremiah to stand strong and say to them everything that I command you.

In Jeremiah 7:1-11, Jeremiah, now about 30 years of age, delivers the words God had given him. Jeremiah tells them to amend their ways and their doings, and don’t trust in deceptive words. But, BEHOLD!!, he says, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. You steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Ba’al, and go after other gods you have not known. And then you come and stand before me in this house , which is called by My name, and say, “We are delivered”–only to go on doing all these abominations. Jeremiah had delivered the words God commanded of him.

In Jeremiah 26:1-9 is the reaction of the people God’s words were delivered to by Jeremiah. The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah in the House of the Lord. And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people,  the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, “You shall die!” Then in verse 16 the princes and all the people said to the priest and the prophets, “This man does not deserve the sentence of death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.” God said he would take care of Jeremiah and He did. The people did not see themselves in God’s message. They rationalized it away. Their gross, ugly, self deception was an abomination towards God. Yet they didn’t see it and wouldn’t change.

Faith lessons from those deceived of God: 1) Spiritual advantages can be lost quickly. 2) Lost spiritual ground can be recovered through humble repentance. Reform your ways and actions–Change your ways–Pride will fight against spiritual repentance. If your life is in a place where repentance is “Right”, then you will never be at peace until you repent. 3) False trust produces deception–Sin deceives!! The deceived believe they will NOT reap what they sow–our own desires are what produces sin. A mind led astray from pure and sincere devotion is deceived. Ultimately–Deceivers only deceive themselves!!

Jeremiah was told by God what to say–He said it–It fell on “Deaf Ears.”       The people were deceived into thinking they were OK in God’s eyes. Be careful–don’t be deceived AND Don’t let God’s words fall on “Deaf Ears.”

The hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. It’s that time of the year that we shop ’til we drop. We have a list of those who we care most about and set about to find the best gift ever. Cost is no problem, I’ll just pay  for it later. The stress is about to overwhelm me and I know the depression of it all will hit later. I think I’ll listen to some songs. Here comes Santa Claus, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty The Snow Man, etc.  Oh, yeah, I have to have all those special “Goodies.” Fudge, popcorn balls, cookies, turkey, ham, and the list goes on. WELL, now I have to go buy groceries!! Don’t forget “TIS THE SEASON TO REMEMBER JESUS!!

I’ve have read and heard it said that we need to put “Christ” back in CHRISTmas. I agree, but, I think we need to understand why. Christ came to this earth to live in human form and set an example for us to live by. He lived on this earth, died on this earth, was buried on this earth and was resurrected to sit on the right hand of His Father in Heaven. He came to seek and save the lost–That’s you and me!! Don’t forget ‘TIS THE SEASON TO REMEMBER JESUS!!

I have also read and heard it said that we need to put Christ back into CHRISTian. How do we do that? By studying the life of Christ, how he lived and what he did while on this earth. His life, death, burial and resurrection directly parallels Baptism. We live, die to our sins, are buried with Him in Baptism, resurrected up out of that water to live a new life. Living the new life means to live righteous and be obedient unto death. Just like Jesus did.  Philippians Chapter 2 explains and directs us on how to live.  Don’t forget ‘TIS THE SEASON TO REMEMBER JESUS!!

Where is YOUR focus? Christ’s Church was set up on the Day of Pentecost. Christians remember Jesus every day and Worship with Him every Sunday (1st day of the week) as directed in Acts. We commune with Him every Sun as is also directed in Acts. So if we want to put Christ back in CHRISTian, we need to focus each and every day not just at Christmas time. Don’t forget EVERYDAY “Tis The Season To Remember Christ!!”

SMILE God loves YOU!!! Have a good day all.

Cancer by definition is: A) A malignant tumor characterized by potentially unlimited growth with expansion by invasion and systemic by metastasis. B) An abnormal state marked by such tumors. C) A SOURCE OF EVIL. D) An enlarged tumor like growth. E) Disease marked by such growths.

There are several types of  Spiritual Cancer: lying, false teaching, lack of brotherly love, greed, gossip, anger, lack of study, forsaking the assembly, not caring about others, living in a “Me” world, etc.

There is a difference between physical and spiritual cancer. Physical cancer can sometimes be treated and cured, sometimes in cannot and it takes your life. Spiritual Cancer is always treatable and cured by God’s Word and His forgiveness. Left untreated, it will take away Eternal Life with God. I think two of the worst are: Gossip and Anger.

Gossip by definition is: A) A person who habitually reveals personal or sensational facts. B) Rumor of intimate nature. C) Chatty talk. In Proverbs, God tells us that he who slanders is foolish. A tail bearer reveals secrets and we are not to associate with those who speak foolishly. In Ephesians, God says Slander grieves the Holy Spirit, and in Titus, God says speak evil of no one. Gossip is a source of evil and is a Spiritual Cancer that needs to be cut out of our lives. It goes against everything that God teaches us. It is treatable!!

Anger by definition is: A) Ire, rage, indignation, wrath. Anger is the general term for the emotional reaction of extreme displeasure and suggests neither a definite degree of intensity nor a necessarily outward manifestation. Rage is a loss of self control from violence of emotion. Wrath may imply either rage or indignation, but suggests strongly a desire or intent to avenge or punish. In Genesis, God says anger is cursed and it is forbidden and in Psalms He says to refrain from Anger. In Ephesians God says, Do not be quick to anger and in Colossians He says to put Anger away–Put to death. Anger is a source of evil and is a Spiritual Cancer that needs to be cut out of our lives. It goes against everything God teaches us. It is treatable!!

If you nave a Spiritual Cancer in your life, go to God’s Word and treat it. Don’t let it kill you Spiritually to the extent that you lose your Salvation. .

SMILE God loves YOU!! Have a good day all.