Life in 6 words: The Gospel

A Thankful Attitude

Let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts… And always be thankful.

Colossians 3:15

 

Thankfulness is not a reaction that we normally use when something bad happens. We can have a hundred reasons to be thankful, but if one bad thing happen, will be all we think about.

But the Bible says: “Always be joyful.“ 1 Thessalonians 5:16. Don’t matter what happens, we must always give thanks and be joyful. Cultivate a thankful spirit in your life. Thank God for all the blessings that He gives you. Thank Him for Christ and for everything He has done for you. Even when things go bad, thank Him that things are not worse, and that you are in His graceful hands.

Having a thankful attitude in all circumstances of life will help you to react as the famous Matthew Henry reacted when he was mugged. He wrote in his diary: “Let me first give thanks because I was never mugged before; Second, even though they took my bag, they didn’t take my life; third, even though they took all I had, it wasn’t much; and forth, because I’ve been robbed, not the one who was the robber.”

I ask myself if I could be as thankful.

The Sun Still Shines

… They looked … and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.

Exodus 16:10

 

            Without the clouds we wouldn’t be protected from the sun. Without the clouds we wouldn’t have the beautiful sunsets, no beneficial rain, no beautiful landscapes.

The same is true with the clouds of life. When hard times come, we easily get discourage. But above the cloud, God is present, and can even use it to water our souls with unexpected blessings.

Once Longfellow wrote: “ Be still, saddened heart, and cease the bad mood; above the clouds the sun still shines. “

While God’s people were walking through the desert, He declared: “ Behold, I come to you in a thick cloud… “ Exodus 19:9

Each one of us experience clouds in our lives, sometimes fast, but sometimes dark and scary. Whichever the cloud that you face today, ask Jesus, the Light of the world, to help you look above the cloud so you can see His glory and His plan for you life.

Planning your Epitaph

You know what an epitaph is right? If you don’t it’s ok, a lot people don’t know, if I remember right, I didn’t know the first time I heard either. What is epitaph? An epitaph (from Greek ἐπιτάφιον epitaphion “a funeral oration” from ἐπί epi “at, over” and τάφος taphos “tomb”)^[1] is a short text honoring a deceased person, strictly speaking that is inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but also used figuratively. Some are specified by the dead person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the burial. An epitaph may be in poem verse; poets have been known to compose their own epitaphs prior to their death. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epitaph)  Did you learn something new? Then make friends with Wikipedia.

Now that you know what an epitaph is, did you ever think about you tombstone epitaph? “ What a dumb question ” you must think. I don’t blame you, we don’t think of the day we are going to die. Why should we? Most of the time we think we’ll live forever (I mean in this earth, don’t be smart on me now ¬¬), and because we think the way we think, we fail to realize that one day we’ll be gone. And what are we going to leave behind, other than debt for our family to pay? What your epitaph is going to look like. What is your family and friends are going to have to say about you.

After you’re gone, it’s all about legacy. What are you going to leave behind?

Your Weaknesses and God’s Grace

Today seems like we are so concerned with our appearance and how we feel. We walk, we exercise, and we diet, and do whatever we have to surpass the physical signs of weakness. For our mind, we read books about positive thinking and how to overcome mental weakness. The truth is, we all have weaknesses in our lives, areas that we have to deal with, our thoughts, habits, and actions.

Take a moment to find what you think may a weakness in your life be. Now, the bigger problem is not what is your weakness, but how you deal with it. You may try to deal with your weakness on your own strength, or you can turn to God to give you the strength that you need.

In 2 Corinthians 12.9, God gives us this promise to keep when we face ou

r weaknesses: “My grace is sufficient for you.” What does this mean? No matter what your weakness is, God will give you support to face it.

To overcome the weaknesses through the grace of God, you must recognize His purpose. Paul identifies his weakness as a thorn in his flesh to keep him from becoming conceited and exalted (2 Corinthians 12.7). Ask yourself, what is the root of your thoughts and your behaviors? Don’t ignore it, don’t deny it, and do not defend anything that hinders you from experiencing the victorious life that God intends for you.

No matter what weakness you are going through now, God has promised to give you everything you need to overcome it. Ephesians 3.20 says: “ Now to Him who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]. “ (Amplified Bible) The power that is at work within us is the Holy Spirit, that is within every believer, and is available to help us with any weakness or challenges that we may face. All we need to do is cry out to Him.

When you feel the weakest, look up to God, because right then and there His power is most evident in your life. “… for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. ” (2 Corinthians 12.9)

I pray that God will work powerfully in your life and that every weakness area may turn into an opportunity for growth and strength through His Spirit.

Make a Difference, Live Different, Be Weird

Do you ever get tired of the same old thing every single day?

Well, King Solomon did. Let me show you something he wrote:

Ecclesiastes 1.2

“Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.”.

I have seen something about the church; If you haven’t been in church for a year or for a week and all of a sudden you go, you can’t tell the difference, because for the most part, there is no difference. The service is the same, the music is the same, the preaching is the same (God help us), the people are the same. God is unchangeable and I think the church tries to follow the unchangeable path. Tradition is/and can be good, but everything has a limit.
NOTE TO SELF: “It’s not a sin to innovate, to be creative, to be different or even ” weird “. It’s Alright!

Do you get tired of the same thing? Are you satisfied with your life? With your relationship with people? With God?