Tag Archives: #spirituality

#inspiration, #spirituality

A Little Scripture Study

In The Book of James, Verse 1:9 the author tells us to “be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry.” Over the next few days we will examine this a little further.

James was the half-brother of Jesus. In his letter to the church of Jerusalem, we are encouraged to be “quick to listen.” I interpret this to mean listening should be our first choice when interacting with other people. How many times have I barely heard my counterparty because I wanted to get my voice heard? Too many to count…

Listening is an art form, and to really listen is exhausting. Listening is a verb, an action word. And when you rearrange the letters in the word “listen,” you get “silent.” This is not a coincidence.

More tomorrow…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

If Only

Many of us have heard people use the “if only” excuse. You know what I’m referring to. If only I was taller, more athletic, smarter, I had a better boss, better parents. The list could go on forever. They are simply petty put-downs, but we aren’t putting ourselves down even though it sounds that way.

God created us exactly how He wanted us to be. Each of us has been given unique gifts and talents. He expects us to use them to bring glory to Him, not ourselves. Glory means “high renown or honor won by notable achievements.” The glory goes to God because it was He who gave us the ability.

If you have been guilty of using the “if only” excuse, I encourage you to get rid of it. Eliminate it from your thinking. You are being critical of The One who created you, not yourself…

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In My Head

We are thinking every minute of every day. Our minds continue working while we sleep. We are unable to turn our minds off.

What we fill our brains with will dictate our thoughts. Fill it when junk and you begin to think in a small, distorted way. Filling your mind with rich history, art and The Bible will turn your thoughts to greatness for the greater good.

Keep your mind clear of negativity. Turn the news shows off. Read and absorb the works of Thoreau, Wilde, the Apostle Paul and others. Then, notice the change…

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Say What?

When I was raising my children I let them know they could “say anything they wanted to” to me. But I would pay attention to how they said it.

Attitude is everything. What lies in our hearts will eventually come out in what we say. When I observe some of the ugly things people say to others on social media, it occurs to me that they might have a lot of unresolved anger lying beneath.

I encourage you to work on yourself. Carl Jung once wrote that “unresolved trauma leads to future neuroses.” Clear out any darkness in your heart and let the light enter. Your attitude will be enlightened and others will benefit from your goodness…

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Unseen

There is much more going on than we can see. The spiritual world is a different dimension. Just because we can’t see it doesn’t make it less real.

The Bible encourages us to keep our eyes on “things that are unseen.” Those things are eternal. Every challenge we face in our lives is a spiritual battle. Again, we don’t see it but God sends His angels to thwart our invisible enemy. Take solace in the fact that the Creator of the Universe is on our side, not the other. Therefore we are assured of victory if we just keep going.

Seeing the world through a different lens puts it in perspective. It doesn’t take away pain and struggle. But it gives us hope…

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Growing

Do you ever feel stagnant in your life, feel like you are simply going through the motions? We all go through periods where we are “coasting.”

Work on yourself. It’s difficult, I know, but you gotta strive to be mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually fit. Read books by great philosophers. Exercise. Seek out a solid psychotherapist to help you heal. And read and study The Bible. Make time for your own personal growth.

And remember, if you are comfortable, you aren’t growing. Growth only comes from the discomfort zone…

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Beliefs

We all have our own unique set of beliefs. But do you ever question your beliefs?

Our beliefs evolve as we age and grow. Many of us believed in Santa Claus until we didn’t. (Actually, I still believe in Santa and always will). Maybe we believed things we knew weren’t true, but refused to give in to disbelief. Maybe we believed in people who let us down.

There is one set of truth that never wavers: God’s truth. If it was true 1000 years ago, it’s still true today. What God says goes. He cannot lie. He can’t even stretch the truth. You can believe what He says.

Let’s base our belief system on the Word of God. We may not always understand it, but our lack of understanding doesn’t make it less true…

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#inspiration

Closed Doors

Sometimes our best efforts aren’t enough to open a door that is closed to us. I encourage you to remember that is a good thing, even though it may not seem like it at the time.

God’s plan for our lives is too big and complex for us to understand. But if the previously mentioned door was part of the plan, it would be opened for us because no one can stop God. We must do our part, but God is the best partner we could ask for.

Remember that God is on our side. He wants us to succeed. And that includes shutting a few doors on us…

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Jesus

Jesus was a rebel. He stood up to the hypocrites in the synagogue which no one dared to do. Jesus redeemed and restored people who felt isolated, alone and cast out from society. Jesus performed countless miracles, yet never did a miracle that benefited himself.

Jesus is the most unique person who ever lived. He was 100% man while being 100% God at the same time. He got tired in the same way humans do, and he controlled the stormy sea. He restored eyesight to the blind, raised the dead and willingly died on the cross to save the world.

It’s interesting to note that his own half-brother, James, did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah until after the resurrection. Jesus’ disciples were persecuted and most of them died horrible deaths. You don’t die for a lie…

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Useful

The word useful means “able to be used for a practical purpose or in several ways.” A car is useful to get us where we need to be. Sleep is useful, too, when you think about it.

Let’s consider the people God used. King David was an adulterer. Gideon was deeply insecure and afraid, always doubting God. And Moses was a murderer. Yet God used them in awe-inspiring ways. They are prominent figures in the Bible, the greatest book ever written.

If God used them, perhaps He can use me, too. I believe I’ll let Him…

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