Making the Most of It by Larry Refsland
“Of all the place you’ve lived, what is your favorite?” I posed that question to a lady that was then living in a nursing home. She had moved around a lot during her interesting life. Several states had been home to her as well as living abroad. I expected her to tell me her favorite place was Florida or New Orleans or even Minneapolis. Surprisingly, her answer wasn’t any place that I would think of as exciting or even interesting. Her favorite place, she said, was right there in the nursing home! She told me she had already made up her mind before she had seen her room that she would consider this as her favorite place. She knew that happiness doesn’t depend on how big your house is or how the furniture is arranged. It depends on a decision to look for the best in every situation. The apostle Paul wrote in Acts 26:2, “I think myself happy.” He wrote those words from a prison cell! Paul said he had learned the secret of contentment. The secret was trusting in Christ for strength for each day and hope for the future. How are you looking at the present circumstances? The Bible tells us to look at each day as a day the Lord has made and to rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24). As difficult as that may be sometimes, it is possible when we have faith that God is on our side. In Romans 8:31, it says, “If God is for us, who can stand against us?” My prayer is that you will have a day of rejoicing knowing that God loves you and is working all things together for good for them that love Him. “And now it’s time for today’s Top Ten List!” I used to stay up after the news just to hear David Letterman’s Top Ten List. Many writers and news outlets use them, but actually God had the first Top Ten List. They’re called the Ten Commandments!
These 10 commands were given by God to his people—not as cold, rigid restrictions, but actually as liberating laws of life. When viewed from a proper perspective, we learn that the commandments were given as guidelines to enjoy life, not keep us from having fun. They could be called “Top 10 Ways to Have a Successful Life”. The most important function of God’s Top Ten List is to help us understand our need of forgiveness and mercy. No one has been able to perfectly keep every command throughout his or her entire life. The Bible says if we have broken one item on the list, we’ve broken them all and therefore need forgiveness. Jesus came to set us free from the accusation of the commandments. He changed the commandments from being a taskmaster to Laws of Liberty! In fact, Jesus summed it up in Matthew 22:37-40 simply by saying, “Look, just do these two things:
That’s freedom! If I am living a life of love towards God and my neighbor, I’ll be enjoying God’s promises for those who keep his commands. Practice these secrets for a successful life and have an awesome day! Have you ever been up all night, like on Christmas Eve or just before your kid’s birthday, trying to put together a new toy or game that seemed it should be simple, but turned into a nightmare? Those three words on the outside of the box: “some assembly required”—they don’t seem hard. But what the box fails to mention is the fact you needed an engineering degree to read the instructions! That is, if you actually tried to read the instructions!
Some things can’t be enjoyed until the assembly process is complete. Part A needs to be connected to Part B before Part C can be attached, etc. When everything has been assembled correctly you finally have something that will work and bring joy to your life. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 10:25 that some assembly is required in our lives as well. It says, “Don’t give up the habit of assembling yourselves together like some people have done.” Each one of us is a part of a total unit. No one functions completely alone. We were made to work together. One of the ways we can find where we fit in is at a local place of worship. Friendships are fostered, helpful projects can be completed, and questions get answered when we join together with other folks at church. Find a place where you can get together this weekend to worship, because “some assembly is required”. How much are you worth? Add up your assets, subtract what you owe, and what you have left is your net worth. If you try to borrow money or have to settle an estate, going through these equations are a necessity. Everyone has a goal to increase his or her net-worth as much as possible. But I’m not referring to your balance sheet. I’m talking about the value of you, not your possessions. How much are you worth? In the eyes of God, you have infinite worth, enough to send his own Son to die for you, so that you can live forever with him. How much is that worth? What would someone have to pay you to sacrifice your only child so that someone else could live? It can’t be measured in dollars and cents, can it? As you start your day today, remember the value you have to God. No matter what you feel others think of you or even what you may think of yourself, God has placed the highest possible value on you. Others may put you down, but that won’t change your worth to God. You may have even said, “I’m no good, I’m not of any value to anyone.” I’m sorry, but that’s simply not true! There is nothing you can do to diminish your value in God’s eyes. In fact, when we receive his love and forgiveness, he sees us as blameless and without even a blemish. God made an investment in you and He will receive a good return as you yield your life to Him. You are worth more than you can imagine. Not with perishable riches, but with eternal wealth beyond compare. Seeking a church? Join us virtually. (Service starts at 3:00 pm CST)
Are You Making Positive Ripples? By Larry Refsland
Can you throw a stone into a lake without making some ripples? Skipping stones seems to continue to be a favorite summer pastime. It’s cheap and takes little skill. Did you ever notice how it’s impossible to skip a stone without creating some ripples? The ripples are the side effect of the rock hitting the surface. The ripples are not the exact location of the impact, but the result of the impact on the surrounding area. Our lives have similar ripple effects. Everything we do, good or bad, has an impact on the people around us. Everyday we are making ripples. Our children, our spouse, our co-workers are all affected by our actions. These ripples can be negative. For example: a job supervisor yells at one of the employees who in turn goes home in a bad mood and takes it out on his wife, who then is short with the children who go out and kick the dog which chases the cat and… you get the idea. Think how that scenario could be so different if the initial impact were positive: the job supervisor praises the employee who goes home and greets his wife with a big kiss, who decides to make the kids a favorite treat who share it with the neighborhood children; the dog and cat, well they lick up the scraps, and everyone is happy! Go out and make some ripples today! See how far a positive action actually goes in your sphere of influence. Are you the type of person who sees a glass half full or half empty? I don’t think we are born positive or negative; it’s just that life’s circumstances shape us into one or the other. I mean, when you have positive expectations that just don’t pan out, it can be very disappointing. And, let’s admit it, disappointment hurts! No one wants to experience that pain over and over again. So, instead of high hopes, a person who has gone through the pain of disappointment tends to settle for low or no expectations. After all, if you aren’t expecting much, you probably won’t be disappointed when nothing happens.
But is that the way to get the most out of life? I believe God is a positive force, not a negative one. When we think positively, positive things are more likely to happen. When we think negatively, negative things are more likely to happen. The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:8 to think of things that are pure and lovely, and true and noble, things that are excellent and praiseworthy. It also says in Proverbs 23:7 that whatever a person thinks in his heart, so is he. You become what you dwell on. You can be a negative person or a positive person. Believe me, it’s more pleasant to be with positive people. Even in a negative situation, a follower of Christ can hold to the promise of God in Romans 8:28, “…all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” Expect the best—God will not let you down. Under Construction by Larry Refsland
It’s exciting to watch a building under construction as it takes shape. I can’t wait to see how it turns out! It’s impossible to tell from a pile of lumber what the finished product will look like or what the structure will be used for. The further along the building is, the more evident the purpose and design becomes. Each of us is like a pile of raw building material. Jesus Christ is the master builder. He has a plan—a blueprint for our lives. The Bible teaches us that if we want the finished product to stand against the storms of life, we must build our lives on a sure foundation. That foundation is the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus told a story of a foolish man who built his house upon the sand and a wise man who built his house on the rock. He said, “When the storms came, the foolish man’s house was destroyed but the wise man’s house stood firm.” No one escapes the storms of life. Bad things happen to all people. The question is, will your house stand? Does it have a firm foundation? As we make Christ the foundation, he puts us together as a master builder and makes us into a building he can use. “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until He comes” (Philippians 1:6). In other words, once he’s started building you, he keeps perfecting the work throughout our entire lives. One song-writer put it like this: “He’s still working on me, to make me what I ought to be; It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars, the sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars. How loving and patient he must be, He’s still working on me.” I couldn’t help but notice the sign on the back of the semi I was following the other day. It said, “Owner/Operator Wanted.” Trucking companies are always looking for an ambitious driver that is willing to assume the responsibility of paying for and maintaining their own rig. The owner/operator assumes the majority of the risk, while the company lines up the loads and takes care of a lot of the paperwork. It’s a pretty good arrangement for the trucker and the company he drives for.
As a follower of Christ, things work a little differently. Driving for God’s fleet starts with turning over the ownership of our life to him. There are no owner/operators driving in God’s kingdom. God owns the whole rig or nothing at all. And who does the driving? Well, Jesus Christ wants to do that! He’s never content with just being along for the ride. He wants to be the operator of your life. See, in God’s Kingdom, we are not the owner or the driver—God is both. He takes us down roads we would never have been without Him. He shows us people and places that he wants us to deliver his good news to. He’ll steer us to situations where we can pick up a load of grief and drop off a load of joy. Everyday is an adventure when you turn over the title and the keys to the Lord Jesus Christ! Give up the owner/operator status in your life and, instead, report for duty as a passenger and follower of Christ. Whether you’re a trucker, a baker, or a homemaker, God wants to be your leader. Have an awesome day! Halt! Who goes there? You may never have been ordered to stop and be recognized, but it’s possible you have at some time not been yourself. Someone might say, “That’s not like you.” We may behave or talk in ways that are inconsistent with our real, ordinary self. We become Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired and begin acting out of character. That’s when you hear someone say something on the lines, “Halt! Who goes there?”
Those can be uncertain or even dangerous times. We could say or do something we will be sorry for later. That’s why it’s a good idea to recognize these times and do what the acronym spells—HALT! Stop and realize you are not yourself. Are you Hungry? Get some food. Are you Angry? Get some space. Are you Lonely? Find a friend to be with and to talk to. Are you Tired? Get some rest. “You are fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). God’s plan for us is to be nourished daily by food and by His Word. He gives us positive ways to channel our anger. Through His Spirit in us, he gives us the patience and self-control we need. He never leaves us, so we are never truly alone. Beyond that, we are part of a network of friends—brothers and sisters in Christ—with whom we can meet with on a regular basis. And He has even commanded us to take a day of rest every week, for our benefit! Even Jesus got away to rest when he was exhausted. Next time someone says, “You don’t seem yourself,” HALT! Find out what is influencing your character, and get what is necessary physically and/or spiritually. You will find yourself being recognized once again as the wonderful person God intended you to be. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2016
Categories
All
|