Friends=Future by Larry Refsland
I’m no psychic, but I probably can predict your future! Everyone wants a glimpse it seems into the future. “Will I be rich?” “Will I marry and have children?” “Will I get that dream job?” I don’t have any special gift to give insight on these specific issues, but there is a method that will give a general idea of how things will go for you. Here it is: “If you show me your friends, I’ll show you your future.” Who you spend time with has a greater impact on your future than you might realize. Hang out with positive people, and you’ll tend to be positive. “Success breeds success,” it’s true, but failure likes company too. Are your friends bringing you down or building you up? Do they help you become better or bitter? Do they have a positive outlook on the world or do they always have something to gripe about? 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Evil company corrupts good manners.” It also says, “A little yeast works through the whole loaf.” I’m not suggesting you completely abandon negative people. After all, some of them just can’t be ignored. But I’m saying make sure you hang out with people who are positive and are going the same direction you want to go. If you don’t have those people in your life right now, make it a matter of prayer. God will direct people into your life that will improve your future, if you just ask him. And, by the way, he’s the best friend you’ll ever have. When Work Isn't Work by Larry Refsland
How come I feel so exhausted after a weekend of “relaxation”? Maybe it’s because of all the work that goes into relaxing. See if this sounds familiar to you: Before you can go to the “relaxation” spot, you have to go shopping for supplies; the vehicle has to be gassed up and loaded with all sorts of things to help you relax: lawnmower, shovels, rakes, wheelbarrow, etc. Then you have to hook up the boat and load up all the fishing gear. You can either run down to the sporting goods shop to get bait or spend part of your time relaxing by digging for worms. Once you get to the lake, (a relaxing 1-2 hour drive) everything has to be unloaded. The boat has to be launched. You probably need to start a campfire and prepare some food. If you can get the lawn mowed and a few projects completed in time, you just might get to actually do a little fishing! Before long, you’ll be loading it all back up again for the drive home where everything will still need to be unloaded. Sure, it’s a lot of effort, but it doesn’t really seem like work. Maybe it’s because all of this effort is our own choice. Some people believe it’s a lot of work to serve God. Those are the people who serve only from a sense of obligation or perhaps a feeling of guilt. Others find joy in serving God. Those are the people who simply have made a choice to put God first in their lives. Switching from a chore to a choice makes all the difference in whether the effort seems like work or pleasure. When you serve God with a willing heart you will find the rest that God promises. I am not a plumber—and that’s okay! Every time I try to fix a plumbing leak, I make it worse! Plumbing is not my thing. There are some things I do quite well, but other things I just don’t have what it takes. So when my faucet is leaking, I call someone who really knows how to fix it. The Bible tells us that all of us have unique gifts and abilities that benefit those around us. None of us can be an expert at everything. Even if we could, when would we have the time to do everything?
There is always going to be a task that we are best off to leave to someone else. On the other hand, each of us has a skill or talent that others need as well. Every person is needed and valuable in God’s economy. The Bible refers to us as a body, with each of us being a different part of the body. The arm, for example, is not the entire body, but the body is not complete without it. “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts, and though all its parts are many, they form one body.” This description, from I Corinthians 12:14, helps us grasp the value of each human being. We all have a purpose. Just as the body can do more when each part is healthy and being cared for, so each of us can function at our best individually only when those around us are healthy and being looked after. When we help a person in need, we really are helping ourselves, because we are all part of the same body. Take care of yourself today. Someone is depending on what you have to offer, especially if you’re a plumber! 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”. In Sync With God by Larry Refsland
Do you have a good sense of timing or are you one of those rhythm-impaired people? There are people that have rhythm and there are those who don’t. That’s true about clapping along to an upbeat song and it’s true about life, like the person who always seems to be at the right place at the right time. It’s like being “in sync” with the rhythm of life. Being out of sync always ends up in disappointment. One person described it like this, “When my ship came in I was at the train station!” Even being a little off can have disastrous results over time. Like a person sailing across the ocean without the proper bearings, even one or two degrees off course could make the difference between landing on a warm sandy resort beach or in the middle of a tribe of cannibals! One way to be “in sync” with life is to be sure of whom you are following. If you follow someone who themselves is off the beat, you obviously will be off as well. If you follow someone’s life example that is off-course, your life will be off-course too. The Bible says, “The Lord is with you when you are with Him” (2 Chronicles 15:2). In other words, get in sync with God. Follow his principles and plans that are spelled out in the Bible. Seek his direction in every aspect of your life and watch how he helps you succeed in every area. Staying in sync is key to your success and happiness. Pick up the rhythm for your life from the one who set the universe in order and has perfect timing. God bless you and have an awesome day! |
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