…BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE…KEEP THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT…’ EPHESIANS 4:2-3 NKJ Family matters (1)
When it’s easier to talk to outsiders than it is to your own family, something’s wrong. Your family should be a support system – a safety net to catch you when you fall. We like to visualise ‘family’ as a hard-working dad, a stay-at-home mum, two children, a dog, and a house with a fence. But for many people family means money problems, troubled kids and warring spouses. That’s why Paul writes: ‘…walk…with…longsuffering, bearing with one another in love…keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.’ (Ephesians 4:1-3 NKJ). It takes a big dose of grace to make it all work! So start praying for your kids, instead of just setting boundaries that create distance between you when you don’t see eye to eye. You won’t always agree, but you must learn to respect each other. When God said, ‘Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it’ (Proverbs 22:6 NIV), He didn’t say what qualifies as ‘old,’ or when your investment would start paying off. Every family has its ups and downs. And every family tree produces a few nuts! In fact, sometimes the best part is underground! But if you bail out when things get tough you would miss the rewards you’d have gotten by hanging on. Often the child that blesses you most is the one who didn’t reflect your views, married someone you didn’t like, and doesn’t invite you over to dinner! In the long run none of that matters because your family is a life-long investment. What’s important is to love and support one another unconditionally right now.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
love story of God LOVE…ALWAYS HOPES, ALWAYS PERSEVERES…NEVER FAILS…’ 1 CORINTHIANS 13:6-8 NIV Shout ‘wonderful’
LOVE…ALWAYS HOPES, ALWAYS PERSEVERES…NEVER FAILS…’ 1 CORINTHIANS 13:6-8 NIV Shout ‘wonderful’
When you meet someone who needs encouragement, give it to them! Why? Because more people die of broken hearts than swelled heads. And that’s true whether they live in a mansion or a mud hut. The story is told of a little boy who wanted to play darts with his father. He said, ‘Come on, Dad, let’s play darts. I’ll throw, and you shout “wonderful!’’ You may smile, but we tend to become what the most important people in our lives think of us. So think the best, believe the best, and express the best toward them – for your words are helping to shape their destiny. And remember, change happens by inches, not miles! You didn’t get there overnight and they won’t either. Even when change seems simple, it’s rarely ever easy. The only way we can break old habits is to form new ones – and that takes time and practice – lots of it! You can’t tell people something just once and expect them to get it. No, they need to hear it over and over before they can make the adjustment. And how you tell them, the look in your eyes and the tone of your voice, can determine whether they freeze in fear or soar above the obstacles. It can also determine the coping skills they hand down to their children. So this is no small matter. Be persistent! Never give up trying to help them improve. Express gratitude for every step of progress they make. Flying off the handle doesn’t help them; or you. The way to get lasting results is through patience and love. Remember, ‘Love…always hopes, always perseveres… never fails…’
When you meet someone who needs encouragement, give it to them! Why? Because more people die of broken hearts than swelled heads. And that’s true whether they live in a mansion or a mud hut. The story is told of a little boy who wanted to play darts with his father. He said, ‘Come on, Dad, let’s play darts. I’ll throw, and you shout “wonderful!’’ You may smile, but we tend to become what the most important people in our lives think of us. So think the best, believe the best, and express the best toward them – for your words are helping to shape their destiny. And remember, change happens by inches, not miles! You didn’t get there overnight and they won’t either. Even when change seems simple, it’s rarely ever easy. The only way we can break old habits is to form new ones – and that takes time and practice – lots of it! You can’t tell people something just once and expect them to get it. No, they need to hear it over and over before they can make the adjustment. And how you tell them, the look in your eyes and the tone of your voice, can determine whether they freeze in fear or soar above the obstacles. It can also determine the coping skills they hand down to their children. So this is no small matter. Be persistent! Never give up trying to help them improve. Express gratitude for every step of progress they make. Flying off the handle doesn’t help them; or you. The way to get lasting results is through patience and love. Remember, ‘Love…always hopes, always perseveres… never fails…’
Friday, April 3, 2009
LOVE…IS NOT IRRITABLE OR TOUCHY…’ 1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-5 TLB A ‘yes’ face!
LOVE…IS NOT IRRITABLE OR TOUCHY…’ 1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-5 TLB A ‘yes’ face!
Chuck Swindoll writes, ‘The most significant decision I make each day is my choice of an attitude. When my attitudes are right there’s no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me.’ If you believe that you will take charge of your emotions, begin to focus on what’s good, and reject anything that makes you a petty, bitter person. And your face will say ‘Yes.’ One day President Thomas Jefferson and a group of companions were travelling across the country on horseback. They came to a river that had overflowed its banks because of a recent downpour. The river had washed away the bridge so each rider was forced to cross it on horseback, fighting for his life against the currents. This caused a traveller who was not part of the group to step aside and watch. After several riders had plunged in and made it to the other side, the stranger asked if President Jefferson would carry him across. The President agreed without hesitation. So the man climbed on and the two of them made it safely to the other side. As the stranger slid off the horse onto dry ground, one of Jefferson’s companions asked, ‘Why did you select the President?’ The man was shocked and admitted he’d no idea that it was the President who’d helped him. ‘All I know,’ he said, ‘is that on some of your faces was written the answer “no,” and on some was written the answer “yes.” His was a “yes’ face.” A good attitude has a ‘yes’ face. Try to remember that today!
Chuck Swindoll writes, ‘The most significant decision I make each day is my choice of an attitude. When my attitudes are right there’s no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me.’ If you believe that you will take charge of your emotions, begin to focus on what’s good, and reject anything that makes you a petty, bitter person. And your face will say ‘Yes.’ One day President Thomas Jefferson and a group of companions were travelling across the country on horseback. They came to a river that had overflowed its banks because of a recent downpour. The river had washed away the bridge so each rider was forced to cross it on horseback, fighting for his life against the currents. This caused a traveller who was not part of the group to step aside and watch. After several riders had plunged in and made it to the other side, the stranger asked if President Jefferson would carry him across. The President agreed without hesitation. So the man climbed on and the two of them made it safely to the other side. As the stranger slid off the horse onto dry ground, one of Jefferson’s companions asked, ‘Why did you select the President?’ The man was shocked and admitted he’d no idea that it was the President who’d helped him. ‘All I know,’ he said, ‘is that on some of your faces was written the answer “no,” and on some was written the answer “yes.” His was a “yes’ face.” A good attitude has a ‘yes’ face. Try to remember that today!
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