Some full-time parents say, "I don't work." What a negative confession!
Nonprofit work is just as valuable as work for profit. Imagine if Mohandas Gandhi said, "I don't work," because he was an activist of love and non-violence in the quest for India's independence from Britain and to remain a united country.
If one person is ashamed and out of order, it affects others negatively. If Gandhi became ashamed and out of order and decided to leave activism to join a British, corporate law firm, then perhaps while he was making himself rich the quest for India's independence might not have been victorious on 8/15/1947, more partition might have occurred and because India was smaller she might not be the world's largest democracy today.
Before God created the earth, God planned for Gandhi to do what he did. Gandhi, the unashamed activist, inspired other activists like Martin Luther King Jr. If Gandhi didn't show that love and nonviolence could be effective against evil, then perhaps King wouldn't have used it, and African Americans today would still be mostly the poorest of the poor having to go to Colored Only places.
Confusion of purpose is from Satan. People sometimes become confused because of the love of money. 1 Timothy 6:10 Amplified Bible says, "For the love of money is a root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have been led astray and have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves through with many acute [mental] pangs."
Money is not evil. The love of money is evil. Money is a tool for ministry and other things. God gave some passion and purpose to make money, so that they have the means to do good by giving away much for the betterment of people and keeping more than enough for an enjoyable, excellent life for self and family. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 Amplified Bible says, "As for the rich in this world, charge them not to be proud and arrogant and contemptuous of others, nor to set their hopes on uncertain riches, but on God, Who richly and ceaselessly provides us with everything for [our] enjoyment. [Charge them] to do good, to be rich in good works, to be liberal and generous of heart, ready to share [with others], In this way laying up for themselves [the riches that endure forever as] a good foundation for the future, so that they may grasp that which is life indeed."
Your office hours aren't 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.? If you are in the place God planned for you, celebrate. God designed the body of believers to be diverse. While we have the same head, Jesus Christ, everyone is not the same. It pleases God to make people African, European, Asian, Hispanic, male, female, working all different kinds of assignments at all different kinds of hours and with different abilities. 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 New Living Translation Bible says, "The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part."
Take pleasure in your place. Cooperate with God to stop those who try to knock you out of it.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Writing Kindness, Goodness and Gentleness on Souls
Rafael, my son, and I entered an Hispanic restaurant on Monday designed like we were walking into the ocean. Blue "water" engulfed our senses. Chandeliers of bubbles cascaded from the ceiling.
Bubbles are beautiful, and they burst easily. God created our feelings. Our feelings are sometimes as fragile as bubbles. Kindness helps to protect them and bring out their beauty. Kindness complements feelings. Kindness is not a feeling, but a behavior that God living on the inside of His believers gives us the choice and ability to do. Galatians 5:22-23 Amplified Bible says, "But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge]."
Kindness may require us to go out of our way to show someone we really care about them after we did something contradictory to kindness. Cindy Beall is married to pastor, Chris Beall, who came home one day and confessed to numerous affairs with numerous people from numerous places. One woman was carrying his child. Cindy Beall writes in her book, Healing Your Marriage When Trust Is Broken Finding Forgiveness and Restoration, "From the moment of Chris' confession, his goal has been to restore my trust in him. Even when I doubt and question him, he does not get defensive or have a "get over it" attitude. He knows his actions caused me indescribable pain, and he accepts the responsibility as his own. He will do anything to help me feel secure in our marriage. He has laid down his life for me."
Kindness seeks to understand people and how we are influencing each other. A lot of arguments and conflicts among spouses, family, friends and others are really about people not feeling valued or respected and not so much about the issues being argued about. Read my article "Tie Me Up?"
Water fills the ocean. God desires to fill our life. When God fills our life, our life is full of goodness. Goodness used to be a euphemism for God. Dr. Albert Schweizer, a Christian missionary, who left Switzerland to go to the Congo in Africa and take care of lepers, inspired African American Patricia Bath. Bath became a doctor herself and earned fours patents. Bath also pioneered the worldwide discipline of "community ophthalmology," a volunteer-based program to bring eye care to underserved populations. With three other doctor friends Bath founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness (AIPB) to help blind people in third-world countries have access to eye care.
Goodness does not view and treat people as problems. Goodness steadfastly seeks to overcome obstacles hindering people from living the best possible life. Romans 12:21 Amplified Bible says, "Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome (master) evil with good."
You may not be called to be a doctor, a missionary or to start a nonprofit group, but you are called to bring goodness to family, friends and all your relationships. Read my article "7 Ingredients for Intimate Relationships."
Goodness and gentleness swim together in the same ocean. Gentleness embraces people instead of acting on attitudes like, "I don't like you. You don't measure up to my expectations of how someone should behave, so I'm going to try to harm you." On Tuesday of this week a restaurant manager, not at the ocean-decorated restaurant, told me that Rafael was disturbing his patrons. Rafael, a 19-year-old man, went to the restroom on his own and came back to sit at our table three times because somebody was probably using the one-toilet-only male bathroom. I asked the manager was Rafael harming anyone. The manager said no, but his presence was disturbing paying patrons because he would pace some instead of stand still waiting while the other person was in the bathroom. I explained that Rafael has autism. The manager said he could see that he had a disability. Since the manager could also see that I was refusing to give him an inappropriate apology, he paid for our meal.
Conflict is inevitable. Swimming with gentleness is a witness to everyone of God/goodness living on the inside. Robert Mark Alter, a psychotherapist, writes in his book, Good Husband, Great Marriage Finding the Good Husband...in the Man You Married A Relationship Revolution, "One couple I was seeing told me that every time they started to bicker or argue, their seven-year-old son, Sam, would start to sing very loudly and beat the sides of his head with his fists, and their four-year-old, Krissy, would say, "Please no fight...please no fight...please no fight..." with tears running down her cheeks. When you have children, every way you are is being watched, everything you do gets seen, every word you speak gets heard, everything that happens in your family gets written in their soul."
Please leave an on-line comment sharing how you are writing kindness, goodness and gentleness on souls, or to say, "I like this article." Please also contact me at my email address michefrancesjackson@gmail.com to join my relationship group.
Bubbles are beautiful, and they burst easily. God created our feelings. Our feelings are sometimes as fragile as bubbles. Kindness helps to protect them and bring out their beauty. Kindness complements feelings. Kindness is not a feeling, but a behavior that God living on the inside of His believers gives us the choice and ability to do. Galatians 5:22-23 Amplified Bible says, "But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge]."
Kindness may require us to go out of our way to show someone we really care about them after we did something contradictory to kindness. Cindy Beall is married to pastor, Chris Beall, who came home one day and confessed to numerous affairs with numerous people from numerous places. One woman was carrying his child. Cindy Beall writes in her book, Healing Your Marriage When Trust Is Broken Finding Forgiveness and Restoration, "From the moment of Chris' confession, his goal has been to restore my trust in him. Even when I doubt and question him, he does not get defensive or have a "get over it" attitude. He knows his actions caused me indescribable pain, and he accepts the responsibility as his own. He will do anything to help me feel secure in our marriage. He has laid down his life for me."
Kindness seeks to understand people and how we are influencing each other. A lot of arguments and conflicts among spouses, family, friends and others are really about people not feeling valued or respected and not so much about the issues being argued about. Read my article "Tie Me Up?"
Water fills the ocean. God desires to fill our life. When God fills our life, our life is full of goodness. Goodness used to be a euphemism for God. Dr. Albert Schweizer, a Christian missionary, who left Switzerland to go to the Congo in Africa and take care of lepers, inspired African American Patricia Bath. Bath became a doctor herself and earned fours patents. Bath also pioneered the worldwide discipline of "community ophthalmology," a volunteer-based program to bring eye care to underserved populations. With three other doctor friends Bath founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness (AIPB) to help blind people in third-world countries have access to eye care.
Goodness does not view and treat people as problems. Goodness steadfastly seeks to overcome obstacles hindering people from living the best possible life. Romans 12:21 Amplified Bible says, "Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome (master) evil with good."
You may not be called to be a doctor, a missionary or to start a nonprofit group, but you are called to bring goodness to family, friends and all your relationships. Read my article "7 Ingredients for Intimate Relationships."
Goodness and gentleness swim together in the same ocean. Gentleness embraces people instead of acting on attitudes like, "I don't like you. You don't measure up to my expectations of how someone should behave, so I'm going to try to harm you." On Tuesday of this week a restaurant manager, not at the ocean-decorated restaurant, told me that Rafael was disturbing his patrons. Rafael, a 19-year-old man, went to the restroom on his own and came back to sit at our table three times because somebody was probably using the one-toilet-only male bathroom. I asked the manager was Rafael harming anyone. The manager said no, but his presence was disturbing paying patrons because he would pace some instead of stand still waiting while the other person was in the bathroom. I explained that Rafael has autism. The manager said he could see that he had a disability. Since the manager could also see that I was refusing to give him an inappropriate apology, he paid for our meal.
Conflict is inevitable. Swimming with gentleness is a witness to everyone of God/goodness living on the inside. Robert Mark Alter, a psychotherapist, writes in his book, Good Husband, Great Marriage Finding the Good Husband...in the Man You Married A Relationship Revolution, "One couple I was seeing told me that every time they started to bicker or argue, their seven-year-old son, Sam, would start to sing very loudly and beat the sides of his head with his fists, and their four-year-old, Krissy, would say, "Please no fight...please no fight...please no fight..." with tears running down her cheeks. When you have children, every way you are is being watched, everything you do gets seen, every word you speak gets heard, everything that happens in your family gets written in their soul."
Please leave an on-line comment sharing how you are writing kindness, goodness and gentleness on souls, or to say, "I like this article." Please also contact me at my email address michefrancesjackson@gmail.com to join my relationship group.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Connecting Relationships and Faith
Rafael, my son, and I last week enjoyed viewing endless white, yellow sunlight baby blue sky laced with clouds in an Indian restaurant sitting next to a floor-reaching-to-the-ceiling window. Rafael was happy to allow me to sample his lamb kebab while I enjoyed my Bombay salmon. Then he discovered the magnificence of the lamb kebab for himself along with cardamon tea with milk which he had a second serving of to accompany his rice pudding dessert. As we ate God the Holy Ghost was inspiring me through the book of Galatians about connecting relationships and faith.
Principles for Biblical living are nourished in a relationship with God who empowers us to share Him and His ways with others. Following the rules without a growing relationship with God is a recipe for disappointment and even disaster. Galatians 3:2-4, 11-12 the Message Bible says, "Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God's Message to you? Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren't smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? Did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss, but it certainly will be if you keep this up! . . . . The obvious impossibility of carrying out such a moral program should make it plain that no one can sustain a relationship with God that way. The person who lives in right relationship with God does it by embracing what God arranges for him. Doing things for God is the opposite of entering into what God does for you. Habakkuk had it right: "The person who believes God, is set right by God—and that's the real life." Rule-keeping does not naturally evolve into living by faith, but only perpetuates itself in more and more rule-keeping, a fact observed in Scripture: "The one who does these things [rule-keeping] continues to live by them."
God in us comes out in faith that is connected to good relationships. This faith has at least four characteristics.
1. Faith Motivated and Energized by Love.
Everyone has faith. Our beliefs show up in our behavior. For faith consistently motivated by love, we must get it from God. African American Gospel singer William McDowell sings in his song, "I Give Myself Away," "Take my heart, take my life as a living sacrifice. All my dreams, all my plans, Lord, I place them in your hands. I give myself away . . . so you can use me."
Galatians 5:6 Amplified Bible talks about what God does through us when we receive Him that connects our faith and relationships, "For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love."
2. Be an asset.
Properly connecting faith to relationships means we cooperate with God to avoid becoming consumed with our nuclear family to the exclusion of others.
Indira Gandhi became prime minister of India in 1966 after the death of her father, Jawaharlal Nehru. She began a mandatory program to sterilize the intellectually disabled and large populations of villagers resulting in more than seven million vasectomies. Many people in multiple countries are afraid of the fertility of the intellectually disabled and the poor because they want to limit being an asset to certain people.
Most people desire to live the best possible life connected to people in positive relationships. Malini Chib has cerebral palsy, is an author and is chairperson of Able Disable All People Together (ADAPT) whose headquarters are in Mumbai, India. Chib told Femina magazine regarding sex and the disabled, "We are treated as asexuals. I have had instances when I was told to hush up, as if it's an aberration to open up on the topic (of sex). We want society to be aware that we do have our yearnings."
God created us all with sexuality. Genesis 1:27 New Living Translation Bible says, "So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."
Marriage is one way our sexuality is expressed. Sexual love doesn't have to end when we reach a certain age. Jack, a character in the romantic comedy Don Juan DeMarco, says to Marilyn, his wife of more than 30 years, "You have very, very beautiful eyes." Marilyn comments, "Come on. You know I have to go upstairs, and um I'm going to take my calcium so my bones don't break into little pieces, my aspirin so my heart doesn't clog up, my Metamucil so I don't get colon cancer, and of course my estrogen to convince my body that I'm still 23." Jack responds, "Come here." They kiss, and marital, senior sex ensues.
3. Individuality.
God designed a unique life, faith and relationships for all of us that requires examination. Self-examination is not to nurture self-pity, superiority, guilt, envy or other negativity, but for improvement in our relationships with God, self and others. Galatians 6:4 Amplified Bible says, "But let every person carefully scrutinize and examine and test his own conduct and his own work. He can then have the personal satisfaction and joy of doing something commendable [in itself alone] without [resorting to] boastful comparison with his neighbor."
Some will question our life, faith and relationships, and try to make us fit their ideas for us. "You're a 40-year-old virgin. What's wrong with you?" "You've been divorced three times. What's wrong with you?" You have never been married and have five children by different partners. What's wrong with you?" You're a married couple. Why aren't you like the married couple with both spouses working full-time, co-parenting four children and participating in a home study to adopt a fifth? What's wrong with you?" Answer, "I'm incredible and improving. I don't have to be you or who you want me to be. My sins and my successes are in God's hands. I'm cooperating with God to be everything He designed me to be."
4. Equality.
God designed the wonder of sexuality to be expressed within beautiful, loving, Biblical boundaries. Galatians 6:8 Amplified Bible says, "For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality) will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." Some families take pride in and train their sons to have sex outside of marriage. He's considered a man if he has multiple lovers. However, their daughters are whores if they do likewise. The sexual double standard is from the devil. Follow God's program to train both men and women to save sexual acts for marriage while celebrating single sexuality and marital sexuality.
God uses male and female to create new life. New life is designed to be nurtured by both male and female. Yet most of our culture places the responsibility for parenting on the mother. Often when parenting is discussed what is really meant is motherhood. Many children are robbed of a relationship with dad or receive an incomplete relationship. Dads are designed to be in the circle of intimacy connecting with their children spiritually and emotionally. Dads can be true friends with their children. Read my article "How to Catch and Keep Friends" for more.
When the Apostle Paul was writing to the churches in Galatia, some Christians had become religious renegades embracing following rules without loving relationships made possible by a life given over to God and lived through Him. What is the biggest and/or most frequent obstacle you experience in connecting relationships with your faith? You can leave an online comment and/or join my relationship group by contacting me at michefrancesjackson@gmail.com.
Principles for Biblical living are nourished in a relationship with God who empowers us to share Him and His ways with others. Following the rules without a growing relationship with God is a recipe for disappointment and even disaster. Galatians 3:2-4, 11-12 the Message Bible says, "Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God's Message to you? Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren't smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? Did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss, but it certainly will be if you keep this up! . . . . The obvious impossibility of carrying out such a moral program should make it plain that no one can sustain a relationship with God that way. The person who lives in right relationship with God does it by embracing what God arranges for him. Doing things for God is the opposite of entering into what God does for you. Habakkuk had it right: "The person who believes God, is set right by God—and that's the real life." Rule-keeping does not naturally evolve into living by faith, but only perpetuates itself in more and more rule-keeping, a fact observed in Scripture: "The one who does these things [rule-keeping] continues to live by them."
God in us comes out in faith that is connected to good relationships. This faith has at least four characteristics.
1. Faith Motivated and Energized by Love.
Everyone has faith. Our beliefs show up in our behavior. For faith consistently motivated by love, we must get it from God. African American Gospel singer William McDowell sings in his song, "I Give Myself Away," "Take my heart, take my life as a living sacrifice. All my dreams, all my plans, Lord, I place them in your hands. I give myself away . . . so you can use me."
Galatians 5:6 Amplified Bible talks about what God does through us when we receive Him that connects our faith and relationships, "For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love."
2. Be an asset.
Properly connecting faith to relationships means we cooperate with God to avoid becoming consumed with our nuclear family to the exclusion of others.
Indira Gandhi became prime minister of India in 1966 after the death of her father, Jawaharlal Nehru. She began a mandatory program to sterilize the intellectually disabled and large populations of villagers resulting in more than seven million vasectomies. Many people in multiple countries are afraid of the fertility of the intellectually disabled and the poor because they want to limit being an asset to certain people.
Most people desire to live the best possible life connected to people in positive relationships. Malini Chib has cerebral palsy, is an author and is chairperson of Able Disable All People Together (ADAPT) whose headquarters are in Mumbai, India. Chib told Femina magazine regarding sex and the disabled, "We are treated as asexuals. I have had instances when I was told to hush up, as if it's an aberration to open up on the topic (of sex). We want society to be aware that we do have our yearnings."
God created us all with sexuality. Genesis 1:27 New Living Translation Bible says, "So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."
Marriage is one way our sexuality is expressed. Sexual love doesn't have to end when we reach a certain age. Jack, a character in the romantic comedy Don Juan DeMarco, says to Marilyn, his wife of more than 30 years, "You have very, very beautiful eyes." Marilyn comments, "Come on. You know I have to go upstairs, and um I'm going to take my calcium so my bones don't break into little pieces, my aspirin so my heart doesn't clog up, my Metamucil so I don't get colon cancer, and of course my estrogen to convince my body that I'm still 23." Jack responds, "Come here." They kiss, and marital, senior sex ensues.
3. Individuality.
God designed a unique life, faith and relationships for all of us that requires examination. Self-examination is not to nurture self-pity, superiority, guilt, envy or other negativity, but for improvement in our relationships with God, self and others. Galatians 6:4 Amplified Bible says, "But let every person carefully scrutinize and examine and test his own conduct and his own work. He can then have the personal satisfaction and joy of doing something commendable [in itself alone] without [resorting to] boastful comparison with his neighbor."
Some will question our life, faith and relationships, and try to make us fit their ideas for us. "You're a 40-year-old virgin. What's wrong with you?" "You've been divorced three times. What's wrong with you?" You have never been married and have five children by different partners. What's wrong with you?" You're a married couple. Why aren't you like the married couple with both spouses working full-time, co-parenting four children and participating in a home study to adopt a fifth? What's wrong with you?" Answer, "I'm incredible and improving. I don't have to be you or who you want me to be. My sins and my successes are in God's hands. I'm cooperating with God to be everything He designed me to be."
4. Equality.
God designed the wonder of sexuality to be expressed within beautiful, loving, Biblical boundaries. Galatians 6:8 Amplified Bible says, "For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality) will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." Some families take pride in and train their sons to have sex outside of marriage. He's considered a man if he has multiple lovers. However, their daughters are whores if they do likewise. The sexual double standard is from the devil. Follow God's program to train both men and women to save sexual acts for marriage while celebrating single sexuality and marital sexuality.
God uses male and female to create new life. New life is designed to be nurtured by both male and female. Yet most of our culture places the responsibility for parenting on the mother. Often when parenting is discussed what is really meant is motherhood. Many children are robbed of a relationship with dad or receive an incomplete relationship. Dads are designed to be in the circle of intimacy connecting with their children spiritually and emotionally. Dads can be true friends with their children. Read my article "How to Catch and Keep Friends" for more.
When the Apostle Paul was writing to the churches in Galatia, some Christians had become religious renegades embracing following rules without loving relationships made possible by a life given over to God and lived through Him. What is the biggest and/or most frequent obstacle you experience in connecting relationships with your faith? You can leave an online comment and/or join my relationship group by contacting me at michefrancesjackson@gmail.com.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
10 Benefits Friends Shouldn't Leave Home Without
Leaving home without a relationship with God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ and God the Holy Ghost is a now and eternal loss. God lavishes many benefits on His friends that are designed to be passed on lavishly and habitually to others. 2 Corinthians 6:6-7 Amplified Bible describes ten God-given benefits: "By innocence and purity, knowledge and spiritual insight, longsuffering and patience, kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in unfeigned love; By [speaking] the word of truth, in the power of God, with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand [to attack] and for the left hand [to defend]."
God's good friends relate a lot with God. Being filled with God, they have a lot of benefits to share with others.
A person who washed in water and soap once a year would stink enormously. Likewise if we only talk with God and do what He says only once a year, once a month or once a week, we stink spiritually. Stinking spiritually means that we are full of things like envy, self-centeredness, greed, sin etc. that disconnects relationships.
True friends want to stay connected. They bathe often to maintain the beauty of being innocent, free from the sins that disconnect. When we really want to know God and people, we can talk to God like African-American, Gospel singer Earnest Pugh does in his song, "Rain On Us," "Shower down. Shower down. Shower down. Send your Spirit, Lord. Rain. Rain on us." We need the deluxe wash of God on the inside to make us innocent, free from those things things that disconnect us from God and people.
A stinky unwashed or infrequently washed spirit corrupts self and other people and makes it difficult to maintain and grow friendships of the same sex, opposite sex, various races and in the circles of intimacy, friendship, participation and exchange. See my article "How to Catch and Keep Friends" for more discussion on the different types of relationships.
How are you? Having been purified by God believers can answer with a customized version of, "Incredible and improving."
When God introduced us to Himself and we received Him, God began a continual purification process in us. No sickness nor struggle in our life need spoil us. God is able to purify the poisonous giving us and others a good life today and for eternity. It does not matter if the sickness or struggle is little or large, spiritual, intellectual, emotional and/or physical. African American, Gospel singer DeWayne Woods was divinely purified from HIV. Woods sings in his song "God Still Heals," "I'm alive today to testify that God still heals."
When God purifies us, He connects us with more people. God has given Woods a platform to connect people with Jesus Christ and draw others closer to Him. The Apostle Paul cultivated multiple friends of a wide variety. Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 11:1 New Living Translation Bible, "And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ."
In ancient Jewish wisdom water is a metaphor for knowledge. The facts of life can be found in the Word of God. Joshua 1:8 Amplified Bible says, "This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success."
John Tillotson, a Christian leader of the 1600s, said, “Ignorance and inconsideration are the two great causes of the ruin of mankind.” Avoid ruin. Acquire the facts of life.
A fundamental fact of life is success is not possible without good relationships. God the Son Jesus Christ says in John 13:34-35 New Living Translation Bible, "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
The facts of life cannot be acquired quickly. Learning how to live better with people is a life-time study. Participate in individual study of the Word of God and group study along with seminars, CDs, DVDs, classes and other ways to learn as much as you can about what God has to say. We cannot do good if we don't know it. Contact me at my email address michefrancesjackson@gmail.com to participate in my Thursday relationship group.
Spiritual insight is being inspired and empowered by God to understand and to do what He says to do. Every quality of God is interconnected. We cannot work one aspect of the Word of God to the exclusion of other aspects. If we just focus on one thing, then we get out of balance. The devil loves out of balance people. 1 Peter 5:8 Amplified Bible says, "Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour."
When God first introduces Himself to us, He comes to live inside us, but He does not do away with our sin nature. We cooperate with God to allow Him to control and manifest greater parts of Himself through us connecting others to God and ourselves while also overcoming external obstacles.
Chinese Christian author, speaker and church leader Watchman Nee suffered sickness, poverty, church conflicts and imprisonment until death to celebrate Christ inside him and to share Christ with others. Nee had a chance to stay out of Communist China, but he didn't take it and said about his decision, “If a mother discovered that her house was on fire, and she herself was outside the house doing the laundry, what would she do? Although she realized the danger, would she not rush into the house? Although I know that my return is fraught with dangers, I know that many brothers and sisters are still inside. How can I not return?”
Just because we were impatient in the past doesn't mean that in the future we will not be calm and steady through temptation and God gaining greater control of us. If we are chasing God, celebrate where we are while seeking to go further.
Paula White, senior pastor of Without Walls International Church in Florida, writes in her book Simple Suggestions for A Sensational Life, "Too many people today are predicting their end based on their beginnings. In life the most important thing is not where you start, but where you finish. I am so thankful that God can interrupt a person's life and change the destiny of that person for His good. God does not use your past to determine your future. . . so why should you?"
A mother wanted her daughter to wear some other color than white for her bridal gown because her daughter got pregnant out of wedlock and was marrying someone other than her baby's father. The daughter is a Christian, asked God for forgiveness, ceased having sex outside of marriage and is growing spiritually. White is a perfectly appropriate color for her bridal gown. When God forgives, we have no reason to hang onto the past and every reason to move forward at His pace in His pleasant manner.
Kindness searches and seeks to remove those areas where we are cheating people. In the dissolution of marriages and other romantic relationships, some times one partner will fail to pursue copious visitation with their children. In doing so they are communicating to their children that they don't want them. God created us to receive and to give love. Mother Teresa said, "There is much suffering in the world--physical, material, mental. The suffering of some can be blamed on the greed of others. The material and physical suffering is suffering from hunger, from homelessness, from all kinds of diseases. But the greatest suffering is being lonely, feeling unloved, having no one. I have come more and more to realize that it is being unwanted that is the worst disease that any human being can ever experience."
While we all need some time alone, much time is designed to be spent in relationship with other people. Open your heart especially to God and family.
Any old love won't do. We don't naturally know how to love. God has to teach us. 1 John 4:7, 19 New Living Translation Bible says, "Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. . . . We love each other because he loved us first."
The love of God inside believers is enthusiastic, extravagant, enlightened and designed to be given out in the same measure.
Are we honest, above suspicion in all things? David writes in Psalm 26:2 Amplified Bible, "Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; test my heart and my mind." That's a good, regular conversation to have with God. Sometimes the things we do seem innocent to us, but not to others.
A stash of condoms in your car glove compartment might be prep for passionate participation in the delightful, God-designed gift of martial lovemaking. However, if it's not typical of your temperament or explained behavior, what might a spouse stumbling upon this think?
A relationship with God overflows into seeking to be a magnet God uses to draw people to Him. People aren't perfect but premium believers are always cooperating with God to prune off the corrupt and push out God's goodness.
We cannot do anything to separate ourselves from the love of God. Having received such good love why not seek to draw closer to God? Examine our behavior to see if it would pass the test of, "Would this please God?" Proverbs 12:28 Amplified Bible says, "Life is in the way of righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation), and in its pathway there is no death but immortality (perpetual, eternal life)."
Relationships are always changing us. Choose spouses and friends well. A Russian proverb says, "Tell me who's your friend and I'll tell you who you are."
Please leave an on-line comment sharing the way God has benefited you with innocence, purity, knowledge, spiritual insight, longsuffering, patience, kindness, unfeigned love, truth and righteousness.
God's good friends relate a lot with God. Being filled with God, they have a lot of benefits to share with others.
1. Innocence.
A person who washed in water and soap once a year would stink enormously. Likewise if we only talk with God and do what He says only once a year, once a month or once a week, we stink spiritually. Stinking spiritually means that we are full of things like envy, self-centeredness, greed, sin etc. that disconnects relationships.
True friends want to stay connected. They bathe often to maintain the beauty of being innocent, free from the sins that disconnect. When we really want to know God and people, we can talk to God like African-American, Gospel singer Earnest Pugh does in his song, "Rain On Us," "Shower down. Shower down. Shower down. Send your Spirit, Lord. Rain. Rain on us." We need the deluxe wash of God on the inside to make us innocent, free from those things things that disconnect us from God and people.
A stinky unwashed or infrequently washed spirit corrupts self and other people and makes it difficult to maintain and grow friendships of the same sex, opposite sex, various races and in the circles of intimacy, friendship, participation and exchange. See my article "How to Catch and Keep Friends" for more discussion on the different types of relationships.
2. Purity.
How are you? Having been purified by God believers can answer with a customized version of, "Incredible and improving."
When God introduced us to Himself and we received Him, God began a continual purification process in us. No sickness nor struggle in our life need spoil us. God is able to purify the poisonous giving us and others a good life today and for eternity. It does not matter if the sickness or struggle is little or large, spiritual, intellectual, emotional and/or physical. African American, Gospel singer DeWayne Woods was divinely purified from HIV. Woods sings in his song "God Still Heals," "I'm alive today to testify that God still heals."
When God purifies us, He connects us with more people. God has given Woods a platform to connect people with Jesus Christ and draw others closer to Him. The Apostle Paul cultivated multiple friends of a wide variety. Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 11:1 New Living Translation Bible, "And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ."
3. Knowledge.
In ancient Jewish wisdom water is a metaphor for knowledge. The facts of life can be found in the Word of God. Joshua 1:8 Amplified Bible says, "This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success."
John Tillotson, a Christian leader of the 1600s, said, “Ignorance and inconsideration are the two great causes of the ruin of mankind.” Avoid ruin. Acquire the facts of life.
A fundamental fact of life is success is not possible without good relationships. God the Son Jesus Christ says in John 13:34-35 New Living Translation Bible, "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
The facts of life cannot be acquired quickly. Learning how to live better with people is a life-time study. Participate in individual study of the Word of God and group study along with seminars, CDs, DVDs, classes and other ways to learn as much as you can about what God has to say. We cannot do good if we don't know it. Contact me at my email address michefrancesjackson@gmail.com to participate in my Thursday relationship group.
4. Spiritual Insight.
Spiritual insight is being inspired and empowered by God to understand and to do what He says to do. Every quality of God is interconnected. We cannot work one aspect of the Word of God to the exclusion of other aspects. If we just focus on one thing, then we get out of balance. The devil loves out of balance people. 1 Peter 5:8 Amplified Bible says, "Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour."
5. Longsuffering.
When God first introduces Himself to us, He comes to live inside us, but He does not do away with our sin nature. We cooperate with God to allow Him to control and manifest greater parts of Himself through us connecting others to God and ourselves while also overcoming external obstacles.
Chinese Christian author, speaker and church leader Watchman Nee suffered sickness, poverty, church conflicts and imprisonment until death to celebrate Christ inside him and to share Christ with others. Nee had a chance to stay out of Communist China, but he didn't take it and said about his decision, “If a mother discovered that her house was on fire, and she herself was outside the house doing the laundry, what would she do? Although she realized the danger, would she not rush into the house? Although I know that my return is fraught with dangers, I know that many brothers and sisters are still inside. How can I not return?”
6. Patience.
Just because we were impatient in the past doesn't mean that in the future we will not be calm and steady through temptation and God gaining greater control of us. If we are chasing God, celebrate where we are while seeking to go further.
Paula White, senior pastor of Without Walls International Church in Florida, writes in her book Simple Suggestions for A Sensational Life, "Too many people today are predicting their end based on their beginnings. In life the most important thing is not where you start, but where you finish. I am so thankful that God can interrupt a person's life and change the destiny of that person for His good. God does not use your past to determine your future. . . so why should you?"
A mother wanted her daughter to wear some other color than white for her bridal gown because her daughter got pregnant out of wedlock and was marrying someone other than her baby's father. The daughter is a Christian, asked God for forgiveness, ceased having sex outside of marriage and is growing spiritually. White is a perfectly appropriate color for her bridal gown. When God forgives, we have no reason to hang onto the past and every reason to move forward at His pace in His pleasant manner.
7. Kindness.
Kindness searches and seeks to remove those areas where we are cheating people. In the dissolution of marriages and other romantic relationships, some times one partner will fail to pursue copious visitation with their children. In doing so they are communicating to their children that they don't want them. God created us to receive and to give love. Mother Teresa said, "There is much suffering in the world--physical, material, mental. The suffering of some can be blamed on the greed of others. The material and physical suffering is suffering from hunger, from homelessness, from all kinds of diseases. But the greatest suffering is being lonely, feeling unloved, having no one. I have come more and more to realize that it is being unwanted that is the worst disease that any human being can ever experience."
While we all need some time alone, much time is designed to be spent in relationship with other people. Open your heart especially to God and family.
8. Unfeigned Love.
Any old love won't do. We don't naturally know how to love. God has to teach us. 1 John 4:7, 19 New Living Translation Bible says, "Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. . . . We love each other because he loved us first."
The love of God inside believers is enthusiastic, extravagant, enlightened and designed to be given out in the same measure.
9. Truth.
Are we honest, above suspicion in all things? David writes in Psalm 26:2 Amplified Bible, "Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; test my heart and my mind." That's a good, regular conversation to have with God. Sometimes the things we do seem innocent to us, but not to others.
A stash of condoms in your car glove compartment might be prep for passionate participation in the delightful, God-designed gift of martial lovemaking. However, if it's not typical of your temperament or explained behavior, what might a spouse stumbling upon this think?
10. Righteousness.
A relationship with God overflows into seeking to be a magnet God uses to draw people to Him. People aren't perfect but premium believers are always cooperating with God to prune off the corrupt and push out God's goodness.
We cannot do anything to separate ourselves from the love of God. Having received such good love why not seek to draw closer to God? Examine our behavior to see if it would pass the test of, "Would this please God?" Proverbs 12:28 Amplified Bible says, "Life is in the way of righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation), and in its pathway there is no death but immortality (perpetual, eternal life)."
Relationships are always changing us. Choose spouses and friends well. A Russian proverb says, "Tell me who's your friend and I'll tell you who you are."
Please leave an on-line comment sharing the way God has benefited you with innocence, purity, knowledge, spiritual insight, longsuffering, patience, kindness, unfeigned love, truth and righteousness.
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