Tuesday, February 27, 2007

BOOMERANGS

For the Scriptures say, "If you want a happy life and good days, keep your tongue from speaking evil, and keep your lips from telling lies. (NLT 1 Peter 3:10)

Being happy is feeling or showing pleasure, contentment, or joy. Feeling it is the result of something, which has happened. This occurs when we are involved with something pleasing. Perhaps it is when we see our children succeeding, or our grandchildren enjoying a new toy, or when our parents are pleased with something, we did.

Showing pleasure however is a decision. We must choose to show happiness. When we do, it is contagious. Just try to be with a number of others laughing at something funny and not laugh. It is like someone yawning; it is catchy.

There is something real about the old adage laughter is the best medicine. I Googled the phrase and discovered a study done by the University of Maryland that found that people with heart disease were 40% less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.

What we decide to say and how we decide to react to day-to-day circumstances affects who we are and how we feel. Think before you delete that joke in your email. Laughing at it may change your day.

As far as speaking evil and telling lies, I like another old adage—what comes around goes around. Our words are like boomerangs, they come back at the most inopportune times.

Smile, God sees it all.

Saturday, February 24, 2007

GOOD OLD DAYS

Some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to interview Jesus. "Why do your disciples disobey our age-old traditions?" they demanded. "They ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat." (NLT Matthew 15:1-2)

Do you know anybody who always talks about the good old days? Hindsight is twenty-twenty. We have all heard that one and we know it is true. The further ahead we get the better we see what we left behind.

Sure, life was different when we were growing up. We had not been through all the trials that got us to where we are right now. It was a simpler life. I for one do not want to go back there. I like cell phones, notebook computers, the Internet, PDAs, movies on demand, microwaves, GPS navigational systems, and all the conveniences we have in the early stages of the twenty-first century.

We want new things without change--a better life without having to give anything up. Everyone wants eternal life. Look how many are using whatever means they can to live longer and longer. It is not just in the movies that people are thinking about cloning themselves as a way to love forever.

True eternity is not a physical thing; it is spiritual. When we become born again, we are born of the Spirit. The next step is to walk in step with Jesus, to take on His nature. As our relationship grows, so do we; change occurs. We must give up the ways of the old traditions to take on the new. No longer do we think how great the good old days were.

Are you ready to give up your age-old traditions?

Monday, February 05, 2007

FILTERS
Those who have been born into God's family do not sin, because God's life is in them. So they can't keep on sinning, because they have been born of God. (NLT 1 John 3:9)

I receive many emails each day and quite a few are spam. To reduce the number of unsolicited emails I use a filter. My email program allows me to set up parameters which, if met drop the unwanted mail into my junk folder. Mail falling into the rules set up in those filters cannot find its way to my inbox.

When we are born again, we are given the chance to start over with a clean slate. All our past sins are not only forgiven, but in God’s eyes, they have never existed. We are truly a new being; truly given a second chance at this life.

Knowing what we know about our past, we must set up our own filters to insure we are not pulled back into an old life. We need to set filters for how we speak, who we hang around, what we are involved in, and whatever else might tempt us back to the old ways. God does not set the filters; we do.

When we do, our lapses into sin will be less and less. We are born of God and cannot keep on sinning because His life is in us--the spirit of Christ is within.

Have you set your filters?