Category Archives: Encouragement

The Life-Guard

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Even Christians can feel overwhelmed and downcast at times. I felt that way as I sulked in the far corner of the swimming pool. There was only one other person in the pool and he and the lifeguard were having quite a chat.

“I could drown right here and you wouldn’t even notice,” I thought. Yes I can swim, that wasn’t the point. I was just miffed that the lifeguard was so engrossed in conversation that he wasn’t paying attention to his job. But that was just my bad attitude rearing its ugly head; I knew in my heart that the lifeguard was doing his job even if it didn’t seem so.

This scripture came to mind:

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. ~Psalm 42:11

It occurred to me that my frustrations ran deeper than a seemingly negligent lifeguard. The real issue was that I felt God himself was not paying attention to my needs. But that was just my carnal mind speaking. I KNOW with certainty that the Lord God is watching out for His children at all times regardless of what my tattered emotions say.

Jesus is not just a lifeguard standing by in case we start to sink, He is always there guarding every part of our lives whether we feel His presence or not. And He is never negligent! The Bible says to cast all our cares upon Him for He cares for us. I asked myself again: Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

I was given a fresh reminder that day; though our Heavenly Father guards our lives, we have a responsibility to guard our thoughts. Rather than letting our downcast emotions rule our thoughts, we must bring them into subjection. How? By praising God!

Never Alone

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God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble ~ Psalm 46:1

Sometimes people just need a reminder that they are not alone. For my friends who are battling breast cancer, or any illness for that matter, I want to remind you that even in your darkest hours, your heavenly Father is walking through this valley with you. And when you stumble beneath the burden, He will scoop you up in His loving arms and carry you.

He will also place caring people in your lives to help you through. I love the pink and blue breast cancer awareness pins. Why? They are such a nice reminder that for every woman who is facing this giant, there are other men and women who lovingly support them and refuse to let them go it alone.

Perhaps you, dear reader, are facing a devastating battle other than cancer. You are not alone in that either, even if is sometimes feels as though you are. I’ve been there on more than one occasion. But they don’t have a lapel pin for that, so I wear my I.D. bracelet instead. You see, my bracelet doesn’t have my name on it –it has my very favorite scripture. I wanted to share this Scripture today because someone needs to hear it:

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
   ~Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

Too Heavenly Minded?

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stairway

Through the years I have heard a few preachers say that we can be “too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good.” Modern translation: Radicals need not apply. When I read my bible, however, I find numerous accounts of “radical” servants of the Most High who turned their worlds upside down with their passion for God and His kingdom.

The first sermons of Jesus recorded in scripture were about the kingdom of Heaven. In fact, everything He taught, every miracle He performed, every body He healed, even His death on the cross, were all about the kingdom of Heaven. Who amongst us would ever think Him to be so heavenly minded as to be of no earthly good? And we are supposed to be imitators of Jesus Christ aren’t we?

No, I don’t think it possible to be too heavenly minded. In regard to God’s instructions, scripture commands that you impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 6:7)
In other words, all the time!

Furthermore, blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. (Psalms 1:2)

Why is he blessed? When a man meditates on God’s word, he acts on God’s word. It is the heavenly minded who does this world the most good –that which lasts for eternity. The more “radical” believers are, the more likely they are to turn this world upside down for the furtherance of God’s kingdom.

So then, can a believer be too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good? Again, I don’t think so. I doubt that is what we should be asking anyway. Perhaps we should be asking the opposite:

Can a person be too earthly minded to be of any heavenly good?

–just a little food for thought.

Smile Awhile

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smile

You’ve probably heard it said that it takes twice as many muscles to frown than it does to smile. That may or may not be true, but one of the muscles used for smiling  is called the levator labii superioris. On the other hand, the muscles used to frown include the depressor labii inferioris. Personally,  I find it amusing that you use the depressor muscle to frown and that it is an inferior(is)  muscle, but that’s just me.

Joy is one of the nine-fold attributes of the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:22-23), and smiling is the natural result of joy. If you can not think of any other reason to smile today, let me give you a very big one. You can say, as did the prophet Isaiah:

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. (61:10):

A smile costs nothing but gives much. It enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty that he cannot get along without it and none is so poor that he cannot be made rich by it. Yet a smile cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away. Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give. ~Author Unknown