Courageous Action Leads to Victory

Lessons can be learned from reading or through experiences of the past. In yesterday’s post Taking on Issues in Life Head On, we pointed out in reading Genesis 20 that Abimelech went right after a problem to solve it. He confronted the issue, asked questions to understand, and took the necessary steps to solve it.

During challenges in life, we can gain inspiration from remembering the suffering of Christ on the cross and how this courageous act led to victory. Here’s a video to inspire us today: Embrace the Cross- Steve Green.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. - Galatians 2:20

Index of devotionals

Standing Up to Fear

The early Christian church faced persecution but Christ’s description of himself as the ONE who is the First (with God from the beginning) and the Last (the judge of all); who died and came to life again (Rev. 2:8) brought a reason to stand up to their fear. He gave them hope and comfort in serving a higher purpose than themselves. They were not shaken; just like this video points out: We won’t Be Shaken – Building 429.

Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you that hope in the LORD. – Psalms 31:24

For an inspirational start to each day, join the journey at: This Day with God Devotional.

Lift the Cross High

In the previous post along the journey, I wrote about the lessons to be learned in life and from God’s Word but the riddle of life can’t be solved by reason alone. It’s solved by the cross so lift it high because it is our trophy for the victory. The war is over and the love of God through Christ has won. May this video give a lift for your day: White Flag – Chris Tomlin.

Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong. – Job 6:24

The Results of Unity

In Psalm 133-134, unity is described like oil that is poured over the head because its influence spreads. God wants unity but Satan works to make sure it doesn’t exist. In verse 3 of Psalm 133, unity is described as dew. Where rainfall is not plentiful, dew can provide the moisture needed. It makes up the difference little by little but persistently and cumulatively produces the moisture that rain would otherwise provide. It also softens the ground similar to softening a heart to receive the good seed of the Word.

 Photo Credit – vionnaswatching.wordpress.com

Unity has the same effect on Christianity. Its influence spreads over the body with attitudes of kindness, love, goodness, and faithfulness. The members of the body receive what is needed for growth and yield. I remember just getting out of college and moving to Waco Texas. I began attending a Singles Sunday school class and Bible study; meeting many friends during that time who I continue to stay in touch with. Also, there were several marriages that occurred from that group since it was a great place to meet Christians from the opposite sex.  

Christians that stand together become strong enough to cause the enemy to have second thoughts. If you try to break one stick, it’s easy but three or four sticks together are hard to break. The same principle works in suspension bridges as one strand of wire is easy to break but many stranded together form a cable that is strong enough to support a bridge.

In this reading, the psalmist desires that people work together to glorify the Lord. As a community of faith bloggers, it’s neat to see us all working together to provide food for the soul. When someone comes to me with questions about life and about God, one of you may be a better fit than me to help that person understand. I can always give them the link to your blog to help them understand. It’s good to know I don’t have to do it alone and there is a team working together to bring others to Christ.

For growing in unity, there is an on-line devotional being used to keep me on track. I invite you to join the journey or check in from time to time. You can like or follow at any of the links below and be notified of new posts:

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This Day with God Devotional

Abundant Life with a Bright Outlook

Each day during the week, I write a post at this link. The mission of this blog is to demonstrate an instrument for Bible study that uses technology to develop a better way to study the Bible by integrating the principles or core values God gives into our daily life at work and at home. One core value God gives that I think is important is to take care of our physical and mental body.

To continue with the benefits of good physical and mental health, we need to understand that happiness is short term but joy last forever. People get excited about snow in central Texas and when it happens, they build a snow man. But it melts the next day. With God’s word, you build something inside which last forever and can never melt away. Some ways to brighten or warm up your day is to seek the truth of His Word, experience the joy Christ gives, and be aware of the wonder in Creation. These are the true treasures.

Being able to adapt to circumstances, having self-control, and just being a good person are the best prescription for a sound mind and body. The trials we face in this world are not easy but we can believe that our reward is with Christ.

God placed extreme value on us, created us in His image, and crowned us with tremendous honor when He sent His Son to die for us. Because of what He has done for us, we need to give ourselves a chance to be happy. With Christ, we have a chance for abundant life today that only gets better in the long term with daily transformation; growing in grace and a future beyond our wildest imagination.

Take Care of God’s Temple and Honor Him

Take care of yourself because you are God’s temple; a holy place for the Spirit. Honor God with regular exercise, healthy eating, and good sleeping habits. Don’t misuse your body by smoking, drinking, overeating, or being promiscuous. Find your true love and demonstrate devotion. Clear your path to life with enthusiasm, passion, and peace of mind.

A physical workout builds physical muscle and in a similar way we can build muscles of faith by studying God’s Word, prayer, and by listening for direction from the Holy Spirit. If we plant seeds of Christ’s core values into a fertile soul and water with the Spirit, the result is abundant growth. 

Next weekend, I’ll continue with the core value of physical and mental health.

Workers Deserve a Holiday

What is “Labor Day”? It’s a federal holiday in the United States observed on the first Monday in September to celebrate the economic and social contribution of workers. Workers deserve a holiday. Think of the issues faced at work; people issues, personality issues, change issues, and technology issues. The people that work for any organization are very important and valuable for its success. 

This past week, Texas Farm Bureau Insurance recognized this value in giving employees a free lunch and a fifty dollar gift certificate in appreciation for winning the J.D. Power “Highest Customer Satisfaction Among Auto Insurers in the Central Region”. We had the highest score in the central region and second highest score among all Auto Insurance companies in the United States.   

Another way the company I work for has demonstrated the value it places in its employees is to set up a state of the art physical health workout facility at the state office headquarters. The better people feel, the better they can serve their customers. Some companies realize the tremendous benefits of their employee’s health so like Texas Farm Bureau Insurance, they’ve set up workout areas at the business and allow their employees to increase their physical health on company time. 

Studies have also been made to show that faith has a positive effect on physical and mental health. Real faith is not just something you say or believe; it’s something you do. The athlete gains stamina and strength with exercise, the Christian gains faith by reading the bible and applying this to help others. To develop the "Just do it" attitude, we need self discipline. Keep in mind that the bible tells us that our bodies are the dwelling for the Holy Spirit so this should motivate us to have good habits that maintain our bodies. Also, through prayer we can receive directions and develop plans to be more self disciplined.

The mission of another blog of mine at this Link is to demonstrate an instrument for Bible study that uses technology to develop a better way to study the Bible by integrating the principles or core values God gives into our daily lives at work and at home. The Bible teaches how to recharge our batteries. It is up to us to listen and receive the Spirit. Be excited about the future and live each day to the fullest. Today is the first day of the rest of our life. We should learn from the past but not dwell on the mistakes of the past. We should determine what we are enthusiastic about and what inspires us. It may be things like music, friends, Christmas, church, books, movies, travel, eating out, romance, gardening, painting, or sports. 

In the old testament of the bible, the temple was burned down. The people put in a lot of hard work and time to rebuild the temple because it was so important. In 1 Co 3:16 Paul says "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's spirit lives in you?" We all need to respect each other as the Temple of God. With this mindset maybe societies would be more self-disciplined. Proper eating habits and exercise would make everyone healthier. Young people would study and learn making the education system much better. Crime would hardly exist. There would be no stopping the economy as companies would flourish. 

Next weekend, I will continue my thoughts on integrating good physical and mental health as a key principle or core value that God gives us to live an amazing life.