The Best Way

For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. – Proverbs 2:6

The post “A Meaningful Life” offers some thoughts and ideas in living a life that brings meaning by letting God direct each step you take. To do the right thing with integrity. To love your neighbor and treat others right. To be disciplined so you have the basic necessities in life. To take advantage of tough times by learning from the experience.

The best way is God’s path. We can enroll in God’s school of wisdom and apply this wisdom in our life. The book of Proverbs is the text book to the course. Here’s a video with these thoughts in mind: The Way - Jeremy Camp.

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Memories for a Lifetime

Rejoice with the wife of your youth … and always be enraptured with her love. - Proverbs 5:18-19

Within the post “His Plan forSex and Love”, written were some thoughts about the institutions of marriage, about relationships, and about building great memories over a lifetime with the ones we love. The memories are some of the most valuable possessions we can have.

There are times of the year that bring back memories. The end of summer when family gathers for Labor Day, the fall and the smell of pecan pie, the winter when the leaves have fallen and you look up into the cold night sky and see more stars than you could ever count. The spring and the memories of kids playing youth sports and the summers going to the water park. You can depend on the seasons … they keep coming … you can count on it, but they never are exactly the same. O, they really don’t change but life and how you see things does.

Unfortunately, relationships can easily be broken and the people that are hurt are the ones we love the most. The song Keep Your Eyes on Me by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill has some good points on building stronger relationships that last. Things like being sensitive to the needs of your spouse and understanding that God’s plan is for us is to use good common sense by putting our attention on the one He joined with us in marriage.

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Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time for family, lots of food, and football games. Our favorite teams don’t always win but being a part of God’s team always brings the final victory.   

All winning teams have a game plan. Let us be thankful that Jesus is God’s plan for us and by accepting Him as Savior; we have taken the steps necessary to make this Thanksgiving Day with Him amazing!

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Prescription to a Clearer Vision

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. - Philippians 4:8

A lie the world tells us is to do things on our own without any help from God. But why exchange the truth of God for this lie that leads to an unhealthy society? Instead, the prescription to a clearer vision is to give attention to our spiritual growth. Think of ways to feed our hearts and minds with positives from God.

Like the song Fix My Eyes by King & Country points out, we can change our course. We can accept the help God gives in Christ and accept the obvious as truth. The ways of the world always change but the character of God never does.

As a society learns how to live God’s way, individuals build up strong character, families support each other, and communities flourish. The post “Changing Course” provides an analysis from Paul about society’s issues, how to sort things out, and offers a prescription to a clearer vision. 

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Truly Important

The night before going to a concert with my daughter, I had a major project due and really didn’t know if I could finish and be able to make it. It was just a matter of putting it into God’s hands. Many years into the future, I will not remember the project but I will remember the concert that I went to with my daughter. Time flies by and this song puts everything in perspective for what is truly important: Cinderella - Steven Curtis Chapman.

Teach us to number our days aright. That we may gain a heart of wisdom. – Psalm 90:12

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Follow the Path to Freedom

In the post The Importance of Honesty and Doing What We Say, I wrote about just one of many examples found in the Bible of how life gets difficult when people are deceptive and get off the path that should be followed in life.

We all want things to go our way but if our way is not God’s way then it leads to places we may not want to go. Deceivers lead themselves and others down a path of rough times.  Living the way Jesus teaches is following the right path; leading to meaningful places and making an impact on lives.

We can be thankful for God’s plan for us. With God there is a freedom ... a freedom that helps us live, give, and love. A freedom that will speak and teach; laying out a clear path that we can follow. Here’s today’s inspirational video: Losing – Tenth Avenue North

Show me Your ways, Lord, teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long. - Psalm 25:4-5

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Commitment to Spiritual Growth

The actions of today can have long-term, far-reaching implications in our living for the future. Below are a few actions we can take that effect our future in a positive way:

·         Be decisive and accept Christ as Savior

·         Stay focused on His ways

·         Write out plans or a road map for spiritual growth

·         Take the steps needed to get to where you want to go

·         Take a look at the roadmap of your journey to measure how you are doing and where you are at

·         Involve others who will hold you accountable and help you maintain integrity

·         Learn from mistakes that get you off track

·         Take corrective action that will get you back on track when needed

·         Make it interesting, fun, and rewarding as you reach the destination

Here is an inspirational video as we seek to be committed to spiritual growth: Lead Me to the Cross – Hillsongs.

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans. - Proverbs 16:3

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Making the Needed Adjustments

History is a great teacher and we must learn from history to help in making the needed adjustments in life. In the account of Jacob getting Isaac’s blessing in Genesis 27, we are given a sad chapter of everyone doing the wrong thing and examples of how the world has become a broken place.

In this account of God’s written Word, each parent had their favorite child. Rebekah convinced her favorite son to trick his father and receive his blessing instead of Esau. The results were disastrous. Rebekah never saw her son again, Jacob’s brother wanted to kill him, Esau became the founder of an enemy nation, and Jacob was exiled from his family for years.

God has provided the path for us to follow but it’s not always followed and the results are disastrous. Our prayer should always be that God searches inside us and clears out what should not be there. Here’s a video to inspire this desire: Search Me Lord - Gaither Vocal Band.

Show me Your ways, Lord, teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long. - Psalm 25:4-5

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In the Presence of the Maker of the Heavens

Abraham wanted to be a father of blessed children and as written about in the post Promises Given, God was with Abraham.  He made a promise to Abraham that He would be the father of many nations.

We can ask what it is that we want out of life and like Abraham, seek God’s guidance; patiently waiting for our reward. God is with us and we can lift our voice to Him in prayer to discuss our burdens and listen for the promises He gives us.

Planning for this day In the Presence of the Maker of the Heavens, here’s a video to inspire as we pray for our day and ask how to respond to His promise: In Your Presence – Jeremy Camp.

And this is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life. - 1 John 2:25

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Family, Friends and Prayer

For the last few weekends, I’ve been writing about the importance of physical and spiritual health. Today, I’ll write about the importance of family, friends, and prayer to this core value. Friday and Saturday, I was able to spend some time with family and friends. Friday night, we traveled 50 miles east of Waco Texas to my hometown Teague Texas to watch the homecoming football game. My mom and dad grew up there, fell in love, got married, and after work took them to other place as they journeyed through life, moved back home when I was in high school.

Teague takes homecoming serious as many stay the weekend catching up on what’s going on with their childhood friends. Careers have led many to live now in places like Houston or Dallas but most still have parents and relatives back home. They make floats for a parade and share memories of years gone by.

Each year that goes by and as we journey through life, we become more aware of the fact that the time on earth is but a short time span compared to eternity. Many loved ones and friends are no longer with us.

As we get older, we become more aware of the importance of visiting those in rest homes or in the hospital. What a tremendous boost people get when they get a visit. I remember seeing underneath a mantel the pictures of grandkids and the word HOPE in big letters. Nothing compares to the “beautiful you” in the form of a personal visit to a family member or a friend in a time of need.

Reverend Carolyn Crane says that it is important to receive the positive influence by others when sick. Positive speech and thoughts can hold the key to another person's healing. Prayer provides this positive influence.

In prayer, God is with us as a friend. He heals a broken heart by changing the way we think. Instead of feeling unacceptable, we are accepted. Instead of feeling incapable, we are capable. He will hold us after a difficult day; giving us needed rest and peace. Picture a tiny baby in the arms of a father; relaxed, happy, and secure. This is the picture we should see in our minds as we think about God holding us in His arms.

If we meet with God every day and comprehend that His love is bigger than we could ever understand, there will be a positive benefit to health. We all make some bad decisions at times but through Christ, God reaches out and offers peace and eternal life. Nothing else can take the place of our relationship with our Heavenly Father. I read a blog post titled “Greater Than You Can Grasp” the other day that emphasizes the importance of this relationship.

Next weekend, I’ll share more ideas on this very important core value of physical and spiritual health. Until next time, have a wonderful day with God.