Grapevine

Many of us live a life of boredom, mediocrity, and unproductivity.  Something is missing but you just don’t know what it is.

We are built with so much potential that we can only dream of fulfilling only half of it.  But the only way of achieving full potential is by staying connected to your source and that is Jesus Christ.  As our designer and creator, He alone can help us be all that we can be.

“Yes I am the vine; you are the branches.  Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.  For apart from me you can do nothing.  Anyone who parts from me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers… But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted!  John 15:5-7

What do you want out life?  Success does not necessarily mean making a lot of money.  Money might be one of the benefits of being successful, but it must not be the goal.  If you focus too much on money, then you are sure to fail.

Whatever your dream in life, make Jesus the focal point of that dream and you are sure to succeed.  Of course, it still requires hard work, but you will find things go quickly and smoothly much more than if you were to do it on your own.  As a matter of fact, make Jesus the focal point of every aspect of your life, marriage, career, finances, children – whatever – and success would be yours for the taking. 

Even when you succeeded in accomplishing your goals, remember that it is still not the end.  You still can accomplish more as long as you are alive and have strength.  The Apostle Paul understood this.

“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection!  But I keep working to that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be.   No dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is callinig us up to heaven.  Philippians 3:12-14

Fruits of the Spirit – Are you Bearing Them?

girl worrying

“So don’t worry about having enough food or drink or clothing.  Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things?  Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God our primary concern”.  Matthew 6:31-33

In today’s current financial climate, what is commonly called the ‘global economic crisis”, it is difficult not to worry about what the future holds.  People have lost jobs, their houses, cars and are generally finding it difficult to make ends meet.

“Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere” – Glenn Turner

Worrying really gets you nowhere.  As a matter of fact there are two things you can do to stop worrying:

1. Don’t put yourself in a position to worry, and
2. Find a solution to your problem.

Let’s look at the first point.

What is the most common thing that most people worry about –  Money.

A lot of people spend more than they earn.  They borrow to get what they want quickly.  This causes debt and debt makes them worry about their finances.   Of course sometimes there is no choice to borrow money, but there must be proper planning, and proper planning is the key to living a successful life.

Then there are those who prefer to sit and worry about situations instead of finding solutions.  There is a solution to every problem.  Let’s use finances as an example.

You are in debt.  You are having diffulty paying your bills, and that has you worried.  The best thing to do is find a way to get out of debt.  Talk to your creditors, together you all can work out something.  When you have gotton rid of your debt, start saving and don’t put yourself in a position to be in debt again.

Then there are situations we have no control over.  Maybe you or someone you know has been diagnosed with a terminal illness such as cancer.  Worrying about death and your family is certainly understandable.  But the whole point of living a spiritual life is to be able to cope with life in general.  You will be able to face any situation that life brings in a confident and faith filled manner.

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.”  1 Peter 5:7

And then there are chronic worriers, those who worry about things that are not worth worrying over at all.  It is something that on their own they have no control over, but there is help, there always is.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus”.  Philippians 4:6-7

Whatever the problem in your life, there is help.  Worrying will not solve it, but prayer and faith in Jesus Christ certainly will.

Holy Bible - New Living Translation

Studying your bible is easy now with modern day technology.  There are also various bible study courses available from numerous organizations.  But you can simply read your bible and gain the inspiration, motivation and encouragement you need to deal with life’s everyday challenges.

Here are some basic tools to help you read and understand your bible.

1. Modern Translations.  There are many versions of the bible available today.  My personal favorite is the New Living Translation.  The New International Version (NIV) is also very popular, and then you have the New King James Version (NKJV).
2. Bible Dictionary.  A Bible Dictionary is also very useful.  Some dictionaries give you information on people and places to help you better understand how things were back in biblical times.
3. A concordance.  A concordance helps you to find a particular verse in the bible by searching for a particular word.  There are simple concordances as well as exhaustives.
4. Computer Bibles.  There are bibles available on CD Rom.  Some of these would give you different translations, commentaries, dictionaries, concordances and even sermons. 

Now there are bibles made to read through in a year from beginning to end.  But it is not really wise to try and read the bible this way, unless of course you really want to.  It is best to pick a section, book or chapter and verse and concentrate on that.  Sometimes I just open my bible and whatever page surfaces I read a chapter or verse from there.  Usually it is very helpful for something I am dealing with at that given point in time.

Always read the bible with an open mind.  Let God guide you as you go along.  Make notes as something you don’t understand at that particular point will be revealed to you at some other time in your studies.

Remember the Bible interprets itself.  Don’t try to put your own meanings into something your don’t fully understand.

“All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is wrong in our lives.  It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right.  It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.  2 Timothy 3:16

“And the people of Berea were more open minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message.  They searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on Paul on Silas to see if they were really teaching the truth.”  Acts 17:11

Tools to Help you Understand the Bible

Holy Bible

Many people view the Bible as an out of date book.  But do you know that the Bible is still the #1 bestseller of all time?  To live a happy, spiritual life, the bible is the first book you should turn to for help.

Those who believe the bible is a dull, boring old book obviously did not have it presented to them in the correct way.  The bible is God’s instruction manual for mankind.  It gives advice on any difficulty you may be having in your life – marriage, family, finance, health, career, religious. 

Don’t look at the Bible as a religious book, but as a resource to help you live a peaceful, happy, righteous and spiritual life.

All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.  It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right.  2 Timothy 3:16

The Bible – Our Instruction Manual

The Bible – A Simple Guide to Understanding the Good Book

When negative things happen in our lives, some people say, “well, maybe it is God’s will that this happened.  But this is not true, God’s will for us is to be happy and healthy, nothing in the negative.

Suffering of any kind does not come from God.  It was never His Will that we suffer from anything.  There are however, some things we have no control over, things that are not directly our fault but when we suffer because of it or face any kind of negative, it just means there is a lesson to be learned from it, so we would not have to go through such an experience again.   Also, we can use the experience to minister to others who may be going through something similar.

Even for a spiritual person,  suffering happens to strengthen them. Remember Job how he suffered and lost members of his family, health and wealth?  But he never wavered and he remained faithful to God.  In return God returned him to his former self and he received even more wealth and beautiful children.

“Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy.  For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything. ” James 1:2-4

Another important point to keep in mind is consulting with God through prayer about any important decision you have to make in your life.  This can be a new career path, a marriage decision, a  business deal, or anything major that will have a big impact on your future.  You need to know if your decision is part of God’s Will for you.  Once it is you will have great success.   However, if it is not, you may find yourself with major problems constantly and then you will realize that the decision was not the correct one.

Proverbs 15:22 states:

“Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many counselors bring success.”

Seeking the advice of friends and family, as well as other experts depending upon what your particular plans are, is also another way of knowing if you are taking the right course of action.  After praying, seek the counsel of others and this will help you to ensure that you are doing God’s Will, which will certainly not bring you any suffering whatsoever.