| April 6, 2011 | ||
| Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Proverbs 3:3, NLT | ||
| Love and kindness are important character qualities. Both involve actions as well as attitudes. A loving person not only feels love; he or she also acts loyally and responsibly. A kind person works for justice for others. | ||
| Thoughts and words are not enough--our lives reveal whether we are truly loving and kind. Do your actions measure up to your attitudes? | ||
Live intentionally. Choose wisely.
Frank Orozco
| 7.8 on the Heartache Scale |
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Wouldn't it be easier to say, "I just registered a 7.8 on the Heartache Scale"? There would be no need for further explanation, and everyone could understand exactly what you had suffered. But we have no such measuring stick and often feel isolated by disappointment and loss we can't describe ... Worse still are the interactions with those who know just a portion of the story and offer their expert opinions on exactly what went wrong ... [We] seek some type of formula for repair with measures to ensure it will never happen again... In a special edition on world wonders, Life magazine told of a collision that took place [long] ago. The continent of India crept northward, eventually running into the giant landmass of Asia. Among the ramifications of this colossal impact was something that would eventually be given a Sanskrit name: the Himalayas [view photo ]. The world's tallest and most famous mountain was birthed, and people around the globe would marvel at the fortitude, foreboding mystery, and sheer beauty of Mount Everest. Perhaps the distinguishing moment of any catastrophe is not found in the fracture itself. Perhaps what distinguishes any one disaster from another is not what has been lost, but what survives.
-The Scent of Water: Grace for Every Kind of Broken, by Naomi Zacharias |
Live intentionally. Choose wisely.
Frank Orozco
by Crown Financial Ministries
1. God uses money to strengthen our trust in Him. It is often through money that God can clearly and objectively show us that He is in total control, if we will trust Him and accept our positions as stewards and managers of His possessions (see Matthew 6:32-33).
2. God uses money to develop our trustworthiness. This principle is important because our lives generally revolve around making, spending, saving, and using money. If He can trust us with money, He can trust us with greater responsibilities and His true riches (see Luke 16:11).
3. God uses money to prove His love. Scripture tells us that God assumes the responsibility of providing the basic necessities for everyone who trusts in Him (see Matthew 7:11). By transferring all money to Him, He often uses money to meet those necessities of life.
4. God uses money to demonstrate His faithfulness. Moses reminded Israel that it was God who would give them the power to make wealth. Our security is in God, not in our bank accounts. Discovering His faithfulness though financial needs encourages reliance on Him.
5. God uses money to unite Christians in blessings. God will use the abundance of one Christian to supply the needs of another. Surplus money in our lives has been given by God for the purpose of helping those who are in need.
6. God uses money to provide direction. There is probably no way God can direct our lives more meticulously than through the abundance or lack of money. Too often we believe God directs our lives through the abundance of money, but He also will lead us down His directed path by withholding money.
7. God uses money to cultivate self-control. One of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control, a key aspect of successful money management.
8. God uses money to clarify spiritual maturity. Many temptations clamor for Christians' attention. A great deal can be learned about our personal character and spiritual maturity by noticing how we handle money and determine financial priorities.
Areas in which God does not use money
Just like there are several ways in which God uses money for our benefit, there are several areas in which God never uses money to influence our lives.
1. God never uses money to worry us. If Christians are worried, frustrated, and upset about money, God is not in control. God said that wealth without worry is His plan for our lives. In addition, He promises to meet the needs of those who trust in Him (see Matthew 6:25).
2. God never uses money to corrupt us. Many Christians have fallen into Satan's trap and are being corrupted. Christians whose financial life is characterized by greed, ego, deceit, and other worldly snares are at enmity with God and His plan.
3. God never uses money to build egos. Frequently, Christians are trapped by financial ego in that they use money in an attempt to build self-worth and ego. However, in Christ all are financially equal because all wealth will pass away. What will remain will be those things that have been laid up in heaven—the true wealth.
4. God never allows money to satisfy our personal whims or desires. God does not expect His people to live in poverty; however, He also does not endorse lavishness. Surplus is provided so that God's work can be funded and those in need can be helped. If the surplus is hoarded or wasted on lavishness rather than used for His plan and purpose, chances are the surplus will be removed.
Conclusion
God offers countless financial principles, intended to make our lives meaningful, because He's interested in us and how we earn and spend money. Once we understand how God uses money and why He chooses to use it in a particular way, we generally become more familiar with His plans and purposes for our lives and are able to recognize and comprehend His directives.
Live intentionally. Choose wisely.
Frank Orozco
"Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."
John 11:14-15, NIV
Jesus was glad Lazarus had died without Him?! What does that mean? We know it doesn't mean He enjoyed knowing that Lazarus had died or that He enjoyed thinking about the family's grief and despair.
Jesus was teaching His disciples - and you and me - a life lesson. And what a life lesson it is! The lesson is this: There is a greater miracle than physical healing! It's the miracle of the Resurrection! Be encouraged!
Even if your prayer is not answered
and your loved one is not healed
and your marriage is not reconciled
and your financial problems are not solved
and your child is not found -
there is hope! Jesus was glad because He knew God would be glorified to a far greater extent by the death and resurrection of Lazarus than He would have been by Lazarus' healing and recovery from sickness.
Would you rejoice with Jesus for the greater miracle that IS coming to you?
Blessings,
Anne Graham Lotz
Live intentionally. Choose wisely.
Frank Orozco
If things don’t work out as planned today, look for something good in your circumstances. Fill your mind with good thoughts.
Live intentionally. Choose wisely.
Frank Orozco
W hen disaster happens in our own lives, we accept it as anything but natural and spend sleepless nights and countless dollars on therapy to try to define exactly what went wrong and why. I think, in part, we long for it to be quantified because this will validate our own personal sense of loss and pain.