Waste of Energy - a message about feeling sorry for yourself

One of the things I wish we were not born with would be the ability to be selfish. I consider myself about as bad in this area as the average person. Too often I am thinking of myself in a situation - and the situations vary. Regardless of the variances, it still funnels down to I'm thinking of me. There are likely times when you would have to admit you tend to be like this, also to various degrees.

For some it could be "I want" and they may not receive. For others, it may be a sense of idealism in expecting people to react a certain way. No matter how you spin it the end result comes down to variances of selfishness.

An outcome of selfishness can be "feeling sorry for yourself." When this happens it can entrap us into a sentence we should not have to serve. This brings us to this week's quote...

Feeling sorry for yourself, and your present condition, is not only a waste of energy but the worst habit you could possibly have. ~ Dale Carnegie

During the times I have served the sentence of "feeling sorry for myself," looking back I would easily say that I was wasting my time. Like a millstone tied to someone and dropped into the ocean, to feel sorry for yourself simply drowns your life from being able to accomplish much.

Think back to the moments that you have wasted in feeling sorry for yourself. Someone once said that time is something you cannot get back. That statement is very true. Once we've spent time we cannot make it up, it is spent. Let us spend our time more wisely and not waste it on times like feeling sorry for yourself.

Now it's your turn...what have you learned from wasting time and energy in feeling sorry for yourself?

Time Spent Worrying

I have wasted a lot of my life worrying. Another way of phrasing it is that I have lost a lot of my life worrying. There are a lot of minutes or days that could have been spent more wisely if worry would not have been present.

Some worries were brought on by myself (i.e. procrastination) where as other moments were not (weather, bad news). Either way it has caused me to lose time that will never be gained back. However, worry for any reason causes one to focus on themselves and their desires too much.

Worrying often points back to how "I" will be able to accomplish something. Some things may be valid, within this context, but there are a lot of situations in which worrying does nothing to help the situation, but God does! That brings us to this week's quote...

Often times worrying is trying to figure out what to do to save yourself rather than trusting in God for deliverance. ~ J. Meyer

How much time have you wasted in worry? Probably more than you should have. How many of those times of worry did you gain anything? Probably not many.

As you can see there is a lot of truth found in the quote. With life situations that are basically "out of your hands" you should be trusting God He will take care and accept the outcome. It is probably easier said than done.

Now it's your turn...How does the verse impact you?

Christmas Down and Dirty: "The Time Has Come"

Deadlines can be very stressful. It could be a deadline for work or school or life. Projects or budget proposals can become stressful for an employee. Papers or tests can become stressful for students. Bill paying or taking time for appointments can become stressful in life.

I do not like tests, in school. For that, I am thankful that I am not in school. It really centers on those tests I didn't feel I was quite prepared for. The times I would cram and study and try to remember. Sometimes hoping to have a bit of extra time to study before the test - in all actuality, just putting it off. But, inevitably, the time had to come when I needed to take the exam.

For most everything there is a time which must come. That same principle impacted our the coming of Jesus. Which brings us to discuss this week's lesson from the "Christmas Down and Dirty" series. Here are some applications to choose from to use this week...

• The Time Has Come ~ Imagine living in a time where Jesus had not come yet. Do you think you'd have doom as your thought for yourself? You could do all the ceremonial washings you want, but without a cleansing of the conscience, you'd be worried (or I would). The fact that Jesus has come and we get to live on this side of the cross, we can revel and be thankful in that. Appreciate that!
• Getting Dirty ~ My mind goes to a scene in the movie "Gladiator" where the main character is in the ring and the emperor is in the stands watching. The gladiator is dirty, where the others are clean. Imagine if we were to look up at Jesus like that, not knowing what it was like to be in the ring. Fortunately, Jesus is in the ring, right there with us and fighting alongside of us. He's come down to be in the fight with us. What a great feeling!
• Left Home ~ Going off to college was quite the experience for me. It was not that far away from home, but just far enough away to be "on my own." However, I had to leave some comforts. I had to manage money, make decisions, do my laundry, etc. all things that were not at the caliber, if existent, at home. Christ left home to come to earth. Leaving lots of comforts for this dirty earth. May we appreciate what He was willing to do for us!

What an indescribable blessing to have Jesus, the perfect Son of God, come to this earth for you and I. May it cause us to revel even more in His choice to be the sacrifice for our sins.

As you go into this holiday season, what do you appreciate most about Him?

What Are We Busy About?

Tasks…we all have them.  We all have things on our plates to do during a day.  Even if one is retired and their task is to take seven different medications and have coffee with friends, during a given day, those are still tasks to complete.  However, what happens at the end of all those tasks, how did we come out any better?
I have a job where there are tasks involved and it can be difficult to rest until the tasks are completed.  However, sometimes I feel that though the tasks are completed there isn’t much to ultimately show for it.  In most of those cases, that is where I am confident God is working in places I am not.
Are you busy?  If so, what are you busy with?  That brings us to this week’s quote…

It is not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, "What are we busy about?"  ~ Henry David Thoreau

As I look out the window of my office, I see some birds flying around in the dampness of the day.  They are not simply staying in their nest all day, they, too, have tasks to complete.  However, I think that they are not just busy, they have a busyness that accomplishes something.
In life, may our busyness accomplish something.  May we not be busy just to be busy.  May we be heading to a goal, even if the goal is not tangible. May we not just scurry around on earth as busy-bodies, or drift from week to week in church without accomplishing much.  May we use the time and talent that God has given us and make the best of each day!

E-mail Encouragement: What Value Do You Bring?

When you work at a job, you are getting paid for the amount of time or the amount of tasks that you complete. Tasks, obviously, take time to complete, so in a sense, it still comes down to time. However, when you do work, you get your money after a certain time of working, not before. You are required to show up for work, complete your responsibilities, and then you will receive your money. This week's quote is a little different take on the normal attitude toward working...

You don't get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour. ~ Jim Rohn

I would agree with this quote, but let's look at it like this: How much would you get paid if you were being paid based on the "value" you brought to that hour? Would it be more or less than your current amount?

Salvation is a free gift with priceless value. Since we are rewarded with salvation before our life on earth ends, we sometimes forget that we still have responsibilities of "bringing value" to the hours we're here on earth. It would make it much easier to get the "check" of salvation once we were at the end because we'd always be putting in a great amount of effort. Thinking about salvation, how much would you get paid based on the value you bring to the spreading of the Kingdom? Would it be more or less?

We can be thankful that Christ already paid our "wage" to be eligible to go to heaven. Let us be valuable during the hours we're here on the earth!!!

I'm thankful that I don't get my salvation paycheck based on what I do! But based on what Jesus has done!!!

Serving Him ~