New Beginnings.....

New beginnings

By Sheila Schuller Coleman

"Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." – Ephesians 4:24

A blank slate. A new semester. A fresh start.

What do all these share in common? A chance to start over! What a powerful opportunity it is when you are able to put aside the old false starts…the dead ends…the disappointments. The old has passed, the new day is here! You don't have to be shackled by the past when you have a beautiful future before you. That is the powerful message of Christianity. And the New Year reminds you that your past has been redeemed, and as a result you can face tomorrow with joyful anticipation!

So…grab hold of this powerful opportunity! Don't let it slip it away! Take advantage of Christ's offer for a new beginning. Start today to build a powerful new tomorrow—with God's help!

each day............

Each Day

A new year just beginning,
Each day a fresh, new start,
To fulfill your hopes
And pursue the dreams
Sustained within your heart.

Put God in charge;
He'll plant the seeds
Of affection, love and care.
Like a garden, your life will grow
With kindness flowering there.

And as you face the wonder
Of each day's mysteries,
You'll see God's hand
Unfolding, daily, possibilities!

And as each day comes to a close,
Dream a dream or two,
Then with a prayer thank dear God
For each day given to you.
Poet, Gael Phaneuf

Lessons in Contentment....by Rick Warren

Lessons in Contentment
by Rick Warren

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. Philippians 4:11 (NIV)

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Here are four steps to develop contentment in your life.

1. Stop comparing yourself to others. When you compare your life with someone else’s, the only place it can lead is toward discontentment. There will always be people who appear to be better off than you, but you don’t know their real circumstances.

I recall counseling a husband many years ago, and he said he wished his wife could be more like so-and-so, and he named a woman in our congregation. What he didn’t know is that the woman was a functioning alcoholic causing incredible heartache and stress for her family and for her husband.

That’s why the Bible teaches it is unwise to compare (2 Corinthians 10:12).

2. Be grateful for who you are and what you have. Learning to be content requires that you stop any “when and then” thinking – “When I am ___________, then I’ll be happy.” (You fill in the blank.)

The reason we fall into this trap is that we may actually be content for a little while but it won’t last. But, more than likely, someone else or something else will come along and drain the contentment from your life.

But listen, you are unique. God created you to be like nobody else, so why would you want to be anyone else. God is perfect, and you were his perfect choice to be you. Understanding that is a huge step toward being content with your life.

And then look at all the things God has given you. So often we allow what we don’t have to so dominate our focus that we forget the many wonderful things we already have, not only material blessing, but far more important things, such as family and friends.

3. Give yourself to others. If you will begin giving yourself to others, sharing what things you do have, sharing your time and your talents, you will find yourself learning to be content. Helping others will give you an appreciation for what you have and who you are, but more importantly, you will find yourself growing content. Why? Because God designed us to serve and share with others, and until we do that, we will feel great discontent.

4. Focus on things with eternal value. The real secret to becoming content is to focus on the things that have eternal value. It may be a familiar teaching to you, but Jesus said we should store up our treasures in heaven, and not on earth “where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-21 NIV).

Think about the things in your life: What will last forever? What will last at least for your lifetime? What will last a few short years, or months, or days? Based on eternal value, what things are most important in your life? Where – and with whom – should you put your most time and energy?

By re-organizing your life around eternal priorities, you’ll find yourself growing in contentment as you live according to God’s design and purpose.

© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved.

Where do we spend our time and money........

Evaluate Where You Will Spend Time, Money in New Year

Judy Woodward Bates

The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 5, chastises the Corinthian church because of their acceptance of a blatantly immoral man among their members. Paul tells them: "... Shouldn't you ... have been filled with grief and ... put out of your fellowship the man who did this?" (v. 2). Paul wanted the church, the corporate body of believers, to understand that though they were to love sinners (just as all of them -- and us -- were merely sinners saved by grace), they were never to embrace or ignore believers' sins.

Fact is, all transgression hinders us from the true freedom found only when we are in right fellowship with Christ. Since each one who claims His name stands as His representative in this world, how are we to conduct ourselves? Are we to gossip? Are we to backbite? What about sarcasm? None of these things pleases our Heavenly Father, nor do these things further His Kingdom here on earth.

Yet one of the greatest sins running rampant among the people of God is the sin of busyness -- we're so busy "gettin' while the gettin's good." We take time to go to work at our secular jobs, but do we take time to witness while we're on the job? Many of us take plenty of time and money to have our hair done, nails done, even facials and massages, but do we take time to participate in worship or to attend classes that help us understand and draw closer to the Creator of the universe? Too, how financially generous are we with others when we are so very liberal with ourselves?

There are oodles of us who have the time and money to go out and discover new eateries and stuff ourselves with good food, but do we offer the time or money to help feed the hungry? And when we've had enough of our overindulgence, we can afford to pay others to help us stay away from the table through weight loss programs, exercise and medical plans -- but do we use any of God's blessings to meet the multiplicity of needs among those less fortunate than ourselves?

In the midst of this fiery chapter concerning the immorality within the church, Paul admonishes the believers to clean up their acts. Before Paul concludes with, "Expel the wicked from among you" (v. 13), a quote from Old Testament teachings, he warns the church about being prideful and about dealing with the clutter in their lives. Sexual immorality and busyness: you mean either sin is displeasing to God? Most certainly.

Paul said that followers of Jesus Christ are to be "... bread without yeast," which he went on to explain means we are to be "... the bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:8). We are to sincerely and truthfully seek to be like Jesus, who most assuredly put others before Himself.

If we're honest, most of us are packed with the "yeast" of busyness. Our lives are so overfilled that we are barely able to go through our daily routines. We're constantly tired, stressed and, in general, unhappy. And when our lives are like this, we can't enjoy our own company, let alone be a blessing to someone else.

So be honest. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 as "I can't juggle one more thing," how crammed-full is your life? Maybe it's time to sit down and make a list of all your responsibilities and "busynesses" and see which ones can be eliminated or better managed.

In verse 7 of 1 Corinthians 5, Paul warns the church "... to get rid of the old yeast [leaven], that ye may be a new lump." I don't know about you, but I know there are a lot of "busy" things in my life. As the year 2009 begins, the time for Christ's return draws ever closer. Let's re-commit our cluttered lives to the Lord and ask Him to show us how to become brand new "lumps" for His glory!

Don't settle for Happiness...Aim for Joy...by Rick Warren

Don’t Settle for Happiness; Aim for Joy
by Rick Warren

“Whatever happens, dear brothers and sisters, may the Lord give you joy …” Philippians 3:1 (NLT)

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A man once told me that he’d broken up with his fiancé because she didn’t make him happy enough. Mind you, he was happy with her; she just didn’t make him as happy as he felt a future wife should.

What this man told me gives memorable insight into how some people view happiness: They believe happiness is dependent upon the people, the things, and the circumstances that surrounded them.

Yet, the Bible says don’t settle for happiness; aim for joy.

Joy comes from within; joy is not dependent upon the people in your life, or the possessions you accumulate, or what’s happening at this point in your life.

God says you’ll find joy, when you trust that he’s in control and working to use the good – and the bad – of your life for a greater purpose.

The apostle Paul understood this, writing about joy while in prison, chained to a guard, alone in a foreign city: “Whatever happens, dear brothers and sisters, may the Lord give you joy …” (Philippians 3:1 NLT).

He suggested there are two keys to transforming mere happiness into a deeply-felt, ever-present joy:

First, live each day by grace. Grace means you don’t have to earn God’s love or his approval. And here’s some joyful news: If you don’t have to earn God’s love, then you don’t have to earn anyone else’s love.

God offers his love unconditionally, and you can joyfully live in that grace everyday, all day long. Understanding this drains the tension from your life: you can make mistakes and know that you’re still loved by God, who desires a relationship with you over any rules or rituals.

The man who broke up with his fiancé appears to have had difficulty in understanding grace. His love came with conditions – “As long as you make me happy, I’ll love you” – and that means he probably assumes the love he receives from others is conditional too. How can anyone experience joy when they live each day thinking they have to earn love?

Second, stay focused on what’s really important. There are a lot of little things that can steal your joy – but only if you let them. Jesus taught this: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21 NIV).

My sister, Chaundel, thought about this Bible passage when she learned her house in Maryville , California , was under 9 feet of water. While she and her husband, Tom, were out to dinner, the local levy broke and flooded the area. Even in her grief, she joked, “We drove our Chevy to the levy, and the levy was dry.”

Looking back on that time, Chaundel says, “God taught us that such a loss really makes you think about what’s important and what’s going to last. Our possessions were wiped out in a matter of minutes, but the important thing is that we were alive and well. Within a year, our house was rebuilt, but we could have never replaced each other.”

Happiness is overrated. On the other hand, joy is often forgotten. Yet, joy will stabilize your life as you embrace grace and focus on the things that are truly important, moving a bad hair day down the list and relationships up to the top. No matter what happens, may God give you joy.

© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved.