Giving glory to God

Somebody said: “Giving glory to God is crying with your neighbor in grief, or putting your hands to work in the wake of natural disaster. A life giving glory to God is being just faithful.”

Giving glory to God must come in a natural way – in all places, at all circumstances, in all possible ways.

A couple of months ago, a man got off the train and immediately had a knife pointed at him by a young man, who demanded his money.

The man calmly gave the boy his wallet, then as the boy was leaving, he called out to him and said, Wait! Take my jacket as well.”

 The boy stood shocked, and the man continued, “Friend, if you need money so badly, I figured you might need my jacket as well.”

Not only that, he took the boy to a nearby hotel and ordered him some food. After the meal was over, he said to the boy, “You have to pay for this meal, because you took my wallet. You have my money!”

Moved in his heart, the robber boy handed the wallet back. And as he was about to leave, this man gave the boy a 500 rupee note and said, “Jesus loves you.” This unknown man had just glorified God by showing his compassion in action.

Dear All, each one of us can recall various instances when we were able to glorify God in our own particular ways.

There cannot be a stereotype to glorify God. God has enabled each one of us with various gifts and abilities and expects us to glorify Him according to what is given unto us.

Let us make a resolution that from now onwards, we would not criticize others, but we will be joyous, cheerful and helpful to others edifying them in every way! Amen.

Let us try this from today…

Two Thoughts about Elisha

 '...that your fruit should remain...' John 15:16

Elisha served others until he died. We read: 'Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him [for advice].' 2 Kings 13:14. On his deathbed, Elisha gave the king a strategy for defeating his enemies. So, you can lift others even when you yourself are down. You can feel like a hypocrite because things aren't so great in your own life, yet still minister to them. The truth is, when you reach out in love to someone else it takes the focus off you, your discouragement lifts, and it works for your good.

Elisha's impact continued after he died. One day '...Elijah said to Elisha, "...what can I do for you...?" [He replied] "Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit"...' (2 Kings 2:9). Elijah, his mentor, performed seven major miracles recorded in Scripture.

When he died, Elisha had performed only thirteen. Did God fail to grant his request? No. 'Then Elisha died, and they buried him. And the raiding bands from Moab invaded the land...So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet' (2 Kings 13:20-21). Miracle fourteen; Elisha got his double portion!

Jesus said, '...I chose...you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain ...' (John 15:16).

So pray,

'Lord, give me a legacy of righteousness. Make my impact greater than my lifespan. Give me fruit that remains.'

Aim High - A short story with lesson

There once was a man who had nothing for his family to eat. He had an old rifle and three bullets. So, he decided that he would go out hunting and kill some wild game for dinner. As he went down the road, he saw a rabbit. He shot at the rabbit and missed it. The rabbit ran away. Then he saw a squirrel and fired a shot at the squirrel and missed it. The squirrel disappeared into a hole in a cottonwood tree.. As he went further, he saw a large wild 'Tom' turkey in the tree, but he had only one bullet remaining.

A voice spoke to him and said, 'Pray first, aim high and stay focused.'
However, at the same time, he saw a deer which was a better kill. He brought the gun down and aimed at the deer. But, then he saw a rattlesnake between his legs about to bite him, so he naturally brought the gun down further to shoot the rattlesnake.

Still, the voice said again to him, 'I said 'Pray, Aim high and Stay focused.'
So, the man decided to listen to God's voice.

He prayed, then aimed the gun high up in the tree and shot the wild turkey. The bullet bounced off the turkey and killed the deer. The handle fell off the gun and hit the snake in the head and killed it. And, when the gun had gone off, it knocked him into a pond. When he stood up to look around, he had fish in all his pockets, a dead deer and a turkey to eat for his family. The snake (Satan) was dead simply because the man listened to God.

Moral of the story:
Pray first before you do anything, aim and shoot high in your goals, and stay focused on God. Never let others discourage you concerning your past. The past is exactly that, 'the past.'

Live every day one day at a time and remember that only God knows our future and that he will not put you through any more than you can endure.

Do not look to man for your blessings, but look to the doors that only He has prepared in advance for you in your favor.....

Wait, be still and patient: keep God first and everything else will follow.

Don't worry about tomorrow, God is already there!

Balancing Family and Career

'He must manage his own family well...' 1 Timothy 3:4

Balancing family and career calls for tough, unselfish choices. If you make the right ones you'll look back with joy, not regret.

John Ortberg writes:

'A friend of mine is a professional musician. For many years he made his living on the road. He was becoming increasingly successful. Then three years ago he became a father. He was on the road about half the time. He realized that when his daughter was about a year old she hardly knew him. He knew he needed to make a change but it was frightening to him.

What if his career slowed to a crawl?

What if being home more, actually made life harder?

He took a job as the head of a music department at a university. He still performs, but he travels now only a fraction of the time. His relationship with his daughter has become a source of pride and joy in his life that he otherwise never would have known. He did have to let go of some of his old dreams, but he has since recorded a bestselling CD and been nominated for a Grammy.

Most importantly, he realizes his daughter will grow up a fundamentally different human being now, than she would have if she had grown up with a hole in her heart where her father was supposed to be.

By the end of his life he will have a title that means much more to him than Rock Star. The title is "Dad!" '

The Bible says a leader '...must manage his own family well...' (1Timothy 3:4 NIV) And that doesn't just apply to leaders, it applies to all of us!