While waiting it is important for us to consider the
various benefits of God and give thanks to him So let's use the time of
testing to consider the gifts of God. And that’s what I did today –
maybe not so well, maybe not so consistently, but I did it. I just said,
“Thank you God. Thank you for all that you’ve done." So let’s do it.
Let’s do it when it is most difficult. Let’s thank God when it is most
difficult to do so. Let’s thank God in trying circumstances. Let’s
remember all the good that God has done in our lives.
Be thankful even in times of pain and disease. Be thankful for the health that you once enjoyed. Be thankful for the health that you still enjoy.
What does one do when one experiences delays? What did I do today? I had to wait in a queue. I had to wait today in order to pay my bill. There was someone ahead of me, and he had many bills to pay. And I had to wait patiently. How did I wait? I was a little upset that someone who had so many bills to pay was ahead of me. At the same time I realized that the best way to spend time in that situation was in giving praise to God for all that he has done in my life and particularly for that situation, which he presented to me. A situation like that can teach me a lot. A situation like that can train me in patience. Patience is an indispensable quality. Life requires patience many times. One has to wait. And a situation like the one I mentioned will help me train myself to wait.
We're here not only to touch other people's lives but also to add to our own lives. So let us enjoy and learn and add to our experience even as we help others.
One should not do anything just for the sake of pleasing the world, or just for the sake of going along with the world, or just because the world approves of it, or just because the majority approves of it. One should do something because one feels that it is the right thing to do and that it is the constructive thing to do. Let us approach life today with a certain sense of consideration and caution. Life is short; we need to make the best possible use of the time that we have.
Whatever we do let us do something worthwhile today bearing in mind that life is short and that it could be very short for some of us. Let us do what is best for us, and let us do what is best for others as well. Let us be prepared to face death today. The only way we can face death today is if we do what we think is right. If we believe that something is good for us and for others, we should do that.
There is another question which comes to mind. What sort of pleasure should we pursue? It is best to devote oneself to pleasure that builds one up, that constructs a person. It is not always possible to pursue pleasure like that. Generally one does what one pleases. One does what one wants. "I want this, so I will have it, as long as it does not trouble someone else." If that’s the attitude to pleasure that one has, the pleasure that one seeks may not necessarily be constructive. It may just be pleasure that is meaningless in the end.
What is the best possible way to use one's time? Should one do something for oneself? Or should one do something for another person? That’s a question which needs to be answered. Each person needs to answer that question for himself. Activities that focus on one’s own self may not be as rewarding as activities that are devoted to others. Then again one can’t live for others purely. One should also live for oneself. One should also take care of one’s needs. One should also do what one finds pleasing.
There is a certain time allotted for us. May we make use of this time. May everyone make use of the time that is given to him. None of us know when our time will be up. There are people who are struggling to live; there are people who have been given a certain time to live. There are people with certain terminal illnesses, who have been given a certain time to live. They know when they will die. But no one really knows when exactly he will die. When such is the case it is important to take every moment in life seriously and use it in the best possible way.
Life is short. For some it is very short. Some people are fighting a battle to live, while others are living without being aware of the privilege of life. Life is a gift.
God sent me a note of hope in the wake of despair. I don't know why I despair sometimes. But I must trust in God and in His faithfulness no matter how grim a situation may look. Thank you God.
There will always be difference that is difficult to tolerate.
God came down to earth to show us love. Jesus Christ showed us what true love is. True love is accepting and being tolerant of all those who seem wayward and deviant. Jesus showed us love so that we may desire it and show it to others who are as undeserving as we are. But we humans have always struggled to show love and tolerance to such people. This is lamentable particularly in those who claim to know God, but are not able to tolerate those who are different from them.
It is not intolerance but ignorance that is the real problem. Intolerance arises from ignorance. People are intolerant of one another because of their mistaken belief in their own correctness. So unshakeable is their faith in their own understanding that they decry and denounce others when they depart from the way according to them. No one understands life and grasps all its truths. No one knows God and has seen him in his entirety. So anyone who is confident of his own knowledge regarding these matters is an ignorant person.
Anyone who appreciates me is welcome, even if he or she is disreputable by the world's standards.
Bear this in mind. God does not evaluate us by what we possess or even by who we are. We are all sinners. And we are all poor. No one is rich in God's eyes. Naked we entered this world and naked we will leave. There is nothing to boast of as far as human accomplishments are concerned. We are mere ants doing the things that ants do, believing that we are something greater than ants. This is the tragedy of human thinking.
"Love God and do whatever you want" said Saint Augustine. It is the love for God that is primary. God looks at the heart of Man and searches for love. The love for God is more important than any doctrine or prayer that may be said to God in a certain way. Quotations from the scriptures and declarations of faith are secondary. Even a keeping of God's commands is secondary to the love a human feels for God. This alone is God's primary requirement. And the love of God is expressed in the love for human beings. Any God lover must also love humans the way they are without trying to change them according to how he or she would like them to be.
Deprecate yourself and you will have a group of consolers. Appreciate yourself and you will find yourself alone.
Let us think that something wonderful will happen today.
Without God there is no me.
Let's love our children and not try to correct them, though it is most tempting to do so. Ultimately they will understand only our love.
If only we would show by example what we want our children to learn! It is not easy. We must seek God's help.
Let us be constant in our gaze towards God. No matter what we have suffered and will suffer it is in His promise and faithfulness that we will place our ultimate trust. We trust in God because He will not fail us. He is not like any human being. He will not lie to us. He is also perfectly able to fulfil His promise and perform His word.
What a long struggle this has been! But there is always hope because there is always God. He will not abandon the one who runs to him. O let's run to him today!
Perceiving it is one thing, conceiving it is another, but expressing it is the ultimate thing.
If you are not trading in certainty you are trading in uncertainty. Of what use is an uncertain faith?
I have always wanted my will to be done. But now I prepare myself to accept the will of God, which seems capable of being dreadful, yet it is the only option available to the one who seeks God.
I see no basis for my peace. So it must be from God.
Cursing comes more easily to us than blessing. Our normal reaction to anything negative is also negative. That is why Jesus said, "Bless those who curse you."
I'll respect your decision even if it goes against me. I will not impose myself on anyone who does not want to know me.
Hang on to hope if you believe in God, if you trust in him to do what you want him to do in your life. He will not disappoint. He did not disappoint me. Let’s believe in God. Let’s not be afraid.
God has not forsaken me. There have been difficulties in my life. There have been many difficulties and God has been there for me. God was there for me every time there was a difficulty. Even if I didn’t see any miracle happen, God was there. He helped me every time. And though my problems haven’t disappeared, and they still remain, I have the knowledge that God helped me. God helped me in the past. And that means only one thing to me. God will help me now. And God will help me in the future. Let me hang on to that hope.
I have doubts too. But my faith is greater than my doubts. Let this be the case with all believers in Jesus Christ.
“What’s the use of worrying? Can you add a hair to your head by worrying?” This is what Jesus Christ said to those who worry. Jesus told his disciples not to worry. He commanded his disciples not to worry. “Don’t be afraid. Just believe”, he said on one occasion. A statement so simple yet so powerful is one that I need to remember today. It’s a statement that many people will need to remember today, as they wait for the Lord Jesus Christ to do something in their lives, as they wait on God to solve their problems. Let us not be afraid today. Let us believe. Let us believe that our God is good, that he will save us just as he promised us, that he will be there for us, that he will not forsake us.
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