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Are you always conscious to what is entering into your being? Do you pay close attention to what you are looking at and listening to? The things that we allow ourselves to look at, listen to, think about and meditate on will have a great impact upon our life either for the good or for the bad because what enters into our being will eventually also come out of our being. That is why I believe the Bible tells us to keep our hearts with all diligence for out of it flows the issues of life. We should always remember that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and we must do our best to keep it clean so that our life can be a living witness and testimony of God's goodness, mercy and grace. (Proverbs 4:23) (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
How do we protect our being one might ask? We do so by not allowing ourselves to give in to the temptations that are always trying to lead us astray; we do so by eating the right foods, thinking the right thoughts, saying the right words and sowing the right seeds. We live an abundant life when we encourage others, inspire others, lift others up and show them how special they really are. Using our life to make a positive impact upon others is a legacy that we can be proud to call our own. (Mark 9:23)
No matter where you are in life I want you to know that it is never too late to start again. You may be in the midst of a struggle, but if you recognize your shortfalls and strive to do better, I believe every person is able to be redeemed and use their life in a positive and meaningful way that will affect and impact multitudes. But it starts with first recognizing our own shortfalls and striving to become better than we were before. With God all things are possible and a new beginning is waiting to be taken a hold of. (Mark 10:27)
Never doubt God's love for you and never question God's mercy and grace that is able to cleanse, restore and make new. God's love for us is unmeasurable and all one needs to do is recognize their sinfulness and their need for God's forgiveness. When we do, the Bible says we will be forgiven, cleansed and given a robe of righteousness and not because we are good, but because He is good. I pray that you think about your life's impact do all that you can to make it meaningful for your eternity. (1 John 1:5-10) (Isaiah 61:10)
I hope this message inspires and challenges your heart to think about how can use your life for your betterment as well as the betterment of those around you.
ALL FILLED UP
I recall reading that a man from Virginia Beach (Virginia, USA) filed a law suit against his hospital. He opted to have surgery in order to lose weight. So he had his stomach stapled -- a procedure that reduced the size of his stomach so he couldn't eat as much.
A couple of days after surgery he sneaked down the hospital corridors to the kitchen. There he raided the refrigerator and ate so much that his staples burst.
The law suit? He claimed it was the hospital's fault. They should have locked the refrigerator.
And no - I don't know how the suit came out. Just the staples.
He wanted to make other people responsible for what he put into his mouth. Which raises the question: who decides what we bring into our lives?
One man told me, “I'm not a garbage truck.”
“What do you mean by that?” I asked him.
“I mean that sometimes other people want to dump their garbage on me," he said. "They fill themselves up with negativity and complaints and want to dump all of that garbage on me. I'm not going to take all of their garbage. They may need to get rid of it, but not all over me.”
He believes people need to be responsible for the garbage in their lives. And that's probably true for the good stuff, too. For me, that includes just about everything. It means I am responsible for everything I put into my mouth, but also for everything I choose to watch and hear. Some of it's good and some of it's garbage. It even means everything that comes into my head through my eyes and ears. It's also about everything that fills up my time. Everything.
And to be honest, I don't always do a great job with everything that comes into my life. But I am clear that what I allow in is up to me, not somebody else.
When we fill our bodies with the right foods, they perform well.
When we fill our heads with learning, they won't easily stagnate.
When we fill our minds with healthier attitudes, we will have a better outlook.
When we fill our hearts with a little more courage, we will be able to face life with confidence.
When we fill our talk with more gratitude, we will be happier.
When we fill our lives with more love, we will never be alone.
Only we can decide how to fill ourselves up.
Have you heard the story of the two wolves? A common version of it goes like this:
An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life...
“A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.”
“One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt and ego.”
“The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.”
“This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old chief simply replied, “The one you feed.”
Only I can choose what should come into my life. Only I can choose which wolf to feed. And only I can choose what to do about it today.
By Steve Goodier
Read and meditate on these scriptures:
Galatians 6:7-8 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Psalm 84:11-12 “For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in Thee.”
Proverbs 8:32-36 “Now therefore hearken unto Me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep My ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth Me, watching daily at My gates, waiting at the posts of My doors. For whoso findeth Me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. But he that sinneth against Me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate Me love death.”
Philippians 4:8-9 “Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”
All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible.
Today’s Selected Poem: DROP A PEBBLE IN THE WATER
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/inpoem63.htm
Today’s Selected Testimony: THE LORD ALWAYS PROVIDES
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony184.htm
In Christ’s Service,
Dwayne Savaya
God’s Work Ministry |
