FINDING THE BEGINNING~

Getting to where you want to be requires thought.  Remember we will all get somewhere with or with out thought.  Life always moves on, that is why it has been likened to a stream.  No matter whether you go along with the current, or buck the tide you will end up somewhere.

*Make it count.  Either going with or going against the current doesn't make you a hero.  Making it count does.

*Quite often the hardest battle you will fight is the one which no one but God knows you are fighting, or that you have won.

There will be no one at the end of that finish line cheering and giving you high fives.  No one saying what a good job you did, how brave you were, or how wonderful.  No one--except God, but He makes the difference.

*2Corinthians 12:9  And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10)  Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.


Some months ago I began listening/watching a motivational speaker, Brendon Burchard.  Mr. Burchard caught my attention when he --very early in his speaking--asked the question:
       
*  "have I really lived, have I really loved, and have I really made a difference".

With that in mind, just where do I want to be when I get to the end of my life's journey?  I'm not averse to having a comfortable nest egg.  Not just for myself, but in keeping with the three questions, I want to be able to help those around me.  I want to be able to help family, friends, and neighbors, and having a comfortable amount of money can do that.

 Way back when my children were young and most were still living at home when we received the mailings for, 'enter and win $10,000...' my children would look longingly at the flier, and say something clever like, "If I had $10,000 I would pay off all my bills, and give some to missionaries, and...".

I always chuckled to myself, thinking, just how many bills has a ten year old acquired?  However, their hearts were in the right place.  The point is, as Dave Ramsey says, money is neither good nor evil, it just makes you more of what you are...evaluate what do you want to be more of?

* John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (4) In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (5) And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not.

One of the reasons many of the Jewish rulers hated Jesus was because he showed up the areas in their lives that needed changed.  Areas where they were very comfortable at; areas that they did not want to change.  It involved humility, and going out of their comfort zone.

--For me some of my answers to the question, What do you want to be at the end? are: 
*Honest
*Have integrity           
*Kind                                         
*Faithful Christian
*Discerning
*Intelligent
*Busy, engaged with life, and engages with other people

*What are some of the things you want to be at the end?  Don't forget to join the conversation.

The First Step To Where You Want to Be

Going through the back pack there are numerous items of importance.  Hair brush and comb, tissues, aspirins, band aids, mirror, toothbrush and tooth paste, a deck of cards...

So, you are going on a hike, and suddenly find yourself in unfamiliar territory.  Now what would you want in your back pack?  Any of these articles?  All of these articles? Perhaps even none of these articles?  Some of these things could be helpful, but which ones, and would there be some other things you might add? You would probably add a compass and maybe even a map, a jacket, and there are other things you would find to be helpful. 

 I remember when I was in high school we were encouraged to take a test to determine what occupation we would be most suitable for.  By answering a number of questions on what we enjoyed doing, where our talents and interests lay, voila!  There is what we should pursue as our vocation.  

That sounds like a plan, and indeed throughout our long life of making a living we often asked ourselves (my husband and I) what do we want to do in life?  What are our talents, and what will make us happy as well as productive. 

Matthew 25:14  "For it is as when a man, going into another country, called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. 15)  And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his several ability; and he went on his journey."

For some folks this decision may not be hard .  Like the one talent person there is one focus in their life and they know what it is.  In our instance we had more than one area of interest and our focus became too wide.  Consequently, we went in more than one direction and we never really focused; and we were never successful in any one area. 

Now being successful is a subjective thing. One can be poor and appear unsuccessful to the world by not having lots of what society recognizes as success-items.  Another person can have all the signs of affluence, but be miserable and poor.

Spending all our life making a living and not having enough time left to live our life.  Life was difficult in the beginning because of the money factor, but the one thing we had was hope.  Hope that tomorrow we would find the jack pot.  The dream occupation that would fill our pockets with money, and also allow us the time to take time and enjoy life.

Tip number one:  first determine where you want to end up.   This is not about money...only.  Twenty million years ago when I was young and idealistic, my mother --who was no longer young nor idealistic--and I were having a discussion. 
"Marry a man with money," she advised.
"I plan on marrying for love.  You don't have to have money to be happy," I told her.
"Well, you just try living without it," she snapped back.

Who was right?  We both were.  Keep in mind that money is neither good nor bad.  It just makes you more of what you are, as Dave Ramsey says.  Yes, wealth of some kind is necessary, but wealth in and of it's self is not worth anything if our character is rotten. 

Luke 9:25  "For what is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose or forfeit his own self?"

Tolstoy wrote in Anna Karenina:   “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” 

Many people come to the end of their days and find they have thrown away true happiness hand over fist trying to make money, without having made a life.  

We'll carry on more of the discussion on the next post.

Matthew 6:33  "But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

ABSOLUTELY THE FIRST STEP...

Have you had those days when you are talking to someone--family, friend, co-worker--who ever it may be, you are telling them something important.  They need to listen, but as you speak you feel like the people at the Tower of Babel.

Genesis 11:1  "And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech.... 5)  And Jehovah came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6)  And Jehovah said, Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is what they begin to do: and now nothing will be withholden from them, which they purpose to do. 7)  Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. 8)  So Jehovah scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off building the city."

Imagine, here you have Dave and Jim, they've grown up together, played together, etc. all their lives.  They are working on this great construction project when, Wham! they are speaking two different languages, and neither one of them can understand the other!

And this is what it feels like.  Their eyes glaze over and they verbally pat you on the head and say in a placating sort of voice--there, there now, it will be all right--and soon they follow physically the path that their mind has gone.

Taking our self too seriously is a problem, but we can not take Jesus and the Word too seriously.  

2Timothy 2:15  Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth.

Marketing 101.  When the building is on fire how do you encourage people to leave where they are?   Have people drunk so much of the kool aide that...

The show is a sci-fi called Doctor Who.  Their space ship has crashed and is stranded some where in the universe, and of course there are people wandering around looking for help.  People are in a daze, not because of the crash, but because someone has mesmerized them.  For some reason the answer to their problem is right in front of them, but they can't see it.  Except for one or two people and they are trying to persuade the others, all to no avail.

Many people aren't happy at their core.  They have things on the outside that should make them happy.  The increase in unhappy families, unhappy men and unhappy women, people on drugs or into alcohol show us there is a problem. 

Where should people turn?  Is there help in this world, or do we just muddle through the best we can?  There is a solution, but like the people in the sci-fi show most people wander through this life and never come out of their fog...

John 14:6  "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Gotta have it!

"I want, I want, I want!"  A good many years ago I remember a woman with a small child in a cart, ambling down the aisle in a store.  The child is brainlessly chanting I want, I want, I want--when the woman with a gentle yet firm flick to the head arrested the attention of the child.  He looked around curious as to what had occurred, and then sat quiet as they continued down the aisle.

Philippians 4:11  "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content.12)  I know how to be abased, and I know also how to abound: in everything and in all things have I learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in want.13)  I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me.
 

Many is the time I have watched people that have nice homes, nice vehicles, nice clothes yet they need to go...maybe they need to go to the mall, or they need to go to this store, or that sale, or...
I have watched people that appear to have it all, yet they go out to bring home more.

"He who has enough of anything should be satisfied.  Do you know when you have enough?"  (Merril Speller, book one) 

Now, in my life there are things I've had enough of.  Just having enough of anything is a nebulous idea.  There have been days, weeks, months and even years that I felt as if I'd had enough trials, temptations and bad 'time and chance' to last for a lifetime.  Yes, I knew when I had enough of that!

Looking on the other side do we know when we have enough of this world's goods?  The real struggle is when we have ample, yet we have this nagging voice telling us there is still more that we need.  This is the voice that gets us in trouble. 

I Timothy 6:6  But godliness with contentment is great gain: 7)  for we brought nothing into the world, for neither can we carry anything out; 8)  but having food and covering we shall be therewith content. 9)  But they that are minded to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition. 10)  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11)  But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

Love of money, love of things, "We are supposed to love people, and use things." It is not wrong to enjoy good things that we are blessed with, at least to a point.  We don't want to let them become a snare that we drown in.

Dave Ramsey says about money, "Money isn't good or bad...it just makes you more of what you already are."  The things we 'gotta have' are very much like money--they make you more of what you already are.

The author of a diet piece was suggesting that, "imagine globs of cheese, butter, chocolates whatever you eat excessively, imagine it stuck all over your body".  That was supposed to help the over eaters to stop overeating.  That is a unique idea. I wonder how it would work if we imagined what we crave of worldly items stuck all over our self.  Just how would we look if we had a computer stuck on us, or a big screen t.v., or a fancy car, or...the possibilities are endless.

The question is, just what have you got to have?

How I could dream

And what could I dream? Many years ago a song was written titled, 'Imagine'.  Many people sing and dream about how wonderful things would be if only...  if only there was no pain, or sorrow,  no bad things that happen. 
This song erroneously blames many things including religion for killing and death in this world, and this song is a proposition that socialism is a good thing...if everyone were only free and equal, but take a look at the reality of what 'imagine' looks like:

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today
     First verse--no heaven, no hell, only people with nothing-- to live or die-- for.  People living as if they are animals.  Ecclessiastes 3:11 "He hath made everything beautiful in its time: also he hath set eternity in their heart, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God hath done from the beginning even to the end." Human beings are unique to our world.  Animals don't think about tomorrow.  They only live from day to day.  Yet, humans can think and reason into the future--just another way we are set apart from the animal world.

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace
     Second verse--no country, no religion, nothing --to kill or die-- for...  Killing isn't good--violent death is not good, but death comes to us all.  It doesn't always come with countries or religion.  As a matter-of-observation, without the proper religion, violent death comes more often, to more people.
Ecclessiastes 3:16  "And moreover I saw under the sun, in the place of justice, that wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there."
When our fellow man has no restraint he's no saint.  Where there is no admonition to 'love thy neighbor', we are less loving, caring, and forgiving.  True Christianity is is like that.  It offers a better life here on earth, and the hope of eternal life in heaven. We can know that there is a righteous judge and all will at some point be judged.
You, you may say
I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one
     This is another misrepresentation of the real world we live in.  Even if the majority of the population were of a similar thought, the reality is that there is always a fly in someone's ointment.  It isn't human nature for everyone to think, act, and live the same way. Not only isn't it human nature, but often the minority is the fly that maketh the oil of the apothecary to stink...Ecclessiastes 10:1  "Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to send forth an evil odor; so doth a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor."

 Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world
     No possessions?  That is not realistic.  There has to be some elemental possessions.  How can I share in the first place if I don't have something to share?  If I'm in need how can you help me, or how can we help one another, if we don't have possessions?  We don't live in a world where what is mine is yours, and yours is mine.  A world where, since everything belongs to everyone, I can just borrow or use anything that I desire because of course it's all public property. There isn't a need for greed, but greed and hunger do exist.  Odd, that the singer of this song seems to support the communist type government, yet when you look into history, the communist elitist governments have used food and food shortages to control their citizens.  These governments are far from the peace filled fantasies offered in this ditty.  In Jamestown, Virginia the very first government was that 'all should work, and share the fruits of that labor equally'.  What happened was some worked, all shared, and eventually the 'some' decided that the system wasn't working, therefore they weren't going to work either.  The system was changed to, 2Thessalonians 3:10  "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, If any will not work, neither let him eat."

 You, you may say
I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will live as one
     Without good dreams a person has no goals, nothing to look forward to, nothing to strive for.  Nothing to live...or die for.  The dreamer here isn't dreaming for anyone, but himself.  Different countries keep each other in check.  No one seems to remember this idea.  Some, smart, educated people have at times believed a 'one world government' is the way to go.  They are not supported by history or logic.  If we lived in a perfect world, our perfect government wouldn't be needed.  No heaven, no hell?  For many in this life of trial and trouble heaven and its hope is a fair vision.  For would be evil doers a belief that someday their misdeeds would be judged and punished by a righteous God with an eternal punishment is a stong deterrent. 
A speaker was encouraging his listeners to 'trust people to do the right thing'.  "Given the opportunity people will usually do the right thing," the man said. 
I look around me, and some people are trustworthy, but...
Ecclesiastes 7:29  "Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions. "

Ecclesiastes 3:17  "I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work."  

No guarantees

In life there are no guarantees...the same situation that may lead to grand heights of accomplishments, may as well lead to failure.  Or at least a failure of sorts. 

When I was a youngster my cousin and I were being --youngsters.  We were running down the forest path (think Little House in a big woods) and me spying a branch hanging out over the path, and believing I could fly, I jumped up to grab the branch and swing on it.  The end of the matter was that, of course I couldn't fly, and although I was close that didn't count.  I landed with a thud flat on my back gasping for air. 

Did I fail?  In a real sense yes I did.  I made a split decision that didn't turn out well.  However, there were several lessons learned from the incident.  I learned my physical capabilities had limits, I learned that split decisions are not always good things--consider your actions more carefully, and I also learned when you fall down on the path of life...get up.

My cousin's favorite words to me during childhood must have been, 'Are you alright?' because of the numerous times I did something that left me gasping for air, or black and blue from the experience.  Being foolishly fearless is not a virtue. 

2Peter 1:5  "Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply virtue; and in your virtue knowledge; 6)  and in your knowledge self-control; and in your self-control patience; and in your patience godliness; 7)  and in your godliness brotherly kindness; and in your brotherly kindness love. 8)  For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

These are virtues.  Real attributes to strive for and emulate.  Many times on the path of life we encounter situations that demand we make decisions.  Most often where our focus is will determine where our future is.  Virtue is a nebulous quality that we know what it is, but it isn't easily defined.  I think of the virtuous knight, or a virtuous saint, someone above reproach.   Virtue helps us make right (irreproachable) choices in life.  We need knowledge, self-control, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love in order to make virtuous decisions, and the foundation knowledge is of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

In 2Timothy 1:7  we are told: "For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline."

There is a difference between foolishly fearless, and the fearlessness that God gives us.  So, as you run down the path of life remember strive for the virtues that will lead you to make right choices...and if you fall down on the path of life...get up.

Such a time?

1Kings 20:35  "And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his fellow by the word of Jehovah, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.  36)  Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of Jehovah, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him."

There is a story here about a king by the name of Ahab.  He lives in the city of Samaria, and is besieged by another king, Ben-hadad of Syria.  Ben-hadad has sent a message to King Ahab and says I want everything -good- that you have; your wives, your children, gold, silver...all of the goodliest of your possesions.

You might think Ahab would take exception to this, but no, he accepts the terms, and is willing to comply...but the story continues.
  "And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Ben-hadad, saying, I sent indeed unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;
  but I will send my servants unto thee to-morrow about this time, and they shall search thy house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away." 1Kings 20:5-6
Ahab, the King of Israel finally decides, I think this fellow is pulling my chain.  (That's my phraseology there.) But he goes to the elders of the land and says, "Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief:" I Kings 20:7

There are so many interesting things to glean from this lesson, but we are going to skip the story of the two battles that are fought wherein God blesses Ahab with victory over the pestilent Ben-hadad, just to show Ahab that there is a God in Israel: 
"...therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thy hand, and ye shall know that I am Jehovah."
(1Kings 20:28)
So, after the boastful King Ben-hadad is defeated twice, and he has had to flee for his life, his servants counsel him to throw himself on the mercy of King Ahab: 1Kings 20:32  "So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Ben-hadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother." The 'he' of the last sentence was none other than Ahab, calling Ben-hadad his brother...and in verse 34 Ahab makes a covenant with Ben-hadad: "And I, said Ahab, will let thee go with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and let him go."

God was very unhappy with him, and to prove his point he used a 'son of the prophet' to get his point across, and that is where I Kings 20:35 comes in.   "Smite me, I pray thee" he tells his fellow, but the fellow prophet was disobedient, was slain by a lion, and so the story goes on:

1Kings 20:37  "Then he (the prophet) found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, smiting and wounding him. 38)  So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with his headband over his eyes. 39)  And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king; and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.  40)  And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.  41)  And he hasted, and took the headband away from his eyes; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets."
I don't know why Ahab made a covenant and let Ben-hadad go free.  The reason the prophet said he lost his prisoner was that he was busy 'here, and there'. 
Into our hands our lives are given, our opportunities are given, our time, our talent, yes, our very essence is given.  What are we doing with all of these things? 

1Corinthians 3:9  "For we are God's fellow-workers: ye are God's husbandry, God's building. 10)  According to the grace of God which was given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder I laid a foundation; and another buildeth thereon. But let each man take heed how he buildeth thereon. 11)  For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12)  But if any man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13) each man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man's work of what sort it is."
We don't want to lose our place in the kingdom of God.  It is important to remember that being about our Father's business is our task first.  Do we forget to trust on God? 

Matthew 10:29  "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father: 30)  but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31)  Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows."