Self Worth - purely secular or simply embracing God's love for us?

Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Romans 12:9 (MSG)

"Friendship- my definition- is built on two things. Respect and trust. Both elements have to be there. And it has to be mutual. You can have respect for someone, but if you don't have trust, the friendship will crumble." ― Stieg Larsson,

Self-control, self-reliance, self-worth, self-esteem, self-view. Lots of psychological terms that all define loving ourselves. When researching bible commentary regarding this subject, I was surprised that many Christian authors, ministers, scholars have a view that "loving ourselves" is secularism. Created by man to perpetrate the belief that man does not need God - that power is within "self."

Hmmm, I can understand that we can get "full of ourselves" and become too self reliant to depend on God. Actually, have been there and done that and suffered consequences. BUT what about the portion of us who struggle with self esteem and are Christian? Those of us that love others and sacrifice ourselves to please others? Have others well being foremost at heart rather than our own? There has to be a balance and a spiritual viewpoint regarding low self esteem.

I believe God "wants" us to have a healthy view of ourselves. . Jesus said that we should love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:39). That implies a sound concept of self-esteem. Sadly, however, many of us deal with a low appreciation of ourselves due to many factors (history of abuse, substance abuse, critical self thinking, being overly concerned with material things). Sometimes it affects are ability to love and serve God. This can times, permeate our relationships, drive our decisions. An unhealthy self-view can, thus, affect our lives. But there is "good news":-)

The Bible presents two simple facts which, if embraced, can provide us with a healthy self view and a mark of individual excellence.
1. We possesses dignity by virtue of our divine heritage (ie being made in the image of God.
2. Though everyone has dealt with or is dealing with sin, man can regain his self-esteem through the process of spiritual rebirth and regeneration.

Having a healthy self view is harder work for  some of us than others. But it can be improved. We can find our voice, through God by embracing our heritage through him and having a close relationship with our "Father".

Father God - Thank you so much for Your great love for us and creating us "in Your image". Nudge us to love others as You love us. However, help us to remember that we are "Your children" and deserve to be treated as such in friendships/relationships. Thank You for Your faithfulness and constant love. Amen
　

Living within Our Means, instead of Being Imprisoned by Our Wants

Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house. Proverbs 24:27

“Wealth is a planned result that requires productive work and dedication., “The plans of the diligent lead only to abundance; but all who rush in arrive only at want” (CJB, Proverbs 21:5).”

Since I had a little time on my hands this week, J I decided to put together a budget for myself until August. This, in itself; is monumental for me lol. Since currently I am working as a certified teachers aide and on the way to becoming a teacher, I have resigned myself to the fact that budgeting will be a practice I will be doing for many years to come.  Budgeting gets a bad rap – its not very exciting to think of ways to “save money”. However, I actually felt a sense of empowerment of planning how much I will save and when I will be able to reach some financial goals. Could it possibly mean that I am on the way to becoming financially responsible at the ripe old age of 43? J Some of us are late bloomers, aren’t we?

What does the bible say about budgeting? Many times the bible discusses virtues such as  perserverance, diligence in practices such as “tithing”. My dad always has stressed the importance of tithing as a way to be financially responsible and one of the ways to receive God’s blessing.  The first step in becoming financially responsible and blessed is to recognize God as the source of your prosperity. We may have worked a job, but it’s God who gave us our lives, our breath, our talents, our abilities, the power to think, and the blessing of living at a time of unparalleled opportunity in one of the most prosperous nations in the world. We didn’t do any of that! Budgeting another way for us to learn lessons and recognize blessings from God through continued stewardship and discipline. Not the easiest lesson, but an important one.

Father God – Thank you so much for blessing us with what we currently have. Thank you for lessons we learn about stewardship and discipline. Remind us that to be blessed by You, we have to consistently take care of what we already have. Give us discipline in our spending and saving habits to strengthen our stewardship. Even though at times, it seems that it’s easier for others to make “ends meet”- help us to be thankful for All the blessings we have through You. Amen
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Attitude - Little Thing that Makes a Big Difference

 

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.Philippians 4:8

"Be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet. Make all your friends feel there is something special in them.Think only the best, be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. Norman Vincent Peale

 

Long before Norman Vincent Peale; Paul was discussing the "power of positive thinking". Usually this theory of positive thinking begets positive action is dismissed as "psychobabble".

Truth is truth wherever we are. Focusing on the good in every area of our lives is what Paul was advocating. Failure to recognize God's blessings in everyday living will cause us care and anxiety. Recognizing God's hand in even the smallest things will cause peace and will keep our hearts and minds focused on the positive road ahead.

　

Father God - Thank you so much for blessings we take note of and take "for granted". It is You that remains as a constant in our lives if WE allow it. Remind us that you gave us a heart and a mind to give us enthusiam to do positive things. Help us to let go of the negativity and focus on steps that can make us resilient and more effective for You. Amen.

Nature - Teacher of Patience

It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom,
and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. 13 When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses. Jeremiah 10:12-13

"It takes a real storm in the average person's life to make him realize how much worrying he has done over the squalls." ― Bruce Barton

I remember my mom saying one day " All you have to do in life is live and die". This was when she was first diagnosed with cancer. This statement, coming from a woman; who would try to move mountains to "get things done", was shocking to hear . This statement has stuck with me for many years. I believe my mother, who was fiercely independent, was saying - "there is only so much control that we (humans) have in life".

Father God or "Mother Nature" has a way of teaching us "what's important". Its not how many hours of work you put in, what you have to show for your hard work, the circle of friends that you run in, etc. Have you noticed that huge storms "level the playing field for everyone"?. That, oftentimes, serves as a impetus for us to "come together" - to help our neighbor, to move beyond our "self" and come together as a group to help?

I believe that God has a purpose for storms - in nature and in our emotional life. He shows us how powerful He is. Storms allow us to "step back" and learn signficant things. Storms force us to be dependent on Him for deliverance and blessing.

Father God - Remind us today that we grow from the emotional and natural storms of life. Help us to think beyond ourselves when storms come our way. Thank you so much for being the Ultimate Force in nature and that there is a purpose in everything You do.

Winning Out in the Long Run

"With this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Phillipians 3:14
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The achievement of your goal is assured the moment you commit yourself to it. Mack R. Douglas

The Apostle Paul is the author of a letter he wrote to the Phillipians and also wrote this verse about "looking forward and moving upward". If Paul focused his life on the past, the things he did before he was saved, it would have incapacitated him for the present work. Paul was persecuting Christians, dragging them out of their homes, arresting them, even consenting to their death, And I’m sure that there were things even after he was saved that occurred that he wish didn’t happen and yet he was able to let them go because his eyes were focused on what the Lord has for him here and now!
There are many of us who are spiritually unable to move forward because they live in the past. I know this personally because I was guilty of this several years. How do we let ourselves become "unable" to move forward? We hold onto grudges, sins, bitterness, tragedies of the past, refusing to let them go. Some of us try to live in the past making it into some kind of utopia and that too can paralyze us from the present work that God wants to do. Paul, in Galatians 4:9 rebukes them by saying, "But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?" Satan's powerful game to play is for us to "focus on the past instead of what we can do today". Difficult habit to get out of but it can be done :-)

Then what should we do? Paul tells us that we are to be "reaching forward" which is a word that speaks of stretching. Think of it like this, a muscle that is stretched to its limit, like that of a rur who is stretching, straining to reach the finish line. At first we get tired, sore, think of the long road ahead. But before no time, we are moving forward Instead of reaching back we are running toward the goals that God has called us to do.We will be living for today and seeing what God is going to do.

Father God - Thank you so much for the chance to move forward and have hope for the future - all through Your strength. If we slip back and think about past hurts, remind us to call on Your Name and "live for today, working for tomorrow" instilling hope for our future. Thank you for the chance to move forward and be effective in our lives and for You each and every day. Amen

God gives us a new day every morning :-)

O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress. Isaiah 33:2

Find peace in the morning rush and you will have a good day. ~Mike Dolan
Have you ever been up early in the morning, sometime around dawn? It is very quiet, very few cars are in the streets, there is no one to be seen walking around and even the birds are quiet. There is a serene quality early in the morning. If you want to get somewhere without rushing and
stress get up early and go. If you want to get a lot done at the office or even around the house get up early and get to work, you’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish. I'll admit that I'm one of those "morning" people but I think we are rare. lol In the morning, I find peace to pray and to read the Bible to start the day off right. If I miss it because of oversleeping, getting things done - it just feels like I've forgotten something all day.

When is your "quiet time with God"? If its hard to find time, just take a few minutes to pray about those whose concerns are close to your heart. Or to pray about situations that are concerning you. If you forget (as we all do!) just remember tomorrow is a fresh new start.




Father God - Thank you for new beginnings every morning. Help us to start the day with purpose, prayer and promise. Help us to be grateful to start a new day and have strength to handle each and every situation that lay before us. Thank you for your unconditional love. Amen.

"There are no shortcuts to a place worth going"

9 We must not become tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9



You know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. So run to win! 25 All those who compete in the games use self-control so they can win a crown. That crown is an earthly thing that lasts only a short time, but our crown will never be destroyed. 26 So I do not run without a goal. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something—not just the air. 1 Corinthians 9:24-26
We can easily lose heart and run out of strength when we come up against the same problems over and over again as we cope with life and relationships with others.  Some of the great apostles, including Paul; recognized that fatigue and discouragement might cause Christians to throw in the towel and quit. So he presents two incentives to keep us from giving up when we grow weary of serving others in love. First, he assures us of a reward for doing good: at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (v. 9). Sometimes the harvest is experienced in this life. When we sow acts of love, we reap a harvest of love in return. When we sow the seed of God's Word in needy lives, we experience the joy of response. But we must remember that reaping a harvest almost never happens on the same day as sowing the seed. We may not even see a harvest in this life from what we have sown. Nevertheless, we must never give up, because we know that at the proper time God will allow us to reap the rewards, growth and all good things.



Father God - Give us gudiance and strength to fulfill our destinies that YOU have planned for us. When we grow tired, help us to "walk another mile" despite the strong desire to quit. Thank you for your Holy Spirit that will encourage us to move forward and receive blessings that YOU want to give us. Thank you for your unfailing love. Amen.