give your best

There’s a saying in sports ‘give your best and forget the rest’. I believe it was adapted from ‘give your best and let God do the rest‘. But, I feel we should always give our best not just out of excess.

I’ve been working with the underprivileged for decades and I’m always amazed at the donations that come in from good meaning people who unfortunately do not give their best. Half used bottles of shampoo, torn or stained clothes, and broken watches or necklaces should just be thrown away. Why not give some of your best?

Want to really help? Then, go buy brand new things for donations. Give whole unused bottles of shampoo or new accessories or clothes. It is ok to give gently used items but not things that should otherwise be discarded. I used to think least it is something and that is better than giving nothing. But, I have changed the tune in seeing the delight of those receiving new items and also the disappointment when receiving less than okay. If need be, wait till items are on clearance or use coupons. Even dollar store brands are better than half used or outdated products.

I believe God wants us always to do our best and give our best. So just go do it. Then, others truly will see you…

be.the.church

And by the way, God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9.7) and those who are generous will prosper (Proverbs 11.25). So, don’t think about what you are loosing but rather what you will gain because of your unselfishness and giving. Make it a habit to shower others by blessing them with your generosity.

Yes, we should always give our best not just out of our excess and we should seek to shower others with the blessing of our generosity.

Since this is short post, why not go back and read this one: https://bethechurch.home.blog/2019/09/04/just-do-it/

what gets your attention

What has God allowed in your life to get your attention? If you look, He is usually in the midst.

He desperately wants you to come to Him.

He won’t waste anything to draw you to Him so be aware of what gets your attention and seek to find Him in it.

Look for the ways He is trying to grab your attention and move towards Him.

As we grow closer to our Lord, it is He who will direct and guide. He will show us which way to go and He will be honored when we follow.

Look for what gets your attention. Then, look for the Lord. He will be close by ready and waiting to lead you in the direction He has planned for you.

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” Isaiah 30.21

Listen and follow.

“…the Holy Spirit…will teach you all things…” John 14.26

Let Him!

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16.9

Follow in them.

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalm 119.105

Stay in the Word and you will find true guidance.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.” Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-6‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

When you follow the above and all the instructions in The Word, you will..

be.the.church

why worry

Have an upcoming doctor appointment waiting for answers? Why worry?

Don’t know if a diagnosis will be good or bad? Why worry?

Think that worrying shows you care or motivates? You are wrong. It actually does the opposite.

We were born to worship not worry. We were made to give our worries to God and let Him carry the burdens. We were meant to lean into community and not face life’s uncertainties alone.

But, that is when the enemy creeps into our minds. He plants seeds of worry or encourages us to go it alone.

DON’T DO IT!

Calm yourself down. Don’t let your mental worry state translate to your body and put yourself in a state of agitation. To do this: “take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10.5) Then, “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” (Philippians 4:6-7 MSG)

There is power in numbers too. So, grab a fellow Christian and pray about the things that worry you. If one of us alone can send 1,000 demons flying, two together will put 10,000 to flight. (Deuteronomy 32.30) Why worry with those odds?!?!

“Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” (Matthew 6:27 NLT)

Of course not! So why do it?

It will take practice to worry less, but I promise it will help you live a fuller life that is filled with more peace than you can ever imagine.

Here’s how to do it: “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 HCSB)

When you do, others will wonder and marvel at how you do and ask how you do it.

Then, you must tell them about Jesus the author and perfecter (or finisher) of our faith. (Hebrews 12.2)

When we leave our worries with the Lord, others will see us…

be.the.church

Just do it! Leave your worries with the Lord.

Here’s a post to look back called exactly that: https://bethechurch.home.blog/2019/09/04/just-do-it/

what do you see when you look in the mirror

Some see defeat.

Others won’t look.

And still others see disgust.

But that is NEVER what God sees.

You are His precious child.

You are a prince or princess and co-heirs with Christ.

You are:

L – oved

A – ccepted

C – omplete and

K – nown *

You L-A-C-K nothing with Christ as Lord so don’t you forget it!

“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.” James 1.23-25

Go be blessed by what you do.

Live out your purpose.

And look in the mirror seeing who God truly has made you to be – His child, His treasure, His beloved.

Go bring honor and glory to Him as you live out loud and …

be.the.church

For fun, check out this previous post especially if you do not know what c’est la vie means: https://bethechurch.home.blog/2019/06/24/cest-la-vie/

Now go look in the mirror seeing who God truly has made you to be – His child, His treasure, His beloved.

*from Jennifer Rothchild study

lessons from the bees

It is towards the end of bee season.

Here’s some bee facts:

The bees main job is to pollinate flowers and produce honey or beeswax.
When a drone bee mates with the queen, it dies instantly.
Drones also do not have stingers, so it is the females causing the pain.
And it is only honey bees that die after stinging.
There are over 16,000 different types.
They live on all continents except Antarctica and in every habitat that has insect pollinating flowering plants.
Some live in social colonies.
They range in size from 2mm or 1/8 of an inch up to 39 mm or almost 1.5 inches.
The main reason they collect pollen is to care for their young.

Shouldn’t we be doing the same? How do we care for our young – either young in age or young in Christianity?

Well, first we need to ‘pollinate’ them with kindness and speak words of ‘honey’ into their souls.

“Pleasant words are honey from a honeycomb – sweet to the soul and healing for the body” Proverbs 16.24

The bees dying after they sting remind me that:

“The sting of death is sin…” I Corinthians 15.56

We need to teach that sin ‘stings’ and can entangle us to keep us from our true purpose.

“…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…” Hebrews 12.1

We need to remind those younger in age or spirit and ourselves that we are unique, special, and one of a kind, but we have limited time here on earth. God has a plan that will suit just us and how He created us to be – each one of us as individuals. Let’s pursue that purpose and find it while we still have time to be used. We don’t need to be buzzing around aimlessly, but can be focused doing what God has called us to do until our time here is over.

Is that little one learning from the older?

I wonder, do those bees know they have a short season to live?

None of us are guaranteed tomorrow.

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” Proverbs 27.1

We should consider that with our comings and goings and use our time wisely.

One way is just by being kind.

That is what we can be reminded of when we see some bees…

to just be 🐝 kind

and then others will see us…

be.the.church

Here’s an earlier post on being kind: https://bethechurch.home.blog/2019/08/31/it-is-the-end-of-be-kind-to-humankind/

just do it

So often we procrastinate when we need to take Nike’s* motto and just do it.

Get to the thing you have been putting off.

Cross some items off your to do list.

Start (or finish) that project.

And all the while, play mind games to motivate.

For example, tell yourself if I do 45 minutes of work, I will take a 15 minute break to do something I enjoy like taking a quick walk, playing a game, or pleasure reading.

We can be our worst enemies as we put things off. My mother always said: “Don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today.” That’s another piece of advice worth taking and applying. Just get to it and do it!

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might…” Ecclesiastes 9.10

“Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.” Proverbs 10.4

I don’t want to be considered lazy and definitely don’t want to be poor because of it.

“Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.” Proverbs 12.24

Get to what you know you need to do and just do it!

The world needs to see us as good examples and being about our Father’s business. Just go do that too so others see you…

be.the.church

*Nike is a trademark for sneakers and a clothing line. The name was derived from Greek mythology. Nike is the Winged Goddess of Victory. The logo is derived from the goddess’ wing, and the ‘swoosh‘ logo symbolizes the sound of speed, movement, power, and motivation. In other words, just do it.

The above picture is of the statue of that Goddess which stands in the Louvre in Paris. It is believed to have been carved just a few years before the birth of Christ. Amazing to think it has survived all these years.

things that make you go hm

Tubeless toilet paper rolls that don’t work as you think they would.
Bug bites that don’t itch til day 2!
Saying hair cut instead of hairs cut.
Beard stubble growing too fast that you have a five o’clock shadow by noon.
Getting sun burned on a cloudy day.
People talking nonstop in the theatre.
Gum smackers.
Buses that are not on time.
Trains that don’t show up.

But the biggest one for me was being trapped in a parking lot because someone parked in the exit. Wish I had taken a picture I could share, but it sure was something that made me go hm!

Here’s some funny ones I found on the net: https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/699178-joke-things-that-make-you-go-hmmm/

And here is a previous post on pet peeves similar to things that make you go hm: https://bethechurch.home.blog/2019/03/25/pet-peeve/

There is even some Bible verses that can make you go hm. Take what it says in Hebrews 10: “Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.”

Did you catch that? “…joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property…” I don’t know about that. Would you be joyful as your property was confiscated!?!? I get we will be rewarded in heaven, but sometimes in the human our humanness gets the best of us. Agree?

Bottom line: don’t let any of the above frustrate you or make you loose your cool. The world needs to see us level headed, consistent, and kind. That is how we can…

be.the.church

Look back if you need to be reminded how to be kind: https://bethechurch.home.blog/2019/08/31/it-is-the-end-of-be-kind-to-humankind/

Please comment on things that make you go hm or ways you show your kindness in your everyday comings and goings.

labour day

Years ago when we were expecting our first child on ironically the day of labour, that child had their own time table and came 2 weeks early. Labour Day, of course, doesn’t exactly mean that type of labour.

“Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest. For most countries, Labour Day is synonymous with, or linked with, International Workers’ Day, which occurs on 1 May.”*

May first is also May Day. Check out this previous post from that day: https://bethechurch.home.blog/2019/05/01/may-today-be/

In the United States of America, Labour Day is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September which is today. “It honors the American labor movement and the power of collective action by laborers, who are essential for the workings of society. It is the Monday of the long weekend known as Labor Day Weekend.”*

Ironically, no labour will be done this day. It does, however, mark the ‘unofficial’ end of summer. You may catch a discount at retailers if you happen to be in the United States this weekend.

But, the message I want to convey today is for you to ask yourself: what labour for the Lord am I pursuing? Have I found purpose in what labour He has created me for?

Labour Day recognition might be a fun day to relax or take time off work, but if we don’t labour for the Lord than all is in vain.

Here’s some verses for you to consider about labour:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” Colossians 3.23

“…work – doing something useful with your own hands, that you may have something to share with those in need” Ephesians 4.28

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.” Proverbs 16.

When you do, you will…

be.the.church

*wikipedia

homestretch

Another first. Another beginning of the month. We are on the homestretch of this year. 8 months down; 4 to go.

Start focused on what you want to get done before December 31 rolls around.

It is about this time or within the next month or so that each year God starts stirring my heart about what my next year’s theme word/s to live out will be. I am thinking next year will be entwined with hope. If you have never picked a theme to live by; try it. I promise it will be transformative.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12.2

“As a man thinks in his heart, so he is.” Proverbs 23.7

What is it that you are thinking in your heart? If you learn to take thoughts captive and replace with a theme word or verse, it will help you stay positive and truly transform your thinking.

Having a theme helps you focus on who you can become or who God desires you to be. Past themes for me have been love, speak life, choose joy, surrender, and this year it was the word diligent.

I have been diligently posting an entry a day on this blog and plan to continue. But, there are still some other things I have neglected yet need to diligently work on before the year is done.

What do you need to work on? Where do you see yourself by year’s end or next year?

It is good to contemplate where you are headed and prepare for what is to come, but also living in the moment is key. We sometimes get so focused about what’s to come we don’t enjoy the here and now.

Look back at this post to be reminded of that: https://bethechurch.home.blog/2019/08/29/everyday-is-a-day-to-celebrate-something/

We may be on the homestretch for this year or maybe you are with time left on earth. Use it wisely. Live life out loudly, boldly, and with purpose. Show the world Jesus through your words and actions. And for those final months, days, hours, minutes of this year…

be.the.church

By the way, it is Father’s Day in the land down under. So, happy Father’s Day to all my Aussie and Kiwi friends.

it is the end of be kind to humankind

Well, of course, we still need to be kind but today marks the end of be kind to humankind week.*

Did you even know?

I didn’t!

But, regardless, it is no excuse for us not to be kind. After all it is one of the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5.22+23: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

I love the enriched meaning in the amplified version: “But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.” ‭‭Galatians ‬ ‭5:22-23‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Bottom line: let’s exhibit all the fruit and start by just being kind.

“But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard – things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good – crucified.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:22-23‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Yes, let’s kill the stuff that needs to go and cover everything else with kindness. Being kind will allow us to…

be.the.church

So, go 🐝 kind each and every day.

Just…

as you…

be.the.church

*thanks Lorraine for beginning this ‘kind’ journey 30 plus years ago – check out the Be Kind to Human Kind website http://bk2hk.org/week/ for ideas to implement each and every day of the week and I would suggest not just this week but each and every day the whole year through.