Philippians 1:6
There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I’m reading Pastor Joel Osteen’s book, Become a Better You, and the passage I read this morning dealt with how we think of ourselves… our personal criticisms. He pointed out that (hopefully) we would never consider telling someone else, “You’re dumb… you’re fat… you are ugly… you’re worthless and a major disappointment…you don’t matter…” or making other unkind statements. Yet many of us look in the mirror every day and say these very same things – or a derivation of them – to ourselves. Osteen points out that, as Christians, this is just plain “stinkin’ thinkin’!"
God sees every fault and flaw we have… but He sees the “good work begun in us”… He sees our potential. God is not mad at us or disappointed by our failures when He knows that we are continually trying to do better. Is this a license to sin? That was the question posed to Osteen, who answered by saying that we can all sin any time we please. The difference is that those of us who are striving to serve God to the best of our ability should not have any desire to sin. The temptations are still there… the frustrations and opportunities for misbehaving still exist… but our desires and focus have changed. And as long as we center our lives on God and keep “pressing toward the mark” of serving Him in all things, we will be able to manage our temptations and beat back the lure of sin.
So the next time you start to get down on yourself… or someone else… ask a very simple question… “Am I doing my best and pressing toward the mark? Is this person I am so upset with or critical of trying to the best of his/her ability?” When someone is giving his/her best effort, God is please and blesses that effort. And if God is satisfied with the work being done, we surely have no room to complain!
You may not be where you want to be – or even where you ought to be this day. But if you are focused on God and giving Him your very best, the “good work” continues… and a “better you” is in production! This is a reason to praise God and give Him thanks! Has God begun a good work in your life today? Have you taken time to be grateful?
©2012 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label Joel Osteen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joel Osteen. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for November 15, 2012
Matthew 3:33-37
“If you grow a healthy tree, you’ll pick healthy fruit. If you grow a diseased tree, you’ll pick worm-eaten fruit. The fruit tells you about the tree.
“You have minds like a snake pit! How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded? It’s your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation.”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Several years ago, the father of a friend of mine passed away suddenly. My friend was understandably devastated. He was in his twenties at the time, and his dad had died at a very young age. At the funeral, a fellow church member approached my grieving friend and said, “It’s going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better.” I am fairly certain this person meant well… but those words rang in my friend’s ear… and some ten years later, I still remember the look on his face as he told me all of this. There are times when words truly can be our damnation. In other words, sometimes we should keep our thoughts to ourselves!
Whether this person meant to be helpful or not, his words were reckless. And we so often do this. Teachers ask children why they cannot make good grades or conduct themselves like their older brother or sister, not realizing the stress and pressure that this puts on a kid to live up to someone else’s expectations… real or imaginary. A single comment made to someone about an aspect of his/her appearance can scar them for life. Forever and a day that person will worry about his/her big nose, crooked teeth, crazy cow-lick, or toothpick legs. Unkind nicknames can haunt a person for years… or a lifetime.
Continual talk of sickness can actually make you sick. There are even those who believe that if you talk about getting a disease – like cancer – often and long enough, you can manifest this into your life. The late Rev. John Osteen, father to Joel Osteen, wrote a booklet entitled, “There is a Miracle In Your Mouth.” You can order a copy from http://amazon.com. Rev. Osteen outlines through scripture how we speak both negativity and positive outcomes into our lives… and how our words have a profound effect on the direction we take each day.
Today, Joel Osteen is a champion of speaking good things into your life and the lives of others. He suggests that we get up every day, look in the mirror, and say, “I am valuable. I am loved. God has a great plan for my life.” Instead, most of us get up, look at our image in the mirror and groan at the new wrinkle, or the pimple that showed up overnight, our receding hairline, the extra strands of gray, or something that disappoints us. And let’s be honest, this sets in motion what is at least a subconscious negative attitude… if not an outright bad mood for the day.
My challenge for each of us is to consider our words. Do we speak as if we are valued by God and he has great plans for our life? Do we offer encouragement and hope to others? Or are we continually negative, careless, and hurtful with our words? Are our words those of salvation or damnation?
Joel Osteen says, “If you can change your words, you can change your world.” Are you willing to change today?
©2012 Debbie Robus
“If you grow a healthy tree, you’ll pick healthy fruit. If you grow a diseased tree, you’ll pick worm-eaten fruit. The fruit tells you about the tree.
“You have minds like a snake pit! How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded? It’s your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation.”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Several years ago, the father of a friend of mine passed away suddenly. My friend was understandably devastated. He was in his twenties at the time, and his dad had died at a very young age. At the funeral, a fellow church member approached my grieving friend and said, “It’s going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better.” I am fairly certain this person meant well… but those words rang in my friend’s ear… and some ten years later, I still remember the look on his face as he told me all of this. There are times when words truly can be our damnation. In other words, sometimes we should keep our thoughts to ourselves!
Whether this person meant to be helpful or not, his words were reckless. And we so often do this. Teachers ask children why they cannot make good grades or conduct themselves like their older brother or sister, not realizing the stress and pressure that this puts on a kid to live up to someone else’s expectations… real or imaginary. A single comment made to someone about an aspect of his/her appearance can scar them for life. Forever and a day that person will worry about his/her big nose, crooked teeth, crazy cow-lick, or toothpick legs. Unkind nicknames can haunt a person for years… or a lifetime.
Continual talk of sickness can actually make you sick. There are even those who believe that if you talk about getting a disease – like cancer – often and long enough, you can manifest this into your life. The late Rev. John Osteen, father to Joel Osteen, wrote a booklet entitled, “There is a Miracle In Your Mouth.” You can order a copy from http://amazon.com. Rev. Osteen outlines through scripture how we speak both negativity and positive outcomes into our lives… and how our words have a profound effect on the direction we take each day.
Today, Joel Osteen is a champion of speaking good things into your life and the lives of others. He suggests that we get up every day, look in the mirror, and say, “I am valuable. I am loved. God has a great plan for my life.” Instead, most of us get up, look at our image in the mirror and groan at the new wrinkle, or the pimple that showed up overnight, our receding hairline, the extra strands of gray, or something that disappoints us. And let’s be honest, this sets in motion what is at least a subconscious negative attitude… if not an outright bad mood for the day.
My challenge for each of us is to consider our words. Do we speak as if we are valued by God and he has great plans for our life? Do we offer encouragement and hope to others? Or are we continually negative, careless, and hurtful with our words? Are our words those of salvation or damnation?
Joel Osteen says, “If you can change your words, you can change your world.” Are you willing to change today?
©2012 Debbie Robus
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