The Treasure Inside - Jewelled Boxes

If I asked you to think of an object that represents who you are, what would it be?

I would like to use the illustration of a jewellry box to represent our lives.

There are a variety of boxes out there.  Some are made from wood, fiberglass or paperboard; some are for temporary storage others for permanent; they come in all shapes and sizes and different designs from very ornate to plain.

Every box has a history, a road that we have travelled, lessons that we have learnt, areas we have grown in and people that have made a difference in our lives.  Every moment is a treasure that we keep inside our boxes. Some of these treasures are useful to us and some are purly sentimental.

Some of the treasures inside are very expensive, it has cost us much time, energy and emotions.  Some treasures are gifts, like wisdom in the right moment that produced good results.

God has placed great treasures in each of us.  When we reach inside and use it, we see amazing things happen and joy and blessing. 

But the devil does not want us to use these treasures, he knows how powerful they are, so he does his best to stop us from reaching inside to use it. When we open the lid to reach in and use a treasure, he tries to snap that lid shut.  Sometimes our hands or fingers get caught and it is very sore, we get hurt.  When this happens often enough we become hesitant to reach inside again.  In some cases the hurt is so bad that we stop opening that lid, and over time we forget what treasures are lying within. 

The Bible tells us:

1Sa 25:29  If anyone should attack you and try to kill you, the LORD your God will keep you safe, as someone guards a precious treasure. As for your enemies, however, he will throw them away, as someone hurls stones with a sling.

There are 3 types of treasures, and each serves a purpose.

1.       USEFUL/HEAD

This is the knowledge we have gained, the skills and abilities.  The Devil tries to steal away this, so we hoard it and hide it away.  I am reminded of the parable of the servant that hid away the talent that was given to him.  When the master returned it was taken away.  We must use our talents and abilities and we will grow and make a difference.

Nah 2:9  Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! The city is full of treasure!

2.       SENTIMENTAL/HEART

These are our memories and Spiritual growth. Here the Devil lies to us – tells us that by giving it away & we will loose it.  But Jesus says that when you give things away you gain more.  When I share my heart with others I will recieve.  When I grow spiritually I will make a difference.

Joh 10:10  The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life---life in all its fullness.

3.       EXPENSIVE/SOUL

These are the hard lessons we have learnt, the wisdom we have gained at great cost, the diamonds that are forged through great pressure. The Devil tries to block your absolute trust & faith in Christ through FEAR: false expectations appearing real, he tells you are alone, that you must be responsiblie for everything and everyone.

We should prayerfully relinquish all our goals, activities and outcomes into God’s hands. God’s goal for you are joyful obedience to Him and the development of Christ likeness as you interact with others. Places people in your lives as instruments to refine your character and growth and ask the Holy Spirit to breath in you an overwhelming sense of “holy boldness” for the sake of Jesus.

“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” 2 Tim 1:7

“For you did not recieve a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you recieved the Sprit of sonship.  And by him we cry “Abba, Father.” Rom 8:15

Let your life be a legacy to inspire others and make a difference!

When you open your boxes and go through it, you will remember and find the things forgotten. God is calling us to reach in and pull forth the abilities that He has invested in you, to rise up from the ashes of our past and to shine with the brilliance of 1000 diamonds. We need to shake the dust off and use our gifts & abilities. Our lives are treasures – we are God’s crowming glory!

Mat 12:35  A good person brings good things out of a treasure of good things; a bad person brings bad things out of a treasure of bad things.

Let your life be a legacy to inspire others and make a difference!

You are so Precious

I read this beautiful article and would like to share it with you.


www.heavenisopen.com/precious.html

The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Daniel 9:23

The words are often tranlated into English as 'highly favored' or 'greatly esteemed'. The NLT uses this expression 'precious to God'. God was speaking this to Daniel who was praying and praying and had not yet received an answer. Daniel was living in a very difficult place, in captivity in Babylon. He was crying out to God for deliverance. God sends the angel to remind Daniel, that the answer was on the way. But even more than that - he reminded Daniel of what God thought of him...PRECIOUS.

So often we think that delay means dismissal. No answer has come so God must not care about us. We assume that difficulty that lingers means that God has decided that we have little value and that our prayers are somehow not quality enough to answer.
This is simply untrue.
The fact is: YOU ARE PRECIOUS TO GOD! He esteems you. He values you. He is hearing you. O that we could understand just how God feels about us. My delay does not mean God has dismissed me or my concerns. My difficulty does not indicate that God has decided to ignore my life. It may not always feel this way - but YOU ARE PRECIOUS TO GOD.

jeffleake.typepad.com

Tips to Stay Motivated

Many times we start something new and we are so excited and motivated.  We just want to get going.  But after some time the excitement wears off and we become tired, and before we know it the motivation seems to have taken a vacation without us!

I have faced this so many times before and it is during this time that we are so tempted to give up or stop, or start another project that has got me motivate and excited.  So what can I do to stick through and not give up, even when it is tough? I have found these 6 tips that will help to stay motivated:

Get motivated every day.
Zig Ziglar was once confronted about being a “motivational speaker.” The guy said to him, “You guys come and get people hyped up and then you leave and the motivation goes away. It doesn’t last, and then you have to get motivated again.” Zig reminded the gentleman that baths are the same way but we think it is a good idea to take a bath every day!

It is true that motivation doesn’t last. We have to renew it each and every day. That is okay. It doesn’t make motivation a bad thing. We simply have to realize that if we want to stay motivated over the long term, it is something we will have to apply to ourselves each and every day.


Have a vision for your life.
The root word of motivation is “motive.” The definition of motive is, “A reason to act.” This is your vision. You have to have a vision that is big enough to motivate you.

Once you have a vision, you should have a plan on how to get there and work that plan.  Your vision must be rewarding to you as that will motivate you.  The Bible says that people perish from lack of vision.  Many dreams die unnatural deaths because there was not a clear vision and plan to get there. 


Fuel your passion.
Much of motivation is emotional. I don’t know quite how it works but I do know THAT it works. Emotion is a powerful force in getting us going. Passion is an emotion, so fuel your passion. “Well, I like to work on logic,” you may say. Great, now work on your passion. Set yourself on a course to have a consuming desire for your goal, whatever it is. Do whatever you can to feel the emotion and use it to your advantage!


Work hard enough to get results.
You can build on your motivation by getting results. The harder you work, the more results you will get and the more results you get, the more you will be motivated to get more. These things all build on one another. If you want to lose weight, then lose the first few kilograms. When the belt moves to the next notch you will get fired up to get it to the notch beyond that!

Remember to set yourself reachable targets.  If we set targets to high we may fail to reach it and this will discourage you.  Eat that elephant one bite at a time.


Put good materials into your mind.
We can never say this enough – listen to good material, whether motivational or sermons. These will help you learn and grow. Stories of successes motivate me to get my own successes! Read good books. Read books that teach you new ideas and skills. Read books that tell the stories of successful people. Buy them, read them, and get motivated! Buy great music and listen to it. Fill your mind with uplifting material that will encourage you and help you grow.  “Be changed by the renewing of your mind…”


Ride the momentum when it comes.
Sometimes you will just be clicking and sometimes you won’t. That is okay. It is the cycle of life. When you aren’t clicking, plug away. When you are clicking, pour it on because momentum will help you get larger gains in a shorter period of time with less energy. That is the Momentum Equation! When you are feeling good about how your work is going, ride the momentum and get as much out of it as you can!

So NEVER GIVE UP! Don’t quit on your vision.  Do what you can to keep yourself motivated and moving forward.  Sometimes you may need to shake to dust of failure off your feet, and then take the next step in the right direction. 

The Art of Forgiveness – Personal Testimony

It is guaranteed that we will all, at some time or another, be hurt by someone we care deeply for.  I think that those hurts are often the hardest to deal with as they cut the deepest.  These hurts we carry with us, and when other people say things to us (which we can easily deal with on a normal day), it is like rubbing salt into our bleeding wounds.  This can make us react to them harshly, and they feel like – “Chill! What did I say?!”

We have to deal with these hurts or they will cripple us, stop us from being all that we are meant to be, hamper us from reaching our full potential.  But the burning question is “How do I forgive someone when they have hurt me so badly?”

Here is my personal journey that God led me on to reach forgiveness and understand the process that brings you there.

I grew up with an alcoholic father.  Throughout my childhood I could only recall the memories that hurt and I was consumed with anger and hate towards him.  When I went off to college, I was confronted by God about my need to forgive my dad.  I remember sitting under a tree and arguing with God.  He did not deserve my forgiveness, why should I be the one to do it, he must come and say sorry to me … and so I gave God every reason why I was not going to forgive him. 

I knew I was broken and that the pain was festering inside me, but the thought of letting go and forgiving him felt like I was letting him off the hook!  Look how I was hurt!!! Oh, how I rationalised and argued, and in the end, when I reached the bottom, I cried and simply asked “How? How do I forgive someone after so many years of anger?”

One of the many lessons that I have learnt through the years, is that God is very practical.  I love that He led me through this process so gently and did not say flat word like “just it let go”.  It is not always easy to let go of the feelings you have especially after many years.  But God did not tell me to stop feeling, He took me in a very interesting direction.

God told me to show my father the respect that his position required. Huh? I was confused. How do I show him respect?  So God taught me about my actions – I must show my dad respect through my actions, through what I do.

The first thing I did when I saw my dad, was I greeted him with a hug.  I can tell you that that was the hardest thing I forced myself to do at that time.  It was a very awkward hug, and my dad was taken back and even uncomfortable with it.  I tried my best to not fight with him, speak rudely to him, be kind and generous, and generally show him respect through my actions.  This is when the most amazing thing began to happen.

My dad began to respond to my actions.  He would give me a big hug in return, we fought less, he showed me the love I so desperately wanted.  The more I showed him respect, the more positive response I got, until the hate slowly began to thaw and I could feel love for him growing inside me.  One day I woke up and the anger and hate was gone, and there was love in its place. 

Please understand that this was not a quick process.  This took almost a year to get to that place.  The old feelings did not vanish overnight; it had to be slowly rooted out of my soul – every last weed – before I was truly free. Each action of love tore out a bad root, and each action of love I received in return filled that hole with a new seed of love to grow. 

I remember the day I realised that I really love my daddy and was not angry with him anymore.  I sat at the foot of his bed one morning and told him that I forgive him and love him.  That was all I said.  I did not elaborate or explain, just said: “Daddy, I forgive you. I love you.” And then I cried. Amazingly my dad did not say anything, he just cried too.  I realised he needed that release as much as I did.

We never said anything more after that.  I love my dad and we share a lovely father/daughter relationship.  He is still an alcoholic. But my love is not based on his actions anymore, I love the man even if his actions make me cross.

This is how I learnt about the process of forgiveness.  I knew I had to forgive (mind), but it was through my actions that the process started.  The result began to change my heart (emotions), which reinforced my decision to forgive, which encouraged my continual actions, which continued to change my heart … and so it went on until the day I realised that my emotions were free from the chains of unforgiveness.

Now when I look back on my childhood, I remember the good memories and fun times we had. I am amazed how my anger had so clouded my memory as to not remember those times. Now that the clouds are gone, I can see the full picture.  Yes, I remember the bad times, the memories will always be there, but they don’t hurt in my soul anymore.  The hurt has been healed even if the scar remains. I now see that all of my memories, both good and sad, have helped me to grow into the woman I am today. 

We all face different situations that cause us pain, and we all know that we should forgive so that we can be free – it is important for your life and future. How can you change your actions today to start that process of forgiveness?

I pray that you will make forgiveness a priority in your life so that you can grow and be all that you were made to be.

Blessings.

Letting Go

To "let go" does not mean to stop caring. It means I can't do it for someone else.

To "let go" is not to cut myself off. It's the realization that I can't control another.

To "let go" is to admit powerlessness, which means the outcome is not in my hands.

To "let go" is not to try to change or blame another. It's to make the most of myself.

To "let go" is not to care for, but to care about.

To "let go" is not to fix, but to be supportive.

To "let go" is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being.

To "let go" is not to be in the middle, arranging all the outcomes, but to allow others to affect their own destinies.

To "let go" is not to deny, but to accept.

To "let go" is not to nag, scold, or argue, but instead to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.

To "let go" is not to adjust everything to my desires, but to take each day as it comes and cherish myself in it.

To "let go" is not to regret the past, but to grow and live for the future.

To "let go" is to fear less and to love more.

— Author Unknown

Rom 8:31-39

In view of all this, what can we say? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Certainly not God, who did not even keep back his own Son, but offered him for us all! He gave us his Son---will he not also freely give us all things?
Who will accuse God's chosen people? God himself declares them not guilty!
Who, then, will condemn them? Not Christ Jesus, who died, or rather, who was raised to life... and is at the right side of God, pleading with him for us!
Who, then, can separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble do it, or hardship or persecution or hunger or poverty or danger or death?
As the scripture says, "For your sake we are in danger of death at all times; we are treated like sheep that are going to be slaughtered."
No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us!
For I am certain that nothing can separate us from his love: neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers or powers, neither the present nor the future, neither the world above nor the world below---there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Rom 8:31-39

How to Make a Difference in This World

By Mark Foo

Many people believe that they don’t have what it takes to make a difference to the world. They believe only people like Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, and the likes, are capable of making a difference.

The truth is, every one of us is put in this world to contribute and make a difference to the world in our own unique way. It need not be anything out of the world. It just needs to be something you do with the intention of ‘doing good’.

The following is a guide as to how small people like us can make a difference to the world.

How To Make a Difference

1. It Need Not Be an Enormous Task
“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.” – Mother Teresa
You already have what it takes to make the world a better place. Making a difference to the world may seem like an enormous task, but it is in fact the collective effort of everyone to make small contributions with a lot of heart. The size of the contribution is not what matters most. The key here is to have the heart to do it.

2. Start Now
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” – Anne Frank
There is no one best time to start to make a difference to the world. You don’t need to wait till you have the time to share some love; you don’t have to wait till you make more money to share a slice of bread. Little efforts count, and you can start making small contributions today.

3. Your Contribution is Never Too Small
“Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something.” – Author Unknown
If you think that everything has been taken care of by somebody and your contribution is not going to make much of a difference, then you’re wrong. Can you imagine if everyone else starts to think the same way? In fact, it is our responsibility to seek ways to contribute, large and small. You don’t have to be concerned you’re only capable of making small contributions. What counts is the effort.

4. The Greatest Gifts of All
“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” – Buddha
Happiness and love are the two greatest gifts you can give to the world. Too often, we’re too indulged in our own gratifications that we forget there are people in this world whom we can make a little happier and feel more loved. As the saying goes, “To receive, you must first give.” The more you give, the more you’ll receive. Let us remind ourselves that in order to receive more happiness and love, let’s spread more of them first.

5. Empower Other People
“Abilities wither under criticism; they blossom under encouragement.” – Dale Carnegie
You can change the world by helping one person at a time. One of the ways to help someone is to empower the person. But how do you empower a person? Well, one of the ways is to be generous in giving praise and encouragement instead of criticism. By praising and encouraging the person, you’d have helped him/her to accomplish what he/she is meant to be, and that would lead to more value being added to the world.

6. Seek to Make a Long-Lasting Effect
“The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own.” – Benjamin Disraeli
This is Mr Disraeli’s version of ‘give a man a fish; you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.’ The good that we seek to do will make more of a difference when there’s a long-lasting effect rather than a temporary effect. For example, if we make contributions to build a school, it will benefit many people for years to come. And when more people receive education, they will in turn provide more value to the world.

7. Stop Whining and Do Something
“If you have time to whine and complain about something then you have the time to do something about it.” – Anthony J. D’Angelo
All the whining and complaining in the world is not going to make a difference to the world. It will only drain you of your precious energy from doing things that do make a difference. Instead of whining and complaining, seek to use the time more productively by engaging in activities that matter. When it comes to making a difference, nothing matters more than taking actions.

8. Lead the Way
“A good example has twice the value of good advice.” – Author Unknown
Other than doing things to make a difference, we should also seek to influence others to start doing things that make a difference. And the best way to convince other people is to lead by example.

Start doing whatever is within your ability today. Start showing more concern and love to the people around you. Start to make monthly donations to your favourite charity. Start putting more effort in your work to increase the value output.

Every effort counts, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem. Just do something, and do something good.