People sometimes say a specific thing keeps them going--keeps them excited about life or gives them something to look forward to. Often that is the next vacation or the next academic degree they will get, or the next career move/promotion or something related to a child's accomplishment. But what if those things might not be doable due to age or money or other reasons?
One thing that never gets old is learning about God and the Bible. The fact that the Bible is so large can be overwhelming, but it also has the blessing of having so much to read and learn about.
Due to our human nature, it's easy to feel we have read it all already or at least get the gist of the Bible and not want to do much more. But when we do sit down to read parts of it, it often fills us with comfort or makes us wonder more about life and how to really love others, or can help put us back in the right mindset.
There's also a lot of commentaries or recorded sermons that can help us understand parts we have questions about, or even ones that seem simple--a commentary can sometimes add another interesting point--like how it relates to other places in Scripture.
Showing posts with label future. Show all posts
Showing posts with label future. Show all posts
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Monday, January 26, 2015
Unpredictability of Life
Most of us have a good idea of what life will look like in a month or year ahead, but honestly none of us can be entirely 100% sure. Life changes unexpectedly at times. Jobs responsibilities may change, people sometimes need to move away, and hurricanes or tornadoes are a little closer than we'd like at times.
Honesty about the reality of life in this fact is not bad. We shouldn't always focus on the fact, but if we acknowledge it's true, it allows us to admit the great importance of the fact that God knows and directs life. We can still have hope and joy because our God is good and knows everything. We have great reason to worship him.
God is also always the same. He won't change, and he is good, so this is good news. There is at least one thing in life that we know is certain.
If we're Christians we know that he is with us now, and in the life to come we will be with him still, in an even greater sense. It's a beautiful future.
We can't predict the future but the future may bring blessings that we never would have imagined. New opportunities to minister or work. New friends.
Honesty about the reality of life in this fact is not bad. We shouldn't always focus on the fact, but if we acknowledge it's true, it allows us to admit the great importance of the fact that God knows and directs life. We can still have hope and joy because our God is good and knows everything. We have great reason to worship him.
God is also always the same. He won't change, and he is good, so this is good news. There is at least one thing in life that we know is certain.
If we're Christians we know that he is with us now, and in the life to come we will be with him still, in an even greater sense. It's a beautiful future.
We can't predict the future but the future may bring blessings that we never would have imagined. New opportunities to minister or work. New friends.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Approaching Goal Setting and Planning
If we're told in the Bible not to worry about tomorrow, and that God is in control of everything, then where is the place for setting goals for tomorrow and in the distant future? Planning for the future is good, but we need to have the right mindset, one that is willing to be flexible and adjust with circumstances.
We can't see the future or all the details of a situation, so we have to make plans based on our limited view of things at times. For example, we can't always predict the economy or the weather. So it may turn out that a goal or plan won't be accomplished the way we'd like it to be or we might have to give up a goal or plan we had.
The good news is God has a view of everything and is an all-powerful God. So it's really in his hands. It can be humbling and hard when our plans aren't met because it doesn't match what God allows to happen. But that's when it's time to acknowledge God's goodness and that, since he is good, what has passed is working toward a glorious plan that God has for our lives and for his glory.
The good part of goal setting and planning is it's something to aim for, and it helps us to aim to do what we feel matters the most. Sometimes we can focus on one thing so much that we forget other things we wanted to focus on, so a list written down or in our head may help us to remember.
Sometimes we have to wait on a plan we have, and while we wait, we can be reminded of the other things that are goals--or things we find that are worthwhile and fun to do that we wrote down in the past.
We need to be humble and know that we aren't perfect and therefore our plans aren't either. It's fine since we can't see everything and we are growing and learning, but when we see any flaws in a goal or plan, then it's good and wise to adjust or let go of certain goals and not be hard on ourself.
We can't see the future or all the details of a situation, so we have to make plans based on our limited view of things at times. For example, we can't always predict the economy or the weather. So it may turn out that a goal or plan won't be accomplished the way we'd like it to be or we might have to give up a goal or plan we had.
The good news is God has a view of everything and is an all-powerful God. So it's really in his hands. It can be humbling and hard when our plans aren't met because it doesn't match what God allows to happen. But that's when it's time to acknowledge God's goodness and that, since he is good, what has passed is working toward a glorious plan that God has for our lives and for his glory.
The good part of goal setting and planning is it's something to aim for, and it helps us to aim to do what we feel matters the most. Sometimes we can focus on one thing so much that we forget other things we wanted to focus on, so a list written down or in our head may help us to remember.
Sometimes we have to wait on a plan we have, and while we wait, we can be reminded of the other things that are goals--or things we find that are worthwhile and fun to do that we wrote down in the past.
We need to be humble and know that we aren't perfect and therefore our plans aren't either. It's fine since we can't see everything and we are growing and learning, but when we see any flaws in a goal or plan, then it's good and wise to adjust or let go of certain goals and not be hard on ourself.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Debt and the Bible
The bible always warns us to be thoughtful about going into debt. You see many people have very little thought of going into debt.
Our tendency as people is to see the short term and not the long term. What is good today is often not good tomorrow.
This is the danger of debt: it assumes to know the future. God does not absolutely condemn debt, but he warns us to be thoughtful of debt.
In a sense any contract is a debt. We often sign this or that contract thoughtlessly locking ourselves into long term obligations.
God calls us to trust him, but not presume on the future. Trusting God to provide for the debt we choose is not trusting God as much as presuming on the future.
Often there is a time and a place for debt. But the bible cautions us that debt is far more of a burden and danger than we have a tendency to assume.
Our tendency as people is to see the short term and not the long term. What is good today is often not good tomorrow.
This is the danger of debt: it assumes to know the future. God does not absolutely condemn debt, but he warns us to be thoughtful of debt.
In a sense any contract is a debt. We often sign this or that contract thoughtlessly locking ourselves into long term obligations.
God calls us to trust him, but not presume on the future. Trusting God to provide for the debt we choose is not trusting God as much as presuming on the future.
Often there is a time and a place for debt. But the bible cautions us that debt is far more of a burden and danger than we have a tendency to assume.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Worry
The bible tells us not to worry. The future will worry about itself.
At times the advice seems strange. But in difficult times we usually know the direction to take.
The worry will not get us there faster or slower. And God has already promised to provide.
I look back on times in the past when I have worried a great deal and often I see that nothing bad really ever did happen except my emotional state being ruffled.
Really you see absolutely nothing bad did happen at these times if I had faith to not worry. Sometimes very difficult things to happen but worry does not make things better.
Ultimately death is the passage into the presence of God where we will see him face to face. We already know the end by faith and the journey is often more pleasant if by faith we can trust God to worry about the details and live by faith without worry.
At times the advice seems strange. But in difficult times we usually know the direction to take.
The worry will not get us there faster or slower. And God has already promised to provide.
I look back on times in the past when I have worried a great deal and often I see that nothing bad really ever did happen except my emotional state being ruffled.
Really you see absolutely nothing bad did happen at these times if I had faith to not worry. Sometimes very difficult things to happen but worry does not make things better.
Ultimately death is the passage into the presence of God where we will see him face to face. We already know the end by faith and the journey is often more pleasant if by faith we can trust God to worry about the details and live by faith without worry.
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