Below are Life Concepts To Help With Every Day Living
Bad Church Songs-How To Praise The Lord Anyway
Make it real and personal: Change “The Lord”, “He”, etc. to “You” So it’s “You are great! “You are worthy!” “You are my savior.” Change Christ, Messiah, Lord to “Jesus”
What? You’re stuck in church but don’t like the words to a worship song? Then keep singing but make up your own words! There’s no excuse for not praising the Lord. Don’t let a bad song hold you back!
Hurt People Hurt People
Imagine your colleague begins yelling at you for no good reason. Normally, you’d chew him out in an instant. But when you turn around you find he’s in a wheelchair with a spear through his head! Are you still furious with him? Or are you concerned that he’s in obvious pain?
In real life, the hurt people look normal. Their pain and anguish are often invisible. But they could be crippled with self hatred, in agony over a failed marriage, or wracked with the pain of never being able to please an unloving dad. It might be they have an invisible spear sticking through their head. Do we really know enough to judge them? Perhaps not. So think twice before you kick their wheelchair.
Being Blessed Is An Excuse to Love Others More, Not less.
We were never meant to hoard our blessings. The more love, the more mercy and the more grace we receive, the more we should be willing to share these blessings with other people. To those who are given much, much is required.
But sometimes we feel like we’ve arrived. Over the years we’re more secure, more stable and have more money in the bank. And so we grow numb and indifferent to the needs of others. We take care of our own. We don’t turn an attentive ear to the people outside our little circle. But remember, God doesn’t have to bless you. Your job, your relationships and your health, are all in His hands. So hedge your bets! Ask God to enlarge your heart so you can spread his blessings! Ask Him what to do with your time, your money and your talents!
Spice Up Your Giving: Become An Active Listener
Ever get bored giving the same amount of money in the same old way? Then spice it up with variety. Our God loves to create. Take a look at tropical fish and you know He delights in color, size and diversity! So be creative like He is. Listen to the conversations around you. Look behind them for a need. And ask Jesus how to give creatively so you can meet the needs He’s called you to respond to. And have fun at it!
The needs are all around you. A mom who’s often late to work may need free car repairs. A colleague complaining about medical bills, may need a few hundred in cash slipped in her desk along with a note. Pregnant women usually have back aches-Perhaps they could use a vibrating pillow chair or a gift certificate for a massage. The possibilities are endless. And the Lord loves a cheerful giver.
What It Means To Love Others
Love is a Steadfast Devotion to the Other Person’s Well Being. When you take care of a child or a spouse, you may think you’re loving them. But sometimes it’s just you loving yourself in disguise.
Healthy love means adjusting to the person you’re loving. It means being careful to uplift them and not to crush them. Even when their own weaknesses seem to get in the way of what we know they surely need. The other person’s well being may differ from your plans for them. Do you respect their strengths and weaknesses? Do you try to encourage them in the context of who they are, not who you want them to be? If not, it may be that the well being your looking after, is really your own.