Skip to main content

“People who enjoy life make life more enjoyable for others.”


A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, (2014-02-25) from his book, The Artisan Soul: Crafting Your Life into a Work of Art (p. 168). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

Have you found that so?  That is if you hang out with someone who really enjoys life you find your spirits lifted and you enjoying life too.  But if you are around that person who is always depressed and always rehearsing the negatives in their life then you see your spirit start going down and you discouragement going up. 

I am reading Job right now and his time with those negative friends.  Granted Job had it rough but those friends made it worse.

Let me ask you, what kind of friend are you?  Do you help others enjoy their life or do you bring them down.  Let me tell you, if you bring people down then you will probably be alone a lot.  Life is tough but I don’t want to live in despair about it.  I want to live in hope and joy.  That is what happens when you have a deep strong relationship with Christ.  Yes He had it rough but He also enjoyed the challenge of His life and it showed in those around Him.

Someone said that we have over sixty thousand thoughts every day and over 80 percent of them are negative.  If that is true we need to do whatever we can to combat that negative self-talk.  Steven Furtick in his book, Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God's Voice Above All Others says that “when we allow our thoughts to go unchecked, a steady drip of lies cements the wrong patterns within our minds, building a Berlin Wall of bad beliefs.”

He also says, “It’s in the mind that the transmission of God’s plans for our lives either succeeds or fails.”

Erwin also said, “I am reminded of the simple words in the Scriptures, ‘Do this and you will live’ (Luke 10: 28). Jesus’s echo of that promise is, ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full’ (John 10: 10). Clearly God does not feel limited by the human canvas. He is more than certain that he can work with the material of our broken humanity to create a life that is nothing less than divinely inspired.”

So we can either listen to our broken humanity or the hope of our creator.  It starts with asking His Spirit to live inside of us and listening, listening as He counteracts the lies.  It can be really tough to hear Him especially when you feed the negative.  Choose your friends wisely and take control of your thoughts.

So who are you listening to?   
Labels:

Comments

  1. Setyo-Utomo SaidApril 29, 2014 at 5:35 PM

    interesting post :)

    http://agro-turisme-fishpond.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“We believe it’s important to derive value from everything in our lives.”

A thought by Jon Tyson from his book, The Burden Is Light: Liberating Your Life from the Tyranny of Performance and Success (p. 118). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) But is that all that is important? Jon says, “We want to realize an immediate return from whatever we invest in. I am prone to this way of thinking in so many areas of my life. ‘I paid a lot for that meal, yet the portions were not that big.’ ‘I invested two hours in that movie, and it was just okay.’   ‘I went to church, but the sermon wasn’t that profound.’ We believe it’s important to derive value from everything in our lives. But beauty doesn’t fit within that framework. When Mary anointed Jesus with oil, there was an immediate outcry against her extravagant generosity. ‘It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.’ (Mark 14:5) One gospel depicts the disciples crying, ‘Why this waste?...
Post a Comment
Read more

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...
Post a Comment
Read more

“Hurry and love are incompatible.”

A thought by John Mark Comer from his book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry (p. 23). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Wow, pretty strong thought isn’t it? John says, “All my worst moments as a father, a husband, and a pastor, even as a human being, are when I’m in a hurry—late for an appointment, behind on my unrealistic to-do list, trying to cram too much into my day. I ooze anger, tension, a critical nagging—the antitheses of love. If you don’t believe me, next time you’re trying to get your type B wife and three young, easily distracted children out of the house and you’re running late (a subject on which I have a wealth of experience), just pay attention to how you relate to them. Does it look and feel like love? Or is it far more in the vein of agitation, anger, a biting comment, a rough glare? Hurry and love are oil and water: they simply do not mix.” He goes on, “Hence, in the apostle P...
Post a Comment
Read more