Be a Success
By Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
The world is awed by flash and glitter. Like the Forest Lawn cemetery worker who exclaimed as they lowered a deceased businessman into his grave, sitting upright in his Jaguar convertible wearing an Armani suit with a stogie in his mouth, “Man, that’s living!” Or like rock and hip hop recording artists, covered in gold chains and jewelry, flaunting their excessive lifestyles which capture the eyes and minds of impressionable children. Or sadly, even like the speaker at an Amway convention who wowed the crowd holding up a two foot jewel studded solid gold cross and proclaiming, “you too could own one of these,” if you sold enough of his products. Why would anybody possibly need a two foot solid gold cross? I do believe Jesus’ was made of rough hewn wood! Flash and glitter, doesn’t take much to attract people’s attention. People are like a cat chasing a red laser dot around the room, trying to catch what’s not really there. The world measures success in different ways but you want to know who one of the most successful people in the Bible is? Look at Mark 12:43,44. Probably the least flashy person the Apostles had seen all day, but when the poor widow dropped what little she had into the pot, she was exalted by Jesus and is still being exalted today! Want to be successful? There’s no flash and glitter involved. Give from your heart! Give to be seen by the Lord, not man! Give from what you have, be it abundance or lack. Give with a cheerful spirit and we’re not only talking about money here, We’re talking about the giving of your time, your abilities, your special gifts and skills, the giving of yourself! You want to be really successful? Give the Lord your heart in every aspect of your life!
By Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
James is one of my favorite NT books. It is full of practical advice on how to live and James doesn’t worry if he’s being politically correct or not in his delivery. He hits it hard when it comes to the topic of the tongue. “The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity.” Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. I would wager that more people have gotten in trouble for things they’ve said than for things they’ve done! You need to use some thought to take an action but words can flow out of the mouth with little thought at all! As Christians, we need to be aware of what we say. The world is watching, and listening too! Take heed to what Jesus said, “that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.” David, far from perfect in his actions, sincerely wrote from his heart, “let my words be pleasing to You.” Are we concerned about the Lord’s opinion before we speak, does it ever occur to us? Solomon tells us in one of his Proverbs “a kind word makes a glad heart.” Are we striving to make glad hearts, in everyone, everywhere, with both our words and actions? We have opportunities, small and large, everyday to show kindness with our words and actions, and we should constantly be taking advantage of them. As James said, you can’t have fresh and salt water coming from the same spring. Don’t allow the woes and worries of the world turn you brackish! Strive to be a fresh spring of kindness, encouragement, and hope and then you won’t have to worry about being in the long line on judgment day!B
By Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
What is the most valuable thing in your life? What can you not live without? What is the first thing you think of when you awake? Apparently, for the average American, it’s their cell phone! I don’t know how or who comes up with these statistics, but supposedly, the average American touches their cell phone 2,617 times each day, spending 2 1/2 hours staring at the small screen! And that’s not counting computers and tv! Technology has trapped the world into instant mindless entertainment and gratification! How many people, as they lie on their deathbed, will be reaching for their cell phones to check how many likes they got on their last, very last, picture? Too many I fear. Instead of the small screen (except for reading this) let’s take a look at King David. A man like us, certainly not perfect (we won’t go into his major blunders), but even in his youth, he was a man after God’s own heart … and God honored him for that! Over and over, David wrote the same theme in Psalms. “My soul longs for You, early will I seek You my soul thirsts for you, I shall be satisfied when I wake in Your likeness, how sweet are Your words to my taste sweeter than honey in my mouth, Your word is wonderful my soul keeps them.” David was sold or souled out for the Lord! We can say we are distracted by the pressures of modern day life and providing for a family, but that doesn’t wash. David had the same to many more pressures than we do, and like us, he failed many times, but he still, as should we, had a heart for God. This life span is miniscule compared to eternity. Get your eyes off the small screen and onto the big picture of forever which starts now with your personal relationship with the Lord!