Failing is apart of learning, becoming better and growing closer to the example of a Christian that we are called and instructed to be. These encounters that I was able to hear and observe the other day, helped me to better understand something. Care, compassion, and common courtesy do not have to, or need to, be big, huge and flashy. They do not deserve attention and they most certainly do not need to be publicized for people to be able to notice. People will notice the small, quiet, insignificant things. Christ tells us in Matthew 6:3-4,6, that in opposition to what the hypocrites do (the Pharisees), to do things in a quiet nature. Do not do things to where they can be openly seen, “But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”. Our world is used to seeing things being done and openly praising them, although there may not be anything wrong with that and the one who is being ‘praised’ may not mind it, our Savior tells us that things done in “secret” will be rewarded! That older man did not make a spectacle of himself by taking the picture for those two ladies, nor did he when he struck up a conversation with the family behind him. He was simply being kind and aware of his surroundings. Kindness is not something often thought of being that life changing, but it is. It can change the attitude of a person, just by one kind act. It can change the life of a person through one kind act of selfless thinking. We are being bombarded with the mentality of ‘It’s all about you’ and ‘You should come first’, and that is quite simply not the doctrine of Christ. It is easy to write words on a page, and to ‘talk the talk’, but I know how difficult it is to physically act out the words of Christ. Saying and doing are two completely different things, and our laziness as humans often gets the best of us. Be different. Be submissive to the words of Christ. Be active in kindness, compassion and selflessness. Rise above the expectations that Satan puts in front of us.
Be Christ-like.
Most of us are good when it comes to our prayer life and spending a few moments or maybe even twenty or thirty minutes in prayer is not a difficult thing to do. But do you think you could pray for a full hour, or two, or three? Personally, I struggle to stay focused on the task, and my attention tends to wander. If this is you too, could it be that we don’t have the patience or are we sincerely ‘just too busy?’
Follow the four basic thoughts found in this verse. First, prayer is our opportunity to step away from the cares of this world. We must focus on God if we want a ‘sweet hour’ of prayer. Second, it’s a time we can take the ‘wants’ of our hearts and the ‘wishes’ we so desperately seek directly to the throne of God. And, true heart-felt prayer can be a relief for our souls during times (seasons) of trouble and sorrow. Don’t think you’re free from distress and grief. We live in a world of pain and sorrow, but God gives us peace in Christ. Fourth, consider how blessed you are that in prayer you can escape the clutches of Satan. Only in prayer and solely through the grace of God will we endure, but we must take time to pray.
the wafting smell of fresh, homemade cookies baking in the kitchen. Even the shadow of a dark cloud covering over the sun can cause my focus to turn toward the skies. Perhaps ‘focus’ is a fragile thing to be swayed by such small factors. Unfortunately our focus is so splinted in life, that we find ourselves focused on so many things that we miss what’s most important. Work, sports, entertainment, even ‘self’ seems to be our focus today. Take a look at your iPhone, how many ‘selfies’ do you have in your photos? You see, we are good at focusing on our self and too often miss the ‘big picture’ (no pun intended.) And since focusing is a Biblical idea, let me ask you to ‘focus’ on and consider the Hebrew writer’s admonitions…
faith. And we must be willing to FIX our focus on Him! When we do that, all the other worldly sensations will cease to ‘allure me’ or compete for my attention. The sounds outside the window, the aromas that entice and the sights that distract can be more easily ignored. Ken Young penned a song (psalm) that takes these words, almost verbatim, and gives us an idea of how we keep our focus on Him.