Week Three, 2020
What is weighing you down?
By Florida Senator John Grant, Retired
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).
When I studied pre-flight aeronautics, I learned what I had to do to check my airplane before departing. One important item was weight and balance. In order to fly, an aircraft has to be within weight limitations and weight has to be distributed in the right place. Too much weight or wrongfully distributed weight will keep the plane from lifting off the runway or if it does, if it is nose or tail heavy, it will come back to earth quickly, often with disastrous consequences.
Life is like that. We cannot move forward when we are held back by carrying too much of the past. All too often our priorities are in the wrong place.
Often, we can be oblivious to the number and cumulative impact of the initiatives we have in progress at the same time. Too often we lack the mechanisms to manage the demands that having too much on our plate places on us.
Worse than having too much to manage, is having the wrong priorities. What needs to get done now doesn’t get done, because what can be done later is speaking more loudly. Often our choices are not items that are right or wrong, but rather important or more important.
Sadly, too often our spiritual life gets unprioritized and pushed to the back burner. Often this happens to me and I get disconnected from God
What’s a good way to tell that you’re disconnected from God? When you feel like an emotional mess. Every time you feel angry, sad, resentful, unworthy, depressed, you name it, you are being given a sure sign that you’re putting God last. I have been that way all too often and ashamed of it.
When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims of our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities.
Jesus said that the most important thing in our lives is to first seek the kingdom of God. And, oh by the way, He continues to add that when we do this, everything in our life falls into its proper and manageable place.
What is the most important priority in your life today?
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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
The temptation of being good:
As I read about our veterans, thought about my father’s sacrifice, I was inspired to make Jabez’s prayer my own. If millions of men and women could give their best to serve our nation, I can give my best to serve my Lord.
Here’s the problem: it is tempting to settle for less than our best when our good seems better than others. If we have not yielded to cultural pressure on abortion, homosexual relations, euthanasia, etc., we can conclude that we are more moral than those who have. But heterosexual sexual sin is sin as well. God cares for the poor as well as the unborn. He wants the best medical care for the indigent as well as the terminally ill.
And He wants us to champion all that He champions. I have noticed that it is easier to preach against sins I am not tempted to commit personally. Jim Denison
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$123 billion: The value of the cancer-drugs market which is expected to double by 2024.
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The Warren Buffet Foundation Spent $77 Million on Abortion, enough to Kill 220,000 Babies in Abortions.
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Where are you heading? What are you running after? We’re all running after something. Too often we find we’re running after stuff, and money, things, trophies and awards. Maybe we’re running after our image, reputation or some recognition, hoping to find fulfillment, satisfaction and purpose. But whatever it is, we’re all running after something. What are you running after? Pastor Scott Whitaker
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QUOTES YOU CAN USE
Why is it that people with the smallest minds have the largest mouths? Elle Sheen’s Diary
By limiting our compassion to those we know, we miss the opportunity to serve those we do not. Jim Denison
Within the covers of the Bible are the answers to all problems people face. Ronald Reagan
Start the day with eating the big frog first and nothing worse will happen all day.
We only die once. We live every day. Snoopy
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Lao Tzu
Whenever it feels uncomfortable to tell the truth, that’s often the most important time to tell it.” Jennifer Lopez
There is a fountain of youth: It is your mind, your talent, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of the people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age. Sophia Loren