Never Forget

 

Modern life provides us with many challenges daily; there are many tasks, appointments, notifications, calls, messages, and e-mails, so, all want our attention the entire time. And amid this chaos, where is the word of God and his commandments?

It is not uncommon to leave reading and meditation for later. We always say that we are busy at that moment and can’t stop for biblical reading and prayer. In part, that’s true, there are moments where nobody can stop what they are doing.

However, we can’t allow the ocean of tasks to drown us and kill our spiritual life and relationship with God. Although there is a lot to do, we must “reserve” a time in our agenda for the Lord; a moment of peace and calm where we’ll be alone with God.

Someone can start with a little while, maybe ten or fifteen minutes a day, in a private place. If it’s possible, with relaxing music to calm the mind down; seek an encouraging text in Psalms or advice in Proverbs. Reflect on the text and talk to the Lord with all your heart. Don’t worry about nice words or saying something wrong. The most important thing is to open your heart before God.

I’m sure this moment will transform your day and life. You’ll have created a personal, direct, and continuous connection with God. Do your best and see the transformation.

Jeremiah 29:12-13 (NIV)

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Remember Your Best Days

 

All of us have good and bad days. Moments where everything runs perfectly without any trouble, and moments where everything is out of control, we don’t have peace, and nothing works.

I don’t know why these bad days are the only ones we often remember. I’m not joking; this is real. If we start recompiling our happenings, we’ll remember more the displeasing situations than good ones. Our minds seem to have a special room for disgraces, mistakes, hurts, disappointments, misfortunes, etc.

What are the consequences of storing these memories?

We get used to thinking and hoping for the worst of everything and everybody; we can’t hope for anything good in our destiny. Whenever we are waiting for an answer, we are assured the reply will be negative. We can’t trust anyone because we suppose they will hurt us. We feel incapable, ordinary, defeated, and abandoned.

All these negative emotions sour our lives and limit our vision. In fact, we can’t do anything good because we decide that we don’t deserve it, and it won’t happen.

It’s time to shift your mind. Replace your sad memories with happy ones; instead of remembering what you didn’t get, remember all the gifts that God already gave you. Don’t give room in your heart to those who have hurt you; remove them and replace them with those who love and care about you. Forget the sadness of one failure in your past and meditate only on the lessons you’ve learned.

With these simple decisions, you can grow and become all the Lord has created you to be: a blessed, strong, awesome, and victorious son of the Most High God.

Psalm 77:11-12 (NIV)

I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.

Don’t Wait, Act!

 

Many things can rise against us and frustrate our plans. Many hiccups can arise and discourage us. Opposition dismays us and makes us doubt our capability and strengths to continue.

Besides all that can be against us, sometimes, we ourselves are fighting against pursuing and realizing our dreams. I know that can seem odd, and the first answer would be:

“I’m not against my dreams. I fight for them; I do my best.”

Generally, that’s true. We do our best for our dreams. However, we’re not always really acting. Sometimes, we are waiting for the perfect condition to start. We glimpse a bright future but don’t act to achieve it. We delay the action, always saying things like:

“Now is not the right moment.”

“Tomorrow, all will be better; I’ll be more willing.”

“I’m going to start next week.”

“Next year, everything will be different.”

The beginning is postponed, delayed, deferred, and finally; that never occurs. We carry a mountain of regrets and imagine how all could be different if we had acted; how we would be better if we had started…

Don’t carry regrets because of what you would like to do; learn valuable lessons by doing and making mistakes. Do, make a mistake, do it again, hit the target. The pain of trial and error is much less than that of a heart frustrated by not acting.

Ecclesiastes 11:4 (AMP)                                               

He who observes the wind [and waits for all conditions to be favorable] will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.

Look at the Spectacular

Some things impress and fascinate us because their existence seems incredible and spectacular. Some things give us a feeling of greatness, power, and mystery…

We look at nature and are amazed by the size of the great animals; we are astonished by the huge ocean or an interminable desert. And we get even more dazzled when we think about the sky, the stars, and the universe.

And if our hearts and minds are open, we also notice greatness, power, and mystery in tiny things.

We look at our hands and see fingerprints. A unique and unequaled draw not repeated in any person (alive, who has lived or will live). The small ants can carry objects heavier than them. And the bees who have an ingenious system of honey production.

Our vision must be open to the small great miracles we experience daily: wake up, come back home at dusk, have food, have a house…

Many are the blessings we receive from God, but sometimes, we forget their value. We blindly seek the spectacular, the fantastic, and the unimaginable, and despise what is right in front of our eyes.

Each of the Lord’s gifts should be treated with the highest esteem and appreciation because they sustain and support us to achieve greater and greater miracles.

Psalm 23:6

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

A Simple Life

Daily, animals get out of their hidden places to seek their food supply. Each of them knows they must do their best to get what they want. However, during this search, the unexpected can happen.

They may not find what they are looking for. Another animal can take away their goal or disturb their search. Or they may find less than expected.

The way animals act brings us some very interesting reflections. They don’t care about news of the economy or politics; nor do they worry about what is beyond their reach.

If something goes wrong, or they are wronged; they don’t revenge, and don’t alter their character to reply to the situation. They keep faithful to what they were created to be.

They also don’t worry about the future: days, months, or years. The very thing they are concerned about is winning that day.

May the animals’ ways inspire us to go ahead; to have an incorruptible and immutable character, and to calm anxiety, living each day at a time.

And above all creation is the Lord, who created them like us. God protects all He made. The creation only needs to be attentive to the voice of the Creator.

Matthew 6:27-28

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Children

A child is led by their parents everywhere because they don’t know where to go. Besides that, the path may be dangerous. They can follow the wrong way, or some bad company can get close.

Parents ensure their protection, guiding them by hand, indicating where and how they must follow, and putting away all that could disturb or hurt them. Parents do their best to keep the child well.

And the child, even not knowing where is going, trusts in their parents. They don't even know all the details of the journey; they know their parents would never lead them to something bad. And even when the child thinks that was led to an unpleasant place, they find out that all makes sense, and all had a good reason.

When we are children we have more faith and trust than when we become adults. We don’t believe in the path that God is leading us on. We think that He doesn’t care about us, or He has abandoned us.

But the truth is: like a Great Loving Father, the Lord sees the whole path and the final destination. He leads us through paths that will make us grow, develop, strengthen, and become all He dreamed of.

Psalm 25:4-5

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

Reply to the Gospel of the Ostentation

If you think like that, everything is wrong,

Your heart's contamination has already been done.

The truth of God, you cannot see,

You think to be Christian is with God trading.

God does not accept negotiation nor reward,

The offer that is given must come from the heart.

The most expensive gift, God already gave us,

The Lord has chosen and conceded salvation to us.

The offerings are for the works to be kept,

To the ministries grow and save lives,

The offerings are to pay all bills,

They are not a coin you can deal.

You have to abandon this demoniac greed,

You must remember the beginning, what God promised.

God promised He would lead your soul to salvation,

He did not promise He would give you things for ostentation.

Jesus Christ himself was an example of humility,

Being the son of God, He had no property.

For the whole land, only with his feet, He walked,

Even not a little old donkey, He bought.

The apostles had almost nothing,

Jesus’ followers left the houses where they were living,

To them, what was essential never lacked,

All that was needed, the Lord provided.

You have no right to humiliate anyone,

They are God’s creation, you have to help everyone.

If you do not do it, your soul you are condemning,

The god of this age, in your body, is inhabiting.

This poem is part of the book Christian Poetry Volume III.

See the book:

https://books2read.com/u/3nG5R5