Caring wives lavish their mothering instincts and love on their husbands. Wise husbands recognize how blessed they are and soak it in.
Attentive husbands accept the responsibility of making their treasures comfortable.
Fussing about gender roles is not a feature of their existence. Marital bliss is the outcome.
I figure that success in 2010 well take care of itself if I manage to say and do the right things at the right time in the right way and for the right reasons.
Discernment will guide me to the right things.
Training and development will sort out the way I say or do them and the rationale.
Discipline will drive timing.
The ultimate test of self-discipline is when everything about you says “Just do it!” you somehow find the strength not to do it. We are pretty good at re-affirming commitments to do or not to do a list of things. However, the acid challenge to compliance really takes place in a fleeting moment. If only we could recall some of those decisive moments.
Truth is that discipline has to become a reflex action. No time for thinking. We have to train ourselves to produce certain “automated” responses to given stimuli. The Bible teaches: Flee from the very appearance of evil. Discipline needs to be grounded in some knee-jerk reactions.
Just don’t do it!
Replace one of your regular TV shows with work on a life goal. Apply the same level of discipline. Do not miss the start time and stay with it to the very end. Turn down all invitations, phone calls etc. so that you do not miss “your show.”
If you keep to the task with the same regularity and fervor as with the TV show you will be amazed at the success that you will achieve in achieving one of your life goals.
#Discipline must be all pervasive. Indiscipline in one area leaks into other areas. This is one time to sweat the small stuff and adopt a no tolerance approach to any signs of indiscipline in our lives.
Time keeping, grooming, housekeeping, money management, Bible study, worship, prayer, control of the tongue, eating, inter-personal relations, life style……
Weed out indiscipline at its first appearance. Do not wait until it is fully grown.
When the Storms of Life are Raging….
5-Step strategy for responding when the storms of life are raging:
1. Approach with certainty.
2. Deal with the facts as there are now…not what they could be or have been
3. Invite Divine Intervention.
4. Take action that supports your prayers.
5. Get the support of others.
1. Approach with certainty
Research data suggests that when persons are in a state of uncertainty negative results seem to have greater impact. The blows seem to be amplified.
So from that it would appear that people who approach impending events with confidence and certainty fare better if things do not go as planned.
This is another great benefit of FAITH.
Luke 8:22-25: Jesus Calms the Storm
24The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25″Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.
2. Deal with the facts…the bare facts
All too often we place ourselves in the role of a storyteller. We face one set of facts and we rush off to create situations that may not even occur. This extension of the facts produces unnecessary tension and reduces our capacity to address the facts as they really are.
Watch how you add on to what is. We tend to add on negative thoughts, not positive ones. That runs counter to the results we really want to get. It also runs counter to our prayers.
3. Invite Divine Intervention
James 5: The Prayer of Faith
13Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. ….
Outside of invoking the power of God, prayer has the additional benefit of helping us to focus on the resolution of the issues at hand. We petition God about things that we figure will resolve the issue. It helps to direct us to the way forward.
Prayer also has the effect of calming our frazzled nerves. By appealing to a higher authority we grow in confidence and we feel better about the situation.
4. Take action that supports the prayers
When we pray we should act as is our prayers are being answered. We have to proceed with the assurance that God’s providence is going to be granted to us and all our actions should reflect that confidence.
It makes no sense to pray fervently for a particular outcome and then set about doing things that run counter to what we have prayed about. True faith requires us to act in accordance with our prayers.
5. Get the support of others
When the storms of life are raging it makes good sense to seek to weather them with the support of others. Sometimes things are just a little too much for us to handle on our own. Even the strongest of us need support at times. We should be willing to seek assistance – even just moral support when we face difficult times. That is one of the reasons for the Christian fellowship. We are to be our brother’s keepers.
Gal 6: 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
@John_Beresford – Twitter
“Faith is not hope; it is a pro-active creative force! It is the ignition-key to all our aspirations…”
TrevorESSmith reply:@John_Beresford I like to think of it as “believing prayer”. Ask and it shall be given unto you… Without faith you may fail to collect it.
You have to act on your prayers. By faith you know that you are not going to get a stone if you ask for bread (Matt 7:9). So when you pray proceed with assurance not doubting.
Identifying and counting the cost of consequences supports #discipline.
When the cost is known we have greater clarity of thought. Reality check: “This is not worth it or I better get this done”. The instant gratification of sleeping late pales in comparison to the cost of losing your job.
The key is to understand that discernment is an essential companion of discipline.
Blessed with great spouse. 36th year even more enjoyable than Year 1. Giving thanks daily. A happy marriage is real blessing. Got great kids 2!
1. Worry Wastes Time and is Unnecessary
Worry is ineffectual. We don’t accomplish anything or find answers to our questions by worrying. We also cannot add anything to our life by worrying.
Worry cannot correct errors or make the future better. Hence, there is no need for worry because it is inessential.
2. Worry Invites the Problem
By focusing on what we do not want we actually increase the likelihood of them coming to pass.
There is also considerable evidence that worry has negative impact on our health.
3. Worry Distracts us From Solutions
Worry distracts us from addressing things that can resolve existing challenges. By dwelling on our fears we lessen our capacity to take decisive action to correct problems. Also, worry dampens our happiness.
Jesus is as usual quite clear on the issue of worry:
Do Not Worry
Luke 12: 22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single cubit to his height (single hour to his life[b])? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest
TrevorESSmith 