Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 14 – No. 3112 August 04, 2012
Thought for the week: "There are only two options regarding commitment. You're either in or out. There's no such thing as a life in-between. " – Pat Riley
An irritated father complained to his golf buddy, "When I was a kid, my parents sent me to my room without supper if I misbehaved. But my son has his own TV, telephone, computer, and every computer game and CD player in his room!"
I have read how a missionary went to evangelize a tribe in the Far East islands. In doing so he translated the Bible into their language. But apparently, there was no word in their language for either "believe,""faith" or "trust." He struggled with this for some time but eventually found the answer. Chatting to a tribesman in his house one day, he sat down in a chair and leaned back, putting his full weight on the chair, and asked the tribesman, "What am I doing?"
The tribesman gave him the word which being translated back into English was: "leaning fully upon."
What a great definition of faith, believe, and trust which is not merely an intellectual exercise but a behavior.
A few weeks ago a woman was killed in an auto accident. She was very well liked, so the office shut down for her funeral. On the day the workers came back to work, they found this poem in their e-mail that the deceased woman had sent on Friday before she left for home.
If tomorrow starts without me,
And I'm not there to see,
If the sun should rise and find your eyes
All filled with tears for me;
I wish so much you wouldn't cry
The way you did today,
While thinking of the many things,
We didn't get to say.
I know how much you love me,
As much as I love you,
And each time that you think of me,
I know you'll miss me too;
But when tomorrow starts without me,
Please try to understand,
That an angel came and called my name,
And took me by the hand,
And said my place was ready
In Heaven far above,
And that I'd have to leave behind
All those I dearly love.
But as I turned to walk away,
A tear fell from my eye,
For all my life, I'd always thought,
I didn't want to die.
I had so much to live for,
So much left yet to do,
It seemed almost impossible,
That I was leaving you.
I thought of all the yesterdays,
The good ones and the bad,
I thought of all that we shared,
And all the fun we had.
If I could relive yesterday,
Just even for a while,
I'd say good-bye and hug you
And maybe see you smile.
But then I fully realized,
That this could never be,
For emptiness and memories,
Would take the place of me.
And when I thought of worldly things
I might miss some tomorrow,
I thought of you, and when I did,
My heart was filled with sorrow.
But when I walked through heaven's gates,
I felt so much at home.
When God looked down and smiled at me,
From His great golden throne,
He said, "This is eternity,
And all I've promised you.
Today your life on earth is past,
But here life starts anew.
"I promise no tomorrow,
But today will always last,
And since each day is the same way,
There's no longing for the past."
So when tomorrow starts without me,
Don't think we're far apart,
For every time you think of me,
I'm right there in your heart.
This is just for reader interest! Don't delete this because it looks weird. Believe it or not, you can read it, and fast:
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdgnieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer inwaht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
Ethics is a popular topic at corporate meetings today because managers correctly see the benefits. Good things tend to happen to companies that consistently do the right thing, and bad things tend to happen to those that even occasionally do the wrong thing. Being ethical is playing the odds.
Ethical companies have a competitive edge because people prefer to deal with firms they trust. They also benefit from high credibility; being believed is an enormous asset. In addition, ethical companies attract and retain employees better because they have higher morale. And finally, good ethics generate a good reputation, good will, and loyalty. So it's true: Good ethics is good business.
Still, I question the strategy that most companies use to motivate employees to be ethical: stressing how their ethical behavior will benefit the corporation. The problem rationale is grounded in self-interest rather than morality; it is essentially amoral. It has nothing to do with ethics.
Doing the right thing to get something in return is an investment, not a demonstration of character. Ethics based on self-interest is situational; ethics based on moral convictions is reliable. It's the difference between acting ethically and being ethical.
Trying to motivate people to do the right thing by stressing benefits rather than values and virtue turns decision making into a cold cost-benefit analysis rather than a reflection of what's right.
But if a company encourages employees to make decisions based on the supposed advantages, why should anyone put the firm's interests above his own? In the absence of authentic moral conviction, why should employees refrain from unethical or illegal conduct if they think it will save their job or enhance their compensation? Clearly, what's good for an enterprise is not always good for its employees.
My point is, it's foolish and fruitless to expect most employees to sacrifice their financial well-being for the good of the company. On the other hand, many will do so in the name of honor, as a matter of conscience, and to earn the esteem and admiration of family and friends.
Corporations have a much better chance of deterring improper conduct by appealing to conscience and principle rather than to risks and rewards.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."1
In his article, "Today I Will Make a Difference," Max Lucado wrote, "Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference."2
The reality is that we eventually become what we constantly think about for "what the mind dwells on the body acts on."
Admittedly, controlling our thoughts can be much easier said than done. To succeed, it not only needs consistent practice and mental discipline, but also the resolution of things that "bug" us. For instance, if we have any major unresolved personal conflicts with accompanying super-charged negative emotions, these can have a major effect on our thinking. They can be compared to having a throbbing toothache that literally controls our thinking. Because of the pain, it's just about impossible to think about anything else until we get to the dentist and have the aching tooth taken care of.
To live a peaceful life, it is imperative that we learn to control and consistently think positive thoughts. And to control our thoughts, it is imperative that we resolve any and all personal conflicts. In other words, if we want to live peacefully we need to get all our "emotional-tooth-aches" resolved.
Suggested prayer, "Dear God, thank you that your Word teaches the importance of positive thinking 'about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.' Please help me to live in harmony with your will, be rid of all guilt by confessing my sins, and resolving all personal conflicts so that I will be able to fix my 'thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.' Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer, gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."
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