Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 15 – No. 4413 November 02, 2013
Thought for the week: "We have committed the Golden Rule to memory; let us now commit it to life." – Edwin Markham
"Our patience will achieve more than our force." – Edmund Burke
"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." – Leo Tolstoy
"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it's a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." – William Jennings Bryan
"Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs." – Dale Carnegie
"Beware the barrenness of a busy life." – Socrates
"Without God there is no virtue because there is no prompting of the conscience. Without God there is a coarsening of the society; without God democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under." – Ronald Reagan
If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win, but you think you can't,
It is almost certain you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost,
For out in the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow's will.
It's all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You've got to think high to rise,
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But sooner or later the man who wins,
Is the man who thinks he can.
A story is told of a king who was suffering from a malady and was advised by his astrologer that he would be cured if the shirt of a contented man were brought to him to wear. People went out to all parts of the kingdom after such a person, and after a long search they found a man who was really happy...but he did not possess a shirt.
Obviously, the most fundamental purpose of work is to attain adequate food and shelter. But once the essentials of survival are taken care of, attitudes about work differ.
Those who simply view work as a means of survival or attaining wealth do just what they have to do to meet their needs. People with high material ambitions may work extremely hard, sacrificing relationships and other life goals in the process. Their work is simply a means to an end. Such people are apt to stay in jobs they don't like in the hope it will buy them happiness in another venue.
Others consider their work as an intrinsic part of their lives. They identify with their jobs and the way they do their work is an expression of their personhood. Whether they like their jobs or not, they take pride in their work and strive toward virtues like conscientiousness, reliability, devotion and the pursuit of excellence.
The most fortunate of all are those that find both meaning and pleasure in their labor. They view their jobs as careers. The great test of the perfect job is: If you could afford to, would you do it even if you weren't paid? Interestingly, the people most likely to say yes are teachers, coaches, police officers, social workers and others who derive joy and meaning out of serving others.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
The following description of a friend came from an English magazine: "A true friend is one who has the courage to disagree with us when [we are] in the wrong, and advise us for our own good, rather than let his sympathy or sentimentality cause him to agree."
Charles Spurgeon once said, "Friendship is one of the sweetest joys of life. Many might have failed beneath the bitterness of their trial had they not found a friend."
Samuel Johnston said, "We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is that last drop which makes it run over, so in a series of kindnesses, there is at least one that makes the heart run over."
And Dr. Alfred Adler, internationally known psychiatrist, based the following conclusions on a careful analysis of thousands of clients: "The most important task imposed by religion has always been, 'Love thy neighbor....' It is the individual who is not interested in his fellow man who has the greatest difficulties in life and provides the greatest injury on others. It is from among such individuals that all human failures spring."
Oh the priceless value of having at least one deep abiding friendship. Thank God for the gift of friendship.
Suggested prayer: "And thank you God for Jesus—the friend of sinners. Help me also to be a friend to fellow sinners and spread your love and forgiveness everywhere I go. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
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