Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 16 – No. 1814 May 03, 2014
Thought for the week: "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." – Arthur Ashe
When the late Nadine Stair of Louisville, Kentucky, was 85 years old, she was asked what she would do if she had her life to live over again.
"I'd make more mistakes next time," she said. "I'd relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been on this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I'd have fewer imaginary ones.
"You see, I'm one of those people who live sensibly and sanely hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had to do it over again, I'd have more of them. In fact, I'd try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day. I've been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, and a raincoat. If I had to do it over again, I would travel lighter than I have.
"If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds and I would pick more daisies."
* * * * * * * *
Question: If you had your life to live over, what would you do differently? Why not do something about that with the rest of your life?
God's accuracy may be observed in the hatching of eggs. For example: the eggs of the potato bug hatch in 7 days; those of the canary in 14 days; those of the barnyard hen in 21 days; The eggs of ducks and geese hatch in 28 days; those of the mallard in 35 days; the eggs of the parrot and the ostrich hatch in 42 days. (Notice, they are all divisible by seven, the number of days in a week!)
God's wisdom is seen in the making of an elephant.
The four legs of this great beast all bend forward in the same direction. No other quadruped is so made. God planned that this animal would have a huge body, too large to live on two legs. For this reason He gave it four fulcrums so that it can rise from the ground easily.
The horse rises from the ground on its two front legs first. A cow rises from the ground with its two hind legs first. How wise the Lord is in all His works of creation!
God's wisdom is revealed in His arrangement of sections and segments, as well as in the number of grains.
Each watermelon has an even number of stripes on the rind.
Each orange has an even number of segments.
Each ear of corn has an even number of rows.
Each stalk of wheat has an even number of grains.
Every bunch of bananas has on its lowest row an even number of bananas, and each row decreases by one, so that one row has an even number and the next row an odd number.
All grains are found in even numbers on the stalks, and the Lord specified thirty fold, sixty fold, and a hundred fold—all even numbers.
The waves of the sea roll in on shore twenty-six to the minute in all kinds of weather.
God has caused the flowers to blossom at certain specified times during the day. Linnaeus, the great botanist, once said that if he had a conservatory containing the right kind of soil, moisture and temperature, he could tell the time of day or night by the flowers that were open and those that were closed!
The lives of each of us may be ordered by God in a beautiful way for His glory, if we commit and trust our life to Him every day. Only the One Who made the brain and the heart can successfully guide them to a profitable end.
There is an important poem that my wise friend, Anonymous, once wrote which distils the importance of controlling our thoughts if we want to control our destiny. Anonymous entitled this poem, "The Winner's Creed," and may this creed inspire new thoughts and visions of greatness in our lives:
"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 of the world we find
Success begins with a person's will –
It's all in the state of mind:
If you think you're outclassed, you are.
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win the prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger woman or man,
But sooner or later the one who wins
Is the one WHO THINKS HE CAN."
No matter what Gary did, it was never enough to please his father. When he got seven A's and three B's, his dad asked about the B's. When he described the wonderful girl he'd fallen in love with, he got a lecture cautioning that she may be different than he thought.
He thought he had a great relationship with his son so he was stunned and hurt when Gary turned down an offer to work at his firm and instead took a much lesser job in another town. He tried to talk Gary into staying, explaining the advantages of being close to the family and the pitfalls of moving. Finally, Gary exploded, "Dad, I'm moving to get away from you! I love you, but I can't stand the way you tear down everything I do."
Gary braced himself for a counterattack, but for the first time in his life he saw his dad's mask of confidence dissolve into vulnerability. With tears in his eyes, his dad stammered, "All I ever wanted was to make you better and help you reach your potential and avoid risks. It's what I do. It's why my business is so successful. Do you want me to ignore my experience and just be a cheerleader?"
"Dad, our relationship isn't about productivity," Gary explained. "You're my dad. Sometimes I need praise more than a push, and approval more than advice. Constantly trying to make me better just makes me feel worse. It's not enough that you love me. I need you to appreciate me."
That's an important lesson. In personal relationships, there may be benefits to the relentless pursuit of better, but the cost may be too high.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Don't just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically."1
Marshall Field, quoted in Predictions & Prescriptions newsletter, gives twelve points to remember for successful living:
The value of time
The success of perseverance
The pleasure of working
The dignity of simplicity
The worth of character
The power of kindness
The influence of example
The obligation of duty
The wisdom of economy
The virtue of patience
The improvement of talent.
The joy of originating all of the above are excellent, but the best advice for successful living is still to be kind, be diligent, do all the good you can, model Christian living, love one another, and above all, don't forget God; and serve him enthusiastically.
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me to so live that my life will model what it means to be truly successful (in Your view) so that people will see You in me and want the same for themselves. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
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