It is having the ability to believe in someone or something. As I have been keeping track of current events, I have noticed a shift in attitudes toward people. There has been an attack on believability. People have been making a pretense of telling the truth. Then turning around and calling everyone a liar. One event comes to mind of Dan Rather and the CBS evening news. All you have to do is follow the presidential race and the media says Republicans bad and Democrats good. There is very little news coverage that is worth wasting my time listening to. But you have to remember that anyone isn’t all bad or all good. There is a happy medium in there, somewhere. I want to be an optimist about our future. But I can’t find anything that man is doing that is righteous. When Paul traveled the world teaching about Jesus, he always encountered people who agreed and disagreed. It seemed that the people that disagreed were more vocal than the others. That is why they stoned him, imprisoned him and chased him out of every major city. Because he really spoke the truth which most people don’t want to hear? It hasn’t changed much in 2000 years. Man is still the same. He would rather believe a lie than have to deal with the truth. Believing takes faith and hope. If those parts are not there, there isn’t much believing going on. It takes faith that what is being said is true and will help you. The hope is wanting to change and be different or better than before. God says that if you want a person to change, you have to tell him the truth. Because with the truth, God can deal with the person.

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When I began to walk with the Lord. I didn’t know whether or not I could do what I saw and read. I would hear stories of Christians that had gone before me. They changed their world. Some loss their lives doing it. It always seemed so out of my reach to live the life God calls us to. I wanted to live that life but I didn’t know how I was going to do it. One day I was headed home. I was stopped by a train. There a lot of cars waiting for the train to pass. The Lord spoke to me and said, get out of your car and go and tell everyone that I love them. I broke down crying. I said I could not do it. The hand of God came off of me that fast. He would not speak to me. I cried all the way home. Finally after a while, God speak to me and said, I want you to be willing to follow me. I will do the rest. That was thirty five years ago. With a willing heart the whole world can be turned upside down. Be willing to follow God and your world will change.

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It states that at some point in time, everything will produce less and less return for its value. It is a principle that applies to economics. Unfortunately, it also applies to people. The effort you put into another person will produce less and less return. Or as the saying goes, no bang for the buck. It is a cynical attitude applied to people. And I must say a very common one. Where people are only interested in people who can help them and not in helping people who need help. Giving is a fundamental aspect of human life. When you give without expecting a return, it satisfies a basic need in our soul. In the south, we call it hospitality. It is extended to every person no matter who they are. I will open doors or help someone in need, no matter what. It doesn’t take a great effort, but produces a great result. The principle works in reverse, with a little effort, it has ripple effect upon humanity. My efforts aren’t earth shattering, but produce a lasting effect. And that is what is about. You know people like that. They have a great testimony and people remember them. And with the remembrance, your efforts are multiplied. As the saying goes, do unto others as you would have them do to you.

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Everybody knows that phrase. It is part of a burial rite prayer from the Anglican Book of Common Prayers written in 1559. The saying is biblically based upon what we are made of. God took the dust of the earth and water and made man. Several years ago, when terrorism was fresh in our memories, it was thought that a water supply system in Louisiana was poisoned. The government suspected terrorism. Systems were shut down one by one and were tested. They kept finding strychnine in the water. A lot of people didn’t know what to do. After cooler heads prevailed, they realized that every water system had strychnine in it. It turned out that it was a trace element in all water. So were every trace element. We have zinc, manganese, iron and every other element in us. Water is filtered through rocks to be purified. And we are made of the dust of the earth. It is the saline solution that flows through us. But keeping our bodies in that perfect balance is a job of a lifetime. Any one of those elements in concentration can kill us. We are wonderfully made. You see our bodies are made of the elements of this world. When we died, those elements return to the earth. But we as a spiritual person go on to the next world. Our bodies are mortal, but our spirits are immortal. Question, are you ready to go on into the next world? Have you prepared against that day? You see, once we died, it is all over except for the crying. The chance to change your life is only here on this earth. When we die then the judgement of God comes into play. So, my advice is to prepare now.

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We all want to receive our reward for services rendered. You are expected to work and do the job placed before us. You want to do your best at whatever you do, so you can have a legacy. It is important for our self-esteem and the people around us to respect our efforts. But it doesn’t always go that way. Sometimes everything just goes sideways. And you feel like running away. I guess one of the toughest things I had ever done is to stand up and taking my share of the blame for a botched endeavor. I don’t like being blame for something I didn’t do. I want to lash out at people who, for a lack of a better term, throw you under the bus. I was at the grocery store and saw this older woman being an absolute pain to the cashier. I saw the cashier’s angry. But I also saw the pain in this woman’s heart. And how she found no relief anywhere. And I knew that my time and work on this earth wasn’t over. Although I want to go home to heaven and God, He said to me, but not yet. There is still too much work left to be done on this earth. Each of us has work to do on this earth. When it is time to leave, we will go home. So, I am caught between this world and the next. As Paul said, it is better for everyone else to stay here on earth. My reward is still there and waiting for me. It piles up in heaven, just waiting for me to get there. So, until that time, I will be working here, doing God’s work on earth. You see my time to go isn’t here yet.

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Can the dreams of the past hold you back from the future? You see your future and wonder what will happen. Then you begin to build an idea of how it’s going to work. Hoping that you can indeed make your dreams come to past. You add bit by bit until it looks good and real to you. You make plans on how to accomplish your dreams. You work hard at it. And it works or it doesn’t. But it is never quite perfect. Part of your dreams work well and the other part you scrap. But why didn’t it work like you dreamed it? That is an easy question. And most people know the answer to it. It is where reality and dreams collide. Your need dreams to think of possibilities for life. I have seen more people stop about this far from their dreams because of this, that or the other. Nothing is perfect on this earth. But we can achieve many things if we persist in our dreams. God has endowed us with much power. We can use this power to achieve many things, good or bad. Hopefully, we will use our ability to produce good on this earth. No matter what we do in life, we are going to have to work for it. When God kicked Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, He told Adam that he would eat by the sweat of his brow. He had to work for it. Solomon said that what man accomplishes by his own hand, it is a gift from God. Everything that we have or do for good on this earth, it has been given by God, including your dreams.

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As important as our lives are there is no discernable sense of direction. It seems that our lives just float along until something hits and moves us one way or the other. Why don’t people remember from one generation to the other? Wars are fought because of selfishness and jealousy. Where whole generations are wiped out and no one remembers how terrible it really is. Why is the honor of sacrifice only reserved for soldiers on the battle field? Where is the honor for those that sacrifice their lives for you to live a decent life? Or where is the honor for those who loved so much that they sacrificed their lives to change the world where you live? You see history repeats itself. Most people have short term memory and their long-term memory fogs out. Most people’s focus is on the here and now. They are more concerned on food, clothing and shelter than where they are today. It is a sad commentary on the human race. But what is to done with mankind so they will understand and change their world? This is where push comes to shove. Change is the word for the day. But change takes effort on our part. Is not always easy, but it is very simple. So, is this where history repeats itself or we are going to improve our lives. It is funny or I should say it terrible that people know how to change their lives and just won’t. It takes 30 days of doing something different to change a habit. Are you willing to change, then stand up and be counted. We need people all those people today.

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Why would I spend my life learning things that most people don’t want to hear? There is a vast difference between what is real and needed and what most people want to hear. The bible says that people heap to themselves teachers to hear things that will satisfy their itching ears. It doesn’t make it true or even needful, but it satisfies an itch. It seems that like clockwork, there are ideas that appear and capture people’s imagination. You look around there are dozens of ideas that are circulating today. And just as it was in Jesus’ day, He said to combat heresy you tell the truth. It is unfortunate that many people will not accept the truth. Why, because it means not only they were wrong but will have to change. So, they go on with heaping to themselves teachers. When Paul came to Athens to preach the gospel, there was a free forum for anyone to speak. People from everywhere would come to express their views. Paul was given the opportunity to talk at the forum. After he shared the gospel, people just dismissed what he had to say as just another philosophy. There itching ears had dulled their senses so much that they couldn’t hear the truth. And it isn’t just in the first century that this happens. There are enough theories going around today to choke a horse. None of them are true or real, but people will fight to the death to defend them. People laughed and made fun of Noah, until the sky became dark and the rain fell. But it was too late for those people. There is a reference that Jesus made about the last days on earth. He said just as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be again.

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I have never been shy about sharing what was on my heart. It is a trait that has been with me since I was small. I would see something and say what I saw. Now people didn’t always appreciate what I had to say, but I said it anyway. For a long time, I thought there was something wrong with me. But it was a gift of God functioning in me. Being honest with people takes a lot of courage on your part. For part of my life, I just didn’t talk to people. It produced loneliness in me. I wanted someone to talk to that would understand what I was saying. I did find one person who knew exactly what I saying, because He actually gave me the thoughts to say. Our relationship has stopped all the loneliness. And I actually have found several people who understand what I am saying. Unfortunately, they don’t all live around here. But the bond between us is as strong as anything. My faith was built a little at a time, line upon line, precept upon precept. It was built this way by God for one purpose. So, that my faith in God wouldn’t wane at the first sign of battle. You see my words are a sword to be used in battle. They are as sharp as any two-edged sword, cutting both ways in battle. As it says, dividing asunder even soul and spirit. It took a long time and lot of practice to be able to handle this sword correctly. But I can run through a troop and leap over a wall with no fear. Because my faith in God will carry me wherever I go in this world.

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Years ago, I went into a Christian bookstore. I was looking for a certain book. This was a new bookstore located in our town. A young couple operated the bookstore. The young woman was behind the counter as I came in. As we were talking, a man walked in. He said he didn’t need any help. To look at him, you would say that he was a derelict. His clothes were worn and tattered. He hadn’t take a bath in a while. The bookstore was just 2 blocks from the railroad tracks and all kinds of people would get off the freight trains. The young woman became afraid passed me a note asking me to stay in the store. We talked more as the man finally left. I said goodbye and left. To look at the man that came into the store, you would call him a dead man walking, without hope and just existing. I wondered about him for a long time. I didn’t talk to him and I believe I was supposed to. Fear came in and both of us didn’t reach out to him. It prevented us from doing what God would have wanted to do. I believe it was a missed opportunity to share the love of God. There are many times the God will bring people to us to share the gospel with them. It happens to me all the time. Strangers will walk up to me to ask a question and I know that God sent them. The bible says that we entertain angels and we are unaware who they are. God does this to see what is inside of us. Whether or not we are ready to give an answer about our faith to anyone that asks.

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