Be Nice :)

If you are on Facebook, you might be interested into "liking" the Making a Positive Difference page.  Each day MAPD has a "positive" quote and thought for the day.  I especially liked yesterday's thought and wanted to share it with you.

MAPD: Making a Positive Difference

‎"It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice." ~unknown

No matter who you are, who you THINK you are, what you do, what your job title is...there is NEVER a reason to be ugly and rude. There just isn't.

Kids today have ugliness and rudeness down pat...and though many older generations complain about that, those same complainers are the examples those "kids today" are following.

We all have a job to do. But, have you ever heard the phrase "you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar?" You are more apt to get what you need from others when you are KIND. Shouting orders, biting remarks, put-out tone...they don't get you far...and surely don't make you any fans!

So today, temper your words with kindness. Greet everyone you meet with a smile. Say please and thank you. Growl a lot less. You will be amazed at how you're treated in return!

Happy Friday, everyone!

I have to share some wonderful news:  Late Wednesday night my young brother-in-law (he's my age...42...so that's young, right?? :)  was taken to the emergency room after passing out.  He wasn't feeling good, so hadn't gone to Bible class, but my sister and the three children had just gotten home and then he passed out.  He was taken by ambulance and passed out again on the way.  At the ER, tests were done and things were ruled out.  He was running a low-grade fever, so the doctors thought it was probably a virus making him feel week and pass out.

He stayed over night and tests were run, just to rule out any other problems.  Mid-morning yesterday, they did a test that made it seem like he needed a pace maker.  They thought that all day, as they continued testing.

Late last night a specialist that deals with the electric part of the heart said that he did not need the pace maker.  My brother-in-law has Neurocardiogenic Syncope, which can be treated without surgery and something that can be prevented with exercises and other things to do when he feels the episodes are coming on.

Lots of prayers have been offered on behalf of my bro-in-law and sister and their children.  It is always a humbling experience to realize how quickly life can change....where one minute you're afraid something terrible is about to happen, then realize how bless you really are, to thinking about about what could have been and realizing all of the people that are around to love, pray and support.  It's good to see that and realize that from time to time.  We shouldn't ever forget to be thankful and recognize our blessings, but sometime we do.

Praise God for good news and for his love and strength that can help us in the good times and bad times! 

Is Your Personality Your Excuse to Sin?

I remember many years ago hearing a preacher say something really interesting....something I've thought a lot about since I heard it.  He said, "Don't ever let your personality be your excuse for sin".

Do you understand that statement?  In other words, what the preacher was saying, was that often times you and I may say, "Well, I speak my mind.  That's just the way I am."  Or perhaps, "I can't help it.  That's how I am.  That's how God made me."

You and I may be frank, rude, sarcastic, uncaring, unkind, blunt, etc. and use the excuse that our personality makes us that way.  And, maybe our personality is more prone to be a certain way and makes us more likely to respond in a certain way, but we mustn't forget that it is always a choice how we act and how we respond.  We don't have to be rude.  We don't have to be blunt.  We don't have to be sarcastic.  We choose to be all of those things, and when we choose to act that way, we are choosing to sin.  Hurting others with our words is sinful.  It hurts the person we are talking to or talking about, but it also hurts us.

Our personalities are what make us unique.  Our personalities are what distinguish us from one another and will help us or hinder us, depending on how we manage them; however, we must remember that it's a choice how we respond and react.  God didn't make us to have sinful responses!  We choose to have sinful responses.  Satan wants us to have sinful responses.  He wants us to use our personalities as an excuse to sin.

It's important for us to realize that our personalities can get us into trouble if we make poor choices.  But we don't have to work at this problem on our own.  God has given His children a helper.  We have the gift of the Holy Spirit.  If we will allow God's Spirit to work in our lives, these fruits of the Spirit will grow and mature.  We'll be able to make wiser choices.  We'll rely on the Spirit to help us.  We'll get rid of any excuses having to do with our flawed personality, and he result will be a personality that resembles Jesus' personality!   No more excuses to sin!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Galatians 5:22-23

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 

2 Peter 1:5-7