Contemplate the beautiful thing

"To do the useful thing,

to say the courageous thing,
to contemplate the beautiful thing:
that is enough for one man's life." - T.S. Eliot

I found these thoughts very interesting, especially on the level which asks the question: 'what is success?' We live in a society that is constantly telling us what 'success' looks like, and most of the times it looks nothing like T.S. Eliot's thoughts. 

I think if Jesus was asked this question, he would suggest something like this:

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” - Matthew 22:37-40

What do you think would constitute a successful life?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Failure prepares us for victory

"People succeed when they realize that their failures are the preparation for their victories." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I find it interesting that we live in a culture where 'failure' is frowned upon. We expect to get everything right and to be perfect all the time. Not only is this unrealistic, but it is also very narrow-minded. Life is full of 'mistakes' that led to amazing inventions or success stories. So, why are we so afraid of failure?

I was reminded of a number of Biblical heroes, each of whom FAILED at one point in their lives, yet was used in a mighty way for God.

Moses
David
Gideon
Paul
Peter

Remember that even Jesus' death on the cross was deemed to be a failure by some people.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Strong and immovable

"So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless." - 1 Corinthians 15:58

Paul has a lovely way of encouraging us to persevere. I know that we don't always feel immovable and strong, but his message is important for us to hear. Our work for the Lord cannot be measured in the same way as commercial success, but we need to believe that when we serve God our efforts are making a difference.

"With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort." (The Message - Eugene Peterson)

Keep serving the Lord and leaving the results up to him. 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

God is not making it too difficult

"Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it." - Deuteronomy 30:11-14

Sometimes we may think that God is playing a game with us and that somehow we are always on the back foot. However, today's reading reminds me that God is not asking us something that is too difficult for us. God wants us to "succeed" in walking with Him and the Word is given to us as a source of guidance and Life.

Do you feel that God makes it hard for you to follow him?

I am writing this on Ascension Day and one of the truths of this special occasion reminds me that Jesus Christ is praying for us all the time. That doesn't give me the impression that God wants me to fail.

Living in grace

D3LM3

Is it a Failure?

Who decides if something is a failure or not?
And when do you make that judgement call?
The motivation for this question comes from a few passages in the Bible, but I will use one example today - John 6:66-67 (the Message)

^"After this a lot of his disciples left. They no longer wanted to be associated with him. Then Jesus gave the Twelve their chance: “Do you also want to leave?”
Peter replied, “Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life. We’ve already committed ourselves, confident that you are the Holy One of God.”

If we were taking a critical look at Jesus' ministry, just after a lot of his followers decided to leave his group, we would conclude that Jesus' future looked shaky. Being a leader and Messiah means you need people to follow you, so when a large portion of these people decided to bail, well we would assume that Jesus' ministry was on the road to failure! 

However, making the judgement call of a FAIL at this point would be far to premature wouldn't, especially with what we know of the future outcome? Jesus' ministry was not a failure, despite this setback. 

And so, if you are facing a difficult time at the moment and things look like they may be failing, do not be too quick to judge. With God there is always room for a turn around. 

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Times change - Ezekiel 27

 

When I read of how glorious the city of Tyre was, part of me wishes I could have seen it's great splendour and opulence. It reminds me of some of the prominent cities of the world today. Just take a quick read of Ezekiel's description of this impressive city:

“You boasted, O Tyre,
    ‘My beauty is perfect!’
⁴ You extended your boundaries into the sea.
    Your builders made your beauty perfect.
⁵ You were like a great ship
    built of the finest cypress from Senir.
They took a cedar from Lebanon
    to make a mast for you.
⁶ They carved your oars
    from the oaks of Bashan.
Your deck of pine from the coasts of Cyprus
    was inlaid with ivory.
⁷ Your sails were made of Egypt’s finest linen,
    and they flew as a banner above you.
You stood beneath blue and purple awnings
    made bright with dyes from the coasts of Elishah.
⁸ Your oarsmen came from Sidon and Arvad;
    your helmsmen were skilled men from Tyre itself.
⁹ Wise old craftsmen from Gebal did the caulking.
    Ships from every land came with goods to barter for your trade. (Ezekiel 27)

The tragedy is that the people relied on their own glory and wealth and forgot about God. In their hearts they felt they didn't need anyones help - after all, the whole world was coming to her for everything. Tyre felt like a City without equal. 

But times change. 

Conflict happens and wars rage around them.

They lose their attractive power and very soon, they are just another city fallen on hard times. The last word of the chapter tells the story:

The merchants among the nations
    shake their heads at the sight of you,
for you have come to a horrible end
    and will exist no more.’

Let us be reminded that we can't place our hopes and dreams on material success, because when this is not around anymore, where does it leave us?

The Story of Jesus teaches me that he was willing to leave the riches of heaven for the dusty streets of Palestine. He give it all up, so that he could offer eternal riches to each of us. 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Success - how do you define it?

When people speak of the concept of "Success", how do you define it? What would be a 'success' for you? If one listened to the voice of the world we would hear things like:

...success is having a good job, career.
...success is having a sizeable bank balance.
...success is having thousands of Facebook friends.
...success is having a nice home, car, bike.
...success is having the latest gadget.
...success is being promoted to the top of your company.

But, is this really success?
We know in our heart of hearts that none of these things really count in the end.
What good is a fancy house or car, when you have no genuine friends?
How does all the money in the world buy you the love and affection of a family?
How does the latest gadget help you communicate with those who matter?

So, please tell me how you define success. If you have time please REPLY to this post with ONE word. Tell me what you think about when you hear the word success.

Joshua 1:7 - "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do."

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." -Albert Schweitzer

Living in Grace
D3LM3

What is success?

We often struggle to identify what success means in our modern context. Is it only about collecting the most 'toys', degrees, money or facebook friends?

Someone reminded me of this poem from Ralph Waldo Emerson the other day. It is entitled What is Success?

"To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better, whether by
a healthy child, a garden patch
or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed
easier because you have lived;

This is to have succeeded." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

What does success mean for you?

Living in Grace,
D3LM3