Dec
31
2007
… God calls us to do that according to 
Matthew. How do we do that? We use the gifts that God has given us and we share the love of God as best we can. We serve others. We give to others in need. We spend time with those who are lonely. We listen to those in need and we try our best to meet that need.
One of my favorite songs is Go Light Your World, sung by Kathy Tricolli. I get fired up when I hear it… it challenges me to be a light… to run to the darkness ..to shine Jesus’ light that is in me so that the world, especially those who had not experienced His love in a personal and genuine way, can experience Him.
So I’ll pass that challenge on to you… if you know God personally and He has made a difference in your life… go shine your light into the world!
Have a great day!
Dec
28
2007
The Methodist church across the street has this
message in their board outside.
“A Resolution for 2008 – Exercise Your Heart”
What does this mean to you?
Let’s make a list here. I’ll start.
Forgive someone.
Dec
27
2007
Every piece of guidance about good nutrition will include the importance of fruit in our diet. 
There is no argument among experts of the value of consuming a variety of fruit on every day. Not surprising as in Genesis 1:29 God tells us “I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.” I hope that you’re including a lot of fruit as part of what you eat daily. We need all the nutrients, minerals and vitamins that they contain. They are also a rich source of fiber. I have heard many dietitians say that the darker the fruit or vegetable the more nutritious it is. Here is a link to a top 10 listing of fruits.
God not only gives us fruit to consume, He wants us to produce much fruit. In John 15:5 Jesus tells us “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” He’s telling us that to be able to do the things that make a difference in the world that we need to stay attached to Him. He is our primary source of nourishment and we need to be solidly connected to Him. Just as fruits that we eat nourish us, being closely attached to Him gives us what we need most to do the things He wants us to do in our lives.
Questions to Comment On:
- How do you you stay joined to Jesus?
- What are the fruits you’ve recently experienced in your life because you’re solidly connected to Jesus?
Go have a great day!
Dale
Dec
24
2007
Writing a short note here before the 25th only seems appropriate. I hope that each of you who might read this will take a few seconds and reflect quietly on why this time of the year can be such a special time.
If you have a personal relationship with God, through His son Jesus, then you have a peace deep in your heart. It’s the kind of peace that warms you and gives you a sense of wellbeing like nothing else can. I’m so thankful that God used Mary and Joseph to bring our Lord into the world over 2000 years ago. And I am also very thankful that God put it on my heart to reach out to Him many years ago so that I can live a life that includes knowing Him in a personal way.
If you do not have this peace deep in your heart and would like to experience it, I invite you to contact me so that I might share with you what this very special relationship is all about. It’s this solid relationship with Jesus that gives me assurance that I will be in heaven one day. This relationship is also what allows me to connect with Him in my heart day-to-day so that I can be even more about the kind of man I want to be… with His help.
To Christ be the Glory! “Merry Christmas!”
Dec
15
2007
Our beliefs and attitudes are a key component in determining our health. In this regard, hope 
plays an important role. A person’s faith, grounded in principles they believe to be true according to scripture, can be a source of hope.
When we set out to make a change in our lifestyle it’s important to have a certain degree of belief that we can make the change. This is called self efficacy. Many ingredients contribute to us having a high degree of self efficacy. Let’s say a man wants to lose 30 pounds. To be successful, he would have to believe he could eat healthier. He would need to know he could prepare meals differently. He would also have to believe that he could increase his level of physical activity. It would be important that he believe that when obstacles were to get in his way that he could overcome these obstacles. The more he felt that he could be successful in engaging in these various behaviors, the more likely he would be successful in his attempts to lose weight.
One additional important component for success would be the level of inner strength that he has. When things get tough how “tough” would he be? This is where faith can play a significant role. Our faith can be a foundation upon which we stand in difficult times. It can be a huge resource for us.
In this week’s scripture Paul writes “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” He points out that God should be the source of our hope and that a Christian receives power to have this hope by the Holy Spirit. We can chose to believe that God’s Holy Spirit will empower us to make the changes we are trying to make. This ought to gives us an additional degree of hope.
This hope can help us to be more optimistic that we will be able to do what we are trying to do. In the case of the man who is trying to lose the 30 pounds, this hope in God and in His Spirit to provide him with additional power should better enable him to make all the lifestyle changes he’s trying to make.
Sarah Young writes in her devotional booklet, Jesus Calling, “This hope keeps you spiritually alive during dark times of adversity; it brightens your path and heightens your awareness of My(Jesus) Presence.” In his book God, Faith and Health, Jeff Levin suggests “Those who take these messages (in holy scriptures) to heart may have an increased resistance to disease, decreased risk of depression and emotional distress, and hastened recovery from illness. This is because faith leads to hope, and hope has physiological consequences.”
I believe that hope does have a positive impact on our health. As a Christian knows God better and better, he can have a higher degree of hope and optimism in living life in a way that will help him to be healthier.
I would offer to the person who does not have a personal relationship with Jesus that believing in Him and placing your trust in Him to guide you and to empower you in living life will impact you in many, many ways and among them would be your ability to make lifestyle changes that could improve your health.
In whom do you have hope?
Go have a great day!
Dale
Dec
06
2007
We all need a certain capability to behave in ways that promote good health. The question is, do we do it in our own strength or do we tap into the strength from the almighty God?
In today’s verses, the author Paul provides a prayer for us to understand and receive special empowerment and strength from God. I suspect so many of us do not appropriate anyway near the power that God wants us to have to live life as He wants us to. At least I know I fall way short in this area… but I am learning.
A Believer in Christ has the Holy Spirit living inside of him. Verse 16 indicates that the Holy Spirit gives us inner strength. Do you believe this? Do you really appreciate how much the Holy Spirit empowers you? That’s key… that you believe this and claim this truth. It’s important that you tuck this truth deep in your spirit. I believe that it is our belief and faith that ignites this special power.
In verse 17 Paul prays that our roots will go deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love. In college, a cross country coach once told me that “An oak tree can’t grow in a greenhouse.” The winters in New York can be harsh. It would be easier for us to train inside on the indoor track, but the coach wanted us to run outside… to gain a certain mental toughness while running in the elements. This toughness would enable us to perform better in the races. As in running a cross country race to win, we can run the race of life more effectively if we are filled with more power from God. This power comes from knowing Him and in spending time with Him in prayer and in believing just what Paul tells us in Ephesians. God wants to permeate us with His love and this can happen if we open our hearts and spirit to Him and His love. (This is about the Spiritual Exercise of Believing in and Receiving God’s Love). The Bible tells us that when we do this, God can accomplish infinitely more in our lives than we can ever imagine!
So many of us want to make behavior changes in our life so we can be more healthy. We can only bring about so much change in our own strength. “Infinitely more” change can come about if we tap into the wondrous power that comes from God’s love and His Holy Spirit. And when you’re able to make these greater changes in your life, don’t forget to give God the glory!
He is a great God!
Until next week…. be blessed!
Dale
