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May21

Getting along with others…Switch on God’s Love

by Jim Crumbley on May 21, 2013 at 06:27
Posted In: Family, Grace, Love

Boy you so stupid stupid
You get on my last nerves
How could you do this do this? Tyra B “Apology”

We love because he loved us first. If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both. 1 John 4:19-21

There will always be someone in your life who grates on your nerves. Their personality…way of talking…way of dealing with things can push you to an emotional edge. You want to lash out, confront and set them in their place. The fact is, they probably deserve it too!

But what do you deserve? 

Christ loves us in spite of our weaknesses, personality quirks, desire to control, tendency to manipulate and moody attitude. We should love others “in spite” the same way . We are to “love because He loved us first.”

Christ makes no judgement against our weaknesses but embraces us first in His grace. His love strengthens and molds us into something better. His grace allows us to push beyond what we think that we are into what He has created us to be.

147693453Christ love is like a flashlight that shows us the way to the light switch in a dark room. It is not complaint, judgement or anger that will show them to the light switch that is Jesus. It is the flashlight of Christ’s love that will help them see, for themselves, where they are weak.

If you are struggling getting along with others, maybe it’s time to to put in some fresh batteries and click on God’s love in your life.

Who knows, maybe the light switch you’ll find is for yourself.

“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor. Matthew 7:1-5

JimC

A week of getting along with others:

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May20

Getting along with others…Six traits of God’s Wisdom

by Jim Crumbley on May 20, 2013 at 01:57
Posted In: Family, Grace, Wisdom

We think we know so much. We think we are so smart. We think we are so wise that our opinion…our idea…our thoughts…our way of doing things is the right way.

We fool ourselves into thinking that our tendency towards control is simply because our wisdom is soooo good.  Well, we are soooo wrong.

 Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. James 3:17

How can you tell the difference between wisdom and control? How can you know if you are too emotionally tied to an idea, a position or an opinion? If you want to control. then control. But if you want God’s wisdom for your life, then search out its six traits.

Six Traits of God’s Wisdom 156426387

  1. God’s wisdom reflects God’s purity – God’s purity is manifested in love and explained in His word as patient, kind and not proud. It is not self-seeking and keeps no record of wrongs (full of grace). Always protecting, always trusting, always hoping and always persevering; God’s wisdom shown in love always brings HOPE.
  2. God wisdom seeks to get along with others – Being grounded in God’s love, we don’t need to prove we are right or to make a point that belittles another. The Reformation Study Bible calls this “peaceable;” defined as “authentic peace, free of a quarrelsome attitude.”
  3. God’s wisdom is gentle – Jesus, who was never wrong, didn’t force his opinion on others. He gave them an opportunity to see the truth and then continued to love. We, who are often wrong, argue for no real reason and continue to force our way. Instead, show God’s wisdom by being thoughtful and respectful of other peoples feelings.
  4. God’s wisdom is reasonable – A submitted heart is a reasonable heart. Willing to listen…willing to reflect…willing to compromise…willing to understand the feelings of another.
  5. God’s wisdom is full of mercy and blessings - It is fully within God’s power to condemn us because of our sin. Yet, he shows us mercy. Even when we are wronged by another, why would we not show mercy?
  6. God’s wisdom is stable – Humans can be hot one day and cold the next. We can be mood driven, passive aggressive and two faced. But God has called us to a higher plane. Living out his word stabilizes our response to life’s challenge and challenging people.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22-23

It is not easy to get along with people when we have been programmed to compete for position and attention. This habit is very difficult to break. Instead of fighting for control, show God’s wisdom by living a life of peace. Choose to focus on producing fruit and giving love. In this is God’s wisdom…

JimC

 

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May17

The change makers are the risk takers…

by Jim Crumbley on May 17, 2013 at 06:39
Posted In: Finding your miracle, Recovery, Sticking it out

164779786Staying safe is staying the same…not shifting, not moving not changing. But the change makers are different. Not satisfied with where they are, change makers are risk takers.

Sure, taking risks is scary but so is staying where you are. Your willingness to move happens when the pain of where you are is stronger than the fear of where you want to go. 

Part of our problem is that risk takers are no longer applauded in our culture. We are now raised to “be careful,” “take the safe way home, ” and not to “rock the boat.”

What have we done to the risk takers? We once were a nation of…

  • going west.
  • breaking new ground.
  • rising above the norm.
  • walking out our dreams.

Now, companies have whole departments dedicated to controlling risks. As a culture, we won’t move without…

God is the God of the big move…the big risk…the big dream. Sometimes He will tell us to move and we158721396 just HAVE to move. We may barely know where we are going MUCH LESS what we are to do when we get there. But God is a GO GOD. When He says GO…we should be GO followers.

Be a change maker by being a risk taker!

For when we risk…

  • nations are changed.
  • people are saved.
  • businesses are built
  • marriages recover.
  • lives are CHANGED!

Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.

Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.

Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both. Ecclesiastes 11:4-6

JimC

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May16

Your last day…what would you change?

by Jim Crumbley on May 16, 2013 at 06:58
Posted In: Focus

200134581-001Don’t hoard your goods; spread them around. Be a blessing to others. This could be your last night. Ecclesiastes 11:2

What if today were your last? What would you want to change? What would you do different? What would you say different? How would you act different? What would you give away? What would you hoard?

If you wonder what to change or even if you need to change then there is your litmus test. 

If today were your last what would those closest to you say about you? How would they view your ability to give, serve and love?

If you wonder what to change or even if you need to change then there is your litmus test. 

If today were your last and you had to give an account to God what would you say? How would you give an account for what God has put on your heart to change?

If you wonder what to change or even if you need to change then there is your litmus test. 

If you lived each day like it could be your last…and it could…those whom you love would be your highest priority. Generous, giving, patient and loving would be the attributes you would show. 

If you wonder what to change or even if you need to change then there is your litmus test.  

JimC

JimC

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800px-Cowboys_cheerleaders2
May15

No cheerleaders…your choice, you can

by Jim Crumbley on May 15, 2013 at 06:27
Posted In: Sticking it out

Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe. Gail Devers

Do you think that there should be a squad of cheerleaders following and encouraging your most minor of efforts? Like the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders standing on the sidelines applauding a game and play that they don’t fully understand?

Cheerleaders are for those in the stands. They do nothing for the players and, on the field level, do little for your effort to be better.

Change is personal. Through the church there is support. Through the church there is encouragement. You are surrounded by people who have “been there and done that. ” Encouragers are great but they can only take you so far. You still have to run back out onto the field for the next play.

It’s on the field where change happens. It’s not in the stands…it’s not on the sidelines…and it is not when we are surrounded by the excitement of a conference or event. Most change occurs when we are alone…those moments when you have a choice to fall back or go forward.

No one cheering you…no one encouraging you…no one holding your hand. It is just you and a choice.

But there is one important element; the most important element, Jesus.

He shows you the way…strengthens your weakness…cheers you forward through his word saying; “you can.”

Don’t waste your emotional energy looking for someone to say “yeah you!” Instead, focus your efforts on just the next step.

You can…

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Matthew 19:26

For nothing will be impossible with God. Luke 1:37 

And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes. Mark 9:23

JimC

A week of Change on C3 Journey

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, photo source

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