Work for Christ

1.The field is large. Matt. 13:38

2. The need is great. John 4:35

3. The time is now. Gal. 1:10

4. The call is urgent. Matt. 20:6

5. The work is varied. I Cor. 12:12

6. The partner is almighty. II Cor. 6:1

7. The means are provided. Luke   19:10

Reducing Stress

To begin with, never borrow from the future.  If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain.  Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.

1. Pray

2. Go to bed on time.

3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.

4. Say 'no' to projects that won't fit into your time schedule or that will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others.

6. Simplify and unclutter your life.

7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many)

8. Allow extra time to do things and get places.

9. Pace yourself.  Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard thing all together.

10. Take one day at a time.

11. Separate worries from concerns.  If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety.  If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.

12. Tithe your income.  Can you really afford to go through life robbing the God who created you and who gives you everything you possess?

13. Live within your budget.  Don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.

14. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.

15. K.M.S. also known as "Keep Mouth Shut".  This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.

16. Do something for the kid in you every day.

17. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.

18. Get enough rest.

19. Eat right.

20. Get organized so everything has its place.

21. Listen to a CD or tape while driving that can help you improve your quality of life.

22. Write down your thoughts and inspirations.

23. Every day, find time to be alone.

24. Having problems?  Talk to God on the spot.  Try to nip small problems in the bud.  Don't wait until bedtime to pray.

25. Make friends with Godly people.

26. Keep a folder of favorite Scriptures on hand.

27. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good, "Thank You, Jesus".

28. Laugh.

29. Laugh some more!

30. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.

31. Develop a forgiving attitude. (Most people are doing the best they can.)

32. Be kind to unkind people. (They probably need it most.)

33. Sit on your ego.

34. Talk less; listen more.

35. Slow down.

36. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.

37. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before. "If God is for us, who can be against us." (Romans 8:31)

Counting the Cost
    by Becky D. Graves

While touring the island of Freeport on a vacation in the Bahamas, I was struck by the sight of many abandoned building. In this poverty-ridden area this would not have been unusual except these buildings were half-finished. Someone had started building and never finished the project. Although we see such sites in the United States from time to time, the number of abandoned, unfinished buildings in Freeport was much higher than in any other area I had ever visited.

Many of these unfinished structures were homes. Trying to imagine the situation, my mind turned to Luke 14 and the parables of the king and the towers. I thought, “Aren’t many people like this when it comes to the Christian life? They start with vigor and enthusiasm, but when they are confronted with the struggles of living a Christian life, they quickly crumble and return to the life they used to know.”

The Lord Jesus explained it this way:

“And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?”

“Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, “Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish” (Luke 14:27-30).”

We are living in an age of feel-good Christianity. Some well-known televangelists, playing on emotions and the lack of security in many individuals, call for mass conversion sessions where “new converts” are asked to call on Jesus and that is all. These televangelists, however, are failing to show the cost of Christianity. Consequently, many of their “converts” fall by the way side within days, and they return to their former lifestyles, failing to build their lives for Christ.

Matthew 16:24 tells us, “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

Christian, have you counted the cost? Have you made that commitment to follow Christ no matter what? Are you willing to sacrifice to be a disciple of Christ?