by R. Herbert | Oct 26, 2014 | Positive Living, Relationships
“When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them” (Job 29:24).
You probably know that studies have found that smiling is good for you. Carefully controlled psychological experiments have proven that we are happy because we smile just as much as we smile because we are happy. Smiling – even forced smiling – has been found to relieve stress, and a 2010 study published in Psychological Science even showed that smile intensity in photographs predicted longevity.
But did you know that at least one study has found that the single most effective thing a person can usually do to enhance his or her relationships with other people is … to smile more often? So in the title to this post I do not mean to be flippant in paraphrasing the biblical injunction “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16, KJV). Letting our “light” shine is clearly more than just smiling, it involves our “good works” – the whole range of our behavior and interactions with others – yet if smiling is such an important component of our relationships with others, shouldn’t we indeed smile more often?
We may not be able to find biblical verses saying “Jesus smiled,” but in his classic work The Humor of Christ, Elton Trueblood lists thirty passages showing the humor of Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels. There are many other examples in the Bible of things being said with evident humor that suggest smiles were often present on the faces of God’s servants (for example, 1 Kings 18:27); and verses like “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy” (Psalm 126:2) had to involve smiling.
The point is, walking in God’s ways should produce smiles at least a portion of the time. This is particularly true because feelings of care and affection are frequently accompanied by smiles – if we are concerned and caring for others we will naturally smile even, sometimes, despite our own circumstances. In fact, just as experiments have found we can make ourselves happy by smiling, we can also make others happy by smiling at them. So there are at least two good reasons to be smiling, but it is something many Christians don’t do as often as we might expect. A surprising number of sincere believers live under a cloud of seriousness – at its worst it can be an expression of focusing on spiritual problems rather than the answers, though more often it’s just that we forget what an impact a smile can have.
So keep this in mind when you greet the world. As they say, if you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours. It’s not meant as pop-psychology advice to make you feel better, it’s meant as a small reminder that smiling is a part of letting our light shine. It certainly isn’t the most important part, but it may be the first thing that people notice about us and – as Job mentions in the scripture quoted above – it may be one of the things they firmly remember.
by R. Herbert | Jun 22, 2014 | Positive Living
Being under the power of sail (whether sailboat, sailboard, iceboat or whatever) can be a lot of fun, but, just like life itself, it can have both exhilarating and difficult times.
When we have a “following wind” and the going seems effortless – the wind moving us along almost without work, just like those “good days” in life – things seem good indeed. On the other hand, when we have to fight into the wind – like those other days we all experience – it’s not so easy. But it still works. If you have ever been sailing, you know that we can make progress sailing into the wind just as we can with the wind behind us.
Sailing into a wind, of course, we have to tack the boat – zigzagging back and forth in a way that never seems like we are going in the right direction, yet we get where we are going eventually. In the Christian life, God takes us on many tacks; although we may often not see where we are going, or understand the point of some of the detours we might seem to have to take, He sets the course and gets us to our destination (Philippians 1:6). An encouraging fact about tacking is that no matter whether we make small zigzags (to put it in non-nautical language) or large ones, the actual distance travelled is actually the same; and we still get where we are going. Sometimes life’s detours can seem to be long ones, but if we have turned over the helm of our life to the One who is the sure Pilot we will get there.
Nevertheless, those times when we are facing the wind or going through stormy waters may seem tough, and we may wish for calm seas, but that’s actually what all sailors fear most when under sail – being becalmed. Throughout the history of sail when winds dropped and movement stopped, sailors eventually ran out of food and water and became extremely sick or sometimes perished. When we enter what may seem to be a pleasant, calm stretch of life, we need to remember that being becalmed often leads to a false sense of security, to apathy and eventual loss of close contact with the One who is the bread and the water of life (John 6:35, John 4:14).
We may think sometimes that living under our own control – like ships with engines that do not have to rely on external power – would be great in that we could go anywhere: picking our own directions, making our own moves; but left to our own direction in life we know we really drift aimlessly and no direction has any meaning. When we are relying on the power of the wind we work with a power beyond our control, and that is how God chooses to propel us in His direction. Once we understand it, we see that the Christian life, like sailing, is not really giving up our freedom of direction; it’s accepting a freedom to participate in the most challenging, exhilarating and meaningful sailing possible. It reminds me of the lyrics of the old song made famous by Rod Stewart: “I am Sailing,” which ends:
“We are sailing, we are sailing,
home again ‘cross the sea.
We are sailing stormy waters,
to be near you, to be free.
Oh Lord, to be near you, to be free …”
by R. Herbert | Apr 30, 2014 | Positive Living
If concern about specific aspects of your future, or the future in general, affects you, there are two statistics you might want to keep in mind.
The First Statistic: How we see the future is so often a measure of important aspects of who we are – particularly, one would think, a measure of our religious faith or lack thereof. We would expect people of faith to have less fear of the future – despite medical, economic or social problems. However, a recent Barna Group survey conducted in the United States revealed an interesting fact: while 77% of Americans in general were found to be concerned about what the future holds, 82% of Protestant Christians expressed concern for the future. (You can view the Barna infographic with these statistics
here.)
While it may be that some Christians felt concern regarding possible “End Time” scenarios shaping up in the world around them, it seems paradoxical that those of religious faith should fear the future more than the average person in society. This is perhaps especially true for Christians when we consider the words of Jesus: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear” (Matthew 6:25). Jesus went on to give the parable of the birds of the air and the flowers of the field that do not worry about the future, but are provided for, and said that we should not worry about anything: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself” (Matthew 6:24).
The Second Statistic: These words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 6 are not just a positive parable in isolation. The Barna survey results are surprising considering another statistic – a biblical one – that we should consider seriously if we feel apprehensive about the future. The most frequently repeated command in the Bible is: “Do not fear” or “Do not be afraid.” When we read each instance of these many scriptures telling us not to fear, we find that they cover almost every aspect of life and its fears – economic, social, and physical safety and well being.
It is important that we as Christians remember this fact. The Son of God experienced life just as we do and experienced the same causes of concern and apprehension. Perhaps precisely because of this, and the fact that He clearly overcame the temptation to fear, He urges His disciples continually to do likewise and to refuse to fear the future. If fear and apprehension about tomorrow are concerns with which you wrestle, see one of our most popular articles: “
Facing the Future Without Fear” for practical advice. Decide now that if the first statistic given in this article applies to you, with God’s help you will make the second statistic apply to you, also.
by R. Herbert | Mar 27, 2014 | Positive Living
There is an old story, I am not aware of its origin, that each day as we go into the world we pass through one of three doors. The first door is the dark way, the door of evil intentions, which leads to harm for ourselves and others. The second door leads to neither good nor bad intentions, and the third door leads to the good intentions of serving and helping others. The interesting thing about the story is that it continues by telling us that most people go out into the world each day by way of the door of no intentions – intending neither bad nor good - but when we do so, we invariably return by way of the dark door.
There is certainly some truth to this simple little story. How many times have we gone out into the day not intending anything in particular only to sooner or later run into traffic, coworkers, messages or whatever that rouse us to frustration, anger, fear, doubt, or other negative feelings or actions. According to the story, it is only as we go out into the day through the light door – the door of intending to do good – that we will return by way of the middle door, or, if our intentions are maintained, through the door of good intentions.
The story has a point, but its weakness is clear. We all know that “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” (as first stated by Bernard of Clairvaux), and that of themselves even the best of intentions usually are not enough. Simply put, the door of our own good intentions really only leads to a partial solution to the problem of how our lives will really play out.
But the old story can remind us, of course, of the words of Jesus which carry a much more profound lesson. The Book of John records His words: “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9). This was part of the parable Jesus told of the sheepfold with the sheep and the door they entered in and out of. But the words fit our old story well, too.
It is only as we go out into the world through the power of Christ – the true door – that our good intentions will be more fully realized and maintained. That takes conscious thought and determination, but if we remind ourselves daily of the door through which we need to walk, we will be much less likely to go out through the door of wrong intentions or that of no intentions at all.
by Ken Ryland | Nov 14, 2013 | Positive Living, Tactical Articles
By Ken Ryland
It’s a lost art among Christians. There is a stigma about meditation because of the popularity of Eastern Hindu-style meditation, but that is only a symptom of the problem that Christians have with meditation. I can’t think of any Christian that I know who practices Eastern meditation.
That’s for the New Age crowd, yet Christians continue to shun one of our most important ways of understanding God and His will. The excuses for avoiding meditation are rooted in our modern culture. Maybe Christians need a new perspective on meditation.
The key to proper meditation comes from the pen of King David in the Psalms: “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalms 46:10). This verse strikes at the core of our modern human problem; we have lost the art of being still.
There was a time not long ago when people would take time to go into the woods, sit under a tree or along the bank of a stream just to be alone and reflect on life. There they would ponder nature and the heavens, and all the work of God’s hands. Many would take walks alone just to regain their “balance” about life and its demands.
Today, people loathe being alone and hate the silence of isolation. The solitude of one’s own thoughts is frightening to most people. There is a fear of confronting head-on one’s thoughts and earthly passions, hence the clamor for an ever more dizzying array of distractions to prevent the self from confronting the self. There is never any peace in our pursuits, only a yearning for the next distraction to keep us from seeing ourselves as we really are ― and as God sees us. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid,” (John 14:27). This is a gift and a promise from Christ. Nevertheless, I defy anyone to find five Christians out of a hundred who know true peace such as Jesus described.
Meditation is pondering, wondering, musing, contemplating, and at times, just being still. It is leaving God time to catch up with us instead of fleeing from one distraction to the next. The Holy Spirit is a great teacher and problem solver, but it is only when we have cleared our minds of distractions that we can allow the Holy Spirit to do its work.
Have you ever wondered why “sleeping on it” is such a good idea? Our subconscious is working all the time, even when we sleep. It is during sleep when there is an absence of distractions that God often does His best work in reaching our minds and hearts with just the right answer presented in just the right way. We can also create those times of solitude with God when we separate ourselves from television, the computer, or the cell phone and simply are alone with our Creator. Make no mistake; our Heavenly Father relishes those moments of undivided attention that we give Him when we are alone, and I don’t mean when we are praying. Praying involves talking; meditation is that time when we are listening for His counsel, when we hear His voice ringing in our minds. For He is love, and He loves to commune with us in our silent moments.
Meditation should be a regular, daily practice. You say you don’t have the time. Maybe that’s why you are having trouble in your relationship with God and why you don’t understand His will. How about spending a little less time in front of the TV or at the computer, and more time alone with Abba, your Father? Are you serious about walking in His ways and being the best Christian you can be? Then eliminate some of the distractions in your life, and fill that vacated space by fellowshipping with God ― just being alone with Him.
Bible study and prayer are important and should never be neglected, but don’t just learn about God or spend time on your knees detailing a laundry list of petitions for Him to fulfill. Be still, and alone by yourself come to know who He is. Stop talking and distracting yourself with your worldly needs; just listen to Him as He renews your mind and communes with you through the Spirit that He has made to dwell in you.
Meditation by God’s faithful servants throughout the ages is recorded many times in the Bible. Isaac went out into the field in the evening to meditate (Genesis 24:63). The Psalmist meditated on the mighty works of God (Psalms 43:5). In this Psalm the writer uses “meditate,” “muse,” and “remember” almost interchangeably. In Psalms 63:6, the Psalmist meditates on God “in the night watches.” After the death of Moses, God comes to Joshua to instruct him to carry on the redemptive work that Moses started. In those instructions the Lord tells Joshua, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8). God was not telling Joshua about the Law, as is the common misunderstanding. He was telling Joshua to mediate on the Book of the Law (the five books of Moses, the Torah) which included all of the mighty and wondrous acts of God, not just the writing of the Ten Commandments at Sinai.
In the New Testament the apostle Paul instructs Timothy to mediate: “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all” (1 Timothy 4:15).
Meditation is communion with God, reaching out to Him and hearing back from Him. It is as important as prayer and Bible study. Meditation focuses our attention directly on our Heavenly Father and away from our worries and concerns that often interfere with hearing His counsel and instruction. It is quiet time to listen to His voice while calming our agitated spirit. Don’t shortchange your relationship with God. Add meditation to your routine and reap the rewards of greater satisfaction in your walk with God.
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