Monday, 24 August 2015

Today Reminder – 24 August 2015 (Day 15 – You)



A reminder for today
I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10)

Saturday I took my son to the movies. We went and watched the new “Ant Man” movie, because he is a huge Avenger fan and loves the series. On our way he asked me why we have taxis’. Now for a moment I was a typical sceptic and was on my way to tell him I have no idea, because they are terrible. Now I have to give you a little back ground on the subject. If you live in South Africa the word “Mini Bus Taxi” will make you hot under the collar and put you in immediate attack mode. You see they are the rebels of the road. Most of their vehicles are not road worthy and they have no regard for the other motorist on the road not mentioning that they have no regard for traffic rules. The would pass you over a red light, stop at a green light, pass illegally on the side of the road over the walk way and to top it all they will force their way into an already backed up traffic jam just to do another illegal thing. Yes you can say every motorist is a little sick of their way of driving. Now if you ever visit South Africa I would recommend that you make use of another way of transportation if you wish to reach your destination in one peace, yet thousands of South Africans make use of this system on a daily basis. 

So this is were I pause in my answer to my son and I gave it a moment of thought. So I answered him like this:

We are truly blessed to have a car. You see there are many people that cannot afford to buy a car and they have to make use of public transport. Now busses are a great way to travel but they are huge and have set times and routes and there are not as many of them as there is taxis’. Some people have to travel far to get to work and they have to a number of routes,  which means that they have to travel making use of more than one taxi and finally they have to get of a taxi rank and walk the last few miles to their homes. This means they have to wake up very early and they get home quite late. Although we do not know them there are thousands making their way from their homes to work and back by using a taxi. Taxis are smaller and because of their disregard for traffic rules they get you to work much faster than a bus and you can almost always find one. It is just important to take the right one, which at times can be a challenge. 

So you see, I pick you up at school and we go to the shops getting the groceries we need and we drive to our home and we walk into the door, while somebody must travel miles in a taxi and finally walk home each day of their lives. This made me look with different eyes at these rebels of the roads and their passengers. It made me realize just how blessed we are and how little we have to complain about and yet we complain. We are ungrateful and we get angry if we must give up a little of our comfort for a moment, while other have no choice but to stand on the side of the road in a huge queue waiting for the next taxi, which could mean you have to wait for a long time because with you there are a lot of other who also make use of the same transport and this could leave you standing beside that road for a very long time as other drive past you in their expensive cars not even giving you a sympathetic glance.

We live each day past each other and we see only ourselves. I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness.

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Friday, 21 August 2015

Today Reminder – 21 August 2015 (Day 14 – You)



A reminder for today 

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the broken-hearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD's favour has come, and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory. (Isaiah 61:1-3)

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Thursday, 20 August 2015

Today Reminder – 20 August 2015 (Day 13 – You)



A reminder for today
So there is no justice among us, and we know nothing about right living. We look for light but find only darkness.
We look for bright skies but walk in gloom. (Isaiah 59:9)

Feeling truly good about yourself means loving the person you are, inside and out. It takes hard work and some major adjustments to learn to accept yourself and to address the unhappiness in your life. If you want to feel good about yourself, it starts with identifying the thoughts, emotions, and behaviours that might block you from feeling good about yourself. After that, you can work on creating a lifestyle that makes you feel valuable, loved, and fulfilled. 

They say that true happiness comes from within and with that it means that we can project joy or sadness over ourselves depending on how we feel inside. When we are sad it influences our whole being and our sadness or negative attitude then affects other as we walk in gloom and transfer our sadness over other. Sometimes we respond through our emotions and not with our mind. When we are sad or angry that emotion becomes part of what we say and how we react and in most cases we react on those closest to us.

When we do not feel good about ourselves it becomes part of all of who we are. Our inner pain becomes our outer face. 
My dear friend, why do we feel gloomy and sad? Well sometimes things do not go our way and sometimes we are hurt by other and sometimes we allow the negative thoughts of other impact our day. Whatever the reason for your bad day, it is purely the enemy that continuous to search for ways to steal our happiness.

Our joy is not something that can be taken nor defeated, our joy is in Jesus Christ and nothing can take this from us. So when the enemy hurts you by stealing your joy, just remind him of his destiny and remember that in Jesus we are free and nothing can change that.

You are beautiful, my friend. Do not forget that, and do not allow anyone to tell you otherwise. God created you and in His eyes you are perfect, and this makes you truly beautiful.

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Wednesday, 19 August 2015

Today Reminder – 19 August 2015 (Day 12 – You)



A reminder for today
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough – Mae West

You know you’re on the right track when you can repeat each of the following headlines to yourself, honestly.  (And if you can’t, this list gives you something positive to work on.)

1.  I am following my heart and intuition.
Don’t be pushed by your problems.  Be led by your dreams.  Live the life you want to live.  Be the person you want to remember years from now.  Make decisions and act on them.  Make mistakes, fall and try again.  Even if you fall a thousand times, at least you won’t have to wonder what could have been.  At least you will know in your heart that you gave your dreams your best shot.
Each of us has a fire in our hearts burning for something.  It’s our responsibility in life to find it and keep it lit.  This is your life, and it’s a short one.  Don’t let others extinguish your flame.  Try what you want to try.  Go where you want to go.  Follow your own intuition.  Dream with your eyes open until you know exactly what it looks like.  Then do at least one thing every day to make it a reality.
And as you strive to achieve your goals, you can count on there being some fairly substantial disappointments along the way.  Don’t get discouraged, the road to your dreams may not be an easy one.  Think of these disappointments as challenges – tests of persistence and courage.  At the end of the road, more often than not, we regret what we didn’t do far more than what we did. 

2.  I am proud of myself.
You are your own best friend and your own biggest critic.  Regardless of the opinions of others, at the end of the day the only reflection staring back at you in the mirror is your own.  Accept everything about yourself – EVERYTHING!  You are you and that is the beginning and the end – no apologies, no regrets.
People who are proud of themselves tend to have passions in life, feel content and set good examples for others.  It requires envisioning the person you would like to become and making your best efforts to grow.
Being proud isn’t bragging about how great you are; it’s more like quietly knowing that you’re worth a lot.  It’s not about thinking you’re perfect – because nobody is – but knowing that you’re worthy of being loved and accepted.  All you have to do is be yourself and live the story that no one else can live – the story of your own unique life.  Be proud, be confident, you never know who has been looking at you wishing they were you.

3.  I am making a difference.
Act as if what you do makes a difference.  It does.
Is it true that we all live to serve?  That by helping others we fulfill our own destiny?  The answer is a simple ‘yes.’  When you make a positive impact in someone else’s life, you also make a positive impact in your own life.  Do something that’s greater than you – something that helps someone else to be happy or to suffer less.
You are only one, but you are one.  You cannot do everything, but you can do something.  Smile and enjoy the fact that you made a difference – one you’ll likely remember forever.

4.  I am happy and grateful.
Happiness is within you, in your way of thinking.  How you view yourself and your world are mindful choices and habits.  The lens you choose to view everything through determines how you feel about yourself and everything that happens around you.
Being grateful will always make you happy.  If you’re finding it hard to be grateful for anything, sit down close your eyes and take a long slow breath and be grateful for oxygen.  Every breath you take is in sync with someone’s last.

5.  I am growing into the best version of me.
Judy Garland once said, “Always be a first rate version of yourself instead of a second rate version of somebody else.”  Live by this statement.  There is no such thing as living in someone else’s shoes.  The only shoes you can occupy are your own.  If you aren’t being yourself, you aren’t truly living – you’re merely existing.
Remember, trying to be anyone else is a waste of the person you are.  Embrace that individual inside you that has ideas, strengths and beauty like no one else.  Be the person you know yourself to be – the best version of you – on your terms.  Improve continuously, take care of your body and health, and surround yourself with positivity.  Become the best version of you.

6.  I am making my time count.
Time is the most valuable constituent of life.  Make the time for what does matter today.  Really being in the moment, finding passion in your life, seeing the world and traveling, or just seeing the world that’s around you right now, being with great people, doing amazing things, eating amazing food and savoring life’s little pleasures.
Remember, your time is priceless, but it’s free. You can’t own it, but you can use it.  You can spend it, but you can’t keep it.  Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.  You really do only have a short period to live.  So let your dreams be bigger than your fears and your actions louder than your words.  Make your time count!

7.  I am honest with myself.
Be honest about what’s right, as well as what needs to be changed.  Be honest about what you want to achieve and who you want to become.  Be honest with every aspect of your life, always.  Because you are the one person you can forever count on.
Search your soul, for the truth, so that you truly know who you are.  Once you do, you’ll have a better understanding of where you are now and how you got here, and you’ll be better equipped to identify where you want to go and how to get there. 

8.  I am good to those I care about.
In human relationships distance is not measured in miles, but in affection.  Two people can be right next to each other, yet miles apart.  So don’t ignore someone you care about, because lack of concern hurts more than angry words.  Stay in touch with those who matter to you.  Not because it’s convenient, but because they’re worth the extra effort.
When was the last time you told your family and close personal friends that you loved them?  Just spending a little time with someone shows that you care, shows that they are important enough that you’ve chosen — out of all the things to do on your busy schedule — to find the time for them.  Talk to them.  Listen to them.  Understand them.
Many times it’s our actions, not just our words that really speak what our heart feels for another.

9.  I know what unconditional love feels like.
Whether your love is towards a child, a lover, or another family member, know the feeling of giving love and not expecting anything in return – this is what lies at the heart of unconditional love.  Life through unconditional love is a wondrous adventure that excites the very core of our being and lights our path with delight.  This love is a dynamic and powerful energy that lifts us through the most difficult times.
Love is beautiful and unpredictable.  It begins with ourselves, for without self-love, we cannot know what true love can be.  In loving ourselves, we allow the feeling to generate within us and then we can share it to everyone and everything around us.  When you love unconditionally, it isn’t because the person you love is perfect, it’s because you learn to see an imperfect person perfectly.

10.  I have forgiven those who once hurt me.
We’ve all been hurt by another person at some point or another – we were treated badly, trust was broken, hearts were hurt.  And while this pain is normal, sometimes that pain lingers for too long.  We relive the pain over and over, letting them live rent-free in our head and we have a hard time letting go.
Grudges are a waste of perfect happiness, it causes us to miss out on the beauty of life as it happens.  To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you.

11.  I take full accountability for my life.
Own your choices and mistakes, and be willing to take the necessary steps to improve upon them.  Either you take accountability for your life or someone else will.  And when they do, you’ll become a slave to their ideas and dreams instead of a pioneer of your own.
You are the only one who can directly control the outcome of your life.  And no, it won’t always be easy.  Every person has a stack of obstacles in front of them.  But you must take accountability for your situation and overcome these obstacles.  Choosing not to is choosing a lifetime of mere existence. 

12.  I have no regrets.
This one is simply a culmination of the previous eleven…
Follow your heart.  Be true to yourself.  Do what makes you happy.  Be with who makes you smile.  Laugh as much as you breathe.  Love as long as you live.  Say what you need to say.  Offer a helping hand when you’re able.  Appreciate all the things you do have.  Smile.  Celebrate your small victories.  Learn from your mistakes.  Realize that everything is a lesson in disguise.  Forgive.  And let go of the things you can’t control.

(Written by Angel Chernoff)

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Tuesday, 18 August 2015

Today Reminder – 18 August 2015 (Day 11 – You)



A reminder for today
Listen! The LORD's arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call. It's your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore. (Isaiah 59:1-2)

Sin is the destroyer of all that is good. We often find ourselves in a place where we feel that God has left us and we are alone. It is not that God has left us; it is the very sin that we do that build a wall and creates distance between us and the Lord. Adam and Eve is such a beautiful example of how sin creates distance between us and the Lord. 

At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees. Then the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" He replied, "I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked." (Genesis 3:7-10)

You see we do the same thing still today. We sin and then we are shamed by our mistakes and we hide from God. So the Lord walks with us and keeps on trying to speak to us, but because of our shame and the wall we are creating we do not hear the good message. We are too consumed by our own guilt that we forget that Jesus died for our sins so no matter what we did we still need to return to the Lord and make right the wrongs that we did. I believe that forgiveness is only earned when given. Even in the Lord’s Prayer we pray that the Lord should forgive us the same way we forgive. In a forgiving heart lies true peace and happiness. The minute we understand the Cross we realise that there is so much power in forgiveness. 

So today I want to remind you that instead of running away from God, you should run towards Him. He knows we cannot succeed without Him, it is us that is too stubborn to accept. 

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers