Category: godliness

Size and strength come from decisions and practices. These things don’t merely fall down from the sky. Even Samson had supernatural strength because he obeyed certain Nazarite promises to God and lost his strength when he did not.

Don’t be the fool who thinks he will be strong by acting strong. Don’t be the other fool who thinks he will be strong by lifting heavy weights for hours at the gym. By not also using small weights to strengthen the inner balancing muscles around his joints, he will develop muscle conditions that make it impossible for him to use his big muscles at all.

External results flow from growth inside, not merely mimicking results shown on the surface.

Many wealthy and powerful people have subtle habits and practices which are the main causes behind their wealth and power. They know what these habits are, some of them include making unpopular decisions, prioritizing the bigger picture, asking before judging, abandoning pet projects and distractions, obnoxiously high and “impossible” standards, and pushing past the comfort zone to finalize every task.

Unfortunately, people who lack skill, wealth, and influence, yet also covet and disdain people with skill, wealth, and influence, will belittle the virtues and habits that build up skill, wealth, and influence.

“That’s just a different opinion,” they say, or, “I don’t agree,” as if it is a “mere” matter of opinion without an effective difference. It is obvious that someone disagrees with the methods of people who have different results. But, saying so is considered “rude” by the masses while people striving to better themselves appreciate the benefit of truth candidly told.

Biblically called “sowing and reaping”, this principle applies to everyone: artists, managers, athletes, innovators, engineers, pilots, Bible students, even family members—any discipline.

Everything takes more time than we instinctively feel it should. Healthy growth requires us to continue past the point of discomfort, where it feels like “too much”, then keep going. “Poking it with a stick” at a comfortable distance won’t get real results; though many people, marked by mediocrity, think it will.

While God determines the style and nature of our paths, inner decisions account for our growth and progress.

Judges 13-16, Isaiah 44:14, 1 Corinthians 3:5-9, Galatians 6:7-8

When a righteous man prays, Heaven listens. The balanced, just, standard-measure lifestyle that makes a person “righteous”, by that basic definition, is important to God, to the angels, and all of Heaven’s court. When a prayer rises to Heaven’s Throne from someone who does not live a double-standard life, that prayer will be taken seriously.

Prayer itself is a request for justice.

Praying for healing is prayer for justice. It’s not fair that someone should be sick all the time. Broken limbs or disabilities of any kind are a kind of injustice. Praying that God would heal people of such things is praying for God to, essentially, give that person justice by having a normally functioning physical body.

Praying for laws to be good is a prayer for justice in government. Praying for good weather—the rain, cold, sun, wind, and calm, all in proper time and season—is a prayer that nature give us justice to have a fair and normal life.

Even prayer that we might become better people in our hearts or to be stronger in our understanding of morals, God, virtue, the spiritual plane, respect for others, emotional temperance, joy, creativity, and to be all around good people—these are requests to have justice come into and through our hearts.

It is immature to even consider that “righteous” living will make us superior to other, “lesser” people, thereby giving us “VIP” status with God. All prayers go to God. Everyone adopted by God because they believe Jesus is God’s child. But, our actions demonstrate maturity, which reflects credibility.

Living a “righteous” life of fair treatment of others takes thought, practice, self-improvement, and increases with time. People who live a “righteous” life have these kinds of good and careful thoughts that go into choosing what they pray for. So, people with a “righteous” lifestyle will naturally prayer for things God is more likely to give.

But, prayer has a controversial side. Elijah was a righteous man who prayed for a drought upon Israel for allowing child sacrifices. That controversial prayer was also for justice because, ultimately, that drought saved innocent people.

Prayer and justice are equally complex, simple, and very much related.

1 Kings 17-18, Psalm 34:11-22 James 5:16-18

Wherever you go, whatever you do, look for whatever power Heaven has for you in each moment.

Practicing any skill, art, or craft is infinitely more beneficial when you understand that Heaven wants to empower you. Focus on practice, especially when no one is looking and you won’t be recorded. Heaven sees you, offering you strength.

When you teach, tutor, coach, counsel, inform, help or advise, you just might be instructing the next prince, but you are surely helping a soul treasured by the entire Kingdom of Heaven.

When trouble comes and you appear powerless, that is when your greatest power can come through. Look for a concealed uniqueness in those moments of sudden disappointment, whatever makes disappointments unique is a clue to where to plug your power and turn on the lights. God schemes and orchestrates such times so all hope seems lost, then, through our weakness, He introduces a new power that no strategist could have invented or prepared for.

Maybe you only need to pray, keep your mouth shut, stay happy inside, simply smile at someone, or do a really good job of doing nothing at all.

Simply “being with” those around you carries a healing power that the world desperately needs. Too often we jump so soon that Winstonian advice works, “Don’t just do something, stand there.” If you need to do nothing, do nothing with Heaven’s excellence.

Among friends in the quiet as in celebration, on the battle field before, during, and after, with time prioritized for the “less easy” to love in your family or fold—every moment begs you to seek Heaven’s power to inject love and quality into the Earth.

Living with inner, personal power for each moment requires each moment. Don’t let a single second go by that you don’t tap into whatever God has for you, whether energy or rest. Love Him always. Carve out time to do nothing but be with God.

When you have power in the small, seemingly unimportant moments, you may be preparing others for big moments—or God might be preparing you for some big moment. But, the “bigness” of the moment doesn’t matter when you have power every moment.

Isaiah 40:29, Mark 12:30, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Ephesians 6:10, Philippians 4:13, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

When Jesus taught us to take up our crosses, he meant that if we want to follow his teaching, we must carry whatever daily burden is unique to us.

There are three things about his teaching to remember:

1. Context is everything. Read the entire paragraph in both Gospels; in Greek, both start with verse 21.

2. Following “behind” someone symbolizes following a Jewish rabbi as a teacher. When Jesus says, “For any who would follow me,” he refers to someone being his student. When Jesus tells Peter to “get behind” him, he is telling Peter to know his place and not argue with the teacher. (‘Satan’ was a reference to both the fallen angel’s agenda and a sarcastic reference to Peter considering himself an expert to advise Jesus; it did not mean that Satan had possessed Peter’s body and taken over his mouth. ‘Stumbling block’ did not mean that the Almighty God could trip and fall, but that Peter was small, young, and shouldn’t act like a rug rat around the fully-grown teacher who knew what he was doing; and, for that matter, Satan shouldn’t either.)

3. Jesus talks about suffering; that’s what a cross implies.

Luke’s version includes “take up his cross daily“, which has some beautiful vagueness encompassing many ideas, including take it up daily and the cross of the day.

Each day has its own problems just as each person has his own challenges.

Some of our problems come from messes we have made. When we make a mess, Jesus forgives us, but we must love others and not leave the mess for others to deal with. At the same time, forgiveness is difficult; if you need to forgive someone then try as hard as you can since forgiveness, like love, is a choice; if other people need to forgive you, remember that it is hard to forgive and try to make it as easy for them as you can.

Our own messes aside, Jesus has tasks for us.

Sometimes we must be patient and exercise perseverance, longsuffering, and forbearance; other times we must work beyond exhaustion—any of these burdens could be ours for any reason.

Following Jesus means carrying each day’s personal cross.

Matthew 16:21-28; 6:34, Luke 9:21-27, Romans 14:4, 7

Help.

When you see trash on the ground, pick it up. You don’t always need to, but if there’s something in the road and it’s not normal—and if it’s safe to do so—get it out of the road. If you can’t, call the local police and let them know so the right people can handle it.

This is your world. God is watching your stewardship of it. If you want to be responsible for more things then act like it!

Wanting responsibility isn’t bad; God made us to have responsibility. Our human desire for power starts out young, but if we put that desire to good use then we will mature into kind, caring, compassionate leaders to whom God gives authority and influence so that we can help many more people.

After Cain murdered his brother Abel, God questioned Cain as to his brother’s whereabouts. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Cain answered sarcastically—and likely from shame of his brother being dead at his own hands. The answer to Cain’s rhetorical question is, “Yes, we are our brothers’ keepers.”

If you take responsibility to help wherever you can, then God will see that you took that responsibility and He will let you keep it.

We should help each other, and accordingly help keep Earth clean. We did not create Earth and we cannot destroy it. But, we can make ourselves sick.

Interestingly, many of the things we do to pollute Earth—not all, of course—only make humans sick. Look at Chernobyl and arsenic for example. Oil spills destroy local areas, but the ocean has microorganisms that eat oil to sustain their lives.

Caring for Earth is not about loving Earth, but simply being good stewards—helping other people in need of air that won’t make them sick. Love each other, worship God, and, as an outflow of those two, keep Earth tidy and clean. This is the Biblical perspective of a godly ethic called Stewardship.

There are many movements within humanity to address the environment and charity. The Bible already has a teaching on this and it is both unique and supreme: God gave us Earth and we all belong to Him.

Genesis 1:26-31; 4:1-16, 1 Thessalonians 5:15