People Don’t Need a Piece of Your Mind

The next time you feel the urge to give someone a piece of your mind, ignore it.  That person doesn’t need a piece of your mind.  What he does need is your peace of mind.

You can do people more good by having a peaceful heart than by pouring out your thoughts to them.

Jesus had the best thoughts any human being has ever had and still He believed that there was “a time to speak and a time to be silent.”

Bible notes on this post.

The purpose of this blog is to proclaim Jesus Christ to those who want to hear about Him without having to join a church – or anything else – but Him.

Abandon the Quarrel Before It Begins

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to stop a quarrel once it has started?

Look for the early warning signs of a quarrel and take heed.  It is much easier to keep quarrels from starting than it is to end them once they’ve started.

Jesus had many critics, and He interacted with them frequently.  However, you can search the gospels from one end to the other and never find an occasion where He was quarreling with anyone.  He knew how to manage His disagreement with someone, and moved on before a quarrel could set in.

Bible notes on this post.

The purpose of this blog is to proclaim Jesus Christ to those who want to hear about Him without having to join a church – or anything else – but Him.

Jesus Didn’t Gossip

Jesus didn’t gossip.  He still doesn’t.

With the knowledge He has of our sins, what would be the outcome if He went around telling everyone all the bad stuff He knows about us?

When Tom does wrong to Dick, do you tell Harry?  If so, why?  Isn’t it bad enough that Tom did wrong to Dick?  Why spread the infection?

Do Tom, Dick, Harry, and yourself all a favor: let Dick and Tom sort out their own problem.

Gossip is a killer.

Serve the One who knows all about you and doesn’t gossip: Jesus Christ our Lord.

Bible notes on this post.

The purpose of this blog is to proclaim Jesus Christ to those who want to hear about Him without having to join a church – or anything else – but Him.

Meat Loaf with Peace Is Better Than Steak with Strife

The next time your family sits around the table to eat, remember that the most important thing they’re ingesting is not the food on the table but rather the quality of the dialogue around the table.

Where Jesus presides in a human heart, peace prevails.  Otherwise, watch out for strife because even when it’s not present, it’s always right around the corner.

Bible notes on this post.

The purpose of this blog is to proclaim Jesus Christ to those who want to hear about Him without having to join a church – or anything else – but Him.

Why Do You Try to Control Others When You Can’t Control Yourself?

Do you want to improve the behavior of others so that you will have a better life experience?  Why not just manage your own reactions to others?

And if you can’t improve your management of your own reactions, what makes you think you have the ability to improve the behavior of others?

Let Jesus Christ improve your behavior by living for Him instead of for yourself.

Bible notes on this post.

The purpose of this blog is to proclaim Jesus Christ to those who want to hear about Him without having to join a church – or anything else – but Him.

There Is a World of Difference Between Being Righteous and Being Self-Righteous

A person who is truly righteous looks to God for approval.  A self-righteous person looks no farther than himself.

This is why it’s not enough to just “do right” according to our own standards.  If we do what is right in our own eyes, what good is that?  Our view is obviously self-centered – no matter how “objective” we try to make it.  We must therefore do what is right in God’s eyes.  That’s the only objective standard, because He is the only one capable of being truly objective.

Besides, being around a righteous person is a pleasant experience while being around a self-righteous person can be miserable.  There’s a world of difference.

Continually submit your conscience to God.  It’s the only way to keep it calibrated.

Bible notes on this post.

The purpose of this blog is to proclaim Jesus Christ to those who want to hear about Him without having to join a church – or anything else – but Him.

What’s Missing from Most People’s Lives

What is missing from most people’s lives is what the Bible calls “the fear of the Lord.”

The meaning of “fear” in this context is reverence, awe, and wonder.  To fear God is to live as if He is your Creator.  Don’t superficially pass over these words.  Ponder them deeply.  If God is your Creator then He has more to do with how your day – and life – is going to go than any other being does.  Why then are we more in awe of other people than we are of Him?

If you fear the Lord, you live in an entirely different way than if you don’t.  It’s noticeable – especially by you!

(By the way, consider how many professing Christians are practicing atheists.  Don’t be one of them.  Instead, practice the presence of Christ.)

Bible notes on this post.

The purpose of this blog is to proclaim Jesus Christ to those who want to hear about Him without having to join a church – or anything else – but Him.

Prayer Is Not the Means to Live a Selfish Life

Why do people think prayer is a means of getting what they want?

Prayer is actually the means of getting what we need to live the life God wants.

This understanding means we use prayer not to seek physical stuff, but rather to seek spiritual qualities like patience, gentleness, kindness, and things like these…without which we can’t live the way God wants us to live.

But don’t we need a certain amount of physical stuff to live life, too?  Yes, but not as much as most of us think.  And even that, God has promised to throw in without our asking – if we faithfully ask Him for the spiritual stuff.

Bible notes on this post.

The purpose of this blog is to proclaim Jesus Christ to those who want to hear about Him without having to join a church – or anything else – but Him.

Why Do You Want What You Want?

People usually want what they want because they think getting it will make them happy.  What if they knew that getting it would just make them want something else?  And what if they knew that they could be happy without getting what they want?

What do we really need in life besides food and covering?  God is generous but our greed spoils it all.  Greed, by the way, has nothing to do with how much you have.  It has to do with how badly you want what you don’t have.

When you live for the sake of Jesus’ love, what you want matters less and less to you.  What matters more and more is what others need.

Bible notes on this post.

The purpose of this blog is to proclaim Jesus Christ to those who want to hear about Him without having to join a church – or anything else – but Him.

Do You Think About Your Audience?

Life is filmed before a live studio audience.  Most prominent among those watching you is Jesus of Nazareth, now reigning as King of the Universe.  Surrounding Him are His holy angels – way too many to count.  When you die, the film will be replayed for you to see and Him to make the final judgment on your place in heaven.  How do you think that is going to go for you?

It’s not too late to do something about it, you know?

Bible notes on this post.

The purpose of this blog is to proclaim Jesus Christ to those who want to hear about Him without having to join a church – or anything else – but Him.