Jennifer Fulwiler: Scientific Atheism to Christ
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Monday, January 27, 2014
Apoie-se Fortemente em Mim
Jesus, falando em profecia
Não é que você possa ou deva ignorar assuntos prementes relacionados ao seu trabalho e fingir que não têm a ver com você para não ter estresse na vida. Contudo, quando a sua lista de afazeres está mais cheia do que o normal, seria bom seguir o conselho de diferentes homens grandiosos de Deus, que, ao longo de suas vidas de serviço a Mim, aprenderam o segredo da liderança eficaz: apoiar-se fortemente em Mim. O segredo nessas ocasiões é aproximar-se de Mim e passar tempo Comigo. Com tanto para fazer, o segredo é se apoiar mais em Mim, confiar em Mim, passar tempo Comigo, e Me louvar—e não tentar lidar com as coisas na sua própria força.
Quando as circunstâncias exigem que você assuma mais responsabilidades ou uma carga maior de trabalho, não negligencie seu relacionamento Comigo. Ele ainda vem em primeiro lugar; nada deveria mudar com relação a isto. Esta prioridade deveria permanecer sempre igual.
Em vez de se esforçar mais para realizar mais, esforce-se por apoiar-se mais em Mim. Se colocar o trabalho extra nas Minhas mãos e pedir ao Meu EspÃrito para revesti-lo de poder, em vez de tentar fazer tudo na sua força natural, isso pode ajudá-lo a se expandir e crescer. Pode aproximá-lo mais de Mim e torná-lo mais dependente de Mim.
Cumpra seus compromissos Comigo. Não tente incluir coisas demais no seu dia. Não se permita ficar tão apressado, sob pressão ou ser levado pelas circunstâncias ou pelas necessidades de seu trabalho ou ministérios que chegue a dispensar seu tempo Comigo.
Ouça o que tenho a dizer sobre suas prioridades. Se concentrar nas principais e dedicar o resto a Mim em oração, então poderá focar nos assuntos mais importantes e evitar sentir-se demasiadamente sobrecarregado ou sob pressão.
*
Quando o trabalho o coloca sob pressão, o problema de colocar as responsabilidades sob os seus próprios ombros—além de fazer com que se sinta desnecessariamente estressado e sob pressão—é que você pode acabar fazendo as coisas que considera mais importantes, mas negligenciar as que Eu sei que são mais importantes. Quando a vida está assim tão corrida, há um limite do que você tem condições de fazer no fÃsico. Então, para saber quais são suas prioridades e fazer o que vem primeiro em primeiro lugar, e cuidar do que é essencial no tempo que tem disponÃvel, você precisa se apoiar em Mim e na Minha sabedoria a cada passo. De outra forma, corre o risco não só de ficar esgotado e estressado desnecessariamente, mas também pode acabar se esquecendo ou não conseguindo encaixar as coisas que Eu sei que são mais importantes.
É claro que você é tentado a seguir em frente sem parar! Afinal de contas, o tempo é curto e há muito a fazer. Mas lembre-se que quanto mais corrida fica a vida, mais importante é estar conectado a Mim. Isso nem sempre significa que deva ficar mais horas lendo a Minha Palavra—apesar de Eu à s vezes lhe pedir isso. Mas significa que seu foco deveria estar mais em Mim enquanto segue fazendo o seu trabalho, certificando-se de que suas prioridades estão corretas e suas metas definidas como Eu gostaria que estivessem e seu horário está sincronizado com os Meus planos para você. Não requer mais tempo, apenas que se valha do poder do Meu EspÃrito que está à sua disposição, em vez de apoiar-se somente na sua própria força.
Busque-Me enquanto se apoia em Mim, e coloque seu trabalho em Minhas mãos. Prometo que vou ajudá-lo e ungi-lo. Se depender de Mim, terá condições de fazer seu trabalho sem se sentir esgotado. Terá perfeita paz no coração, sabendo que fez o que podia, e que terá que confiar em Mim e saber que vou prover tudo o que precisa.
Quando há tanto para fazer, a tendência natural do ser humano é fazer tudo sozinho e não se apoiar em Mim. Mas lembre-se que quando lança seus fardos sobre Mim eles ficam mais leves, e quando toma o Meu jugo sobre si, ele faz com que seja mais fácil suportar. O seu trabalho não vai desaparecer nem seu jugo vai ser aliviado, mas o fardo será mais leve se estiver lançando as suas preocupações, fardos e tudo o que tem para fazer nos Meus ombros.
Meus ombros são largos o suficiente para carregar qualquer fardo. O Meu EspÃrito pode lhe dar poder e orientá-lo em qualquer tarefa. Se fizer as coisas à Minha maneira, terá sucesso e paz de espÃrito, sabendo que fez o melhor que podia e realizou tudo o que era possÃvel com a Minha unção e poderá confiar em Mim para o resto.
Clame a Mim e lhe darei a Minha paz, que o elevará acima do estresse e da pressão, para um lugar onde a Minha vontade é conhecida, o Meu plano é claro, Minhas prioridades são suas diretrizes, e a Minha força e poder estão à sua disposição.
Publicado originalmente em outubro de 2003. Adaptado e republicado em janeiro de 2014. Tradução Denise Oliveira. Revisão H.R.Flandoli.
Não é que você possa ou deva ignorar assuntos prementes relacionados ao seu trabalho e fingir que não têm a ver com você para não ter estresse na vida. Contudo, quando a sua lista de afazeres está mais cheia do que o normal, seria bom seguir o conselho de diferentes homens grandiosos de Deus, que, ao longo de suas vidas de serviço a Mim, aprenderam o segredo da liderança eficaz: apoiar-se fortemente em Mim. O segredo nessas ocasiões é aproximar-se de Mim e passar tempo Comigo. Com tanto para fazer, o segredo é se apoiar mais em Mim, confiar em Mim, passar tempo Comigo, e Me louvar—e não tentar lidar com as coisas na sua própria força.
Quando as circunstâncias exigem que você assuma mais responsabilidades ou uma carga maior de trabalho, não negligencie seu relacionamento Comigo. Ele ainda vem em primeiro lugar; nada deveria mudar com relação a isto. Esta prioridade deveria permanecer sempre igual.
Em vez de se esforçar mais para realizar mais, esforce-se por apoiar-se mais em Mim. Se colocar o trabalho extra nas Minhas mãos e pedir ao Meu EspÃrito para revesti-lo de poder, em vez de tentar fazer tudo na sua força natural, isso pode ajudá-lo a se expandir e crescer. Pode aproximá-lo mais de Mim e torná-lo mais dependente de Mim.
Cumpra seus compromissos Comigo. Não tente incluir coisas demais no seu dia. Não se permita ficar tão apressado, sob pressão ou ser levado pelas circunstâncias ou pelas necessidades de seu trabalho ou ministérios que chegue a dispensar seu tempo Comigo.
Ouça o que tenho a dizer sobre suas prioridades. Se concentrar nas principais e dedicar o resto a Mim em oração, então poderá focar nos assuntos mais importantes e evitar sentir-se demasiadamente sobrecarregado ou sob pressão.
*
Quando o trabalho o coloca sob pressão, o problema de colocar as responsabilidades sob os seus próprios ombros—além de fazer com que se sinta desnecessariamente estressado e sob pressão—é que você pode acabar fazendo as coisas que considera mais importantes, mas negligenciar as que Eu sei que são mais importantes. Quando a vida está assim tão corrida, há um limite do que você tem condições de fazer no fÃsico. Então, para saber quais são suas prioridades e fazer o que vem primeiro em primeiro lugar, e cuidar do que é essencial no tempo que tem disponÃvel, você precisa se apoiar em Mim e na Minha sabedoria a cada passo. De outra forma, corre o risco não só de ficar esgotado e estressado desnecessariamente, mas também pode acabar se esquecendo ou não conseguindo encaixar as coisas que Eu sei que são mais importantes.
É claro que você é tentado a seguir em frente sem parar! Afinal de contas, o tempo é curto e há muito a fazer. Mas lembre-se que quanto mais corrida fica a vida, mais importante é estar conectado a Mim. Isso nem sempre significa que deva ficar mais horas lendo a Minha Palavra—apesar de Eu à s vezes lhe pedir isso. Mas significa que seu foco deveria estar mais em Mim enquanto segue fazendo o seu trabalho, certificando-se de que suas prioridades estão corretas e suas metas definidas como Eu gostaria que estivessem e seu horário está sincronizado com os Meus planos para você. Não requer mais tempo, apenas que se valha do poder do Meu EspÃrito que está à sua disposição, em vez de apoiar-se somente na sua própria força.
Busque-Me enquanto se apoia em Mim, e coloque seu trabalho em Minhas mãos. Prometo que vou ajudá-lo e ungi-lo. Se depender de Mim, terá condições de fazer seu trabalho sem se sentir esgotado. Terá perfeita paz no coração, sabendo que fez o que podia, e que terá que confiar em Mim e saber que vou prover tudo o que precisa.
Quando há tanto para fazer, a tendência natural do ser humano é fazer tudo sozinho e não se apoiar em Mim. Mas lembre-se que quando lança seus fardos sobre Mim eles ficam mais leves, e quando toma o Meu jugo sobre si, ele faz com que seja mais fácil suportar. O seu trabalho não vai desaparecer nem seu jugo vai ser aliviado, mas o fardo será mais leve se estiver lançando as suas preocupações, fardos e tudo o que tem para fazer nos Meus ombros.
Meus ombros são largos o suficiente para carregar qualquer fardo. O Meu EspÃrito pode lhe dar poder e orientá-lo em qualquer tarefa. Se fizer as coisas à Minha maneira, terá sucesso e paz de espÃrito, sabendo que fez o melhor que podia e realizou tudo o que era possÃvel com a Minha unção e poderá confiar em Mim para o resto.
Clame a Mim e lhe darei a Minha paz, que o elevará acima do estresse e da pressão, para um lugar onde a Minha vontade é conhecida, o Meu plano é claro, Minhas prioridades são suas diretrizes, e a Minha força e poder estão à sua disposição.
Publicado originalmente em outubro de 2003. Adaptado e republicado em janeiro de 2014. Tradução Denise Oliveira. Revisão H.R.Flandoli.
The Lamp
By David Brandt Berg
Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.—Psalm 62:51
It’s a common error of Christian workers to give too much, beyond their capacity. They need to save some strength for themselves, for their Lord. When they are tired, they need to rest. When they are weary, sometimes they just need to retire from the fray and give the battle to others. They need to know when to fight and when to be still, when to give and when to save, when to work and when to rest, when to give to others and when to pray. When they save others, indeed themselves they cannot save, but there are times when they must save themselves if they are going to save others and still others and yet others.
Sometimes they need to choose between that which is good and that which is best for the kingdom. Most of all, they must save their best for the Lord, give their best to their Bridegroom and save the first place for Him. We need to give first place to Him, His fellowship, and His love. We all need to learn to rest in His arms and not to work so hard in our own strength. We all need to learn to save our best for our Lord.
“In quietness and confidence shall your strength be.”2 “Cast thy burden on the Lord and He shall sustain thee!”3 “Come unto Me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”4 Sometimes we try to carry too much, to do too much. We need to leave more for the Lord. “Cast thy burden on the Lord, for He shall sustain thee. Trust in the Lord, and do good, and verily thou shalt be fed and thy days shall be long in the land,”5 for He shall sustain thee.
“For strength comes from the Lord, who giveth to all abundantly and upbraideth not.”6 “For if ye ask for bread, will He give you a stone? And if ye ask for fish, will He give you a serpent? Therefore if ye know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that love Him,”7 to sustain them.
We all need to learn to depend more on the Lord, to leave more to the Lord. We can’t do everything; it’s humanly, physically impossible to do it all! You just have to do what you can day by day, and leave the rest to the Lord. If you can’t do it, He has to. “He knows, He loves, He cares. Nothing His truth can dim. He gives the very best to those who save the best for Him.”
Help each of us to learn how to apportion our time so we can save the very best for You, Lord, and rest from our labors in Your arms, so that You can give us Your strength, the strength which can only be found in Your arms and Your love, as we give our very best to You.
“And ye shall find rest to your soul.” Not many people understand that the soul is a body with a spirit.8 If we don’t rest in the Spirit, we can wear out in body, and we need to learn to rest in the Spirit to save our bodies, so that we’ll have strength to minister to others. For strength comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth and our bodies, and He knows what we need most of all: peace, fellowship with Him, and feeding on His Word.
We must first be partakers of the fruits before we can feed others. We can’t feed others if we have not fed ourselves. We must first feed our own souls before we can break bread for others. We cannot give it all and have nothing left to give, lest we burn out and have no oil left for our Bridegroom.9 We must seek first the King and His kingdom, then shall all these other things be added unto us by His power, His strength, His kingdom, His might, in His time, if we give first place to Him.10
We can’t afford to burn ourselves out in service to others, until we have nothing left for ourselves or the King. We need to learn to save first place for Him and our times of communion with Him. We belong to Him first of all. The first place must belong to Him and peace, quietness, rest, feeding and fellowship with the Lord. For we cannot do the Master’s work without the Master’s power. We must save first place for Him and His Word, His love, and His power, and from this shall our strength come. We cannot do it alone in our own strength.
It must be the oil that burns and not the wick, for the wick burning without oil can destroy itself. We have to let Him burn to light the way, and not try to burn of ourselves, or we can eventually burn out and have no light left for our Master. The flame burns so beautifully and brightly and clearly, so strong with oil. But it gets so smoky and confused and stinky when it just burns the wick.
The wick must be deeply immersed in the oil. Most of the wick is in the oil; only a tiny little tip of it is exposed to the air and to the flame. It’s mostly oil that burns and very little of the wick, almost none, and the oil flows freely through a wick that is deeply soaked in the oil. Then it is the oil that burns and not the wick, and gives bright, pure, clear light to all the house in the beauty of His perfection, in the holiness of His light.
For the life that I now live, I live by the strength of the Lord that liveth in me. It is not I that live, but Christ that liveth in me.11 It is not I that burn, but Christ must burn within me, to give pure light, smokeless light, clear light, beautiful light.
When I was a boy, they had these beautiful kerosene lamps in every home on every table, and they had a lovely glass bowl full of oil so you could see the level of the oil in the lamp so you knew when to replenish it. You could tell when the oil was getting low and when too much of the wick was out of the oil, for the lamp would get smoky when there wasn’t enough oil to really soak the wick.
The lamp burned best when full of oil. In other words, it was the oil that burned and not the wick. Not I that burn, but Christ that burns in me!
Isaiah said “Come! Why spend ye your substance for that which is not meat and your strength for that which is not bread? Come and buy of me. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labor for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.”12
Sometimes we try too hard, we work too hard trying to do everything ourselves, when we need to let the Lord do the burning, to let Him flow through us. Let Him burn.
I’ve found a refuge from life’s care in Jesus,
I am hiding in His love divine;
He fully understands my soul’s deep longing,
And He whispers softly, “Thou art Mine.”
Jesus, only Jesus,
Only He can satisfy.
Every burden becomes a blessing
When I know my Lord is nigh.
—A. B. Christiansen
We can only find true satisfaction in the Lord.
I have found no satisfaction in the fleeting joys of earth;
I have hewed me broken cisterns that have mocked me by their dearth.
All the springs my soul has tested failed to meet my deepest need.
Christ alone has met my longing, He has satisfied indeed!
Christ is not a disappointment! Every longing in my breast
Finds, in Him, complete fulfillment, He has brought me into rest.
I have tested Him and proved Him more than all I’d dreamed He’d be
Christ is not a disappointment, He is all in all to me!
—C. W. Waggoner
Leave it there! Leave it there!
Cast thy burden on the Lord and leave it there.
If you’ll trust and never doubt,
He will surely bring you out,
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
—Charles Tindley
So just leave it with the Lord, knowing that only He can solve the problems and only He can do the work. So many take their burdens to the Lord and lay them on the altar, and then pick them right back up again and walk off with them. We cannot solve the problems. He has to do it. You need to let go and let God. All you have to do is just let the Lord shine through. Just let the oil flow. Let the Lord flow. Let Him do it. Let the Lord do it!
Particularly with people who have a lot of drive and dynamism in the natural, it’s hard for them not to just really boom boom boom, push things through in their own strength. But natural force has its limits. Men of force are men of faults, and often the biggest fault is to keep on going in their own force or strength instead of letting the Lord do it.
May the Lord bless and keep you and make you a great blessing to many—in His strength by His power!
Then we’ll give all the glory to Jesus
And tell of His love, His wonderful love.
We’ll give all the glory to Jesus,
And tell of His wonderful love.
—Author Unknown
Originally published March 1983. Adapted and republished January 2014.
1 NIV.
2 Isaiah 30:15.
3 Psalm 55:22.
4 Matthew 11:28–30.
5 Psalm 37:3.
6 Psalm 121:2; James 1:5.
7 Matthew 7:9–11.
8 Genesis 2:7.
9 Matthew 25:1–13.
10 Matthew 6:33.
11 Galatians 2:20.
12 Isaiah 55:1–2.
It’s a common error of Christian workers to give too much, beyond their capacity. They need to save some strength for themselves, for their Lord. When they are tired, they need to rest. When they are weary, sometimes they just need to retire from the fray and give the battle to others. They need to know when to fight and when to be still, when to give and when to save, when to work and when to rest, when to give to others and when to pray. When they save others, indeed themselves they cannot save, but there are times when they must save themselves if they are going to save others and still others and yet others.
Sometimes they need to choose between that which is good and that which is best for the kingdom. Most of all, they must save their best for the Lord, give their best to their Bridegroom and save the first place for Him. We need to give first place to Him, His fellowship, and His love. We all need to learn to rest in His arms and not to work so hard in our own strength. We all need to learn to save our best for our Lord.
“In quietness and confidence shall your strength be.”2 “Cast thy burden on the Lord and He shall sustain thee!”3 “Come unto Me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”4 Sometimes we try to carry too much, to do too much. We need to leave more for the Lord. “Cast thy burden on the Lord, for He shall sustain thee. Trust in the Lord, and do good, and verily thou shalt be fed and thy days shall be long in the land,”5 for He shall sustain thee.
“For strength comes from the Lord, who giveth to all abundantly and upbraideth not.”6 “For if ye ask for bread, will He give you a stone? And if ye ask for fish, will He give you a serpent? Therefore if ye know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that love Him,”7 to sustain them.
We all need to learn to depend more on the Lord, to leave more to the Lord. We can’t do everything; it’s humanly, physically impossible to do it all! You just have to do what you can day by day, and leave the rest to the Lord. If you can’t do it, He has to. “He knows, He loves, He cares. Nothing His truth can dim. He gives the very best to those who save the best for Him.”
Help each of us to learn how to apportion our time so we can save the very best for You, Lord, and rest from our labors in Your arms, so that You can give us Your strength, the strength which can only be found in Your arms and Your love, as we give our very best to You.
“And ye shall find rest to your soul.” Not many people understand that the soul is a body with a spirit.8 If we don’t rest in the Spirit, we can wear out in body, and we need to learn to rest in the Spirit to save our bodies, so that we’ll have strength to minister to others. For strength comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth and our bodies, and He knows what we need most of all: peace, fellowship with Him, and feeding on His Word.
We must first be partakers of the fruits before we can feed others. We can’t feed others if we have not fed ourselves. We must first feed our own souls before we can break bread for others. We cannot give it all and have nothing left to give, lest we burn out and have no oil left for our Bridegroom.9 We must seek first the King and His kingdom, then shall all these other things be added unto us by His power, His strength, His kingdom, His might, in His time, if we give first place to Him.10
We can’t afford to burn ourselves out in service to others, until we have nothing left for ourselves or the King. We need to learn to save first place for Him and our times of communion with Him. We belong to Him first of all. The first place must belong to Him and peace, quietness, rest, feeding and fellowship with the Lord. For we cannot do the Master’s work without the Master’s power. We must save first place for Him and His Word, His love, and His power, and from this shall our strength come. We cannot do it alone in our own strength.
It must be the oil that burns and not the wick, for the wick burning without oil can destroy itself. We have to let Him burn to light the way, and not try to burn of ourselves, or we can eventually burn out and have no light left for our Master. The flame burns so beautifully and brightly and clearly, so strong with oil. But it gets so smoky and confused and stinky when it just burns the wick.
The wick must be deeply immersed in the oil. Most of the wick is in the oil; only a tiny little tip of it is exposed to the air and to the flame. It’s mostly oil that burns and very little of the wick, almost none, and the oil flows freely through a wick that is deeply soaked in the oil. Then it is the oil that burns and not the wick, and gives bright, pure, clear light to all the house in the beauty of His perfection, in the holiness of His light.
For the life that I now live, I live by the strength of the Lord that liveth in me. It is not I that live, but Christ that liveth in me.11 It is not I that burn, but Christ must burn within me, to give pure light, smokeless light, clear light, beautiful light.
When I was a boy, they had these beautiful kerosene lamps in every home on every table, and they had a lovely glass bowl full of oil so you could see the level of the oil in the lamp so you knew when to replenish it. You could tell when the oil was getting low and when too much of the wick was out of the oil, for the lamp would get smoky when there wasn’t enough oil to really soak the wick.
The lamp burned best when full of oil. In other words, it was the oil that burned and not the wick. Not I that burn, but Christ that burns in me!
Isaiah said “Come! Why spend ye your substance for that which is not meat and your strength for that which is not bread? Come and buy of me. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labor for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.”12
Sometimes we try too hard, we work too hard trying to do everything ourselves, when we need to let the Lord do the burning, to let Him flow through us. Let Him burn.
I’ve found a refuge from life’s care in Jesus,
I am hiding in His love divine;
He fully understands my soul’s deep longing,
And He whispers softly, “Thou art Mine.”
Jesus, only Jesus,
Only He can satisfy.
Every burden becomes a blessing
When I know my Lord is nigh.
—A. B. Christiansen
We can only find true satisfaction in the Lord.
I have found no satisfaction in the fleeting joys of earth;
I have hewed me broken cisterns that have mocked me by their dearth.
All the springs my soul has tested failed to meet my deepest need.
Christ alone has met my longing, He has satisfied indeed!
Christ is not a disappointment! Every longing in my breast
Finds, in Him, complete fulfillment, He has brought me into rest.
I have tested Him and proved Him more than all I’d dreamed He’d be
Christ is not a disappointment, He is all in all to me!
—C. W. Waggoner
Leave it there! Leave it there!
Cast thy burden on the Lord and leave it there.
If you’ll trust and never doubt,
He will surely bring you out,
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
—Charles Tindley
So just leave it with the Lord, knowing that only He can solve the problems and only He can do the work. So many take their burdens to the Lord and lay them on the altar, and then pick them right back up again and walk off with them. We cannot solve the problems. He has to do it. You need to let go and let God. All you have to do is just let the Lord shine through. Just let the oil flow. Let the Lord flow. Let Him do it. Let the Lord do it!
Particularly with people who have a lot of drive and dynamism in the natural, it’s hard for them not to just really boom boom boom, push things through in their own strength. But natural force has its limits. Men of force are men of faults, and often the biggest fault is to keep on going in their own force or strength instead of letting the Lord do it.
May the Lord bless and keep you and make you a great blessing to many—in His strength by His power!
Then we’ll give all the glory to Jesus
And tell of His love, His wonderful love.
We’ll give all the glory to Jesus,
And tell of His wonderful love.
—Author Unknown
Originally published March 1983. Adapted and republished January 2014.
1 NIV.
2 Isaiah 30:15.
3 Psalm 55:22.
4 Matthew 11:28–30.
5 Psalm 37:3.
6 Psalm 121:2; James 1:5.
7 Matthew 7:9–11.
8 Genesis 2:7.
9 Matthew 25:1–13.
10 Matthew 6:33.
11 Galatians 2:20.
12 Isaiah 55:1–2.
Ukraine at a Boil
By Eric Margolis, January 25, 2014
As violence and mayhem surge in Ukraine’s capitol, Kiev, fear is growing that Europe, the United States and Russia may be on a collision course.
Ukraine’s latest crisis began last November after Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign an economic cooperation/integration pact with the European Union. Instead, near bankrupt Kiev accepted a Russian offer to supply heavily discounted natural gas and a pledge to buy billions worth of its shaky bonds.
Demonstrations erupted in Kiev and, later, Lvov. The Russian-backed Yanukovich government reacted with brutal police repression. Violence has mounted in recent days, with at least two demonstrators killed and scores injured on both sides. Moscow is making warnings.
This spreading crisis is of utmost geopolitical importance. It will determine the fate of 46 million Ukrainians, Russia’s future, and the stability of Eastern Europe.
Ukrainians are bitterly divided: western Ukraine, which mostly speaks Ukrainian, looks to the west and borders on Poland, a member of the EU. Predominantly Russian-speaking Eastern Ukraine looks east to neighboring Russia. The Crimea was Russian until Nikita Khrushchev gave it in 1954 on a whim (some say fuelled by vodka) to Ukraine. Crimea’s large Muslim population was destroyed or exiled by Stalin.
Ukrainian and Russian speakers understand one another’s tongue. The problem is more about economic and mentality than language, ethnicity or religion.
Western Ukraine championed the EU deal that would have begun integrating their nation with the rich EU and cast off the heavy hand of Russian political and economic influence. The example of booming EU member Poland inspired Ukraine’s western partisans. Ukraine’s ardent nationalists yearned to make a final break from Russia, which has never really accepted their nation’s 1991 independence from Moscow and has battled Ukrainian nationalists since the 1920’s.
The EU saw the trade pact with Ukraine as part of its grand strategy to keep pushing its borders east, a campaign that deeply alarms Russia.
But eastern Ukraine, notably its industrial Donetsk basin, feared that growing integration with the EU would wipe out their region’s antiquated manufacturing industry, mining, steel firms, commodity companies and chemical plants, causing high unemployment.
Ukraine’s inefficient, post-Soviet companies could not compete with the EU’s powerhouse integrated producers. The same phenomena was seen in former East Germany, where reunion with West Germany doomed most of the East’s rust-belt industries.
Eastern Ukrainians traditionally look to Russia as their cultural foundation. Most Russians regard Ukraine as their historic heartland, the cradle of Russian civilization and ethos.
When Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said that the fall of the Soviet Union was modern history’s greatest tragedy, he was clearly thinking of the loss of heartland Ukraine, Russia’s breadbasket and gateway to the West. For many Russians, sunny, easy-going southern Ukraine is their region’s version of Italy.
Outsiders have been pouring gasoline on Ukraine’s fires. European and American politicians beat a path to Kiev to denounce the Yanukovich government, which first took power in 2004-05 by fraudulent elections.
US Senator John McCain and high-ranking US officials have gone to Kiev and called for the ouster of its government. Interestingly, they did not go to Cairo to denounce the increasingly brutal fascist dictatorship of Egypt’s US and Saudi-financed military junta.
Western intelligence services have been stirring Ukraine’s pot, using covert funding and advanced social media techniques to rally opposition to the government. Russia’s intelligence services have also been active, but more discreetly. Opponents of the government have been poisoned, abducted, tortured and even murdered by pro-Yanukovich thugs.
As Ukraine boils, the US has been turning up the heat on Russia and leader Putin, who is being vilified and attacked by the tame western media. The Sochi winter games have also become a target.
How dare those Ruskis use money and gas to bribe Ukraine to stay in Moscow’s orbit? The West is supposed to have a monopoly on such strong-arm tactics.
If violence continues to rend Ukraine, the inevitable question of partition will arise. Just like Czechs and Slovaks, Ukrainians may decide to go separate ways. Unless the hot-headed Ukrainians can reach some stable compromise, divorce may be their only option. Bad, of course, but not as bad as a truly scary confrontation between NATO and Russia over Ukraine.
Unimaginable? Well, few thought about Sarajevo or Bosnia in 1914.
As violence and mayhem surge in Ukraine’s capitol, Kiev, fear is growing that Europe, the United States and Russia may be on a collision course.
Ukraine’s latest crisis began last November after Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign an economic cooperation/integration pact with the European Union. Instead, near bankrupt Kiev accepted a Russian offer to supply heavily discounted natural gas and a pledge to buy billions worth of its shaky bonds.
Demonstrations erupted in Kiev and, later, Lvov. The Russian-backed Yanukovich government reacted with brutal police repression. Violence has mounted in recent days, with at least two demonstrators killed and scores injured on both sides. Moscow is making warnings.
This spreading crisis is of utmost geopolitical importance. It will determine the fate of 46 million Ukrainians, Russia’s future, and the stability of Eastern Europe.
Ukrainians are bitterly divided: western Ukraine, which mostly speaks Ukrainian, looks to the west and borders on Poland, a member of the EU. Predominantly Russian-speaking Eastern Ukraine looks east to neighboring Russia. The Crimea was Russian until Nikita Khrushchev gave it in 1954 on a whim (some say fuelled by vodka) to Ukraine. Crimea’s large Muslim population was destroyed or exiled by Stalin.
Ukrainian and Russian speakers understand one another’s tongue. The problem is more about economic and mentality than language, ethnicity or religion.
Western Ukraine championed the EU deal that would have begun integrating their nation with the rich EU and cast off the heavy hand of Russian political and economic influence. The example of booming EU member Poland inspired Ukraine’s western partisans. Ukraine’s ardent nationalists yearned to make a final break from Russia, which has never really accepted their nation’s 1991 independence from Moscow and has battled Ukrainian nationalists since the 1920’s.
The EU saw the trade pact with Ukraine as part of its grand strategy to keep pushing its borders east, a campaign that deeply alarms Russia.
But eastern Ukraine, notably its industrial Donetsk basin, feared that growing integration with the EU would wipe out their region’s antiquated manufacturing industry, mining, steel firms, commodity companies and chemical plants, causing high unemployment.
Ukraine’s inefficient, post-Soviet companies could not compete with the EU’s powerhouse integrated producers. The same phenomena was seen in former East Germany, where reunion with West Germany doomed most of the East’s rust-belt industries.
Eastern Ukrainians traditionally look to Russia as their cultural foundation. Most Russians regard Ukraine as their historic heartland, the cradle of Russian civilization and ethos.
When Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said that the fall of the Soviet Union was modern history’s greatest tragedy, he was clearly thinking of the loss of heartland Ukraine, Russia’s breadbasket and gateway to the West. For many Russians, sunny, easy-going southern Ukraine is their region’s version of Italy.
Outsiders have been pouring gasoline on Ukraine’s fires. European and American politicians beat a path to Kiev to denounce the Yanukovich government, which first took power in 2004-05 by fraudulent elections.
US Senator John McCain and high-ranking US officials have gone to Kiev and called for the ouster of its government. Interestingly, they did not go to Cairo to denounce the increasingly brutal fascist dictatorship of Egypt’s US and Saudi-financed military junta.
Western intelligence services have been stirring Ukraine’s pot, using covert funding and advanced social media techniques to rally opposition to the government. Russia’s intelligence services have also been active, but more discreetly. Opponents of the government have been poisoned, abducted, tortured and even murdered by pro-Yanukovich thugs.
As Ukraine boils, the US has been turning up the heat on Russia and leader Putin, who is being vilified and attacked by the tame western media. The Sochi winter games have also become a target.
How dare those Ruskis use money and gas to bribe Ukraine to stay in Moscow’s orbit? The West is supposed to have a monopoly on such strong-arm tactics.
If violence continues to rend Ukraine, the inevitable question of partition will arise. Just like Czechs and Slovaks, Ukrainians may decide to go separate ways. Unless the hot-headed Ukrainians can reach some stable compromise, divorce may be their only option. Bad, of course, but not as bad as a truly scary confrontation between NATO and Russia over Ukraine.
Unimaginable? Well, few thought about Sarajevo or Bosnia in 1914.
When Opportunity Knocks
By John C. Maxwell, January 24, 2014
How do you respond when a great opportunity presents itself? I’m a firm believer in finding and embracing new opportunities. But I don’t chase an opportunity without evaluating it according to some specific criteria.
How do I evaluate an opportunity? I run it through a series of tests. Only after it passes them do I take steps toward the goal.
1. The Murphy’s Law Test—What could possibly go wrong, and am I willing to accept the consequences if it does?
The question is not whether there will be problems; it’s what and how serious will they be? Albert Einstein said, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity,” so the fact that there will be problems is not a reason to abandon the opportunity. Instead, we need to anticipate problems before they happen. If we examine them first, then we can decide if the consequences will be manageable.
2. The Common Sense Test—Does this opportunity make sense, or am I trying to make sense out of it?
This is important because passion can often overpower common sense. We get excited about an opportunity and don’t look at it objectively. The result: We try to make something happen! Instead, we need to weigh an opportunity based on its own merits.
3. The Preparation Test—Am I prepared to do this? John Wooden said, “When opportunity comes, it’s too late to prepare.” He knew that his basketball players needed to be prepared for the game, or they wouldn’t be able to capitalize on the opportunities within it.
Likewise, we need to be prepared with the necessary skills and abilities to meet opportunities. For example, I love to swim, and I try to swim an hour a day. But what if I was given the opportunity to compete in a race, at a distance I’d never swum before? It wouldn’t be smart for me to take on that challenge if I hadn’t prepared for it.
4. The Options Test—Do I increase or decrease my options by waiting? How quickly do you need to embrace an opportunity? Sometimes it’s smart to wait while you gather information or talk to advisors. But other times if you wait, the door to the opportunity closes.
Ask yourself what will happen to your options in the meantime. Will some be eliminated as time passes (for example, if someone else’s decision will impact it)? If waiting will eliminate an important option, decide now.
5. The Deadline Test—When is the best time to make the right decision? I believe that serious decision-making only happens when a deadline is set. People naturally wait to move until they absolutely have to. So with this test, you give yourself a deadline for deciding. This motivates you to take a hard look at all the answers to the previous questions, and make a decision in a timely manner.
Lee Iacocca said, “The right decision is the wrong decision if it’s made too late.” By asking these questions about an opportunity, you increase your odds for success, because you keep yourself from chasing the wrong opportunity, going after one too soon, or missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime.
How do you respond when a great opportunity presents itself? I’m a firm believer in finding and embracing new opportunities. But I don’t chase an opportunity without evaluating it according to some specific criteria.
How do I evaluate an opportunity? I run it through a series of tests. Only after it passes them do I take steps toward the goal.
1. The Murphy’s Law Test—What could possibly go wrong, and am I willing to accept the consequences if it does?
The question is not whether there will be problems; it’s what and how serious will they be? Albert Einstein said, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity,” so the fact that there will be problems is not a reason to abandon the opportunity. Instead, we need to anticipate problems before they happen. If we examine them first, then we can decide if the consequences will be manageable.
2. The Common Sense Test—Does this opportunity make sense, or am I trying to make sense out of it?
This is important because passion can often overpower common sense. We get excited about an opportunity and don’t look at it objectively. The result: We try to make something happen! Instead, we need to weigh an opportunity based on its own merits.
3. The Preparation Test—Am I prepared to do this? John Wooden said, “When opportunity comes, it’s too late to prepare.” He knew that his basketball players needed to be prepared for the game, or they wouldn’t be able to capitalize on the opportunities within it.
Likewise, we need to be prepared with the necessary skills and abilities to meet opportunities. For example, I love to swim, and I try to swim an hour a day. But what if I was given the opportunity to compete in a race, at a distance I’d never swum before? It wouldn’t be smart for me to take on that challenge if I hadn’t prepared for it.
4. The Options Test—Do I increase or decrease my options by waiting? How quickly do you need to embrace an opportunity? Sometimes it’s smart to wait while you gather information or talk to advisors. But other times if you wait, the door to the opportunity closes.
Ask yourself what will happen to your options in the meantime. Will some be eliminated as time passes (for example, if someone else’s decision will impact it)? If waiting will eliminate an important option, decide now.
5. The Deadline Test—When is the best time to make the right decision? I believe that serious decision-making only happens when a deadline is set. People naturally wait to move until they absolutely have to. So with this test, you give yourself a deadline for deciding. This motivates you to take a hard look at all the answers to the previous questions, and make a decision in a timely manner.
Lee Iacocca said, “The right decision is the wrong decision if it’s made too late.” By asking these questions about an opportunity, you increase your odds for success, because you keep yourself from chasing the wrong opportunity, going after one too soon, or missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime.
Religion is a sure route to true happiness
By Sally Quinn, Washington Post, January 24, 2014
I keep thinking that if only I had a private plane, I would be really happy. Seriously. I can’t think of any greater luxury. You decide when you want to go. Your chauffeur pulls up to the plane on the tarmac, the stewards and pilots welcome you and carry your bags in. You settle into deep wide leather seats. You are served anything you want when you want it. If the weather is really bad, you can tell the pilot not to take off or to land. If you’re traveling to a foreign country, customs officials get on the plane to check your passport.
We all want to be happy. I certainly do. We are all looking for answers. We read self-help books and philosophy and psychology books. We try meditation and yoga and exercise. We think that if only we had more money, a higher IQ, a better marriage, more friends, more successful children, lived in a warmer climate or believed in God we would be a lot happier. We compare ourselves to others who seem to have more to determine if they are happier than we are.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. Well, at least some of that is wrong.
Catherine Sanderson, a psychology professor at Amherst College, recently gave a talk, “Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness,” in which she described things that we think will make us happy but don’t and things that really do. It turns out that a private plane would not make me happier. (I’m still not convinced.) It also turns out that people who have religious or spiritual beliefs are happier than those who don’t, no matter what their beliefs.
Religious beliefs, she says, “give people a sense of meaning.” It also gives them a social network. “It gives a sense of well being or comfort.”
Despite the misguided notion that suffering makes us better people, the fact is that happiness is good for you and others. “It matters,” says Sanderson, “as members of our society.” Happy people are more helpful, more productive and more loyal. Happy people are in better physical shape, healthier and heal faster.
Perplexingly, the things we believe will make us happy actually don’t have any effect on our sense of well being, according to Sanderson. A high IQ doesn’t make you happier. I know some really smart people who are miserable. Money? Forget it. Sanderson quotes Benjamin Franklin: “The more one has, the more one wants.” Good weather doesn’t matter either. (Tell that to me in the middle of an ice storm.) She quotes John Steinbeck: “I’ve lived in good weather and it bores the hell out of me.” The joy of major and minor life events, says Sanderson, like a new job or house is great but doesn’t last. Children? They’re cute in the abstract but having children doesn’t make you happier.
Religion, as we have said, and nature make us happy. Shopping, but not for ourselves, eating well, getting enough sleep, exercising and sex make us happy. Sex makes us very, very happy. High self-esteem and optimism make us happy. Being able to take a bad event and make it into a good event.
One often-asked question is, why are religious people happier? Sanderson thinks it’s less about what you believe than the fact that you have a community, a church, a synagogue, a Bible study group. It’s the social support network that is fulfilling. You could well be working in a soup kitchen, joining a book club or belonging to a neighborhood watch. It’s the sense that we are looking after one another that matters.
She also says that people who are believers have a certain mind-set; the power of prayer, the belief in an afterlife, the sense that someone is looking after you, that there is a higher power, that things happen for a reason. This mind-set, she says, helps people make sense of tragedy, struggles and loss. One can believe, “I’ll see this person later,” or “God only gives you what you can handle,” or “There is a silver lining in the suffering.”
Sanderson says that she is what I call SBNR, spiritual but not religious. She says she is generally happy, but even happier when she is giving her speech about happiness.
I will be taking a week in the Caribbean in February. I will go to the airport, wait in endless security lines, pay overweight for baggage, learn the flight is delayed, sit in the middle seat of the cramped economy class and buy a $6 snack. This time, though, I will be thinking of all the unhappy rich people in their private jets worrying about their richer friends in bigger jets. Not me. I will choose to be happy.
I keep thinking that if only I had a private plane, I would be really happy. Seriously. I can’t think of any greater luxury. You decide when you want to go. Your chauffeur pulls up to the plane on the tarmac, the stewards and pilots welcome you and carry your bags in. You settle into deep wide leather seats. You are served anything you want when you want it. If the weather is really bad, you can tell the pilot not to take off or to land. If you’re traveling to a foreign country, customs officials get on the plane to check your passport.
We all want to be happy. I certainly do. We are all looking for answers. We read self-help books and philosophy and psychology books. We try meditation and yoga and exercise. We think that if only we had more money, a higher IQ, a better marriage, more friends, more successful children, lived in a warmer climate or believed in God we would be a lot happier. We compare ourselves to others who seem to have more to determine if they are happier than we are.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. Well, at least some of that is wrong.
Catherine Sanderson, a psychology professor at Amherst College, recently gave a talk, “Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness,” in which she described things that we think will make us happy but don’t and things that really do. It turns out that a private plane would not make me happier. (I’m still not convinced.) It also turns out that people who have religious or spiritual beliefs are happier than those who don’t, no matter what their beliefs.
Religious beliefs, she says, “give people a sense of meaning.” It also gives them a social network. “It gives a sense of well being or comfort.”
Despite the misguided notion that suffering makes us better people, the fact is that happiness is good for you and others. “It matters,” says Sanderson, “as members of our society.” Happy people are more helpful, more productive and more loyal. Happy people are in better physical shape, healthier and heal faster.
Perplexingly, the things we believe will make us happy actually don’t have any effect on our sense of well being, according to Sanderson. A high IQ doesn’t make you happier. I know some really smart people who are miserable. Money? Forget it. Sanderson quotes Benjamin Franklin: “The more one has, the more one wants.” Good weather doesn’t matter either. (Tell that to me in the middle of an ice storm.) She quotes John Steinbeck: “I’ve lived in good weather and it bores the hell out of me.” The joy of major and minor life events, says Sanderson, like a new job or house is great but doesn’t last. Children? They’re cute in the abstract but having children doesn’t make you happier.
Religion, as we have said, and nature make us happy. Shopping, but not for ourselves, eating well, getting enough sleep, exercising and sex make us happy. Sex makes us very, very happy. High self-esteem and optimism make us happy. Being able to take a bad event and make it into a good event.
One often-asked question is, why are religious people happier? Sanderson thinks it’s less about what you believe than the fact that you have a community, a church, a synagogue, a Bible study group. It’s the social support network that is fulfilling. You could well be working in a soup kitchen, joining a book club or belonging to a neighborhood watch. It’s the sense that we are looking after one another that matters.
She also says that people who are believers have a certain mind-set; the power of prayer, the belief in an afterlife, the sense that someone is looking after you, that there is a higher power, that things happen for a reason. This mind-set, she says, helps people make sense of tragedy, struggles and loss. One can believe, “I’ll see this person later,” or “God only gives you what you can handle,” or “There is a silver lining in the suffering.”
Sanderson says that she is what I call SBNR, spiritual but not religious. She says she is generally happy, but even happier when she is giving her speech about happiness.
I will be taking a week in the Caribbean in February. I will go to the airport, wait in endless security lines, pay overweight for baggage, learn the flight is delayed, sit in the middle seat of the cramped economy class and buy a $6 snack. This time, though, I will be thinking of all the unhappy rich people in their private jets worrying about their richer friends in bigger jets. Not me. I will choose to be happy.
