Attitude Toward Others

I confess. Sometimes, people can irritate and frustrate me. Judging by what I observe in people, I am not the only one who is affected by people in this way. I am not proud of my attitude at these times.

Psalm 129:8 says, “nor do those who pass by say, “The blessing of the LORD be upon you! We bless you in the name of the LORD!” Whether you get along with someone or not, always have the attitudes of wanting God to bless them and of wanting to be a blessing to them. Desiring blessings for other people prepares our hearts to receive the Lord’s blessings.

Unproductive

Sometimes, I get frustrated when something that I am trying to do is just not working. Perhaps I didn’t plan well. Maybe I didn’t have the proper tools. Sometimes, I just don’t know how to do the task. In any case, it’s true that I am not equipped to do the job at the time.

Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” No matter what endeavor we undertake, unless we trust in the Lord’s power and wisdom, we will not bear good fruit. We should wait upon His understanding and strength to be properly equipped to undertake the tasks before us.  Then, we will be fruitful and bring Him glory.

Art of Persuasion

On social media, you can find thousands of people overreacting to circumstances. These people, often referred to as “Karen”, think that they have control over the events and react angrily when things do not go their way.  However, their anger and harsh words rarely accomplish very much, other than probably raising their own blood pressure.

Proverbs 25:15 says, “With patience, a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone.” Speaking with gentleness and patience can accomplish far more than harsh and angry words. God often uses gentle words of grace and mercy when speaking to us. We should try this same approach when speaking with other people.

Read the Signs

Roadside signs warn us of dangers ahead and lead us in the direction we want to go. Signs along hiking trails do much the same things. Failure to heed the warnings and go in the direction that the signs lead will take us into danger and lead us away from the direction we want to go. God places His Word within us. Ignoring His warnings and choosing to go our own ways is what God calls sin. Rejecting God’s signposts surely leads us into danger and away from truth.

Deuteronomy 6:6, 8 says, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontle between your eyes.” God has put His Word into our hearts so that we can earnestly seek Him and know Him. We should remember and keep His Word in our actions and in our thoughts.

Completed Plans

We make plans for everything. We plan what we will do today. We prepare for our vocation with experience and education. Then we plan time off from this vocation with vacation plans. We plan for marriage and family. Ultimately, we plan for retirement and death. Our plans, however, are fallible as we do not control all the factors that can impact our plans.

Job 23:13-14 says, “But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does. For he will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind.” God has many wonderful things for you in His mind. These wonderful things are the beautiful person for you to become and the awesome good things for you to do. He will complete His desires for you as He is unchangeable and nothing can hold Him back.