What's the Cost for Failing to Comply with God's Purpose?

In the beginning of public education, men held the position of teacher, first for boys and then for girls. As women were accepted into higher levels of education they gradually replaced men as public school teachers. Positions in administration and athletics would come later.

How are men responding to the challenge of women being their employers, supervisors, and colleagues? A world without challenge will never exist, for challenge brought civilization into existence. God’s on-going challenge to men and women today is, “Be fruitful and increase in numbers. Fill the earth and subdue it.” 

Failure to comply with God’s plan eventually creates a breakdown of the ability to function in ways that are blessed by him. The challenge men and women face is to respond to the opportunities God provides. 

God is at work in his world to bring to fruition his goodness and plans.                           

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You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!  

~Isaiah 26:3 New Living Translation

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Is a Crisis Preventable?

Procrastination may eventually create a crisis in significant areas of a relationship. If important issues are neglected and unresolved, they can be responsible for creating a crisis. Failure to adjust to personal differences leads to misunderstandings and miscommunications in relationships.

Efforts to discuss issues may digress into anger if differences in personalities, beliefs, and feelings are allowed to dominate and potentially cause tension. If just thinking about certain issues arouse acute anxiety, postpone discussing these issues until after Thanksgiving celebrations. 

By focusing on mutual feelings of gratitude, tension and irritability can be averted. God’s word encourages us to “Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus.” Isaiah 26:3 promises to “keep in perfect peace those who trust in him.” So do not delay in asking God for wisdom and peace.  

                    

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Do your best to preserve the unity which the Spirit gives by means of the peace that binds you together.

~Ephesians 4:3 Good News Bible

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What Makes Peace with God so Important?

What contributes to our joy and peace when preparing to celebrate an event is feeling prepared. Being careful not to get so caught up in the excitement of travel plans and potential social gatherings can keep stress and pressure at a manageable level. Take a moment to slow down and enjoy the preparation.

So many good, wonderful things pass us by when we get distracted and fail take in what’s evolving around us. What matters is being close to those with whom we share an event. Focus on the compatibility and intimacy you are privileged to impart to other people.

Let your family know you appreciate and love them for being a positive influence in your life. Seek peace with God as a first step in re-establishing and keeping peace with others. 

Peace with God is the reason Jesus came into the world, so let him fill you with his peace. The peace of God calms the hassled, troubled heart.       

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“I have told you all of this so that in me you will have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous, [be filled with joy]; I [Jesus] have overcome the world.” 

~John 16:33 Amplified Bible

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Trusting God's Purpose

 

Early in childhood little boys and girls begin to say what they want to be when they grow up. Adolescent children verging on adulthood tend to examine more realistic career choices that will provide meaning and purpose to their lives. Some individuals choose a career that reflects God’s blessings as well as his special calling.

It’s possible to give in to the temptation of taking the path of least resistance, which requires minimal effort, instead of striving to be the very best God intended. Discovering what gives meaning and purpose to life is usually revealed through difficult challenges and a strong commitment to serve Christ Jesus.

It's important to believe God has a purpose for your life. Being committed to discovering God’s purpose ensures you will find it. Isaiah 26:3 gives this promise, "You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm because they trust you." You were created for a special purpose, so take delight in that knowledge.                     

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After all this, there is only one thing to say: Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we were created for.

~Ecclesiastes 12:13 Good News Bible

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Christ's Peace at Christmas – Live It

 Wanting a happy, joyful Christmas season is a natural desire for most believers in Christ Jesus. Yet we live in a world of chaos and trouble that at times appears to be absent of peace and joy. This is even true within some families that are ravished by strife. However, reconciliation is possible when pride and power are sacrificed for peace that honors Christ Jesus.

Listen to the gift of peace offered to you as you put aside anger and strife. “You, O Lord, will keep in perfect peace those whose mind is fixed on you.” You can trust in Jesus to be present each minute of each day. Thank him for this precious gift. Merry Christmas and God bless you.  

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Try to get along and live peacefully with each other. Now I pray that God, who gives love and peace, will be with you.

~2 Corinthians 13:11 Contemporary English Version

 And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts.

~Colossians 3:15 Holman Christian Standard Bible

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This week on December 21-25, KHCB Radio will celebrate Christmas by providing alternate programming, the Five Days of Christmas, with only Christmas music and short devotionals. Accordingly, AttitudesAnswers will post a short Christmas blog post and podcast each day this week. Merry Christmas!

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.

Is Happiness Sustainable?

Would it be safe to say that everyone, with few exceptions, wants to be happy? Yet happy people tend to find it difficult to maintain a constant, happy disposition. Some think happiness exists only where anxiety and worry are nonexistent. Others, however, equate happiness with perfect peace, even in the presence of conflict and turmoil.

With maturity we see that happiness can co-exist with responsibility and obligations. Happiness doesn’t have to be extinguished by the existence of disappointment and conflict. Happiness is sustainable by knowing those I love are safe and productive and that the boundaries I’ve set for my life are reliable and secure.

Centering your life in a loving relationship with God and the Lord Jesus Christ gives you a greater capacity for tolerating life’s uncertainties. Listen to Isaiah 26:3: "You, Lord, will give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you." This confidence is available to you as you seek God's way to happiness.  

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Jesus: “When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.”

~John 15:10-11 New Living Translation

You love him [Christ], even though you have never seen him; though not seeing him, you trust him; and even now you are happy with the inexpressible joy that comes from heaven itself. And your further reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.

~1 Peter 1:8-9 The Living Bible

Growing Older with Peace

Screen actress Bette Davis declared, "Getting old isn’t for sissies." She determined to focus on every opportunity and then to choose her best option. She refused to long for the days when Hollywood projected an illusion of beauty and happiness. Getting older was troublesome for her, but each day was still worth living.

Robert Browning invited his sweetheart Elizabeth to "Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be." He embraced an optimistic purpose for them as they grew older. Eric Hoffer in Passionate State of Mind observed, "The best part of living is knowing how to grow old gracefully." He believed passion for living could be experienced at each stage of life.

Growing old gracefully is possible by remaining at peace with yourself and others. Jesus said, "My peace I give you, not as the world gives, but as I give." Contentment comes from being thankful for what you have. Peace comes by realizing each day is a gift from God. So rejoice and be glad!  

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Long life is the reward of the righteous; gray hair is a glorious crown.

~ Proverbs 16:31 Good News Bible

He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord!

~Isaiah 26:3 The Living Bible

Faith's Priority ~ Prince of Peace

What does Christmas actually mean to you? What real importance does it hold in your heart and soul? Is Christmas the time to be happy and joyful, eat good foods, visit friends and family and give special gifts? What about those who can’t reach such wonderful goals because obstacles seem insurmountable and permanent?

 

In spite of these problems for living, powerful faith priorities can separate the darkness from the light. These unique faith priorities say that only Jesus is the source of light and peace. Even where there is grief and sorrow, Jesus came to be the Prince of Peace, to heal the brokenhearted and be a comforter for those who are alone. God bless you and keep you!  

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For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,

And the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called … Prince of Peace.

~Isaiah 9:6 New International Version

Because the heart of our God is full of mercy towards us, the first light of Heaven shall come to visit us – to shine on those who lie in darkness and under the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the path of peace.

~Luke 1:78-79 Phillips – New Testament in Modern English

At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:

Glory to God in the heavenly heights,

Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

~Luke 2:13-14 The Message

The Lord gives perfect peace to those whose faith is firm.

~Isaiah 26:3 Contemporary English Version

Conflict: Deterrent or Encouragement to Change? - Part 1

The objective for desiring change can be to resolve conflicts created by unyielding points of view. Becoming comfortable with conflict seems improbable, but still it exists in relationships. A deterrent to change that often becomes a dead-end for relationships is growing contented with conflict. Yet most people long for a loving, fulfilling marriage and friendship.

Everyone experiences ambivalent, contrasting feelings which are simultaneously accompanied by contrasting thoughts. Someone might argue convincingly for an issue, then feel anxious about their argument. When conflict arises, anxiety can be a deterrent to resolution and change.

God’s word is clear about living in peace with everyone in as much as it is possible. Inner peace should be each believer’s objective, as God’s word indicates. “God will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts are fixed on him. Trust in the Lord God always for he is your strength.” This is the perfect means for change.

The Foundation for our Values: Jesus' Commands - Part 1

Avoiding strife and conflict seems impossible when we live in a world of turmoil. Although I grew up in small farming communities, some people kept struggles and strife alive by dishing out their unhappiness upon others. Strife is usually embedded in discontent, indicating the absence of inner peace.

Inner peace and serenity are embedded in values that determine thoughts and behavior. Strife occurs when values are separated from Jesus’ command for us to love others as we love ourselves. When you love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, you have the ability to love yourself and others as sons and daughters of God.

Loving yourself as God intended makes it possible to love others as God's creations. Because Jesus died to save each person, we all are equal in that respect. Strife is defeated by inner peace which God provides, as Isaiah 26:3 indicates. "You (God) will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed (fixed) on you because he trusts in you." 

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You are invited to listen as I will be the guest on "Vital Issues in the Christian Home" this week on Thursday morning, February 23 from 10:30-11:30 Central Standard Time on KHCB radio at 105.7 FM in the Houston area. To stream it live or for a listing of sister stations in TX, OK, LA, and FL, you may click on the KHCB link in the "About Me" section of this page.

Establishing Your Values? Choose Wisely - Part 3

I was privileged to spend my adolescent years growing up in a small Texas town and county where alcoholic beverages were prohibited by law. However, most teenagers knew where to get bootlegged alcohol, and like today, these teens experimented with alcohol at some level. For two close friends, alcohol became a serious problem.

The big event of the week in this little Texas town was hanging out at Audrey's café on Saturday afternoons listening to music, drinking cokes, and eating the best hamburgers ever. Thirty years later a party was given to honor Audrey for being a good role model, a surrogate mother, and a good friend to these young people.

Jesus said we are to love God with our entire beings and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. How you apply these commandments to your daily life determines the kind of role model you are to others. God will bless you with perfect peace as you trust Christ Jesus completely and keep your mind tuned to his purposes for you.