imakelar

The Final Destination

Everyone must have a goal to achieve. What is the purpose of our life in this world? Accumulate as much wealth as possible? Because we think that by having abundant wealth our lives will definitely be guaranteed and we will be happy all our lives.

Who doesn’t know about Solomon? A king who was very famous for his wisdom and abundant wealth actually declared that worldly wealth was in vain. It turns out that having wealth does not necessarily make people live in happiness. “With the increase in wealth, there are also more people who spend it. And what is the owner’s advantage other than seeing it?” . Solomon had the experience that the gluttony of the rich did not let them sleep. The rich man is always not calm in his life, even sleep can’t be good, because he always thinks about his wealth. It is true what the words of God say, “For where your treasure is, there is also your heart.”

Dissatisfaction with money and wealth encourages each person to look for ways how to increase his wealth: work without knowing the time until he forgets the hours of worship, forgets the hours of prayer, puts aside spiritual matters. The Apostle Paul asked Timothy to warn the rich, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” The riches of the world are not the ultimate goal of this life, for they are only temporary, and “… For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.“

If we are now trusted by God to manage more property, this is precisely the opportunity to “… be rich in remarkable works of extravagant generosity, willing to share with others.”

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?

I’m Still Standing

On March 17, 2012, the world seemed to pause. Fabrice Muamba suddenly fell without physical contact with other players, then unconscious in the 41st minute, during the FA Cup final match between Bolton and Tottenham Hotspur.

Muamba had a heart attack. Muamba’s heart had stopped beating for 78 minutes. However, he was saved after 15 electric shocks, both in the field and while in an ambulance on the way to the hospital.

After a month of stressful critical period, Muamba was finally allowed to leave the hospital on April 16, 2012.

“Even though my career finished here and had to stop dreaming of playing at a higher level, I am grateful that I was still given the opportunity to live. I have to get up and move on. The mathematical and statistical sciences I’ve learned while still actively playing may be able to be utilized by me now. Thank you to God, the medical team, and the fans who faithfully supported and offered prayers for my recovery.” Such were Muamba’s parting words when he officially announced his retirement from professional football on August 15, 2012 based on the recommendation of the medical team.

All the inspiring stories of his life are then set forth in a book called “I’m Still Standing”.

In this life, we can’t always get what we want, even though we have exerted all the abilities we have. Indeed, herein lies the maturity of our faith and our way of thinking tested. Giving thanks is easy to do when everything goes well as planned, but the thanksgiving God means gratitude in all circumstances.

Not only does God work through astonishing great miracles, but He also works through the problems we experience. Even through what we call a calamity, God is working to bring good to us His beloved people.

Gratitude precedes the mujizat. By often saying gratitude, we invite the hand of God to do His magical deeds. Thankfully, it will answer all the questions in our lives.

“We always say thanks to God,”

Life killer

“For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.“

Physical death is when life is no longer conceived; when the breath has stopped and the spirit ceases to exist in the body; when the blood no longer flows all over the body. The body no longer functions to express the signs of life.

Life is meant to express a life that gives life to others. When this function ceases to exist in humans, then in essence the human being is dead even though signs of life such as breathing, eating, moving, and so on are still present in that person.

Invisible death is when human beings experience death in life that still exists in this world. On the contrary the dead can still live and bring life to life, that is, when all that is good, all that is useful, all that builds is still alive in the life of mankind on this earth.

There are two life killers or those that make human life not reveal life and can even kill other humans, namely heartache and envy.

Heartache is in fools, which means that the one who is quick to feel hurt is a fool while envy is in a stupid person which means that the one who always envies is the fool. The fools and the stupid ones are those who have been killed in life; The killers of life.

For where there is envy and selfishness there is chaos and all sorts of evil deeds.

Finding The Way

Oliver Goldsmith was born the son of a poor pastor in Ireland in the 1700s. He was not a smart boy, his teachers made fun of him as a foolish boy. He graduated from college at the bottom of the rankings.

At first, Goldsmith wanted to try to become a pastor, but he later felt unsuitable. He tried in law but failed. He then tried to set his heart in medicine but again he didn’t fit in.

Goldsmith did not despair of finding his way in life. Eventually, he found his interest in writing. At first he worked as a writer on Fleet Street, then later he began writing novels, becoming a poet, and becoming a playwright.

That’s where Goldsmith became known as a world-class great writer. His works such as “The Vicar of Wakefield”, “The Deserted Village”, and “She Stoops to Conquer” won many awards and achieved great success.

A lot of people experience like Goldsmith, trying this doesn’t fit, trying it doesn’t fit, not maximal in this field, not developing in that field. As a result, his life was just like that.

Worse still, he didn’t try to find a way in life like Goldsmith, but he still did what he used to do, even though he didn’t enjoy his job and was not successful in that line of work. It’s like an eagle living in a pack of turkeys. The eagle actually felt unsuitable to live on land, but what could be done, instead of starving to death he chose to keep scavenging the land in searching for worms.

God created us very uniquely. God equips us with different potentials and strengths. Our task is to discover the superior potential within us and how to use those interests and talents as a path for us to success. If today we feel that we have not found superior potential in ourselves, continue to look for a way of life that truly matches our interests, talents, strengths and advantages.

We cannot be maximal if we do not find our “field”. Being close to God is the key so that we can see the path God has shown us in our lives until we can achieve that success in the end.

“For it is in Him that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.”

Problems And Maturity

Any problem we are experiencing must bring good if we are able to see and look at it from the right perspective, if we are able to respond to it with the right attitude of heart as well. No matter how big the problems we are experiencing today there must be valuable lessons we learn. If we address problems as life learning and part of the process of maturing faith, then we believe that good things must happen in our lives. We don’t need to be afraid, disappointed, and angry with God when we’re in trouble. If God allows us to have problems, trust God will definitely provide the best solution for us.

Not many people are able to address the problem from the right perspective! Most give a negative response to the problem they are experiencing. There was the slightest problem that they immediately complained, ranted, whined, sputtered, offended, angry, did not want to be counseled, and did not want to be reprimanded. Doesn’t this show that we are still acting like children or immatures.

Being physically old is certain for everyone, but becoming spiritually mature is because we want to process, one of the processes is through problems. Through the problem at hand, God is actually leading us to draw closer to Him. From there we realize that indeed our strength and abilities are very limited, therefore we need God in this life.

Through problems, we are taught to depend entirely on God and learn to hold fast to the promises of God’s words! Man’s promises are easily not kept and missed, but God’s promises are yes and amen! “Heaven and earth shall pass, but my words shall not pass.” Don’t get hung up on problems or situations, because our lives are out of trust.

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.“

Be Thankful

After finishing the meal, a restaurant guest called the waiter of a restaurant to ask for the bill. The waiter offered a sum of the value he had to pay.

The guest deliberately gave money more than the value of the bill, while saying to the waiter, “The change just take it.”

Without a smile and without saying thank you, the waiter took the money given and just left immediately.

Inwardly, the guest shook his head. Even without tips money, the guest as a consumer deserves hospitality and gratitude, but this waiter is indeed “special”, has got tips, still puts on an unfriendly face, and does not say thank you.

The guest was not a respectful madman, but getting such treatment made him regret giving tips to the ungrateful person.

It was the same as Jesus felt when He healed ten lepers. How not, of the ten lepers He healed, only one returned to thank and glorify God. Ironically, that one person was a stranger who was a Samaritan. Where are the other nine people? They may be like the waiter of the restaurant told earlier, leaving immediately after receiving the miracle of healing.

Of the ten people, only one came back to give thanks. Perhaps that is the image of most human beings, that is, forgetting to thank you. Try to recalculate what blessings, miracles, helps, and things the Lord has given us. Among all those blessings, how many of us make time specifically to thank, give thanks, and glorify the Lord? Will the blessings and miracles we receive actually make us forget the God who gave blessings and performed miracles? If so, perhaps the Lord in heaven shakes His head at our ungrateful attitude.

Make time specifically to give thanks for the blessings, miracles, and kindnesses we receive. Don’t let God shake His head at our ungrateful attitude.

The Grandson Prayer

One day, a grandfather was passing in front of his grandson’s room.

He heard his grandson spelling the letters A to Z, but to his surprise, he heard his grandson spell the letters like a person praying.

A few minutes later, when his grandson stopped, the grandfather also opened the door of his grandson’s room and asked, “What were you doing just now, my grandson?”

Gently his grandson replied, “I was praying, grandpa.”

His grandfather asked again, “But, how come grandpa didn’t hear you say a single request to God?”

The child looked at his grandfather with a smile and said, “Grandpa, I was confused about what to ask God for, so I just say the letters A to Z, so that later God will choose for myself what is best for me.”

Surrender is an attitude that is often difficult for us to do. We often prefer to hold on to the problems we face rather than leave it to God. Why is that? Yes, it all happens because we consider the problem to be far greater than our strength. We often forget that our Lord is far more powerful than it is. We also often ask God to grant our requests and get angry when what we ask for is not granted. We often don’t want to know God’s decisions, whereas God knows better what’s best for our lives.

Remember that God knows what is best for us, even before we pray for it. God will not make us broken and disappointed. But God always has a beautiful plan in our lives. We just need to surrender and trust in Him. By surrendering and believing, we will not lose the best in our lives. But on the contrary, God will always give it immediately.

Surrender will make our lives always peaceful and happy, not because we have received God’s great blessings and miracles, but because we know that they must always be and will always be present in our lives.

Give up your life to the LORD and believe in Him, and He will act.

What If It Was Your Last Day?

If it had been to you that today was your last day living in this world, what would you do? How do you fill the rest of your time? Who will you meet at the last moment? Will your life attitude change drastically?

A wise man once said, “Every day we have to behave as if this is our last day, because indeed every ‘today’ can be our last day.”

This statement is not a scare, but indeed our day in this world may end at any time due to accident, illness or old age. That is why we must be on guard and careful of what we do and say.

We must resolve the last things by showing our love and respect for others, making peace with people we have problems with or preaching the good news to those around us.

Maybe even now you are still procrastinating to believe in God. You’re still waiting for the right moment that may never come true. Do not neglect it, for our last day in this world we do not know. Hear what the Apostle Paul said, “Verily this time is the time of approval; indeed, today is the day of that rescue”

Do you live every day as if this were your last day?WOULD YOU HAVE CHANGED IF THIS WAS YOUR LAST DAY?

The Living God

A human being who believes in a living God is a man of hope. Living without hope is a sign that one has not yet believed and acknowledged the living God.

The living God brings man to life; Man’s vital sign is that he is toils and struggling. A man who only multiplies hands has essentially no life; it is the work of life that is blessed.

Working hard and struggling with relying on himself and the strength he possesses means that he is not perfect in hope. The work of life without hope will make life depressed in all circumstances.

The living God is the Savior of all men meaning that God loves all men; the life of all human beings is in the love of God and man is called to save one another, to love one another in this life.

A living God being a Savior especially for believers means that there is special concern for God’s people, God’s presence being the color of his life at all times.

“For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.“

We Are Dust

It’s crazy how fast time flies and how things progress. While all dreams have not yet come true, our feet have stepped into a new year again. We have lived hard days, while this world is increasingly loaded with tests, challenges, suffering, and shocks. Really, the journey of life is so tiring. That’s why the psalmist advises, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

No need to bemoan fate and dissolve in regret. Time can not be turned back, will continue to go on and on. Let the days that we passed yesterday become a valuable experience and correction for us. Maybe all this time we have ignored God and prefer to rely on humans or our own strength in everything.

Relying on yourself is the same as relying on what is in yourself: money, deposits, wealth, status, education, position and so on. We feel that everything we achieve is solely the result of our own efforts, not because of God. But who are we that we are so proud of what we have David said, “… we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.”

We must realize that all these things that are attached to us will not be able to help and release us from the shocks that exist in this world, because we are only dust. How strong are we, so that in all matters we rely on ourselves our age, strength, ability, or intelligence is limited, mortal and will eventually disappear. So in man there is nothing that can be relied upon.

Therefore, never hope for fellow human beings, we will surely be disappointed. It is written: “Do not put your hope in man, for he is nothing more than a breath, and what can he be regarded as” We are but dust, therefore we have no reason to be proud of what we have.