Uncategorized – Page 12 – 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐫

Start With Smile

“I smile at them, when they’re desperate, and their faces can’t be darkened by them.”

Start with smile. This means that when problems arise at work, face them with a smile, not anger. A smile opens up opportunities for friendship, eliminates stiffness, provides shade, and makes people brave to face the complexities of life.

A smile will change your mood and thoughts to be positive. The hidden power will come to the surface. Optimism will grow, fear will be eroded because a smile is a sign of optimism. In addition, those who smile will also enjoy a pleasant association.

Between them there will be warmth, intimacy, freshness, and even enthusiasm. We ourselves will feel enjoy when entering an institution whose conditions must be people with smiling faces. A smile is a force that can bring about change.

The Evil Eyes

In the midst of uncertain conditions like today, humans seem confused to face situations that are increasingly difficult to occur in our lives: living expenses, children’s education costs, insurance, credit installments, and so on.

Therefore we must distinguish between wants and basic needs which we must really strive for. Sometimes to follow trends and lifestyles, many offers appear. We also want to have a lot of money to fulfill all our desires.

This is where the evil comes into play by taking over our whole mind and heart. Because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. This is the basis when we always think about and want the world’s treasures.

The eye is a part of the body that functions to see the good and bad things in our lives. Especially when a greater desire dominates our hearts and minds, seeing all the attractive offers the world has to offer, all kinds of conveniences, luxurious lifestyles, and so on, will make us trapped by evil’s tricks with all luxuries so that we are tempted to do everything possible. to achieve it even if it is against moral values.

“If your eyes are evil, your whole body is darkened. So if the light that is in you is dark, how dark is the darkness. Neither can serve two masters. For if so, he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be loyal to the other. One and do not heed the other.

You cannot serve God and to Mammon. We must use our eyes well so that the light that is within us will shine and emit light. Let no darkness overwhelm us so that we are controlled by evil who succeeds in extinguishing the light that is within us through the eyes.

A Child’s Prayer

A five-year-old boy wants a toy horse-drawn carriage as a birthday present. While shopping with his mother, he saw the toy horse carriage he wanted. The toy was about 15 cm long and had nice wheels and was pulled by a dark brown plastic easel. “Mom, I want this one. Yes, yes,” he pleaded. Like a child, he whined and insisted on getting the carriage as his birthday present. The mother said, “See you later,” and took the son home. The boy was sure he would get what he asked for.

On his birthday, he received a gift from his mother. He opened the gift confidently. Sure enough, it was the horse carriage he had requested. He was very happy. But then her sister said, “You are such a fool for insisting on getting that carriage. Mama already bought you a much bigger carriage, but when you whined for the small one, I exchanged it.” Suddenly the horse-drawn carriage did not look attractive anymore.

Sometimes we are like that to God. We pray for a particular need and say how He should answer it. We beg and ask, until God finally gives us exactly what we ask for. In fact, He actually intended to give something better. Don’t think we know best when we start praying. Tell Him, “Thy will be done.” Believe His ways are perfect.

Because You Are Precious.

Failed the test. Failing a grade. Get laid off. Bankruptcy in business Have no possessions. Husband no longer loves. Friends stay away. There are many more things that can lead to feelings of being insignificant and worthless. Then can only complain, complain and complain.

Feeling like the most unfortunate person in the world. Lazy to get up and do something, surrender and finally really lose. But God’s words to Isaiah give us comfort, hope, and strength: “Because you are precious in My eyes and glorious, and I love you…Do not be afraid, for I am with you…”.

A slumped situation can indeed cause a loss of joy, happiness, and even peace in life so that you feel like a failure and worthless. But remember God’s words remind that God always sees us valuable in His eyes. We will never be wasted by Him, on the contrary, He loves us immensely. Shouldn’t this strengthen and enable us to rise again and to keep trying to do the best we can, and believe in God’s blessings.

Stay strong and don’t give up. There is new strength, there is new spirit, and there is new hope in God. Amen.

The Candles Of Forgiveness

Alexander the Great was a king of the ancient Greek Kingdom of Macedonia. He was unbeaten in battle and is widely known as one of the most successful military commanders in history. Often before Alexander the Great was about to attack a city, he would light a candle in front of the city gate.

He said that the candle symbolized his mercy — in other words, it represented the time available for the city to surrender into his hands. If the city did not surrender until the candle ran out, Alexander the Great and his army would enter and destroy the city. And this is what Alexander the Great often did from city to city — he showed no mercy to anyone who stood against him.

In fact, when we are born, a candle is lit. The length of time a candle burns varies from person to person — some candles last 80 years, some last 50 years, 30 years, and even 20 years. No one knows how long the candle will burn. However, all these candles will eventually die; we all will one day leave this world. The candle symbolizes the mercy that God provides.

We are given the opportunity to surrender ourselves to Him and His kingdom. But most of us think and say, “The candle still has a long time to die, let’s feast on the drunkenness and lust of the world. When the candle is about to go out, then we go out and give up.” But in fact so many are too late to make peace with the Creator before the candle goes out.

If we are still there today, it means that our candle has not died, and we still have a chance to make peace with the Creator. We never know when our candle will go out, so don’t waste any more time, make peace with Him, and submit your life to His plans.

“For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, there is no more reward for them, even the memory of them is gone.”

There Is A Time For Everything

For Americans, the Mississippi Bridge plays a vital role in connecting the state’s agriculture-based economy. The 27.6 kilometer long bridge connects the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The bridge was built by the Minnesota Department of Transportation in 1967 with a height of 64 feet or about 20 meters.

However, the eight-lane bridge collapsed on August 1, 2007, during rush hour and many vehicles were passing on it, killing 13 people and injuring 145 people. It is suspected that the bridge collapsed not because of an act of terror, but because the construction of the bridge has become brittle with age. The bridge, which was forty years old, finally collapsed.

“… for everything there is a time, for everything under heaven there is a time.” Time passes so quickly. No one could stand it. Throughout the process with time, one can enjoy the dynamics of life. There are happy times, there are also sad times. However, God always makes everything beautiful in its time.

While the breath is in the body, using time responsibly is a must. Is not everything will continue to change Philosopher Heraclitus gave a wise expression, “Nothing remains in this world except change.”

Today we are still breathing, tomorrow not necessarily. Today we are still working valiantly, tomorrow we don’t know. Therefore, let us submit ourselves to Him before it collapses like a Mississippi bridge.

Be Bright

“Arise, be light, for your light is coming, and the glory of the LORD is rising on you.”

Light is needed by humans to be able to move freely to carry out activities. If the lighting is good — bright enough, at night people can read and do activities freely.

The call to be bright is a call to carry out life activities freely because it does not violate any boundaries. To be a light is to reveal the grace of God that rises above this life; instead of taking that glory and using it haughtily and arrogantly.

The reason or basis for being light is when your light comes, that is, God has power over this life. A bright life is a life in which all aspects are controlled by God and all activities are for the glory of God.

The call to be light is a call to “rise up” means to build the spirit to leave the darkness. Laziness is replaced by diligence, from indifference to being proactive, from humble to humble to do the best for the glory of God.

Not To Exceed The Load Limit

“The temptations you experience are ordinary trials, which do not exceed human strength. For God is faithful and because of that he will not allow you to be tempted beyond your strength. When you are tempted he will give you a way out, so you can endure it.”

We have all seen the load limit signs that are widely installed on roads, bridges, and elevators. Engineers know that too much pressure can cause serious damage or collapse, so they determine the exact pressure limit, and which the various tools can safely withstand. For this reason various warnings are installed to warn us not to exceed the maximum load.

Humans also have load limits that vary from person to person. Some people, for example, are able to withstand the pressure of tests and trials better than others; but everyone has their own endurance limit and can only endure that much. Sometimes circumstances and people seem to push us beyond what we can bear.

However, God knows the limits of our strength and He never allows adversity that exceeds our strength and ability to enter into our lives. So, when trials and tribulations press us down, be brave enough to face them. Remember, our heavenly Father knows the limits of our ability to withstand the pressures of life. Surrender to the power of God; no trial will exceed our strength.

The Story Of Two Sailors

One day, two sailors were sailing in the middle of the sea. Several days of sailing, sunny and shady weather always accompanied them on the voyage. But one night, a storm raged and the waves threw one of them into the sea.

Surprisingly, the drowned sailors were in the sheltered space of the ship, while the survivors were the sailors who were in open space and closer to the sea. Why? It turns out that the drowning person was not holding on.

That’s a picture of people’s attitudes when experiencing trials in their lives. When life is going well, they feel like they don’t need help. But when things got tough, his leg slipped and fell. Because they refused God’s help and did not want to hold on, they drowned very easily. On the other hand, those who hold fast to God will be able to get through the heavy misfortune that befalls them. They know that their heavenly Father is always with them to strengthen, guard, and protect them.

God didn’t promise a life without storms, but He did promise to help us through them. “He who sits in the shelter of the Most High and spends the night in the shade of the Almighty will say to the LORD, ‘My refuge and my stronghold, my God, in which I trust.'”

Win The Battle

Everyone wants a good life without problems, pleasant situations, calm, happy, successful, safe, peaceful, without anything bitter, without any trials, without any problems, without any war. Is there such a life?

This is a very unrealistic life. As long as we are still alive in this world we all will not be able to escape from it all. A life without the slightest problem will only be found in fairy tales.

Believers will not have a life without waves, waves, and storms. Instead, the life of a believer is to live in war and struggle every day. Believers are soldiers who must be ready to fight every day. Fight against who?

First, the Devil. “…not against flesh and blood, but against governments, against rulers, against the rulers of this dark world, against the evil spirits of the air.” The devil is the main enemy that we must fight.

Second, the world. It speaks of a way of life that goes against or goes against God’s will. For all that is in the world, namely the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not from God, but is from the world. And this world is passing away with its desires, but those who do God’s will live on forever.”

Third, self (the flesh). This is the closest enemy. “But each person is tempted by his own desires, because he is dragged away and enticed. by him. And when that desire is fertilized, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is ripe, it gives birth to death.” With God’s help we will be able to fight our flesh. We will never achieve victory without our willingness to fight.