Uncategorized – Page 14 – 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐫

Expensive Glass Or Cheap Glass?

A thirsty child ran into the kitchen. There he saw 2 glasses. The first glass is made of crystal with beautiful carvings. Expensive, but the inside is very dirty and dusty. Next to it was a second glass which was a cheap plastic cup, but it was washed clean. Without thinking the boy immediately took the second glass to drink to quench his thirst. If we feel thirsty and want to drink, which glass will we use? We will definitely like that child by choosing a cheap, but clean glass.Any fancy glass, if it is dirty and dusty inside, becomes useless.

We are “crystal glass”. We are God’s precious possession. That’s why God wants to use us to be His instruments, to channel “living water” to those around us. However, it will be hindered if we are not diligent in cleaning the “dust” that pollutes our hearts and lives.

In order to be used by God, we must live in holiness. Do not let lust pollute and dominate the heart. God asks us to be holy in all aspects of life. Not only at church, but also at work and in the family. Is there any “impurities” that are still stuck in our hearts. The form can be in the form of revenge, anger, destructive passions, evil intentions, or sinful habits that continue to be nurtured.

We must often cleanse our hearts. Keep it pure, so that God can continue to use us as channels of His blessing. If we just become dirty crystal glasses; beautiful but useless. “If a man purifies himself from evil things, he becomes a household item for a noble purpose, he is sanctified, deemed worthy for his master’s use and prepared for every noble work.”

God’s Work In Progress

“But now, O Lord, you are our Father! We are clay and you are the one who formed us, and we are all the work of your hands.”

The believer’s life is described as clay in the hands of the potter. God is the Servant. To become a useful and valuable vessel, clay must undergo a process of formation in such a way that it becomes pliable, flexible, and soft. Then God’s hand began to work, taking the lump of clay and shaping it according to His will.

We cannot run away from the process of formation, because there is no instant term in God. “Thus says the LORD your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: ‘I am the LORD, who made all things, who single-handedly stretched out the heavens, spread out the earth–who is with me'”.

God’s formation was painful and unpleasant, like being in the desert, that’s why so many people complained, grumbled, and rebelled. Because they continued to rebel against God, the Israelites had to wander for 40 years in the wilderness before reaching the promised land. “…God did not lead them by a road to the land of the Philistines, although this road was the closest; for God said: ‘Do not let the people repent when they face war, so that they return to Egypt.’ But God led the people around by way of the desert to the Red Sea.”.

God has not finished dealing with us as long as we are still rebellious and living astray from His righteous path. “Woe to the one who argues with his Maker; he is nothing but the shard of a pot! Does clay say to its maker: ‘What have you made’ or what has he made: ‘You have no hands!'”.

Have surrender to God when processed, because God knows what is best for us. “When the vessel, which he is making from the clay in his hands, breaks, the potter reworks it into another vessel according to what is good in his sight.” We are God’s handiwork, created to do good works.

So Easy To Be Disappointed

Everyone has experienced what is called disappointment. What is disappointed Disappointed means discouraged, dissatisfied because desires and hopes are not fulfilled. So, feelings of disappointment often arise in a person’s heart when what is desired and expected does not match reality.

When none of our plans come to fruition, we are disappointed; when his request is not met, a child is disappointed in the parents; when children are difficult to counsel, parents are disappointed; feeling neglected and uncared for by the husband causes disappointment in the wife; a girl is disappointed in her boyfriend for breaking a promise.

There are many factors that make a person experience disappointment. There are many people who are disappointed in God because their prayers have not been answered. “How much longer, Lord, will you forget me forever. How much longer will you hide your face from me”.

Disappointed because they feel they have served God for so long but life doesn’t seem to be improving, the economy is still mediocre. Because the career feels stagnant, with a disappointed tone we complain to God. “The Lord will make you head and not tail, you will go up and not down” . But what are the facts?

“…if you obey the commandment of the LORD your God, which I am giving you today, you will faithfully do it,”.

So before we get disappointed and protest against God, ask ourselves first, whether we have faithfully carried out God’s commands or not. Basically we are disappointed because of the problems we experience, and God is always the target of our disappointment. Yet most of our problems are often the result of our own mistakes and disobedience.

God never promised that the lives of believers would be free from problems, but He did promise to help and provide solutions for every problem in our lives.

Happines Ballons

A teacher brings balloons to school and distributes them to all the students. He then asked his students to blow up the balloon and write their names on the balloon. After that the teacher asked the students to throw the balloons into an empty class. The teacher then mixes the balloons.

The students were then given 5 minutes to find a balloon with their own name on it. But no one has found it. The teacher then asked the students to take the nearest balloon and give it according to the name listed there. In less than 2 minutes all the children were holding balloons with their names on them.

The teacher then said, “The balloons are like happiness. We will not find it if we only focus on looking for our own. But when we care about the happiness of others, it will help us find our own happiness.” “Whoever blesses much will be given abundance, and whoever gives water will be watered himself.”

Gratitude

Gratitude is an act that expresses a state of heart that is happy before God. God always takes care of every human being. The act of gratitude is contagious to those around him. Humans rejoice to see each other grateful, and hurt and restless in the midst of a community of people who are always complaining.

Lack of gratitude gives rise to various forms of evil and keeps him from living a righteous life. Thanksgiving should be wholeheartedly and not just a way of life practiced by habit with the excuse of “shame if you are not grateful”.

Gratitude only happens if the people who are there are righteous, because that is where gratitude is expressed. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in all things express your desires to God in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.”

Don’t Focus On The Little Dot.

One day a wise teacher was talking to a group of his students. He then took a wide piece of paper and made a black circle in the center of the paper using a marker. Then, he spread the paper in front of his students and asked about what they saw.

One student immediately replied, “I saw a black dot.” “That’s right,” replied the teacher. “What else are you guys looking at?” Silence soon spread. “Didn’t you see anything else besides this black dot?” he asked. The students answered “no” in unison. “I’m surprised,” said the teacher again. “You guys don’t see the most important thing, which is the paper itself.”

Often times we are deceived by small disappointments and easily forget the many blessings we receive from God. Like that piece of paper, the good things in life are often easily sidelined by the misfortunes that occupy all of our attention.

Instead of focusing on the trials in life, we should start counting the blessings we have received. Count blessings and not difficulties. If we faithfully praise Him, we will not be fooled by the small “dots” that exist in life.

“You have done many things, O LORD my God, Your wonderful deeds and Your purposes for us. Nothing can compare with You! I want to proclaim and say, but the numbers are too great to be counted.”

The Angry Neighbor

“My neighbor seems mad at me,” thought one man. “It seems I’ve done something to annoy him.” Not wanting to drag on, he went to his neighbor to ask what made him like that. When the man asked if he had offended him, the neighbor replied “No!” roughly. The man said to her, “I don’t want any bad feelings between us. If I have done something to offend you, I apologize.”

Since then things have calmed down again. Someone once said, “The more I know humans, the more I love my dogs.” Dogs are loyal, dependable, loving, and quick to forgive and forget. Don’t we wish humans were more like that? But sometimes, even though we’ve tried our best to maintain a good relationship with someone, it just doesn’t work.

There’s a saying, “As much as possible, if it depends on you, live in peace with everyone.” Notice the expression “if it depends on you.” We knows that there are some human problems that cannot be solved. It takes two people to fight; it takes two people to make peace. If we’ve done our part and the problem persists, there’s still a plan to work on.

Do not harbor hatred or retaliate with silent “weapons”. Try to overcome evil with good, and let God solve the problem. The best way to conquer the enemy and anger is with the weapon of love. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink! By doing this you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be defeated by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Survive The Evil World

Everyone admits that the conditions of the world are not getting better day by day, shaking after shaking occurs everywhere, “The nations are noisy, the kingdoms are shaken…” Human behavior is getting out of control because they no longer have a God-fearing heart.

Should believers be carried away by the currents of this world “Therefore we must pay more attention to what we have heard, so that we do not get carried away.” If we try to be like the world, our lives will no longer have any influence, aka fail to be the salt and light of the world.

It is precisely in the midst of such shock and moral degradation that people who dare to make a difference are needed. Indeed, to be a different person is not easy, there are many pressures and challenges that always try to block our steps.

How can we survive and stay safe Always cling to God. “For if you will keep the commandments that I have commanded you to do, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in all the ways he shows, and by sticking to him” then “there is no who will be able to stand against you”.

The Game Of Dominoes

We all know the game of dominoes, maybe even play it often. Domino games are one of the favorite games when you gather with friends.

Something unusual in domino games is that we can win even if we lose. To win, we must discard our cards. Whoever spends all the cards first wins. We have to give to receive, throw away to get, and spend all the cards we have in order to reach the peak of victory.

It’s not like other games that prioritize the high number of values or scores as a determinant of victory. In a game of dominoes, the first person to run out of all his possessions will win.

In general, people have the principle of “Reach for all that you can achieve.” While spiritually mature people should have the principle of “Give all you can give.”

In life, we must first become “meaningless” in order to become “meaningful”. Seeds stored only in barns will mold and rot, but those “thrown” into the ground will grow 30, 60, and 100 times over. “Behold, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains only one grain;”

A Good Hearted Repairman

A father and his young son went to a repair shop to repair a rake. When it was finished, he asked the fare. But the workshop owner replied, “You don’t have to pay. I’m happy to do it for you.”

Feeling bad for receiving such kindness, the father kept pressing for the payment note. On the other hand, the workshop owner kept on refusing. Finally, when the man’s patience was running out, he exclaimed, “Couldn’t you let me do something that makes me relieved?”

The humble workshop owner’s reply was short, but good advice, that joy and happiness can come from “the soul.” relieved.” We too can follow the example of Walter Frederic Adeney who wrote, “When practicing generosity, we must begin with the pain that arises because of the self-sacrifice. But believe that the pain that arises will in turn bear the fruit of peace and joy in our hearts. ”

Let’s always spread love and be generous to others. When we do, we will see that doing good will bring good to ourselves as well as to others. That is a beautiful way to soothe our souls. “A generous person does good to himself, but a cruel person torments his own body.”