Reflection

And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there

Matthew 14:23

The evening is a great time of day to take time to look back, take stock, and reflect on the events of the day—whether good or bad. A time of the day that we can look over what we have accomplished. And it is a time for careful thought and evaluation, for thanksgiving, and for prayer.

Jesus had a similar practice during His earthly ministry. At the end of a wearying and demanding day, He went up on a mountain by Himself for a few moments of reflection and prayer in the presence of His Father (See Matthew 14:23).

The value of the quiet presence of our heavenly Father and the careful examination of how we have engaged life on a given day has great significance. Perhaps this was the goal of the apostle Paul’s challenge for us to redeem the time (See Ephesians 5:16); that is, to make sure we are making the best use of the time God gives us for living and serving.

As the day winds to a close, take some time for quiet reflection. In the serenity of the evening, we can, in God’s presence, get a more accurate perspective on life and how we are living it.

The Heart Of The Words We Speak

When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear Me, everyone, and understand: There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. So He said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?” And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

Mark 7:14-23

According to Jesus, the food we eat is not such a big deal compared to the words we speak. He said that things entering a man from the outside can't defile him—because they pass through the digestive system and are eliminated. But the words we speak show what is truly in our hearts.

In Jesus' day, people ate healthy food, and the God-given elimination system was enough to get any toxins and impurities out of the system. Today however, we might eat highly processed food that leaves plenty of toxins in our system. This food can defile our bodies because our livers, kidneys, bowels, lungs and skin can't eliminate the toxins fast enough. In this way, we might poison the body, but its nothing compared to the poisoning of the soul that happens when our words are unhealthy.

Let us realize that to speak unhealthy words is a lot more damaging to us spiritually and eternally than to eat unhealthy food here and now. I am not recommending we eat unhealthy food—far from it. But the very speaking of unhealthy words defiles our heart, and makes us more likely to speak them or even put them into action next time. On the other hand, training ourselves to speak words of truth, of faith, of love, if mixed with humility, can and will change our hearts.

Get Blessed!

... knowing that you were called for this purpose, that you may inherit a blessing

1 Peter 3:9

It is really important to God that we inherit a blessing! It’s not something to be ashamed of or to apologize for. On the contrary, it is central to God's purpose for our lives! The Scriptures declare it, and so when we as one of God's people are blessed, then God Himself is glorified.

God wants us to be blessed, even in ways we have never known before. We can get more of an idea of God's purpose when we consider one of the main reasons Jesus died on the cross and suffered for us. It was:

so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:14).

God's blessings include forgiveness, acceptance, friendship with God, righteousness, the Holy Spirit, prosperity, supply, healing, deliverance, fruitfulness, long life, favor with men, joy, peace, love, nobility of character, capacity and heart to give, spiritual gifts, wisdom, faith, hope, protection from danger and evil and even favor with men. God wants us to enjoy all of these… have you seen the blessings of God on your life today?

Excellence In The Workplace

Do you see a man who excels in his work?
He will stand before kings;
He will not stand before unknown men.

Proverbs 22:29

In recent years, numerous books have been written extolling the value of quality and excellence in the workplace. By and large, these studies have been based on the premise that quality work doesn’t just lead to higher profits—it is what makes a great business.

The emphasis on excellence has had major repercussions in the corporate world, where many managers and employees have embraced it as a new way of doing business. Yet the theme of excellence in work is as old as the Bible (Proverbs 22:29). In fact, quality is one of the keys to a biblical view of work:

• God does His work with excellence. When He created the world, the end result was “very good” (See Genesis 1:31).
• God equips people with specific skills and abilities that fit them for certain kinds of work (See Exodus 31:1–11; Psalm 33:15). He wants us to use our skills for their intended purposes, thereby serving Him with all our mind and might (See Matthew 22:37–38).
• Christians are to do their work as if Christ Himself were evaluating the effort—because He is (See Ephesians 6:5–8; Colossians 3:22–24).
• Christians are commanded to be “well pleasing in all things” in their work, because doing so makes the gospel of Christ attractive to coworkers and customers (See Titus 2:9–10).

In light of these principles, we need to ask ourselves what kind of quality and workmanship our we putting into our work. Would God be pleased with how we do our job? Would He be pleased with the end product or service? Are we proud of the way we do our job? If not, how could we make improvements?

Disarmed To Victorious

And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Colossians 2:13-15

In this passage we will look at three points that should and need to be addressed, so that as Christians our eyes are opened to a great truth. This truth is that we are complete in Christ having all power of God dwelling in us. We are not to fear the Devil as he has been defeated by Christ and he is no longer a threat to us.

Debt - We cannot pay our debt, but Christ has paid it in full and it can only be received through faith. It is not by works or in our own strength that our debt is paid, but through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the debt has been paid in full and canceled. We have victory, wealth, and life in Christ.

Death - Our deadness of the old self has been paid for by Christ and now we are no longer dead but alive. The world, the Devil, and the old flesh are still there, but we as Christians are no longer subject to them-they are dead to us-and we have all the power of God.

Defeat - We are not to focus on or give such details to the Devil and his work, but we do need to be aware of him. Why are we not to be concerned with the Devil? Because he has been defeated and as Christians we have nothing to fear.

The victory is ours and we need to live in the riches that belong to us as sons and daughters of God. The Devil wants to continue to bring up and plague us with debt, death, and defeat. However, as Christians the Devil has been disarmed and is dead, we are complete and victors in Christ and now is the time that we live in that victory.

How Sleep Affects Your Fitness

One important and often ignored element of a workout regiment is taking a break. Rest and recovery is the most neglected component in a workout schedule, and this component is highly linked to your sleep.

There are four phases of the sleep cycle:

* Phase one starts when the sun sets and hormones release that make you start to feel sleepy in the absence of light.

* Phase two occurs when a person a person lies down to relax. This phase lasts for about ten to fifteen minutes.

* During the Phase 3, the sleeper falls into a deeper sleep—this too lasts about fifteen minutes.

* Phase 4, the last phase of the sleep cycle, occurs about half an hour after the person has laid down. During this part of the cycle, the eyes move back and forth very quickly. This phenomenon is commonly known as REM sleep (rapid eye movement).

During this last part of the cycle, the first dream occurs. When that dream has finished, the cycle restarts. Ideally, this cycle repeats itself five times per night. Studies have shown that uninterrupted; a person generally sleeps for eight hours and fifteen minutes per night.

Sleep deprivation can cause several problems that affect your health, and your body building routine. One such problem is glucose intolerance, which occurs when the central nervous system blocks the pancreas from producing enough insulin, affecting the body's power to digest food. Increased carbohydrate cravings may also occur—brought on by a need for more energy producing calories that can therefore affect your nutrition plan. Sleep deprivation can also cause a weakened immune system, which can lead to colds or flu and prevent you from working to your maximum potential.

A quick test to tell if you are sleep deprived is if you can lie down in the middle of the day and fall asleep within ten minutes, it is likely that you are sleep deprived. If this describes your sleeping patterns, it is important to reduce your sleep debt by catching a few extra Z's every night, though we all know that isn't easy!

In conclusion, you need seven to nine hours of sleep each night for your body to run efficiently. Without this valuable feature, you will have muscle loss, which will lower your metabolism, and affect your drive and focus in working out. Rest and relaxation, though often neglected, is as vital to a healthy body.

Rescue And Response

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
And gathered out of the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.
They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;
They found no city to dwell in.
Hungry and thirsty,
Their soul fainted in them.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses.
And He led them forth by the right way,
That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness

Psalm 107

Every testimony for Christ begins with a rescue followed by a thankful response: “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever” (Psalm 107:1). Whether our experience of salvation sounds dramatic or not, the reality remains: “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (See Colossians 1:13). Because we have been redeemed, we should want to tell others.The best way to thank Christ for saving us is to tell others about Him.