happyemk

//Okay, let’s get right at it. Why is it so hard to get people to listen to you? For the same reason you don’t like to do it. Listening is an act of surrender--you surrender the agenda to the speaker. You lose control of the conversation. The speaker will probably start telling you what to do (God forbid). You probably know everything the person is going to say (blah, blah, blah; yada, yada, yada). Listening seems weak. Except that it’s good. And godly. And smart. “He who answers before listening--that is his folly and his shame” (Proverbs 18:13). You can’t learn when you’re talking. Listening shows respect to someone else. Listening first helps you avoid revealing that you don’t know what you’re talking about. Listening first gives you time to organize and focus your thoughts, so that when it is your turn, your words will have greater impact. Practicing listening to other people is also excellent training to help you listen better to God.//

Walt Disney knew that children wished animals could talk. And so he gave them a talking mouse, duck, and dog, plus an entire chatty menagerie. Even after seven decades of Disney, however, animals still don’t talk. People alone can do that.  God talks. It was his marvelous decision to share that ability with his children. But with that ability comes serious responsibility. When your mother was comforting you about playground bullies, she encouraged you to shrug off mean words, since “names will never hurt me.” Nice try, Mom, but you know that’s not true.  Words have enormous power. In fact, “The tongue has the power of life and death” (Proverbs 18:21). Words can crush the life and hope out of a person. Words can help a broken heart start beating again. Words are God’s chosen vehicle for sharing the good news of our Savior Jesus Christ.  We could all stand a tongue overhaul in God’s shop. Listen first. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue,and those who lo...

Although we don’t always have the power to change every unpleasant circumstance in our lives, we   do   have the power to change our outlook. Nobody enjoys a troubling or painful circumstance, but I’ve found if we look at it in a hopeful, faith-filled way, we can watch God work all things out for our good (Romans 8:28). Enjoying life begins with the thoughts you choose to think. Yes, it   is   that simple! No matter what is going on in your life today, if you will choose happy, hope-filled thoughts based on God’s Word, you will feel happier. Our thoughts are intricately connected to our feelings, so if we want to feel better, we need to   think   better. Think of the mind like the gas tank in your automobile. Your automobile will run well, or perhaps not even run at all, depending on what kind of fuel you put into it. In the same way, when you choose your thoughts carefully, your quality of life will improve in amazing ways! I used to be an extreme...

It's so easy to become complacent at work, especially if you've been working in a company for many years, and have been passed over for a promotion time and time again. After all, what's the whole point of striving to give your best if your boss doesn't even seem to recognize your efforts, right? Complacency can be very dangerous to Christians. The moment we allow the frustration of past disappointments to get the better of us, we begin to lose our hope and peace. If we're not careful, it can even cause us to doubt and question God.  My friend, God sees all of the hard work you've sown into your career or profession. He is the Big Boss seated in heaven that desires nothing more than for you to live a prosperous and abundant life. It may have taken a while, but in due season, it will come. I challenge you today to keep that spirit of excellence alive while you're at work, regardless of the circumstance. Instead of holding back your skills, talents and ab...

You wouldn’t marry a complete stranger, would you? Well – surprise! – if you’re married, that’s exactly what you’ve done. On our wedding day, we all innocently believe the same myth: that we know and understand the person we’re marrying. But every newlywed eventually discovers that getting to know the depths of someone’s heart takes years. That’s the nature of relationship, especially one as intimate as marriage. So in that sense, we all marry a stranger. We’re in love with what little we know about our spouse, but we don’t know them. Not really. Maybe that’s why Stanley Hauerwas defines a successful marriage as “learning how to love and care for the stranger to whom you find yourself married.” What does he mean? Simply this: In countless ways, the person we commit to on our wedding day will not be the same person five, ten, or twenty years from now. In fact, neither will we. Marriage changes us. So does raising children, careers, the aging process, and other significant events ...

The beautiful exchange that takes place when we give our lives to God is something we can always be grateful for. Salvation means that we offer God what we have, and He gives us what He has. He takes all of our sins, faults, weaknesses, and failures, and gives us His ability, His righteousness, and His strength. He takes our diseases and sicknesses and gives us His healing and health. He takes our messed-up, failure-filled past and gives us hope of a bright future. In ourselves we are nothing; our own righteousness is like filthy rags or a polluted garment (see Isaiah 64:6). But in Christ, we have a future to be thankful for—one worth looking forward to. The term “in Christ” very simply means that we have placed our faith in Him concerning every aspect of our lives. We are in covenant with Almighty God. What an awesome thought! Prayer of Thanks:   Father, when I am feeling inferior or condemned, help me to remember who I am in Christ. Thank You that I’m forgiven, acc...

Have you ever faced a situation and said, “There is no way this can ever be?” Maybe some of these thoughts weigh on your mind: There is no way I can handle the pressure at work. There is no way I can pay my bills. There is no way to save my marriage. There is no way I can go back to college now. With God’s help, there is   always   a way. This is a beautiful truth to be grateful for. It may not be easy; it may not be convenient; it may not come quickly. You may have to go over, under, around, or through difficulty—but if you will simply keep on keeping on, you   will   find a way. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.” He is the Way, and He will help you find a way even where there doesn’t seem to be one. Prayer of Thanks:   Father, I thank You that You have “made a way in the wilderness.” Help me to focus on You and not on my circumstances. Thank You that You are making a way for me today. (The Power of Being Than...