23 July 2017
Two-Minute Features | 30 July 2017 | 16 July 2017

Peace Taker #14- Being Discontent, Part 1 (TMF:700)

Friday, July 28, 2017
Peace to Live By: Peace Taker #14- Being Discontent, Part 1 (TMF:700) - Daniel Litton
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       Number fourteen: Refusing to be content with what you have. “And he [Jesus] said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15, ESV). The promise that getting the next thing in our lives will fulfill us and finally make us happy is a lie. Don’t get me wrong—a lot of things we obtain give us the feeling of happiness—it’s just that we all know that the newness of things wears off. The thing that we so longed for and finally got, that thing that we thought we had to have, a month later is old and isn’t that important to our daily life usually. First, we need to realize that everything we have in a gift from God. When we realize that truth, we can appreciate the things that we have more. And this gives us peace. It isn’t wrong to want to obtain more, but just remember that obtaining more will not give you more peace. If anything, it will take away peace because the more we have, the more we have to be concerned about. There is great peace in simplicity, in having less.

Peace Taker #13- What Others Think, Part 2 (TMF:699)

Thursday, July 27, 2017
Peace to Live By: Peace Taker #13- What Others Think, Part 2 (TMF:699) - Daniel Litton
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       If we are following God and doing what is pleasing in his sight, then many will see our good behaviors in our daily lives. Sure, some won’t like what they see and will seek to make life more difficult for us, but really that’s not for us to worry about. An attempt to control—especially for you ladies—what others think of you can actually work to harm you. It is often easy to detect when someone is being fakey or putting on a false impression for others to see. Just be yourself, and who cares what others think. This form or area of worry is not what God wants for us. It’s not wrong to want to have a good reputation, but don’t let that pursuit overtake every action and decision in your life. Often times you really don’t even know what other people are thinking about you, if they are thinking at all about you. Others have multi-faceted lives just like us, and things going on just like us. A lot of time people aren’t even thinking about us. So, it doesn’t do any good to worry about these things. It only takes away peace.

Peace Taker #13- What Others Think, Part 1 (TMF:698)

Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Peace to Live By: Peace Taker #13- What Others Think, Part 1 (TMF:698) - Daniel Litton
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       Number thirteen: Caring too much about what other people think. “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10, ESV). Perhaps one of the greatest stumbling blocks in many people’s lives is that they care too much about what other people think. This is particularly true nowadays and in our setting here in America. Many are just too obsessed with how they are perceived by others, and this tends to even more the case with the younger people are. Being too concerned about what other people are thinking is a great trap. In reality, it really only matters what God’s opinion is of you. Are you seeking to please him the best you can? Or are you making God number two or number three in your life so that you can please others, like your friends of your coworkers? As Paul made the distinction in the verse I just read, really one cannot be a people-pleasure and a God-pleaser at the same time. One master will win out over the other. We should be much more focused and concerned on what God thinks of us versus what others think.

Peace Taker #12- Believing for Bad Things, Part 3 (TMF:697)

Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Peace to Live By: Peace Taker #12- Believing for Bad Things, Part 3 (TMF:697) - Daniel Litton
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       King Solomon has told us, “Enjoy prosperity whenever you can, and when hard times strike, realize that God gives one as well as the other—so that everyone will realize that nothing is certain in this life” (Ecclesiastes 7:14, TLB). Now, this verse makes it clear to us that God gives us both bad times and good times in our lives. Sometimes he gives us harder times to make us grow, and then at times he makes things so that they are exactly the way we want them. We should approach all seasons of life with joy, trust, and peace in God. There is a time and a place for everything (see Ecclesiastes 3). Not every moment of our life can be exactly what we want, but we can keep our peace in our minds regardless of our outward circumstances or how bleak the future may look.

Peace Taker #12- Believing for Bad Things, Part 2 (TMF:696)

Monday, July 24, 2017
Peace to Live By: Peace Taker #12- Believing for Bad Things, Part 2 (TMF:696) - Daniel Litton
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       Just because you may have experienced some bad things in your past doesn’t mean you will or that you have to experience bad things in the future. The past doesn’t always have to dictate the future. Satan may remind you a lot about bad things from your past, but remember you don’t have to think about them. Again, I touched on this a bit last week. The Apostle Paul taught us that we are to forget bad things that have happened in our past and move forward into the future (see Philippians 3:13). Forgetting these bad things gives us peace in our minds. If our minds are filled to the top with reminiscing over bad events from our past, we aren’t thinking about the right things. It is amazing how much peace will come to our minds when we eliminate negative past events. The writer of Hebrews has told us, “Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us” (Hebrews 12:1, TLB).