25 June 2017
Two-Minute Features | 02 July 2017 | 18 June 2017

Peace Taker #6- Refusing to Forgive Others, Part 1 (TMF:680)

Friday, June 30, 2017
Peace to Live By: Peace Taker #6- Refusing to Forgive Others, Part 1 (TMF:680) - Daniel Litton
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       Now, number six in looking at things that take away our peace: Refusing to forgive others their wrongs. “If you are angry, don’t sin by nursing your grudge. Don’t let the sun go down with you still angry—get over it quickly; for when you are angry, you give a mighty foothold to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26, 27, TLB). It is good and important that, when we can, we need to let offenses go as quickly as they came. It is a good thing when we are not be offended by something that someone does against us. Sometimes it’s hard to do, but later on it is definitely worth it. If we are too critical of others' behavior, it will make growing closer to people more difficult. We should not be quick to judge and find fault with others. Now sometimes people will offend us in larger and bigger ways, and we may have to deal with that offense by talking one-on-one with the person. But most offenses don’t even need to be mentioned, if we are having a right attitude toward others behavior in this area. When we won’t let an offense go—whether big or small—and continually go over it our minds when we think of the person, that allows Satan to gain a foothold in our minds. This, in turn, takes away our peace.

Peace Taker #5- Wanting to Know It All, Part 3 (TMF:679)

Thursday, June 29, 2017
Peace to Live By: Peace Taker #5- Wanting to Know It All, Part 3 (TMF:679) - Daniel Litton
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       We know that typically the more we learn about—the more knowledge we increase—the more the possibilities of things to worry about or be afraid of. Yeah, it is nice to learn and have a greater knowledge database in our minds, but it doesn’t come free, but rather with a price. Some people want to know everything they can, but becoming a ‘know-it-all’ can actually remove peace from our lives. This can be especially true when we seek to learn things about other people, or problems other people may be facing, all the while not really needing to know that information. Sometimes other people's problems, the one’s we have no capacity to help others with, can actually reduce the peace in our minds. What good is it for us to learn about things in life that will cause us to worry, of which we have no control over? Learning about more things to be concerned about doesn’t help us cultivate our peaceful mindset. It is good to turn away from hearing more information about something if we really don’t need to know that information (see John 21:20-22 & 1 Thessalonians 4:11).

Peace Taker #5- Wanting to Know It All, Part 2 (TMF:678)

Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Peace to Live By: Peace Taker #5- Wanting to Know It All, Part 2 (TMF:678) - Daniel Litton
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       On my days off of work, my weekend, for instance, I almost always don’t watch or read any news. That’s because I’ve heard plenty during my work week, and want to give my mind a break and a rest. If we do things like this in our lives, we can increase our peace of mind and lower any unnecessary distress. Many of us today try to gain more and more knowledge, whether intellectual knowledge or just knowledge about our surroundings. And it is true that, at least for some of us, it is actually fun to learn more and more. But for those of us who continually study things, we know that typically the more we learn about—the more knowledge we increase—the more the possibilities of things to worry about or be afraid of. Yeah, it is nice to learn and have a greater knowledge database in our minds, but it doesn’t come free, but rather with a price. Some people want to know everything they can, but becoming a ‘know-it-all’ can actually remove peace from our lives.

Peace Taker #5- Wanting to Know It All, Part 1 (TMF:677)

Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Peace to Live By: Peace Taker #5- Wanting to Know It All, Part 1 (TMF:677) - Daniel Litton
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       Number five in looking at things that take away our peace: Wanting to know about everything possible. “I said to myself, “Look, I am better educated than any of the kings before me in Jerusalem. I have greater wisdom and knowledge.” So I worked hard to be wise instead of foolish—but now I realize that even this was like chasing the wind. For the more my wisdom, the more my grief; to increase knowledge only increases distress” (Ecclesiastes 1:17, 18, TLB). In our day of the Internet, there is knowledge everywhere we turn when we’re on our computers and mobile devices. It isn’t always good to know everything that you possibly can, whether it be about the world or about our own circles of friends, family, or coworkers. Sometimes a lack of knowledge about things is in fact good. This is because the more we know, the more we can become grieved or worried in our minds. And being sorrowful and worrying about things takes away our peace.

Peace Taker #4- Our God-given Position? Part 2 (TMF:676)

Monday, June 26, 2017
Peace to Live By: Peace Taker #4- Our God-given Position? Part 2 (TMF:676) - Daniel Litton
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       A lot of people are content in being normal, average individuals in life. And it is also true that God has called certain individuals to a higher calling, to a more work-driven and less leisure type of life. Some people he has given a higher drive than the norm. Remember the Parable of the Talents in Matthew chapter 25? In the parable, Jesus gave one person five talents, another two, and still another just one talent. Therefore, the parable shows us that God has different expectations based on what he has equipped us to do. The person who only has one talent should not be discontent with that fact. Likewise, the one who has five talents should not think the people given with less to be lazy or undedicated. So, accepting our position in Christ, what he expects from us and has gifted us to do, will give us peace of mind and make us happy.