Keeping Track of Past Victories, Part 1 (TMF:2335)

Friday, April 19, 2024
Peace to Live By: Keeping Track of Past Victories, Part 1 (TMF:2335) - Daniel Litton
(Tap or right-click link to download two-minute feature)

       One thing I have taught myself to do over the last several years is to keep track of victories that occur in my life. These can be prayers that God has answered, good things that have happened to me, or bad situations that have turned out for the good. Whatever you list, by doing this practice you keep those things alive. Our minds have a tendency to forget the good things but always seem to easily remember the bad things. I don’t know how many times I have gone back and looked through my list and found something good that has happened that I totally had forgotten about. Unfortunately, our minds just have a tendency for easily forgetting the good things. It is also fun to see how what we cover in our daily devotional time can manifest itself in our lives. Say we practice some new technique, or new way of thinking, that we then wait to see how it affects our lives. We may find a week or two into it that whatever it is has worked out for us. He have gained a positive advantage in our lives. So, we make note of that and then that will always be there for us to see in the future.

Violating Our Own Rules, Part 2 (TMF:2334)

Thursday, April 18, 2024
Peace to Live By: Violating Our Own Rules, Part 2 (TMF:2334) - Daniel Litton
(Tap or right-click link to download two-minute feature)

       I make sure I miss a Bible study every once in a while. I don’t want to just go every time because I feel I have to. This can also be a good way to caught up on stuff if we have fallen behind. If it is hanging out with friends, that too I have skipped in order to just spend some time with myself, doing what I just want to do. We can’t please everyone all the time, and sometimes we need to just do what we want to do. So, whatever your rules or practices are, but sure that you do not become enslaved to them. Watch those practices because while we do a lot of good things, there is nothing that says we always have to do them every time. Breaks are good for minds, and to change up the routine. Sometimes the routine even gets stale, and by skipping something, or doing something differently, we can freshen things up. This keeps us in charge of our rules instead of them being in charge of us. That, I believe, keeps us happier, and that’s what we want to make sure of, that we are happy, while we are going through the motions.

Violating Our Own Rules, Part 1 (TMF:2333)

Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Peace to Live By: Violating Our Own Rules, Part 1 (TMF:2333) - Daniel Litton
(Tap or right-click link to download two-minute feature)

       A lot of us create our own rules that we follow in our daily lives. What I mean is that we have certain routines, or practices, that we have created that aren’t necessarily mandated by Scripture but of which we do to try to keep things in order. We may read our Bibles for twenty minutes every morning after waking up. We might spend ten minutes in prayer every morning. Perhaps we go to Bible study every Wednesday night. Or we meet so and so for coffee on Saturday mornings to discuss Biblical things. So, we have these rules that we keep in order to try to follow what we perceive from Scripture that we need to follow. What I like to do, every once in a while, is violate these rules to keep them in check. I don’t want to become a robot. I don’t want to be going through the motions merely for the sake of going through the motions. So, every once in a while I might handle one devotional differently. Perhaps I’ll read something upon waking up that I normally wouldn’t read. I make sure I miss a Bible study every once in a while. I don’t want to just go every time because I feel I have to.

Nobody is Your Happiness, Part 3 (TMF:2332)

Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Peace to Live By: Nobody is Your Happiness, Part 3 (TMF:2332) - Daniel Litton
(Tap or right-click link to download two-minute feature)

       As the world changes, and people come and go, that would be unwise. This world will not carry on as it has. Things change. Even if someone has been in your life all of your life up to this point (for example, let’s say your parents), they will eventually leave. So, things aren’t always as they seem they will be. The Gospel writer John has told us that Jesus did not put his stock in any human being completely and entirely. A careful evaluation of Jesus’ life will show us that where he put his stock was in God. It was with God that he spent the majority of his close social time. It was God he was trying to please. I’m not saying we shouldn’t trust anyone; that is totally different from what I am talking about here. What I am saying is that nobody on this earth is our life. Nobody but God is the reason for our existence. That means, just like Jesus, we can only find true happiness in our relationship with God.

Nobody is Your Happiness, Part 2 (TMF:2331)

Monday, April 15, 2024
Peace to Live By: Nobody is Your Happiness, Part 2 (TMF:2331) - Daniel Litton
(Tap or right-click link to download two-minute feature)

       Indeed, we will also notice that the marriage relationship is transitory. Jesus spoke clearly about this. If that relationship doesn’t last past this life, then that would also lead to the conclusion that parental relationships do not last. In evaluating all of this, we can go roundabout back to the fact that God is the only relationship we have of which is consistently here and consistently in the next life. Yes, we may have other relationships that carry over, but how that will look is certainly unclear. None of our friends will be the reason for our existence in the next life. Understanding all of this, what does it mean? It means that in none of these relationships can we lay our foundation of happiness. As the world changes, and people come and go, that would be unwise. This world will not carry on as it has. Things change. Even if someone has been in your life all of your life up to this point (for example, let’s say your parents), they will eventually leave.

Nobody is Your Happiness, Part 1 (TMF:2330)

Friday, April 12, 2024
Peace to Live By: Nobody is Your Happiness, Part 1 (TMF:2330) - Daniel Litton
(Tap or right-click link to download two-minute feature)

       People structure their relationships in different ways. Or, we could say, that people have different levels in how attached they are to others. We know, in reality, that we are only to be truly attached to one Person, and that is God. We also are aware that the Apostle Paul told us that we should not be dependent on anyone. One thing we could say is that the greater the dependency, the greater the attachment. And this is true even in the married relationship, or a person’s relationship with their kids. People can become too dependent on those relationships, to needy for the love of those relationships. If we read our Bibles, we will see the theme over and over again that this world is transitory. Indeed, we will also notice that the marriage relationship is transitory. Jesus spoke clearly about this. If that relationship doesn’t last past this life, then that would also lead to the conclusion that parental relationships do not last.

Having Fun Increases Productivity, Part 2 (TMF:2329)

Thursday, April 11, 2024
Peace to Live By: Having Fun Increases Productivity, Part 2 (TMF:2329) - Daniel Litton
(Tap or right-click link to download two-minute feature)

       That means we should follow those likes when it comes to contributing to working in the world, to making a better society, to helping others. When we don’t follow what we like in our career, then we are going to find that after not too long, we are miserable. God wants us to be doing what he designed and perhaps gifted us even to do. I mean, one doesn’t buy a sports car to go off-roading with. And one doesn’t buy an SUV to go racing in. It simply doesn’t make sense when we go against those internal drives of what we like. If we do that, we are trying to be something that we are not. We won’t feel supported by God, ourselves, or even others because we probably won’t be any good at what we are trying to do. On the flip side, when we do what we are good at, we know that’s what God wants us to be doing. We feel it inside our minds. We get positive feedback from others telling us we are good at this or that. That’s where we should be. And then we find that because we enjoy whatever it is so much, for us it really isn’t work, is it?

Having Fun Increases Productivity, Part 1 (TMF:2328)

Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Peace to Live By: Having Fun Increases Productivity, Part 1 (TMF:2328) - Daniel Litton
(Tap or right-click link to download two-minute feature)

       My belief is that life isn’t about getting this and that ‘done,’ but life is about enjoying the process with whatever it is that we are working on. If we don’t enjoy the process, then, really, what’s the point? Are we just getting stuff done for other people to enjoy? This invariably means that in order to have fun on our journeys, in our work, that we are going to have to follow our hearts desires when deciding how we are going to contribute to the world. Most psychologists will tell you that not everyone is meant to do the same thing. We all have different things that we like, different things that we are good at. We aren’t all called to do the same thing. I got to emphasize this point because it isn’t taught everywhere. It being the case that we all like what we like, that means we should follow those likes when it comes to contributing to working in the world, to making a better society, to helping others. When we don’t follow what we like in our career, then we are going to find that after not too long, we are miserable.

Getting to the Root of the Problem, Part 5 (TMF:2327)

Tuesday, April 09, 2024
Peace to Live By: Getting to the Root of the Problem, Part 5 (TMF:2327) - Daniel Litton
(Tap or right-click link to download two-minute feature)

       That realization brought me a boat-load of freedom. We all have things like this, idols let’s say, or evil passions, as James talked about. We all have things like this, idols let’s say, or evil passions, as James talked about, that come into our lives from somewhere deep within ourselves to try to ruin our lives. That’s what they really do, isn’t it? These strong, unfulfilled desires ruin our lives because we value whatever it is too much. We want it too much. We get mad and upset with God for not giving us what we want. All we needed to do, according, again, to James, was ask God for it and wait, surrendering the desire as we wait. Sure, we have asked God many, many times, but when we haven’t surrendered the desire, there isn’t much hope in God helping us. That’s because without the desire surrendered, we are not in a right place for God to give us what we want. In effect, if he were to give us what we wanted, it may end up taking us even further from himself instead of bringing us closer to himself.

Getting to the Root of the Problem, Part 4 (TMF:2326)

Monday, April 08, 2024
Peace to Live By: Getting to the Root of the Problem, Part 4 (TMF:2326) - Daniel Litton
(Tap or right-click link to download two-minute feature)

       For several years I struggled with the strong to desire to met a girl and get married. It wasn’t until I was around 30 years old that I decided I even wanted to get married. Once I did, however, I was pretty eager to make it happen. I would say my desire within myself to do that became too strong. It definitely wasn’t surrendered. After three or four years of getting nowhere, I finally came to realize that I needed to surrender this desire. I could not have the ‘want’ of getting married someday interfere with my relationship with God and even my pursuit of happiness. The want was actually taking away my happiness. Once I decided one day that it was okay if I got married, and it was okay if I didn’t, then I felt a whole lot happiness inside of myself. The truth is, I don’t need any person in my life beside God in order to be happy. That realization brought me a boat-load of freedom. We all have things like this, idols let’s say, or evil passions, as James talked about.