12 November 2023
Two-Minute Features | 19 November 2023 | 05 November 2023

Spending Too Much Idle Time, Part 1 (TMF:2225)

Friday, November 17, 2023
Peace to Live By: Spending Too Much Idle Time, Part 1 (TMF:2225) - Daniel Litton
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       We’ve all heard the old saying, “Idleness is the devil’s workshop.” Actually, what I have found over the years is that is true. It really is the case that the more idle we are, typically the more we find ourselves thinking about things we shouldn’t be thinking about. I think it’s more of a mind thing. It’s not that sitting down in a chair to rest is bad, for a half hour or even for an hour. It’s just that if we do this without watching what thoughts are flowing through our heads, our rest can turn into a really bad thing. We can just sit and ruminate about hypotheses we have in our heads. “What did this person mean when they did that?” “Does this person really like me, or do they just put up with me?” “Is this situation really going to turn out okay, or is there something I’m missing here?” It’s these types of questions that can come to haunt us if we let them. So, when you decide to just sit down and do nothing for a time of rest, but mindful of this. Be mindful of your mind. What are some things we can do to make sure we aren’t just sitting around idly? One thing that can be done is to re-review whatever you studied in your morning devotion.

Getting Out Into Nature Helps Us (TMF:2224)

Thursday, November 16, 2023
Peace to Live By: Getting Out Into Nature Helps Us (TMF:2224) - Daniel Litton
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       I find that taking walks out in nature really helps to refresh my spirit. There is something to be said about getting out on a lonely path, with just the grass, trees, and blue sky in the background, not to mention all the animals out and about. Not only is it good exercise, but it reminds you that there is more to this life than the work you are doing. There is more to life than the office and all the papers piled on your desk. There is more to life even than whatever is going on at home. Video games and television are fun, but sometimes they get old. Nature can provide a 3D experience like non-other. It is real, not artificial. It requires you to move your body, instead of just sitting about stagnant. You get to use your senses. You see real things, smell real things, and hear real things. Perhaps even, if you do not wish to experience it all-natural, you can take your headphones and listen to something good as you walk. I do this a lot. You can listen to good, classic sermons from long ago. You can listen to that new audiobook that’s been on your wishlist for months.

When We Don't Know the Answer, Part 2 (TMF:2223)

Wednesday, November 15, 2023
Peace to Live By: When We Don't Know the Answer, Part 2 (TMF:2223) - Daniel Litton
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       Usually when I ask God for answer to something, I find that I have that answer in a couple of days. And that’s the beautiful thing. I don’t look for the answer. I don’t pick up Christian books and seek diligently around hoping to find what I’m looking for. Nah, if I just let it go and wait, hopefully forgetting I even asked, then the answer will appear on its own. It’s a great feeling when all of the sudden you receive an answer out of the blue through a conversation, TV show, or just naturally reading something. Then you think, “I asked God about this yesterday, and here is my answer.” Anytime we try to surmise an answer through our own effort we can be sure that it will most likely be the wrong answer. It may sound good, look good, seem right, but I bet you that what you have concluded isn’t correct. Why did we pray in the first place if we are going to go through all the effort of just trying to do it ourselves? In that case, we didn’t even need to pray. However, when we turn something over to God, we need to leave it turned over to him, and allow him to tell us when the time is right.

When We Don't Know the Answer, Part 1 (TMF:2222)

Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Peace to Live By: When We Don't Know the Answer, Part 1 (TMF:2222) - Daniel Litton
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       When it comes to losing something important, what kind of person are you? Are you the type of person who drops everything and tries to find that item? Or are you the person who realizes that, if you let it go for a while, the item will probably show up on its own? Yes, for some it may be tempting to overly magnify the importance of a lost item. It’s just that, usually when we let something go, and utilize patience instead, we realize that we never had to go through all the hard, rigorous work of trying to find something. What we were looking for just shows up naturally. Well, the same principle can be applied to wanting an answer about a certain life-situation. We will throw up a prayer to God and then wait eagerly for the answer. What I have found personally, is that an answer never usually shows up for at least half a day. Sometimes a day or two. It’s not that we pray something to God, open our eyes, and expect to see the answer within ten seconds. At least, that shouldn’t be the way we are thinking. I have been guilty of this myself. But what we find is that God takes his time. He simply isn’t in a rush.

Letting Our Lights Shine Before Others, Part 3 (TMF:2221)

Monday, November 13, 2023
Peace to Live By: Letting Our Lights Shine Before Others, Part 3 (TMF:2221) - Daniel Litton
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       We know too that it’s not just how we feel that is of benefit to us. Jesus has told us over and over again that doing such things gains us rewards for the future. Since God is keeping track of all the good things we do, he is building up ideas of more and more good things to give us when we enter the next realm of existence. That being the case, then, it only makes sense that the more we give, the more we will receive. In this cost-benefit analysis, we end up getting more benefit versus the actual cost to us. And finally, it needs to be said that we know that the people who are kinder are the ones who have the better reputation. We enjoy being around those who treat us better. It’s just how it works. I definitely know that’s true for me. I mean, who wants to be around a person who is stingy, who never gives, who never helps, who has no light at all shining at any time for those around him or her to see? Yes, it’s true. The better we are to others, the better people will see us