26 March 2023
Two-Minute Features | 02 April 2023 | 19 March 2023

Having Expectations that Others Don't Meet (TMF:2060)

Friday, March 31, 2023
Peace to Live By: Having Expectations that Others Don't Meet (TMF:2060) - Daniel Litton
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       There is also the reality that we have given expectations of others, and more often than not, they do not meet those expectations. This again can lead to negative speaking, and reinforce an overall view of life that is negative. People have different standards for what they expect from themselves and from others. We may have set the bar at a certain height, but others, our family and friends, our acquaintances, haven’t set the bar at that height. What is perfectly acceptable to them is offensive to us. So once we are presented with our own self-righteousness, we have the choice of whether to surrender it, to give it up, or to keep it and be constantly disappointed with others behaviors. It is an amazing thing when we give up our expectations of others behaviors (that is, what you expect them to do or not do). Your feelings of being offended over this and that will fall dramatically. This allows for positivity then to flow. To look at it another way, what are some ways that we can speak negatively to, or about others?

What Negative Thinking Leads To (TMF:2059)

Thursday, March 30, 2023
Peace to Live By: What Negative Thinking Leads To (TMF:2059) - Daniel Litton
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       Generally speaking, I think we can always find a positive in any circumstance if we look hard enough. God’s grace is everywhere. It surrounds all living things, and all situations. The point is for not to be so negative inside our minds that we cannot identify it, or cannot see it. The reality is, words that reach our mouths and go out into the world come from the thoughts we are having in our minds, right? So, the logical conclusion is that to correct our words, we need to correct our thoughts. This means, invariably, that if we are thinking negatively of others on a regular basis, we are more likely to speak negatively of them to others, and not give them our best welcome when we are around them. So, to fix this issue, one thing we could do is to start thinking positively about others on a regular basis, even when we are not around them physically and they come into our minds, and that way when we do see them, we can speak better words to them. We can be more welcoming and hospitable.

Finding the Positive in Any Circumstance (TMF:2058)

Wednesday, March 29, 2023
Peace to Live By: Finding the Positive in Any Circumstance (TMF:2058) - Daniel Litton
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       The only way to be seemingly perfect is to never take any risks, to never say anything colorful, to just play it safe on everything. That goes against my very nature, as it does for many of you who aren’t wimps. But what about sin? What about this “unrighteousness” that James speaks of? If we let ourselves go too far down the consciousness scale, it is easy for us to start saying things about ourselves and about others that truly don’t make any sense. These negative things that hurt ourselves and hurt others. Things that tear down, and do not build up. We can be a blessing to another or a bother to the same person; the choice is ours. It’s like Thumper in the great classic movie ‘Bambi’ taught us long ago, (paraphrasing) “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” That’s a good start. Generally speaking, I think we can always find a positive in any circumstance if we look hard enough. God’s grace is everywhere. It surrounds all living things, and all situations. The point is for not to be so negative inside our minds that we cannot identify it, or cannot see it.

Destruction from a Single Sentence (TMF:2057)

Tuesday, March 28, 2023
Peace to Live By: Destruction from a Single Sentence (TMF:2057) - Daniel Litton
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       Next, James says, “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell” (James 3:5-6, ESV). We know the destruction that can be caused by a single sentence. What I want us to consider is how we avoid this kind of destruction. What is it that we do? I think in order to find that we enjoy the fruit of our mouths, the things we speak, is to give up such a desire to control what we speak. First and foremost, we have to accept the reality that, no matter who we are, not one of us can speak perfectly all the time. It’s just not going to happen. It’s not going to happen for the preacher, and it’s not going to happen for anyone else. I’ve definitely said things in sermons, or giving examples, that in retrospect, I think could have been more clearly articulated. Does that bother me? Not really. It use to, but it doesn’t anymore because chasing after perfection is like chasing after the wind. You’ll never catch it.

Our Eagerness is Based in Fear (TMF:2056)

Monday, March 27, 2023
Peace to Live By: Our Eagerness is Based in Fear (TMF:2056) - Daniel Litton
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       People really aren’t joining the extremist group, that is, at least Jews or Christians. When we are sharing the Gospel then, as preachers and teachers of God’s Word, it is important how we speak. I think the best thing we can do is just speak about the Bible. God is already in the background working on the person’s heart. It is my personal belief that if the person is to be saved by God’s grace, that God will certainly see to it that the person comes into personal faith with him at some point in time. It isn’t our job, no matter who we are, to try to twist someone’s arm into come into faith. I have often seen a great amount of fear from Christians in the form of worry and concern that this person or that person won’t come into saving faith. Why the concern, though? Why the fear? We do our part and God will do his part, and it will happen at the appointed time. Living in fear isn’t going to do any of us any good. The eagerness needs to go too because that eagerness is based in fear also. We do what we do relaxed and patiently, just like Jesus did.