I attended the Feast last Sunday July 19. The series is about Extreme Make Over! and about Service. Some of the key things I learned:
#1. Religious Maturity is different from Spiritual Maturity.
Religous Maturity is growing in the habit of prayer, rituals, it's good and important.
Spiritual Maturity is being able to love like Jesus, loving the difficult people in your lives, having compassion to those who are in need and forgiving to those who have wronged us.
There are 3 signs that you're growing, maturing Spiritually;
First, you must SERVE. Spiritual people SERVE. Christianity is not about going to Heaven, but being able to bring heaven, becoming a blessing especially to those who are experiencing "hell" today. When people feels your sincerity as you SERVE, they'd say "Oh, I now believe in heaven, because of this person." That's the essence of it all.
Second, it must be SIMPLE. Like Mary, she just served her cousin Elizabeth in her home, helping her on household stuffs while Elizabeth is pregnant. It's does not have to be complicated.
Third, it involves SACRIFICE. Sacrifice is not just plain hard work. It has to do with going out of our way to SERVE others. Sometimes, it means turning down "gimmicks" on Friday nights, or entertaining urgent calls late at night, being different in mind set from others - there are a lot of ways we sacrifice for others.
#2. Taking Action "Right Away" Makes The Difference
When the angel said to Mary that she will be the mother of Jesus, “Let it be it done to me according to Thy word” (Luke 1:38 ). She said YES right away. And after that, she went off for a 4-day walk to Judea, Elizabeth, her pregnant cousin - to SERVE. Instead of savoring the moment of good news that she'll be the mother of Jesus, or brag to her friends about it, she headed off, right away to Judea. This is so, because Mary knew that between making a DECISION and ACTING ON IT is a GAP. That gap is called the "TWILIGHT ZONE", when you dilly dally, when you put things off, when you do nothing.
When you don't act on your DECISION, you unconsciuosly, immediately, step into the TWILIGHT ZONE, sometimes it takes you forever to get out of there or NEVER at all. Eventually, you forgot about your DECISION already. Nothing happens unless something moves ~ Albert Einstein
#3. PROCRASTINATION is man's greatest enemy
Oh, I can so relate to what I do nowadays, I teach people ( I cannot count how many times already)on basic financial literacy. Guess what!! those who have been very successful are those who have a bias for Action, those who made a DECISION right away to build their retirement fund, execute their plans and work on that DECISION day in and day out.
Of course, some people will prefer to Analyze - it's fine and it's OK, I expect that. But when you over analyze, tendency is to have an "Analysis-Paralysis" condition. That's the deadlock, they are stuck! Analysis is ok when it leads you to action. It should not take you forever, and at some point, you have to take ACTION. You need to start saving, start investing. The best way to know the market is when you have money on it.
There is always a PRICE to pay for procrastination; it's applicable to all aspects of life; delaying to forgive robs us of full joy and freedom, delaying to plan and work on your financial strategies costs many a lot of money (they just don't know how much because they are stuck), delaying to obey God costs us a lot - our family, our real happiness, and worst, our soul.
Successful people have a bias for action!! Decide to be successful, decide to be wealthy, decide to be a better person and WORK on that decision day in and day out.
The time that you have on this earth is precious – every minute of it. As Ralph Waldo Emerson advised, “Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.”
#1. Religious Maturity is different from Spiritual Maturity.
Religous Maturity is growing in the habit of prayer, rituals, it's good and important.
Spiritual Maturity is being able to love like Jesus, loving the difficult people in your lives, having compassion to those who are in need and forgiving to those who have wronged us.
There are 3 signs that you're growing, maturing Spiritually;
First, you must SERVE. Spiritual people SERVE. Christianity is not about going to Heaven, but being able to bring heaven, becoming a blessing especially to those who are experiencing "hell" today. When people feels your sincerity as you SERVE, they'd say "Oh, I now believe in heaven, because of this person." That's the essence of it all.
Second, it must be SIMPLE. Like Mary, she just served her cousin Elizabeth in her home, helping her on household stuffs while Elizabeth is pregnant. It's does not have to be complicated.
Third, it involves SACRIFICE. Sacrifice is not just plain hard work. It has to do with going out of our way to SERVE others. Sometimes, it means turning down "gimmicks" on Friday nights, or entertaining urgent calls late at night, being different in mind set from others - there are a lot of ways we sacrifice for others.
#2. Taking Action "Right Away" Makes The Difference
When the angel said to Mary that she will be the mother of Jesus, “Let it be it done to me according to Thy word” (Luke 1:38 ). She said YES right away. And after that, she went off for a 4-day walk to Judea, Elizabeth, her pregnant cousin - to SERVE. Instead of savoring the moment of good news that she'll be the mother of Jesus, or brag to her friends about it, she headed off, right away to Judea. This is so, because Mary knew that between making a DECISION and ACTING ON IT is a GAP. That gap is called the "TWILIGHT ZONE", when you dilly dally, when you put things off, when you do nothing.
When you don't act on your DECISION, you unconsciuosly, immediately, step into the TWILIGHT ZONE, sometimes it takes you forever to get out of there or NEVER at all. Eventually, you forgot about your DECISION already. Nothing happens unless something moves ~ Albert Einstein
#3. PROCRASTINATION is man's greatest enemy
Oh, I can so relate to what I do nowadays, I teach people ( I cannot count how many times already)on basic financial literacy. Guess what!! those who have been very successful are those who have a bias for Action, those who made a DECISION right away to build their retirement fund, execute their plans and work on that DECISION day in and day out.
Of course, some people will prefer to Analyze - it's fine and it's OK, I expect that. But when you over analyze, tendency is to have an "Analysis-Paralysis" condition. That's the deadlock, they are stuck! Analysis is ok when it leads you to action. It should not take you forever, and at some point, you have to take ACTION. You need to start saving, start investing. The best way to know the market is when you have money on it.
There is always a PRICE to pay for procrastination; it's applicable to all aspects of life; delaying to forgive robs us of full joy and freedom, delaying to plan and work on your financial strategies costs many a lot of money (they just don't know how much because they are stuck), delaying to obey God costs us a lot - our family, our real happiness, and worst, our soul.
Successful people have a bias for action!! Decide to be successful, decide to be wealthy, decide to be a better person and WORK on that decision day in and day out.
The time that you have on this earth is precious – every minute of it. As Ralph Waldo Emerson advised, “Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.”
