Do You Want Happier and Healthier Life?

MY SOUL THIRST FOR GOD

Emeritus Professor Everett Worthington from Commonwealth University working together with researchers from Harvard University, Everett examined the impact of hope on nearly 13,000 people with an average age of 66. The study will be published at Global Epidemiology Journal with the title, “The Role of Hope in Subsequent health and well being for older adults: An Outcome wide longitudinal approach”. They found those with more hope throughout their lives had better physical health, better health behavior, better social support and a longer life. Hope also led to fewer chronic health problems, less depression, less anxiety and a lower risk of cancer.

If we pause for a while and take a look from the Bible, especially Psalm 42, we will realize that the research actually confirms what the Bible said about the need of having true hope in life. Hope from God is powerful beyond what we can think and understand about the future. Hope in Christ is a belief that God who is sovereign in the past, present and future will always lead us in better way.

Just as the deer pants for streams of water, the writer is longing to come to God’s temple at Jerusalem, but he can’t. At that time, Saul the King of Israel wanted to kill David. So, David ran away from Jerusalem where Saul lived. David found himself in very bad situations from time to time, but he always got his hope from God. David desires to come to God by remembering God’s goodness. David put his hope in God alone.

Why did the writer of Psalm 42 find unceasing encouragement in God? The author finds hope in God because God can change any situation to save him. God could refresh the Psalmist’s terrible life from depression to a peaceful and contented life. God can refresh our lives and give us hope just as He did for David and countless other Christians down through the years. God’s reason for creating us is for fellowship with Him. That is why God has placed a thirst within our hearts – a desire that only God can satisfy. Let’s be content with what we have and not live our lives constantly longing for what we don’t have. Put your hope in Christ and you will receive salvation, peace and joy. Amen.

HOPE FROM GOD IS POWERFUL BEYOND WHAT WE CAN THINK AND UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE FUTURE
Jeffry Sudirgo

WHEN WORRIES CHAIN YOUR LIFE

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WHEN WORRIES CHAIN YOUR LIFE

Matthew 6:25-33

Do you ever feel life is unfair? Do you ever worry about future things that are uncertain? In the book Preliminary Exploration of Worry: by Borkovec, it says: worry is a primary cognitive characteristic of anxiety and has been described as ‘a chain of thoughts and images, negatively affect laden and relatively uncontrollable’.

Research by Hirsch and Mathews in 2012 about A cognitive model of Pathological Worry (NCBI US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3444754/ ) gives the conclusion that repeated cycles of negative thoughts including factors processing biases, misdirected control and verbal encoding will lead to general anxiety disorder (GAD).

Actually worry is not a new problem in modern days. Far back, about 2000 years ago, people in Jesus’ time worried much about their life. Some made money their god and others made themselves as an idol. A lot of people worried to the point of suffering (until) they couldn’t sleep and were filled with hate, hurt, stress, depression, finally Today, we would call it GAD (General Anxiety Disorder).

What Jesus told them is how to stay worry-free and get a blessing from God. There are two things we should know about God’s heart. First, because we are precious in His sight (Matthew 6:26) and second is God has a good plan for us (Matthew 6:30). God values our life more than luxury things in the world. Jesus Christ wants, all of us to stay free of worries because the reality of our future world is in His powerful hand. We can plan to do something in the future but we can’t determine what will happen tomorrow. A fortune teller can’t even be sure about details in the future, but God can!

The Bible is not only theories about good living but it is about life with Jesus Christ! Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6a). If life is doubtful for us and we feel sour with heavy burdens, remember that JESUS is the one, who can make the blind see, lame walk, deaf hear, dumb speak, sick be healed and the dead raised to life!

If unhelpful worries chain your life, remember Jesus Christ. The Bible said “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew 6:34). Amen.

DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW, FOR TOMORROW WILL BRING ITS OWN WORRIES

SET YOUR MIND OF THINGS ABOVE

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PETRA:

SET YOUR MIND OF THINGS ABOVE

Colossians 3:1-4

Who said that in the desert you will only feel hot and humid weather? I had the same thought too. Do you know that the desert which Moses crossed was not only hot in the summer but also freezing in the winter? The weather can reach 10 to 2 degree celcius and some times it snows.

When the Israelites walked from Egypt through this desert called Wadi Musa, they grumbled many times. Israelites grumbled about having not enough food, water and all things compared to the things they had in their former life in Egypt.

Do you know that the most miracles in the Old Testament happened in the wilderness? God gave free food to Israelites for 40 years. They received free meat, free clean and fresh water. They have free light at night and free gps direction from God through the pillar of cloud.

Unfortunately, instead of being thankfull to God, the Israelites filled their lives with grumbling. They chose to focus on their daily problems rather than see things from God’s point of view. They filled their daily life with grumbling, complaining, and comparing between the relative good condition of life in the past in Egypt verses facing their difficulties in the present in the wilderness. The Israelites even threated and intimidated God. “God must be wrong to put us in this situation! It’s all your fault, God!!”

Paul reminds us to set our minds on things above. This is not about utopia or idealism but to confront the reality of life with the right decisions, right thoughts about our life. If we fill our life with complaining, blaming and grumbling, than we will see that life becomes more difficult.

If we change the grumbling to thankfullness, blaming to self-evaluation and complaining to being self-sufficient, than we will see our life more wisely and we will begin to serve God, care for each other and face our lives in a more optimistic way.

God wants us to set our minds on things above so we can know the truth, understand the reality of life and approach our daily problems according to the ideas and principles laid out in the Word of God.

Following Biblical principles helps us so much because God knows what is the best for our life, our future and our world. God knows you because he made you and the Bible is in some ways kind of like an owner’s manual explaining the best way something works.

God loves us and calls us to meditate His words. The principle of God’s Word will help us to understand the reality of this life. It will also help us to fulfill God’s eternal plan in our life.

SETTING OUR MINDS ON THINGS ABOVE IS NOT ABOUT IDEALISM OR UTOPIA, BUT IT’S THE BEST WAY TO COPE WITH THIS LIFE ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF GOD

JOURNEY OF LIFE WITH GOD

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JOURNEY OF LIFE WITH GOD

(Psalm 90:12)

What’s going to happen in 2017? Some people predict that there will be a new cold war between U.S and Russia, ISIS will morph fully into a social media presence, ice in the Artic sea will continue to melt, but it will not as simple as the hypothesis that the globe is getting warm. Are you worried and afraid about the future?

The Bible says at Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” When Moses said this prayer, he had already experienced more than 80 years of difficulty in life. Surprisingly, Moses was not asking God for more money, good health or even bigger popularity. Moses knew that all of these things the world looks for are temporary things, which will end with trouble and sadness. That’s why Moses prayed to God to give him the heart of wisdom. The heart that appreciate God’s grace; the ability to see the priority between mortal and eternal; and the willingness to do God’s Word.

Abraham didn’t wait for Isaac to be born before begining to travel to the Promised Land. Noah didn’t wait for rain to to build the ark. Joshua didn’t wait for the walls of Jericho to fall down before he started marching. Daniel didn’t check to see if the lions were hungry before he broke the king’s new law by praying to the true God.

May we learn from the Moses’ prayer where he prayed: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” I pray that God gives us all a heart to appreciate God’s grace. May God grant us the ability to see situations in life not just in the present, but as they relate to eternal matters. And, may God greatly encourage you and me that our labor in Christ is not vain. As we enter 2017, let’s live for God, depend on God, and trust God. Amen.

LET’S LIVE FOR GOD, DEPEND ON GOD AND TRUST GOD