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Complaints

The following are actual complaints from letters sent to landlords.

• This is to let you know that there's a smell coming from the man next door.

• The toilet is blocked, and we can't bathe the children until it's cleared.

• I request your permission to remove my drawers in the kitchen.

• Our lavatory seat is broken in half and is now in three pieces.

• The toilet seat is cracked. Where do I stand?

• I am writing on behalf of my sink, which is running away from the wall.

• Will you please send someone to mend our cracked sidewalk? Yesterday my wife tripped on it and is now pregnant.

Though we laugh at the above, it's probably hard to be a landlord-or someone in a similar position-who has to deal with complaints throughout the day. As a Christian, the world is closely listening to your words, your attitudes . . . and unfortunately, your complaints. What kind of impression are you making on those around you? Knowing that you may be the only “Bible” many non-Christians read, strive to fill your language with encouragement and affirmation instead of negative remarks.

Think of that one person in your life whom everyone loves being with. He or she is probably great with encouragement. Affirming others may come naturally, or it may be something your friend has to work at, but chances are he/she has made a good habit of making others feel good about themselves. The complaints are most likely kept to a minimum.

People like that are magnets. Others are drawn to them. Everyone loves to be around someone who doesn't complain. Jesus was a natural at drawing out the good in those around Him. He built others up, He loved genuinely and people followed Him. They wanted what He had.

If you needing to break the habit of complaining, try this:

Practice praise. It may feel awkward at first, but consciously decide to praise those around you for specific things.

Curb the complaints. When you do start to complain, counter it with something positive. At the end of the day, ask God to help you review your language for that day. Did you complain more or less today?

Count your blessings. When you're tempted to complain, STOP! Before the negative talk even comes out of your mouth, silently thank God for three blessings in your life.

Ask for accountability. Confide in a close Christian friend that you're trying to break out of the complaining habit. Allow your friend to hold you to your resolution.

Know It!
You can make or break someone's day simply by the language you use with him. Strive to lace your words with positive remarks and encouragement. Barnabas was known as “the encourager.” Ask God to make you a Barnabas.

Read It!
Acts 4:36; Acts 13:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17; Hebrews 3:13; Philippians 2:14-15.

Pray It!
Ask God to help you curb your complaints and to multiply your encouragement to others.

How To Write a Term Paper

Having a little trouble getting those assignments completed before the approaching Christmas holidays? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a well-lighted place with lots of sharpened pencils.

2. Read over your notes about the assignment very carefully, just to make sure you really understand it.

3. Walk into the kitchen and pour yourself a Coke or a cup of coffee to help you concentrate.

4. Make a quick phone call to your best friend. If she hasn't started her paper yet, you can both grab a hamburger first to discuss ideas.

5. When you return home, sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a well-lighted place with lots of sharpened pencils.

6. Read over your notes about the assignment again, just to make sure you truly understand the concept.

7. Wow! It sure has been a long time since you've written your cousin. Go ahead and shoot him a quick e- mail right now so you can get it out of the way and concentrate on your term paper.

8. Go check your nose in the bathroom mirror. You think you feel a zit starting to grow. Better put something on it now while it's still in the beginning stages.

9. Listen to your favorite CD-just to relax your mind-so you can jump right into starting your term paper.

10. Alphabetize your CD collection.

11. Sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a well-lighted place with lots of sharpened pencils.

12. Read over the assignment again. Roll the words across your tongue. Savor the special flavor of this particular assignment.

13. Check the TV guide to make sure you're not really missing anything truly important. Catch the last part of a Mary Tyler Moore rerun.

14. Phone your best friend to see if she's watching. Discuss the plot.

15. Brush your teeth. They can never be too clean, you know.

16. Open the fridge just to make sure there isn't any spoiled food inside.

17. Sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a clean, well- lighted place with lots of sharpened pencils.

18. Read over the notes for your assignment one more time, just to make sure you really, truly, definitely understand it.

19. Call your best friend to make sure she truly understands the assignment as well. Offer to answer any questions she may have.

20. Scoot your chair close to the window and watch the sun set. Scream!

It's funny how we often make excuses and procrastinate important projects, isn't it? When you're not really “into” something, it's easy to put it off. If you've never really disciplined yourself to spending daily time in prayer and Bible reading with your heavenly Father, it can be tempting to make excuses and fill your time with other things.

But the truth is, your spiritual strength will come from reading the Bible and prayer. Without those two ingredients, your spiritual life will suffer. Other things are important as well, such as fellowship with other Christians, ministry involvement and sharing your faith. But without making time for a daily infusion from the Lord Jesus Christ, you'll never feel very close to Him.

Know It!
An intimate, growing relationship with Christ requires spending time with Him. Pledge to set aside time on a daily basis to make this happen.

Read It!
Colossians 1:10; Colossians 2:19; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; 2 Peter 3:18.

Pray It!
Ask God to give you a hunger for His Word. Tell Him you want to get to know Him in an intimate way.

God Wants to be Your Security

Several years ago, police pulled the dead body of a suicide victim out of the North River in New York. The dead man was a graphic artist, linguist and musician. He was 57 years old when he jumped to his death.

After he had graduated from a German university, he moved to Puerto Rick to see his fortune. He was quite successful in business and sent letters home telling his friends and family about the printing business he had started and that was now booming. As his business grew, he eventually met a beautiful young woman. They fell in love and were married. Life seemed perfect. They lived in a beautiful country with a warm climate. They owned a majestic home, and his business was extremely successful.

Eight years after they had married, however, the woman died. The man was heartbroken. His zest for life vanished. He became careless with his business and didn't seem to care about friendships or success any longer. His business eventually folded, and he lost much of his fortune.

Two years later he moved to New York and was encouraged by a friend to teach languages. He spoke fluent German, English, French, Spanish and Italian, and though he would have been an excellent professor, he simply didn't have the desire to keep going. Finally, with no money and without heart, he filled his pockets full of stones and leaped overboard into the North River.

His heart had been anchored in his love for his wife. When she died, he had no hope. The one thing he lacked was security, hope and meaning in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If he had been anchored in Christ, he could have gone on without his wife. Yes, he would have still grieved, but God would have brought him through the grieving process and cared for his needs.

Know It!
Another person can certainly enhance our life, but they shouldn't become our life. God wants our security, our hope and our purpose for living to be anchored firmly in Him instead of things or people.

Read It!
Psalm 16:9; Jeremiah 17:10; Job 31:24; Hebrews 6:19.

Pray It!
Ask God to bring to your mind anyone or anything that you're placing more security in rather than Him. Be willing to commit that to His control.

The Master Designer

Let's imagine that you moved into a giant mansion and lived there alone. You're having a great time in the indoor pool, you're working out in the gym, and you've invited all your friends to view the latest movies in your state-of-the-art home theater. You're loving this mansion; it's huge. But after a while, you become discouraged. It's so big, you're not able to enjoy all the rooms. It's filled with the latest technology, but you've never learned to work it. For instance, your air- conditioning and heating system is run by special computerized controls that are operated by your fingerprint. So when you enter a room, all you need to do is touch your finger to the wall. It immediately picks up your print and adjusts the room temperature specifically to your liking.

It has other adjustments to your friends fingerprints. You love this feature, but you haven't figured out who to work it yet. You quickly realize you're not really getting the most out of the house that you could be.

So you approach the designer and say, “Sir, I love my home. You did an incredible job of designing it. But it's so big and so wonderfully complicated, I'm not really getting the most out of it. Would you mind moving in with me and showing me how to take advantage of the potential of this home? I need to learn how to operate all the special features.”

The designer moves in, and you immediately begin giving instructions: “You can have the guest room. I don't mind you using the kitchen, but I really don't want you in the study. Oh, and I have my own collection of movies in the theater. Please leave those alone as well. I have a specific way I want the lawn mowed, so check with me before doing that. Otherwise, make yourself at home.”

He begins to show you how to get more out of your home, and you definitely notice a difference. You're learning how to operate some of the complicated technology that makes your home the envy of everyone else. But a few months later, you approach him again: “I'm really glad you're living here and helping me with my home,” you say. “But something is still missing.”

He looks at you tenderly and says, “I designed this home and know it better than anyone. I know it inside and out. I'm familiar with the wiring, the installation, the sprinkler system for the lawn, and I know every crack in your walls. I really can show you how to get the most out of it, but to do that I have to have total control.”

You hesitate but finally give in. The first thing he does is put you in the guest room, and he takes over the master bedroom. Then he goes through your personal movie collection and suggests changes. Gradually, you make the changes he suggests and notice that you're happier than you've ever been before.

Know It!
God doesn't simply want to live in your life; He wants to be your life. He wants your happiness and fulfillment even more than you do, and He's committed to producing joy and peace in your life. But He needs total control.

Read It!
Exodus 20:1-4; 1 Kings 8:61; 1 Kings 15:14; 2 Chronicles 16:9.

Pray It!
Is there anything in your life you haven't given the Master Architect control of? If so, commit that area to Him right now.

Ownership

Imagine you own a brand-new shiny apple-red Volkswagen Bug. You take it to the local auto mechanic to have some minor repairs done. And while your car is in his possession, he uses it to pick up his kids from school and haul groceries home. You'd probably be a little angry when you came for your car.

Let's suppose your dry cleaner wears your new suit to a fancy dinner he's attending. You happen to see him at the restaurant. He stutters and makes a few excuses, but there really is no excuse! He's wearing the shirt that you own. And he's doing it without your permission!

Try to look at your life in God's hands in the same manner. The gifts, talents, skills and abilities you have were given to you by Him. He actually owns them; He's merely letting you use them for the time being. When you give your life totally to Jesus Christ, you automatically yield your rights to Him. So it's no longer, “My way! My will! My rights!” Your heart's cry becomes, “Your way, Lord. I want Your will. My rights are no longer my own. They belong to You. I don't own my life any more. I am totally Yours.”

So doesn't it make sense that when you're about to decide how to use this opportunity or that talent, that you should seek direction from the Owner? Just as you would want your mechanic to ask you about your car before assuming it's okay to drive, God wants you to seek His guidance for every area of your life.

Think of the prodigal son. The story begins as he approaches his father demanding his rights: “Give me!” The father sadly, gives him what he wants, and the son quickly squanders all he has. In his poverty, the son realizes that when his father owned his rights, he was actually happier than when he had demanded ownership himself. The end of the story shows the son approaching his father with a much different request: “Make me.” Note the attitude change? The son went from a van “Give me!” to a humble request, “Make me.” He asked that his father make him only as a servant. He realized he had given up his rights.

Know It!
If your life truly belongs totally to God, you'll give up your status, your position and your rights.

Read It!
Luke 15:11-32; Galatians 5:1;Galatians 5:7-9; James 4:7-8.

Pray It!
Thank God for loving you so much that He wants to saturate your life with Himself.

Dan the Man

Daniel truly was an incredible young man! Let's focus even more closely on a few special things he had going for him:

1. He had a pure heart. It wasn't easy. Daniel had everything imaginable at his disposal. But he said no to the things that would have broken God's heart, and he said yes to the things of the Lord. It's never easy to say no to things that look enticing and are tempting. But God will never allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. We can lean on Him to say no to evil.

2. He maintained a godly lifestyle in the midst of a heathen court. You, too, are living in a heathen world. God wants to help you maintain a holy lifestyle even though you're surrounded by people who have no morals and even though you're bombarded with temptation. In the dark world in which you live, God wants to help you shine as a star reflecting His purity and His holiness.

3. He set himself apart. By living a life of integrity, the king took special notice of Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar admired Daniel's character and trustworthiness. In fact, Nebuchadnezzar had planned on putting Daniel in a distinguished position of leadership. That's why some of the other captives started the rumors about him; they were jealous.

4. He chose godly friends. Even though Daniel was surrounded by non Christians, he chose to become very close with three other godly young men who shared his faith, his values and his morality. You know those three men as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They were Daniel's best friends and they drew strength from one another.

5. He was consistent. Even when the rumors were flying about Daniel's unfaithfulness to the king, he didn't let the lies discourage him from doing what he knew God had called him to do. He simply returned to his knees and maintained a consistent prayer life. When threatened with death, he remained consistent. When threatened by jealousy of those around him, he remained consistent. God desires the same of you!

Know It!
It helps to surround ourselves with people who share our faith and our morals. If you're giving in to temptation, maybe you need to consider changing friends.

Read It!
Romans 12:1-2; Philippians 2:14-16; James 1:13-16; James 3:17-18.

Pray It!
Ask God to help you seek His power when you face temptation. Learn to lean on His mighty power so you can keep from yielding to sin.

Are You Reading Your Mail?

Six-year-old Ashley couldn't wait to get to the mall. Her mom had promised since Thanksgiving, they'd hit the mall around the first of December, so Ashley could sit in Santa's lap. Today was the big day! The curly-brown- haired little girl waited patiently for 45 minutes as the long line finally dwindled the last few children.

Grinning from ear to ear, she jumped into Santa's lap and hugged him tightly. Santa returned her smile, and with his big arm of velvet around her shoulders looked into her brown eyes and asked, “What do you want for Christmas?”

Ashley's smile faded. She stared at Santa and said, “Didn't you get my e-mail?”

Ashley felt as though her world had crumbled in front of her as she climbed off Santa's lap and ran back into the arms of her mother. “Never mind. He didn't even read my letter,” she said through her tear-stained voice.

What's the point of having mail if you don't make the time to read it? When we don't make reading God's mail a high priority in our lives, it breaks His heart. The Holy Bible is His love letter to you. It's not simply pages filled with meaningless words; rather, it's a Book of hope, instruction, how-to's, cautions, roadmaps, promises, blessings, surprises and fulfillment.

You've been reading this devotional book for almost one solid year. But if it hasn't caused you to delve more deeply into God's Word, it's meaningless. A devotion book should never take the place of the Bible; it's merely to pique your interest and draw you inside the Bible. A good devotional will complement-not replace- the Word of God in your life.

Everyone in Toby's second-grade Sunday school class was busy. Each student was drawing a picture of the Nativity. Mrs. Johnson stood over Toby's shoulder admiring his work. He had done quite well with Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus. But there was a fat man standing in the corning of the stable that just didn't seem to fit. When she asked Toby about it, he responded, “Oh, that's Round John Virgin.”

Another reason it's important to keep digesting the Word of God is because it straightens out the things in our lives we've become confused about. It helps us separate Truth from myths and misunderstandings.

Know It!
This month, as you're approaching Christ's birthday, pledge to take your Bible reading more seriously. Expect Him to teach you things about the coming Christmas season you've never thought about before.

Read It!
Psalm 107: 4-16; Isaiah 1:18; Jeremiah 42:5-6; Habakkuk 2:3.

Pray It!
Ask God for a genuine hunger for His Word.

What a Gift!

Have you ever read the children's book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff? It's an exaggerated tale of what might happen if one actually gave a mouse a cookie. The author tells us if we give the rodent a cookie, he'll want some milk to go with it. And then he'll have to look in a mirror to make sure he doesn't have a milk mustache. Then he'll notice his hair needs a trim, so he'll probably ask for a pair of scissors. The story goes on and one and on in creative detail of the demands a mouse could make.

After you've read the book for the first time, you'll probably close the cover with a grin on your face and think, Okay. Enough said. The moral of the story is to never ever give a mouse a cookie!

And you'd be exactly right. But what if we took the thought a lot farther? God could have adapted the same moral. He could have said, “Never give any of My children a cookie.” Okay, God didn't really give us a sugar snack, yet He did give us the greatest gift in all the world-His only Son.

If our heavenly Father could give His own flesh and blood, how much more should we be willing to give our lives to those around us! It's not easy, though is it? After all, when we give a mouse of cookie, he'll ask for a glass of milk . . . and a million other things.

When we invest our time and ourselves in people, we can assume they're going to ask for more. If you invite your neighbor to youth group, you may have to let him ride with you. Then you'll have to sit with him because he won't know anyone.

Then after Sunday school, you'll have to walk him into the sanctuary. And after church is over, you'll probably have to take him to dinner. And if he enjoys your church, you'll have to bring him again. And again. And again.

And if he gives his life to the Lord, you might have to disciple him. Or go to Bible study with him. So maybe you should just stay away completely.

Know It!
As silly as it would be for us to take that line of thought, we sometimes fall into that mode of thinking without even realizing it. Subconsciously, we know that investing ourselves in the lives of others is going to take . . . time. And more time. And more time. And do we really want to do that? Guess what! That's not the right question. God calls all of us to give ourselves to those around us. And He set the extreme example by giving Himself to us in the form of His only Son.

Read It!
John 10:17-18; John 13:4-5; 1 Corinthians 13.

Pray It!
Ask God to bring someone to your mind today who needs your love and attention.