Satisfaction Guaranteed

The Bible says: “Keep your lives from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 NIV


Moderation is the key to success. Never be obsessed. Greed is the root of evil. Imagine having a sweet tooth and the scent of melting chocolate mixed with butter and vanilla emanating from the kitchen. Straight away your hand reaches the oven and the next second you are crunching a crispy choc top cookie. Unsatisfied, you reach for another then another though momentarily you are contented. In the end, you feel stuffed and discontentment creeps in.
We need to learn how to differentiate “wants” and “needs”. A heart that is filled with gratitude for God’s daily is less likely to long for mere “wants” which do not have the ability to provide deep, lasting satisfaction. James 1:17 says that “every good and perfect gift is from the above.” These should be the kind of gifts that are longed for by the heart, not the eyes. And these God-given treasures inculcate both thankfulness and contentment. Simplify your life.
A simple life is a contented life. A contented life begins with a thankful heart. Spend some moments daily to meditate what and how much God has provided you and remember to count his blessings.


Thoughts for Simply Living



“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living plenty or want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4”12-13 NIV


Contentment is a pearl of great price, and whoever procures it at the expense of then thousand desires makes a wise and a happy purchase. ~ John Balguy


“Godliness is actually a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we bought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.” 1 Timothy 6:6-8 NASB


The heart is rich when it is content, and it is always content when its desires are fixed on God. Nothing can bring greater happiness than doing God’s will for the love of God. ~Migel Febres Cordero-Munzo

Simplify

Shop to fill physical needs, pray to fill emotional ones.
Learn to distinguish the invisible line between “I want” and “I need”.
Write God a thank-you note in your mind each night before going to sleep.
Throw away the department store circulars from the Sunday paper without looking at them.
Pray consistently.



One step at a time, and that well placed,
We reach the grandest height;
One stroke at a time, earth’s hidden stores
Will slowly come to light;
One seed at a time, and the forest grows;
One drop at a time, and the river flows
Into the boundless sea.
Author Unknown

Setting Traps for Pack Rats

The more possessions, the more worry.
Hillel

A small child fills his pocket with seashells as he toddles along the beach. A young boy counts his allowance - one more time - to ensure that he has enough for another pack of pokemon cards. A teenage girl places yet another stuffed bear on the already overcrowded comforter on her bunk bed. A woman hangs a new pair of jeans from Levis in her fully packed closet. The desire to acquire is a battle that begins in childhood and continues into old age.

While we may gain a certain joy in hunting for yet another painting of Elvis on black velvet or a junker car we feel compelled to bring back to life, we will pay a price. Ans that price is not just what disappears from our wallet. We pay the price in the time we spend shopping for, cleaning, repairing, and eventually disposing of the treasures we choose to fill our home.

Jesus may have been called many things during his time here on earth, but he was never called a pack rat. Though the last three years of his life were spent traveling, the Gospels don't mention Jesus picking up even one souvenir along the way. He encouraged his disciples to travel light, leaving their extra staffs and tunics and even money behind. Granted, Jesus and his disciples depended on the generosity of those in the villages they visited to meet their physical needs. First and foremost, however, they chose to live a simple life, possessing only what they needed for their mission.

Living a simple life isn't synonymous with taking a vow of poverty. But making prayerful purchases and being resolute on getting rid of things we no longer need will help us go a long way toward cleaning up the clutter in our life. If something is broken, fix it or get rid of it. When it comes to paper, file it or toss it. Learn to appreciate the beauty of something without having to own it. Most importantly, keep the unique mission God has given us in this life clearly in mind. Then, let our home be a reflection of that purpose. Amen.

Food for Thought
With God's help, our heart should determine how much our hands will hold.

Thoughts for Simply Living

Jesus said, "Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed; because your true life is not made up of the things you own, no matter how rich you may be." Luke 12:15 GNT

Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received - only what you have given: a full heart enriched by honest service, live, sacrifice and courage.
Saint Francis of Assisi

Jesus said, "Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:20-21 NIV

You will never be satisfied with impermanent, passing things, for you were not created to find your rest in them.
Thomas A Kempis

REMEMBER...

The riches God speaks highly of are those that can be stored in the heart.

People are eternal, but things break, get lost, and wear out.

Being intentional in your spending leaves you with more money to use as God leads.

Heaven's gates aren't wide enough for you to bring along a moving van.


There is nothing wrong with us possessing richest. The wrong comes when riches possess us.
Billy Graham


Resources: Simple Living for You by GRQ, Inc

The Road Not Taken

Recently i have been in a state of topsy-turvy. Since Obama won the key to White House, I got my business to care for.

What agitated me is not my SAM public exam, though the outcome of the result during the Christmas Eve will determine my future but the University to opt for. So far my papers are good, except one. Not much worries over the exam.

Picking my 1st choice from a list of 6 universities is time-consuming, brain-straining and frustrating. Every university has its own pros and cons, strength and outstanding aspects and there are just too many things to consider. From quality to reputation and from cost to environment. Distance does matter while location is paramount. Don't you expect me to go to the outback and remote area to study. That will really drive me crazy.

Sydney sounds mouth-watering. A big and advanced city. But with astronomical living expenses. UNSW - U Need to be Super Wealthy! Compromise the distance, cost or quality?

QUT? Quality or Quantity U Think?

RMIT? Royal to MelbourneU but if your application to get into MelbourneU Is Terminated, RMIT welcome you.

Arghhh.... You gotta have Faith. God will show the way.

Yes We Can

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts America is a place where all thing is possible; who still wonders, if the dream of our founder is alive at all time; who still questions, the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer."

Stunner. Absolutely stunner. He is going to be the 1st Black President. He has brushed aside all the possibilities and impossibilities, he has turned down the Republican votes and tore them apart, he has swept the electoral votes with great margin, he has gained the immense confidence of the people, he has sailed through the critical period though the road ahead is daunting, he deserves it all. Changes will and have come to America. That's his promise.

"The road ahead will be long, our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But America i have never been more hopeful, that I am tonight we will get there, I promise you as the people we will get there." Yes we can.

"But tonight because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, changes come to America."

"To those who will tear the world down, we will defeat you and to those who seek peace and security, we support you and to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright tonight, we prove once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the minomer arm or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideas, democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope. "

"Our men touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination and this year, in this election, you attached your finger to a string, and casted your vote because after 106 years in America, through the best of time and darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. YES WE CAN. "

"America we have come so far, we have seem so far, but there is so much more to do."

Aforementioned are few quotes from Obama's victory speech in Chicago after being selected as the new upcoming president of the States.

The challenges ahead are great. Some are insurmountable, some are far beyond reach. Some are just ridiculous, some are irreversible. But we have a great president. We see the beacon of hope, we see the burning desire, we hear the voices of the people, we put our arms together, we take up our obligation and play our part, we will bring changes to the world as one nation and as one people.

Obama, you will be a great leader. People voted you, people put you in place, people can pull you down as well. Unity is the key to success. Your emphatic win is something to be proud of, a great legend of the man's history but do remember, people need God as well. That exceeds the precedence of everything else. God Bless Obama. God Bless America.