Today I read about cursing. When you hear that word your mind probably jumps to “four letter words,” but cursing is actually speaking evil against someone. It may include those four letter words but it is basically just using thoughtless words when speaking to or about someone. Even when spoken in jest this can have a huge impact on the person. It brings questions and doubts that may linger in their minds.

We all carry burdens. It’s a part of life. Every time someone hears you speaking ill of them it just adds to the burden they are carrying. It pushes them down. It creates doubt and worry. It becomes heavy. An unknown author said Your faith can move mountains and your doubt can create them. Don’t help create the mountains for others.

I’m currently in the process of getting ready to move to another state. I’ve been throwing out many things that have collected over the years. One thing I threw out was a reel to reel tape player that I bought as part of a stereo when I was in the army in the early 80’s. I hadn’t picked it up in many many years and was surprised at how heavy it was. Sometimes our burdens can be the same way. The longer they are with us the heavier they get.

So do not add to the burden of others, they are likely carrying a heavy load already. Lift them up and help release some of that burden. And if you are carrying a heavy load yourself that has been with you for a long time, release it to the Lord and let him carry it and take up His, for as He says, His burden is light.

From Job 1:12 we learn how Job, even though his world was crumbling, still kept faith in the Lord and praised Him. He knew that despite what was happening to him at the time, everything the Lord did, or allowed to happen, was part of His ultimate plan. He managed to keep his faith even in the worst of times.

In 1Peter 3 we find that even though someone has wronged you that you shouldn’t lash out at them, you should use the opportunity to do good. As much as we would like everything to be perfect in our lives, in general we can be certain that it won’t be. Don’t see the bad times as a chance to lash out, but as a chance to do good. A chance to shine and be the light that the Lord put you here to be. When evil hits you, don’t hit back, turn the other cheek.

Jesus, when facing the ultimate loss, turned that cheek and asked Gods forgiveness for those who were wronging him. Let’s strive to have that kind of faith and be strong in it when the darkness of the world surrounds us.

1 Corinthians 13-14 tells us that we must speak in a way that others around us may learn from our words. Don’t use words and phrases of the church that may not be understood by nonbelievers around you. Speak in a way that they might learn and be drawn to God.

Use whatever words are appropriate when speaking to God, for he will hear and understand, but use words that all may understand when speaking when others may hear.

I pray that God might allow our mind to correctly interpret the meaning of His word in scripture as we read it, and that we might put that word into practice as He intended.

I remember an episode of Friends where Phoebe was trying to do a completely selfless act. Joey had told her that there was really no such thing as good deeds that weren’t selfish, because if you felt good about doing the deed afterward, that made it selfish. She found it wasn’t an easy thing to do, there was always some type of “reward” for the act. The closest she got was allowing a bee to sting her to look “tough” good in front of his bee friends. She obviously didn’t enjoy getting stung. Later Joey burst her bubble when he told her that the bee probably died after stinging her.

So, how does one be selfless? I think selflessness doesn’t get lost because of the joy or even the praise you might receive for doing the act. I think it lies in the intent or expectations you had when doing the deed. If you did the deed just to get the acknowledgement for doing it (as the Pharisees did) then it’s not selfless. But there is nothing wrong with enjoying praise for doing something good, as long as the praise wasn’t your only reason for doing it.

I think the characters in The Wizard of Oz are good examples of selflessness. While they all had reasons to get to the Wizard themselves, many times they chose to help Dorothy at their own peril, whether they got what they wanted from the Wizard or not. They chose to be “good deed doers” even if they didn’t get their testimonial.

Simply stated, selflessness is giving of ones self with no expectations.

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Phil 2:3-4

When I decided to start blogging I immediately wondered if I would actually take the time to write something on a regular basis. Like many people, I’m a terrible waster of time, using my spare time to  play games on my phone, watch TV, browse the internet for hours. Yesterday I had an appointment to get new tires put on my car. I decided I would wait there rather than have them shuttle me somewhere. So I came prepared to play games on my phone and listen to music. Fortunately I got the idea to write this blog page and started writing it while I waited. But what about the next post?

While there are some things that I can set aside time for, writing a blog post can’t always fit into a schedule. Oh, I can certainly set aside time, but then find myself staring at the screen trying to figure out what to write about. I need to be better about writing down thoughts as they come, so I can expand on them later when I have the allotted time. I have fought with this for years, even buying multiple voice recorders to grab thoughts as they come, but would rarely actually put them to use. If anyone has a better method of capturing those ideas please pass it along to me!

Unfortunately one of the areas I do not set aside enough time for is reading God’s Word. I find myself constantly thinking that I need to read more, but when time is available I find myself back in games on my phone or at the TV (or both). So, my hope is to tie His Word into all of these blog posts. Hopefully finding the appropriate verses will get me reading much more than I currently do.

So, what does the Bible say about wasting time? Well, Ephesians 5:16-17 tells us Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. I think that covers it pretty well. If you want to live the life He wants you to live you should spend that time in His Word to better understand what he wants for you.

In recent days we hear talk of essential businesses and essential workers frequently. There is usually some debate over what is considered essential. Well, today, after listening to Dr Daniel Hahn’s current message, and re-listening to a couple of old ones, it occurred to me that in God’s Kingdom we are all essential workers. While many are remaining in their homes during the pandemic, we all still have the ability via the internet, telephone, or other means to reach out and touch other people’s lives. During the isolation of this pandemic a friendly voice or a nice note via email may help someone get through a difficult day. I pray that we all continue to do that essential work each and every day.