Joseph Generation Army

When it is about tomorrow there are two types of people.  On one hand there are people who are scared of tomorrow and constantly worry about it.  On the other extreme there are people like Paul who scare tomorrow,  who stretch ahead to catch it and subdue it.

Which one are you?....

Ecclesiastes chapter 3 is such a simple and yet profoundly true-to-life chapter that it has made its way outside the church deep in to the secular world.  Countless songs, sermons,  speeches etc...have been based on this chapter.  In simple, clear and yet profound terms it lays out the contrast the human life is filled with. It says there is time to be born and time to die, time to plant and time to uproot,  time to mourn and time to dance,  time for peace and time time for war....

There is an amharic saying that goes something like...yetim fCHiw DuQetun amCHiw...loosely translated as grind it wherever as long as you bring the flour.  It is a figurative saying to mean no matter how you do it,  where you do it,  what means you use etc...as long as you produce results that is what matters....

If you expect your life to be sunny all the time just because you are a Christian,  that is some serious misunderstanding of what being a Christian is all about.  Sooner or later it is going to snow if it is not already snowing in your life.  What you do with the snow is what makes the difference.....

 The words wisdom and knowledge are a lot of times used as if they are interchangeable. Are they?  Probably not.  The study of biblical wisdom reveals a lot of differences between knowledge and wisdom.  One of them is practice.  knowledge becomes wisdom only when you practice it.  So,  if you want to know whether you have wisdom in certain things or not,  don't check your knowledge,  or your head.

"Buy the truth and do not sell it"  Pr 23:23

The devil, however, will always be prowling around giving you hefty offers to sell the truth.  But "don't sell the truth" pr 23:23..... because...... "wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her." Pr 8:11......

Knowledge without God,  knowledge without Christ..Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge... Col 2:3....knowledge without eternal perspective is no knowledge.  It leads nowhere. 

 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge" Prov 1:7........

Earthly wisdom is about mental knowledge and heavenly wisdom is about character.  Earthly wisodm is about how much you know but heavenly wisdom is about how you live your life.....

Motive is the core of what we do.  Two people can be doing exactly the same thing with diametrically opposite motives.  Motive is what drives our actions behind the scene.  Many times no one sees it.  Sometimes it even eludes ourselves.  But wise Christians take time to weigh their motives.  Rushing to do things without carefully weighing our motives is one of the most foolish things to do. It is one of the most common reasons for failure in Ministry…..

"Remember your creator in the days of your youth."  Ecc 12:1

This verse is a plea to all of us to remember our creator while young.  Notice how it says, "remember YOUR CREATOR"...  It is not about some distant god.  It is not just about the God who rules the universe.  It is about the one who created you,  yes you in person....

Following Christ should be done out of conscious choice and determination; not out of tradition,  peer pressure or anything else.  Otherwise,  it won't be as exciting as it is supposed to be. One of the most boring things I can tell you is Christianity without passion. 

“When words are many,  sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise”  Prov 10:19

Have you noticed that this verse says when words are many sin is not absent and it doesn’t even say what type of words.  It just says that when words are many sin is not absent.  In other words,  no matter what you are talking about,  no matter how good your intentions are etc…. if you talk too much,  you are bound to sin. 

New Year is a time when a lot of people look for a fresh start on certain parts of their lives.  As imperfect people living in a fallen world we all need a fresh start from time to time,  the kind of fresh start you get when you reboot your computer.

None other than the Holy Spirit is an expert in giving people a fresh start in life. 

Before the World Cup games started on June 9, 2006, people made predictions of who will win the final game.  I predicted that Brazil and Germany will meet for the final and Brazil will win.  The Brazilians were considered by most to be the favorites.  The  other two favorites were Argentina and Germany.  My guess is that 80% or more people predicted Brazil, Germany or Argentina to win the cup.  But, as you all know it went to Italy on July 9.

This world cup exemplifies life.  In life we don’t always get what we think we deserve. 

All of us need to be encouraged from time to time.  But we have to be careful not to be dependent on it for our motivation. It is addictive.  It makes you dependent. And if you depend on it, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.....

What does the fool say in his heart?  The fool says in his heart ‘there is no God’ Psalm 14:1

That is what the fool says in his heart.  Notice,  however, that is what his heart says and not necessarily his mouth.  If that is what he says in his heart,  it really does not matter what he might say in his mouth.  His mouth might say there is God.  He might sing to the Lord.  He might be dancing “for the Lord”.  He might read the Bible every day.  But unfortunately,  his heart says there is no God.....

Here are four Bible verses that you should apply to whatever you do..... 

Job said "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." Job 1:21

In this verse Job is referring to two important events of life. One is when he came to the world and the other is when he leaves the world. He is saying in those two most important events of life, I am the same.