72a – The Wonders of Work Pt-1
Think a minute…The famous writer George Bernard Shaw said: “When I was a young man, I observed that 9 out of 10 things I did were failures. I did not want to be a failure, so I did 10 times more work.”
All successful people say the same thing: “Luck is what you make of it with hard work.” As important as a good education is, it does not guarantee success. In every kind of career, there are successful people who had little natural talent or education to begin with. But the most important thing they had was the desire and discipline to keep working toward reaching their full potential and success.
There is simply no substitute for hard work. Even if you naturally know how to charm and get along with people, you still must do the work to finish the job well. If you’re naturally smart in school, you still have to spend the time and effort learning the new knowledge. If you do not have a lot of natural talent or ability, then you must work even harder. It’s a fact of life.
A good worker learns not to waste or misuse his time, because he knows if he “kills time” he kills his chances for success. The great inventor Thomas Edison often worked when most people slept. In fact, Edison usually did not sleep more than 4 hours a night. He said that too much sleep made him lose time, opportunities, and ideas. Most of us cannot work as many waking hours as Thomas Edison, so we need to learn to make even better use of our time. The Greek philosopher Plato said: “One of the saddest things in life is a man who spends much of his time on things that are not important and lasting.”
So why waste one more minute of what’s left of your life? Ask Jesus to forgive you for not living the way you know you should. Then ask Him to take charge of your character and way of living. Since He is your Maker, He knows how to help you work hard and work smart, so your life will work right. That’s how His awesome plan for your success and satisfaction can happen. Just think a minute…
72b – The Wonders of Work Pt 2
Think a minute…The famous African American Booker T. Washington was extremely poor. He was only 16-years-old when he traveled 500 miles to attend university. After he finally arrived, a teacher ordered him to sweep the room. Booker swept the room not just once, but 3 times! Then he dusted the furniture 4 times! That was the kind of person Booker was. He always went the “extra mile” and did his very best to finish all his work well.
Years later Booker became a professor himself and actually started his own university, the Tuskegee Institute. This was still in the late 1800’s when many white southerners treated African Americans horribly as an inferior, lower class of people. One day as Booker was walking past a southern mansion, the lady of the house called out and ordered him to chop some wood. He graciously and humbly pulled off his coat, chopped the wood, and carried it into her house. One of the servant girls recognized Professor Washington and told her boss and owner of the house, Mrs. Varner. The next morning this wealthy woman, Mrs. Varner, went to Professor Washington’s office and apologized. She also gave a large amount of money to help his university. Then, she persuaded many of her rich friends to give money to Washington’s school.
As it did with Booker T. Washington, when diligence, humility, and honesty become a part of your character and daily way of working, it brings good things to you and others. Real success comes when you work to help make the lives of others better. The wonder of work is that it makes both you and your family better. You get more in return than what you gave. It’s simply a law of life that works for your happiness and success. As a prosperous businessman says: “Hard work is the best investment a man can make.”
In 1949 an unknown scientist started research on polio. He worked 16-18 hours a day, 6 days a week, for 5 years! His reward? He found the cure for polio and saved millions of lives around the world. Dr. Jonas Salk’s hard work paid off in a big way. He is now known as one of history’s greatest men of medicine.
Are you enjoying the success and satisfaction that comes from diligently using your time and talents your Creator gave you? It’s the only way you can make your family and career the best it can be? Sincerely ask Jesus to help you start reaching your full potential by discovering the wonders of work. Just think a minute…
72c – Daddy’s Little Girl
Think a minute…Someone said: “A great man never loses his daughter’s heart.” Every daughter has the need and right to receive her father’s love and affection. Dad, one of the ways to build a close, trusting relationship with your daughter is to learn what she enjoys. Start spending time with her doing her favorite things, whether it’s taking walks or listening to her favorite music. Kids are usually happy to obey you when you’ve spent time with them.
A father I know has a great relationship with his two daughters. From the time they were little girls he has always made time to be with them. Every week he took his daughters to do something special that they enjoyed. He regularly encouraged them and built up their self-confidence. Now they are strong, secure young women who never lower their standards of character and doing what is right. So, it’s no surprise that they are close to their dad and ask him for advice on almost everything now that they’re young adults. Why? Because he has earned their trust and respect by giving them his time, attention, and affection throughout their lives.
It’s a tragic fact that if your daughter does not get attention and affection from you the way she should—in a healthy, safe, and loving way—then she will look for it from other men who will not truly care about her. Sadly, “Some fathers are willing to give their daughters everything except their time.”
Dad, your daughter also needs to see you love and trust her mother. Your daughter needs to see you respect your wife’s abilities in helping you lead the family. Likewise, your daughter needs to see her mother daily love and respect you as a kind, honest man who leads your family with love and self-control. “The best way to correct your children is to correct your example for them.”
Remember, time flies and your little girl will soon be a grown woman before you know it. “Raising your daughter is like baking a cake: you don’t realize you’ve made a mess until it’s too late.” Won’t you ask Jesus to forgive you for your past mistakes as a dad, and to help you start changing so you can become the best father your daughter needs you to be? After all, being her dad is the life-changing job no one else in the world has but you. Just think a minute…
72d – Results With Regrets
Think a minute…This is a true story about a boy named Walter who lived with his family on a farm. One day when Walter was seven-years-old he went exploring. He was surprised to see an owl sleeping on a low branch of a tree. He remembered his father telling him that owls rest in the daytime. Walter thought: “What a great pet this funny bird will make. If I can just get close enough to catch it before it wakes up.”
Quietly, Walter moved closer until finally he was standing right under the owl. He reached up and grabbed the bird by its legs. The owl suddenly woke up and began beating its wings, screeching loudly as it fought for its life! But as afraid as this young boy was, Walter did not let go of it. In fact, he threw the bird to the ground and stomped on it!
When the owl stopped moving, Walter looked down at this bird and realized he had killed it. He felt terribly sad and guilty as he ran home crying. In fact, later that day when he returned to bury the bird, he was still crying. Furthermore, he regretted it throughout his lifetime and was so ashamed that he did not tell anyone what he had done until many years later.
That painful experience taught Walter such a powerful lesson on the value of life that he never again killed another living creature. Walter could not bring that one bird back to life, but he used his regret to motivate him to bring a whole world of animals to life—by drawing pictures of them. Walter is now dead and gone, but his drawings and pictures live on in the art of Walter…Disney. Walt Disney, the creator of Disneyland, Disney World, and the wonderful world of animal stories and movies enjoyed by millions of people worldwide.
We all have regrets of wrong, painful things we have done to others. Yet we can choose to use those regrets to bring positive, permanent changes in our life and others around us. Won’t you ask forgiveness from your Maker whom you’ve hurt the most by not living life His way—which He created you to enjoy? With His love and power, Jesus will help you use your regrets to make your needed changes that last. Only then can you become the truly successful, godly person He created you to be. Just think a minute…
72e – Who Said Life Is Fair
Think a Minute…”Who said life’s fair?” I heard my grandmother say that a thousand times if I heard it once. There was a reason she said it often. When my grandmother was a little girl, one day her father just left her and her mother—and he never came back! It was extremely painful and shameful, especially in her generation. My grandmother fought that feeling of rejection and unfairness all her life. From an early age as a child, she learned that life is not fair.
My guess is so did you. Hopefully you did not have such a painful, unfair experience as that. But as a child your father punished you for something you did not do. Maybe your parents gave more attention and favor to your siblings than you. A neighbor blamed you for something that was someone else’s fault. You had a teacher in school who treated you unfairly. Now that you’re an adult, your boss is unfair. Laws seem to discriminate. Even your wife or husband may treat you unfairly, or accuse you unjustly. Who said life’s fair? It’s not!
So, what can you do to handle the unfairness of people and life? Once again there is a person who has an answer to our life’s toughest questions. Talk about unfairness: He is the number one victim of injustice in history! Even people who did not like this man admitted that he was the last person in the world who should be executed and killed as the worst of criminals. If Jesus Christ was not a good and innocent man, then no one is! So next time you and I think we are being treated unfairly, just tell Him about it. He knows exactly what you’re feeling and going through.
So how do you handle unfairness in life? With Jesus, you can handle whatever that life and others do to you—since He has already cleared the way for you to follow. He’s “been there, done that.” And He gives His same power to anyone who will ask Him to take charge and control of their life. His own inner strength and peace that does not let the unfairness of others keep you down.
You will also become strong and free enough to forgive those who hurt and treat you unfairly—just as He forgives you for the times you yourself have treated others wrongly. Jesus’ love and power is yours for the asking. Won’t you ask Him to forgive you and take charge of your heart every day? Then, no matter how unfair people are to you, you will know that the One Who is in control of your life will always be more than fair to you—since He alone is completely full of love and truth. Just think a minute…