Silent Time

For what do you use your hands?

To bless others and to help them in their individual needs?

Or to act in selfishness and greed, destroying others or taking away their honour? Or to lift up things on a higher level than God, making them idols?

Human hands can do many things. They can do a lot of good but can also do a lot of evil.

False testimony: When a wrong statement is given, then the law foresees punishment, for example if by purpose wrong numbers are shown in the balance sheet in accounting.

As an individual, we may not be punished in that sense for giving a false statement in private life. Yet how many times do we talk bad about others, taking away the honour for example of absent persons? How many times do we hurt others by using bad or aggressive language? Each destructive word, each curse has negative consequences.

Let’s pray that God may instead fill us with constructive thoughts, so that we may talk words of blessing and that we may be protected from all evil that is going on in the world.

Do you at times complain that you are lonely?

Or the other way round, do you feel too busy and crowded?

It is precious if we have family and friends. When one person is in a difficult situation, family and friends may give new ideas and courage.

Let’s give thanks for each beloved person and help them to build up their lives, also interceding for each other.

Even when the child is strongly crying, it may find wonderful comfort by the parents.

In some situations of life, other people can not comfort us.

God is the highest comforter. He also knows what we need. He can help even in extreme situations of life, where no one else can help. Jesus has won the victory over all that harms us. He also provides healing.

In which stage of your walk with the Lord are you currently in?

It might be that in the beginning there was a lot of excitement about the good news in the initial stage of following the Lord, the heart was burning about the salvation that God offers us.

But now there seems to be so much trouble, hardly any songs of praise, the heart is no more burning. We might be disappointed about other people and with life’s circumstances. Sometimes we might be even close to giving up.

Such kind of thoughts are from the enemy, who tries to drag us away from the Lord. Let’s not listen to these negative thoughts.

Instead, let’s focus again on the Lord, on his good news and on his saving power.

Let no one rob you of your price.

How about your personality? Do you strongly pursue your targets? Or do you easily get influenced and distracted by others?

How many kingdoms where there throughout the history of humanity?

Some lasted quite long.

But all were based on human leaders.

The kingdom of God is an everlasting kingdom based on the almighty eternal holy God.

Where are the people usually happy?

One might say “on vacation”.

Yet a lot of our time we need to spend working.

What, if we could enjoy the work?

In a very old movie, which shows an “end-of-the-world-scenario”, people get asked “what would you do, if you had only 3 hours left?”.

It is quite shocking how much negative behaviour people favour: taking drugs, trying to enjoy to the maximum, doing all kinds of strange things.

When Jesus knew that the time of his earthly life in human form would soon come to an end, his priority was to give honour to God by doing the works, which the Father wanted him to do. He wants to save us. Jesus has brought that salvation. And he also brought healing to body and mind, for example to the blind person.

As long as it is daytime, let’s honour God by doing good to others, sharing the good news and giving practical help to others, building up each other’s life, as long as we have the opportunity to do so.

What do you seek in life? What do you ultimately look for?

Many people look for success, for recognition, for influence and so on.

For the moment it might make us happy if we achieve such things.

And yet it does not really fulfil us.

Life can be complete: everybody is invited to turn to the Lord, who knows what is really good for us.

He can fill our life with fulfilment and provide all that we really need.

Let’s seek him with all our heart!