Happy July to you from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com !
When you wake up each morning to the sweet melodies of birds, how do you feel? When you admire the spectacular spectrum of sunsets, are you awed? When sunlight warms your skin and gentle summer breezes softly kiss you, are you not delighted? Do you not enjoy the fragrance of wildflowers, the sound of ocean waves splashing, the chirps of crickets at night, and the claps of thunders during a heavy storm?
How do all the elements of life reflect the Creator of life? Think about it carefully: "there is no good tree that brings forth rotten fruit; nor again a rotten tree that brings forth good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people don't gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings out that which is evil" (Luke 6: 43, 44, 45, WE
Everything in life is made to be enjoyed by all of our senses, do you not agree? Creations are not only enjoyable, but they also provide for our physical nourishment as well. The Earth produces all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and grains to keep us well-fed and satisfied. So what does this tell us about the Creator of life? Can we not rightfully conclude that our Creator is purely good?
Being made in the image of our Creator, we have the capacity to reflect the goodness of our Heavenly Father to some extent, just as we have the ability to be happy and sad, disappointed and content, angry and pleased, as He.
How do you personally reflect the goodness of God? Do you lend a helping hand whenever you can? Do you treat everyone with equality? Are you happy when you hear of people doing good, and upset when you hear of injustice?
Here is how some folks reflect the goodness of our Creator:
Through serving others:
"I reflect goodness by being of service to others, from helping someone with a speech, a job interview, fixing a computer problem, dealing with health issues, to opening a door, giving a kind word of encouragement, doing volunteer work with teens, and just sitting and listening to someone with my full undivided attention." -Ronald Kaufman, Seminar Leader, Executive Coach, and Author, USA
Through gratitude:
"Reflecting the goodness of God is always about a constant attitude of gratitude. It is also about a personal inner conviction of that which is verily right. Trust, total dependency, understanding and faith in God point to ones appreciation of his unchanging love, mercy and grace. Sharing the truth about Gods unflinching love with others, being kind and giving unconditionally also express ones gratefulness. Lastly, being happy and content at all times mirror your absolute appreciation of Gods magnanimity." -Pastor Tele Opakunle, Founder of Zion City Ministries, USA
By treating others as oneself:
"I am reflecting the goodness of God in my life by being nice to others remembering to treat my neighbor as I would want to be treated. I handle things in life with the knowledge GOD is in control. I am an abuse survivor and lead an encouragement group for abuse survivors in my community." -Dana Rankin, Ordained Christian Minister and Entrepreneur, USA
Through giving:
"To me, every person reflects the goodness of God and does so most fully through giving. The size or substance of the gift is irrelevant; the act itself and the statement it makes are what's important. When we give to one another, we make the statement, 'I care about you and I am here for you.' Giving is a commentary on someone's worth, and lets them know that they aren't forgotten but rather in community together. I believe out of giving comes love and within love rests God. This is how I most fully reflect God." -Chase Brumfield, Creator of The Give Project L.L.C, USA
By living a constructive life:
"I reflect the goodness of God in my life by working to live a constructive life of love, understanding, compassion, honor, honesty and humility. God is whole and we are part of that whole. It is a choice to promote His goodness, light and love that is within us. When we do, we become a beacon of light for others, indirectly influencing them to promote these attributes also. In this way, we can help to transform the entire world into a place of love and peace, truly making as Jesus said, 'Heaven on earth.'" -Cindy L. Herb, Inspirational Author/Speaker, USA
By treating others with equality and love:
"God is not a respecter of persons; I try not to be either. My actions must not consider anyones social, economic, or spiritual status. In all things I hope to be authentic, honest, and consistent. Judgment is reserved for behaviors not for individuals. Before speaking or writing I look for love. If it isn't there I try not to speak or publish without further reflection." -Lynn Baber, Christian Writer and Director of Amazing Grays Ministry, USA
Through kindness:
"It isn't about attending church, quoting the Bible, prayer, or belief. Reflecting the goodness of God means to show only kindness to all things. This means being tolerant of those with different beliefs, showing respect and compassion, being patient, forgiving, and being generous. To live in harmony with life is the only thing that truly matters." -Tina Mansfield, USA
By helping kids:
"I was an unruly child, and now teen fans ask me for advice. I've been lucky enough to be able to help kids off of drugs, deal with racism, do better in school, pursue their dreams, and maintain their faith." -Anand Bhatt, Grammy Recognized Musician/Celebrity, USA
By teaching others about the value of each person:
"I reflect the goodness of God in two ways: 1) I teach patients that their bodies are a gift from God, and that taking optimum care of themselves, especially holistically, is an honor to god. 2) I teach doctors that their patients are a gift from God, that each person is God's unique creation, and that patients should never be taken advantage of." -Dr. Tom Potisk, Author
By overcoming evil with good:
"I told [my children] that when other people, even your own family members, behave in a manner that we perceive as evil, we retain the choice to be good, to become who we want to be as people rather than who our enemies would like to force us to become. Your enemies will justify their evil intentions and actions against you if you stoop to their level, and they will continue to harm others. Even when we fail to live up to our own personal ideal, keep trying. Try not to react to the hateful things that other people do. I teach them that in the face of harshness, we can still choose to perform 'random acts of senseless kindness' towards others." -Liora Farkovitz, Strategic Business & Product Developer, USA
By making others happy:
"In all reality, anything that makes one self or another person feel spiritually happy is a reflection of God. I truly believe that I am here on this earth to live happy, to help others be happy, and promote happiness in all walks of life which is showing the presence of God through myself. Being kind to others that are feeling down helps me bring the good spirit back into their life to show them that someone does care." -Eric Woolf, Web Developer, USA
Through blessings:
"I attempt to greet everyone before they greet me, as they are made in God's image. I smile every chance I get, because the world is full of blessings. And I make blessings on every piece of food that goes in my mouth, and on my shoes in the morning, and for my eyes, and my wits, as long as I have them!" -Alexander Seinfeld, Writer and Teacher, USA
Through the fruit of the Holy Spirit:
"When I am faced with hate, I offer love. When someone feels joy, I rejoice with them. When I hear of war, I pray for peace. When trials drag on, I find my strength. When someone is harsh, I react with kindness. When someone wrongs me, I offer them goodness. When someone feels weak, I offer my faith." -Elaine K. Stephen, Christian Work-at-Home Mom, Sole Proprietor of the Inspirational Gift Gallery, USA
Key to Reflecting the Goodness of God...
The key to reflecting the goodness of God lies in Elaine's response above: the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Since the beginning of the year, I have covered an element of the fruit every month, which is the quality God wishes to develop in each person. The fruit consists of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control. However, as you know already, we cannot fully develop the fruit on our own. Thus, if we desire to reflect the goodness of God to its fullest extent, we must allow Jehovah to develop this fruit in us by having faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. (Faith equals love, so that means loving Jesus.) Remember what Jesus said: "Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can't bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me. I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:4-5, WE
If you trim off a branch from a fruit tree, that branch will no longer be fruitful. But if you graft the branch back onto a fruit tree, that branch will again be productive. Likewise, as mere branches, we do not have the power to perfectly reflect the goodness of God. We need a potent life force to help us do so, and that is Jesus.
Do you want to be like your Heavenly Father and reflect His pure goodness? Then you must be grafted onto Jesus! Need grafting procedures? No problem, just e-mail me by replying to this newsletter, and I'd be more than glad to lead you to perfect grafting.
~*~Q&A with Shirley~*~
This month's question is from my good friend Amanda.
Question: What do you think about destiny? Do you think that everything is predestined?
Answer: To answer this question, we must know one fact about human beings. The fact is that all human beings are granted with what is called free will. "Free will" means that we have the ability and power to decide what we want on our own. We can choose what to do, what to say, where to go, whom to meet, and so forth. Thus, we are solely responsible for our actions. We are not born with a life already planned out beforehand by God.
In conclusion, our lives are not predestined. If you believe in destiny and predestination, you will also have to believe that some people are destined to be murderers, thieves, and cheaters, so how can we blame any criminals for their crimes when they have no control over what they do?
However, there is a kind of predestination God has set. To help us understand this concept, let us say that you want to build a house. You plan that in two years from now, your dream house will be built, no matter what obstacles you may face. Your "dream house in two years" is what you have predestined—it is your predestination. But as for every detail—like exactly who will build the house for you, on which days it will snow or rain, the cost of the project down to every penny—are not planned out. You will not foretell or predestine every single detail or action of your project, but you know you will have the house built in two years.
Likewise, God has predestined, for example, that only good people will fill the Earth one day, but He did not predestine exactly who those individuals will be. He does not plan, "Tom and Sarah will be included, and Ed and Dave will not." Instead, He allows each individual to determine their future through their personal actions. So the divine will of Jehovah will always be fulfilled regardless of what happens—the same way when our goals will be realized as long as we are resolved to achieve them. This is predestination.
This is why Jehovah God urges people to do good, not evil. Why would He urge us to do good if He already predestined our actions?
We hold our destinies in our own hands. Each day, we should make wise decisions that will lead us to a bright future. Remember:
"Depart from evil, and do good.
Live securely forever.
For Yahweh loves justice,
and doesn't forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
The righteous shall inherit the land,
and live in it forever."
(Psalm 37:27-29)
~*~Shirley's Corner~*~
I'll soon be releasing my ebook on independent publishing and promotion—it's about time, after putting off the project for over a year! I'm collecting book promotion secrets/tips from authors; do you have secrets that you'd like to share? But they will have to be *your* tips—things that actually worked for *you*. If you do, send them my way, and you'll be fully credited. Thank you in advance!
~*~A Biblical Ending~*~
"Don't you know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run like that, that you may win. Every man who strives in the games exercises self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible." (I Corinthians 9:24-25, WE
Enjoy July, and see you next month!
Content Copyright by Shirley Cheng; All rights reserved
You are permitted to only give out or link to this website or post; all other distribution and copying is prohibited without the prior written permission of Shirley Cheng. Contact Shirley at www.shirleycheng.com
Did you get this from a friend's forward and would like to subscribe? Then send a blank e-mail to subscribe@shirleycheng.com from the e-mail address you'd like to sign up under.
Award-Winning Author with 26 Book Awards
Proclaimer of Jehovah's Good News
Author/Contributor/Editor of 32 books by age 27, Poet, Motivational Speaker, Self-Empowerment Expert, Advocate
Board member of World Positive Thinkers Club http://www.shirleycheng.com
Having a bad day? Then meet Shirley Cheng, A.K.A. the modern day Helen Keller, to inspire, empower, and motivate you to go for the gold medal in life!
"Although I'm blind, I can see far and wide; even though I'm disabled, I can climb high mountains. Let the ropes of hope in Jehovah God haul you high!"
Sign up to Inspiration from a Blind newsletter by sending an e-mail to: subscribe@shirleycheng.com
Please sign the Parental Rights in Children's Medical Care: Give Parents the Right to Say No Petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/parentr7/petition.html
