Author: insightbyseymour

Life Links

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

Links Puzzle Showing Website ContentMy thoughts this morning are on a four letter word. You can rest easy, it’s not the “wash your mouth out with soap” kind of word. “Link” is the word that has my attention, and it means, “to bend, turn, lead and to bind, fasten, to couple.”

When I think of a link, I generally do so with the picture of a chain in my mind. Let’s put this picture on an easel and with a stroke or two of a brush we can refashion this image, and make it a useable tool for daily use.

Now that the image of LINK has been touched up, we can see it in a new light: Listen, Inquire, Note, Know

LINK is a very useable formula or tool you can use to deepen your relationship with God, and it is a concept that is seen in Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Listening is an important first step in knowing God. This involves the reading of God’s Word and the intentional focusing of your mind on Him. Calm down, relax, and recognize His presence. Take a deep breath and focus your thoughts on the Lord.

I think it is important to Listen before we Inquire. We should let God speak to us before we speak to Him. Think about, God already knows everything there is to know about us; and, when we take time to listen we get to know more about Him.

Be curious as you read and Inquire:
• Based on the verbs in the Scripture what am I to do?
• Obey a principle?
• Claim a promise?
• Share a truth?

Keep a notebook and pen handy, because it helps to Note the thoughts you have been given. These thoughts do not have to be long poetic sentences and theological paragraphs. They might just be a word or two, something to do, or the name of some person.

Now it’s time to get to Know God in prayer. To know someone, honesty is important—be honest with God. Tell Him how you feel, share your aches, pains, and desires.

In Romans 10:17, Paul said: “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” When you use the LINK formula, you are hearing God as He speaks to you and as you speak to Him.

What part of today will you take to “be still” so you can get to “know” God?

The Morning Essential: Caffeine

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

timcupI’m going to confirm what you may have suspected for some time: I’m a head-case. Not only am I a head-case, I’m a government certified, card-carrying, head-case!

Without boring you with too many details, I sustained a head injury while I served in the Air Force, and I’ve been plagued with daily headaches since 1972. Many different formulas have been prescribed to try to help me manage the pain, but nothing seems to work.

One of the pills I’ve tried consists of a blend of acetaminophen, butalbital, and caffeine. The acetaminophen is used to relieve inflammation and pain; the butalbital acts as a sedative relaxant; and the caffeine enhances the effects of the acetaminophen and butalbital.

Without the caffeine, the acetaminophen and butalbital would have some effect; however, for maximum effectiveness, the pill needs the presence of the caffeine.

I see a correlation between the effectiveness of the caffeine and the empowering and enlightening of the Holy Spirit that Paul wrote about in Ephesians: “I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the perception of your mind may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength.”

I guess you can say my morning routine includes caffeine and more caffeine. I begin by popping a K-Cup in my Keurig, going to my chair, and sipping my coffee as I ask for God’s Spirit to enlighten me as I read His word.

I know that I need to start every day with a fresh cup of His wisdom, and I invite you to join me—sip it in and live it out.

A Step Behind

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

1downwardHave you ever had one of those days where you felt like you just couldn’t get caught up? Well, if you felt like you were a step behind yesterday, you may be an hour late this morning.

If you didn’t move your clock forward an hour yesterday, you may have some problems this morning. Instead of running a little late to work or school, you’re still falling backwards and need to leap ahead one hour—ASAP!

Time is an often discussed subject in the pages of Scripture, and Paul wrote of it in Romans 13: “Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.”

The Apostle continued this theme when he wrote to the churches at Philippi and Colossae. In both letters he called on Christians to “redeem the time.” The word “redeem” is the Greek “exagorazó,” and it means to buy up. Paul was challenging people to buy up every opportunity to do what’s right, because of the downward spiral towards immorality.

Regardless of what you did with your seconds of yesterday, it is what you do with your minutes of today that is important. Yesterday is gone, but each hour of today is a gift from God, and they are ripe with the potential to change the future.

This truth is the focus of a discussion in The Fellowship of the Ring: “I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us (J.R.R. Tolkien).”

The question is not: “Are you having the time of your time?” The question that truly matters is this: “What are you going to do with the time of your life?”

Hand-Me-Down-Syndrome

/ insightbyseymour / 2 Comments

syndromeHand-Me-Down-Syndrome: I just checked Google, and I find no mention of it in a medical dictionary. Since this dreadful syndrome has afflicted most every person born into this world, its lack of mention is interesting

The first born child, often times, will not be fashioned by the hemlines of this condition, but she is directly involved in the distribution of this disorder. Prior to her birth, her mother, grandmother, aunts, and well-meaning family friends bought her cutesy, little pink girly dresses; and, within a few months she outgrows it all.

The Hand-Me-Down-Syndrome begins when the second child is born, and she gets the leftover hand-me-downs that had been previously worn by big sister. While this process is played out in many families, and it is a good money-saving practice, I received very little of what my older brother had worn. He was kind of a skinny, scrawny kid, and I was more robust—I much prefer robust to chunky!

This syndrome can manifest itself in either a negative or a positive fashion. As parents, we can pass-down unhealthy patterns of living (substance abuse, domestic violence, etc.), or we can be a guiding hand that provides positive re-enforcement.

Our children will mimic what we have modeled. Again, this can be either positive or negative. Paul gave a great example of this in his letter to Timothy: “I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also (2 Tim 1:3-5).”

Timothy was blessed by the powerful faith aspect of this syndrome. It began with his grandmother, was handed down to his mother, and Timothy dazzled the church as a fashion model of the faith.

How have you modeled your faith for your family? What are you handing-down and passing-on to them?

Head Games

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

skull3-01-111413-2344I came across some statistics from the National Institute of Mental Health concerning fear and worry. After reading the findings, I find myself fearing that people worry too much or, worrying that people fear too much.
The study by the NIMH indicates that:
• 60% of fears are over things that will never happen.
• 30% of fears are focused on things that happened in the past
• 90 % of fears are somewhat insignificant
• 88% are health-related fears (hypochondriacs)

The Anxiety and Depression Society of America has stated that anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older (18% of U.S. population). Uncontrolled worry can have a debilitating effect on a person’s appetite, relationships, job performance, and sleep.

Please pay attention to this: Whatever gets your attention gets you. The content of your thoughts determine the contentment of your life.

As you read this you might say: “You’re crazy! You don’t know what’s happening in my life!” Statements like this are externally focused. While it’s true there are times when we have no control over the externals of life, we do control the internals.

A key means of controlling the internals is to be introspective with a proper perspective. This is a technique that is at least as old as the Apostle Paul, who said: “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things.”

It takes discipline and practice to make this a habit. This is because many people are born with a negative bias in the way they see life. Research indicates that the brain is more likely to focus on negative feelings instead of positive feelings.

The brain’s focus on negative feelings has been called the FUD Factor (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt). When our thoughts are left unattended they wander into the wilderness of negativity and stumble into the cesspool of distress.

This is one reason Paul said that we need to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). Some thoughts can be wonderfully captivating; however, others are so powerful in their negativity a person becomes a prisoner of his own mind.

How aware are you of the hundreds of mental-messages that flash through your mind each day? Is your self-talk wholesome conversation that builds your self-esteem and glorifies God? 1index When you begin to recognize the pattern of your thoughts, you’ve taken the first step into the transformation that renews your mind (Romans 12:2).

Cider-ology

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

1Apgrind1I enjoy the quiet of the early morning hours. I sit in my chair, sip my coffee, and I reflect on God’s Word.

This morning, my thoughts have focused on the many decisions, some delightful and others rather dismal, that dot the pages of Scripture. One of the first to be made, was the decision of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden; another was the misstep of the Israelites that resulted in a 40 year march through the wilderness; and, one more of the many was the challenge of Joshua: “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . (Joshua 24:15).”

My real focus, however, is not the decisions themselves, but the word itself—the word “decide.” Decide is de-cide. We find “de” on words like de-ice and de-frost, and think of the “de” as meaning something like “off.”

The curious part of the word is the four letter syllable “cide.” It appears in words like homicide, suicide, and infanticide. These words speak of the death of a human by one means or another. Then there are the chemically related death words such as herbicide and pesticide.

So, I ask myself: “How can decide be related to these other cides?” Even though Latin is a “dead” language, it still gives life to our understanding of the English.
Cide come from a Latin root which means “cut” or “kill.” The idea is that when we decide to do something, we are “killing off” all possibilities except for one.

When Joshua called on the Israelites to “choose,” he was saying: “It is time to decide on which side you’ll abide.” They could either stay where they were and live like their forefathers or they could decide to follow Joshua and serve the Lord.

When Paul wrote to the Colossians, he challenged them to decide to: “Seek what is above . . . Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth.”

What kind of a CIDER are you? Have you decided to seek the things above or are you satisfied where you are in your spiritual journey?

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

prayerworldFIRST thing this morning, join hands and hearts with Christians in the Ukraine, and, PRAY for PEACE.

Psalm 63: O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory.

For more information on the call for prayer in the Ukraine and for the Christians there, read this article: Pastors Hope All-Night Prayer Vigil Prevents Russia from Invading Ukraine

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

bagpiper_playing_frontWith all that is happening in the world in general and in the Ukraine in particular, I thought I’d post this old Scottish blessing.

If there is righteousness in the heart
If there is righteousness in the heart,
there will be beauty in the character.
If there is beauty in the character,
there will be harmony in the home.
If there is harmony in the home,
there will be order in the nation.
If there is order in the nation,
there will be peace in the world.
So let it be
–Scottish Blessing

Lacking Anything?

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

alphabet-tech-color-punt-quest-012714-swaHosea 4:6 is a verse that addresses a heart that’s as frigid as today is cold: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”

The prophet Hosea called these people out because they had rejected knowledge and forgotten the law of God. When the context of these verses is read, it is apparent this was not a problem of being forgetful—these people were purposely neglectful.

There’s a tremendous difference between being ignorant of something and choosing to ignore what you know is right. Because these people chose to ignore the truth, they found themselves in a sad predicament: “There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, killing and stealing and committing adultery, they break all restraint with bloodshed upon bloodshed.”

With the proliferation of technology and the easy access to educational tools, “a lack of knowledge” is the result of choosing to ignore the truth of God’s Word. Take a careful look across the landscape that we call America. What is it that lies just beyond the horizon?

Shocker Nation

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

00PaperBagFanFair-weather fans can hardly be called true blue supporters. They’re in your corner as long as you are winning, but quickly boo you when things go wrong. I’ve thought about this since the Shockers made it to the Final Four last season.

Shortly after the advent of coach Marshall and his winning ways, Shocker memorabilia became a hot item. People proudly wear their wheat shock shirts, paint their finger nails in school themed colors, and adorn their cars with Wichita State bumper stickers.

These are some of the same people who wore paper sacks over their heads just a few years ago. Fickle fans they are.

I’m glad that fickle and fair-weather never sketch the image of God—It is the broad brush of faithfulness that paints His portrait.

Paul focused on the faithfulness of God, when he wrote his letter to the Romans: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword . . . Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Think about four words in the verses above: God is for us. To really grasp this truth, we need to move from the plural “us” to the singular “you.” God is for you!

I want you to say this spine-tingling, goose-bump generating truth aloud three times. Each time you say it emphasize a different word:

1. GOD is for me. The God of Heaven and Earth and the Creator of the world is for you.

2. God IS for me. Right now at this exact moment, God is for you. It is not that He has been in the past; might hopefully be in the future; but, tick-tock, in this present tense second of your life God is for you.

3. God is for ME. God is with you in a very personal way. He has even written your name on His hands (Isaiah 49:16).

God is not fickle, nor is He a fair-weather fan. Even when you’re the last one to cross the finish line, He is still waiting on you and cheering you on—“You can do it,” He shouts with pride.

You will never see Him in the bleachers with a paper sack over His head. Instead, He is there shouting: “That’s My son, that’s My daughter. Can you see the resemblance? They’re from the royal family and children of the King.”

Say, it one more time: GOD IS FOR ME!