A Winning Behaviour

I believe that one of the Difference making behaviors is what we call “Proactivity”. I know it is a term I am borrowing from the work environment yet it is a life style and behavior you can see across your day. Allow me to share a definition to Proactive behavior “ It involves acting in advance of a future situation, rather than just reacting. It means taking control and making things happen rather than just adjusting to a situation or waiting for something to happen.” I can´t stop myself admiring the Proactive people, they just capture my respect, think of the waiter who saw you dropping your napkin on the floor and quickly hurries to pick it up and provide you with new one without you even noticing you dropped that napkin at first place...think of the lady helping you in your house cleaning seeing you finding difficulty keeping the kids room tidy and comes up with a new way to set it up and minimize the mess...At work, think of your team member seeing an inefficient process involving different areas, then without being asked, starts moving the ball to find a solution and gets it done! All of the above are individuals that surely do not pass unnoticed in their environment. These people are always two steps ahead of the rest!

When it comes to our spiritual world, we tend to get relaxed about the needed life behaviors, we tend to be on the receptive side and accept that our lives are just the way they are, taken control of, rather than us having a role in keeping it Alive and Burning with Passion. I love the passage in Acts 2, just after the Pentecost we just celebrated lately, Paul stood in the midst of the multitude, preaching, with full power and authority given to Him by the Holy Spirit just received, the Love of God through His Son Jesus Christ…and just check the way his audience reacted:
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles,

 “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37 NIV)
فلَمّا سمِعوا نُخِسوا في قُلوبهِمْ، وقالوا لبُطرُسَ ولِسائرِ الرُّسُلِ: «ماذا نَصنَعُ أيُّها الرِّجالُ الإخوَةُ؟». (2 أعمالُ الرُّسُلِ:37 )

They did not just hear the Word and went each one to his own normal life, but decided to take control and make things happen, changing the reality and seeking a better life, a better future under the loving wings of This Heavenly Father. They asked for action to act on it, they did not just accept a receptive life, in which routine is the norm and the known was the comfort zone. They joined the call and guess what…They Changed the face of HISTORY since then! What started with a bunch of proactive listeners turned to billions of life changing believers across generations. They did not just Listen, but they EMBRACED the Word, and Proactively ACTED in Faith towards a new world renewing experience!

Dear God, I ask today for a proactive spirit in each one of us…We had enough listening, and keep listening only. We had enough being content with the mediocre and the normal, we ask for Your Spirit to come and lift us higher to new grounds of Actions changing the course of our lives towards a better world and an exciting journey with You on this earth..and for eternity. Let us have the spirit of those who asked “What Shall we do?”…Let us bring to you Today this question…and be ready for a Proactive Soaring Spirit. In Jesus Name. Amen!

Making a difference is a decision…be Proactive!

DIY (Do It Yourself)

Are you a Handy person? the one talented in fixing, mounting, and assembling? I am NOT! Luckily I have a dear friend that is a great handy man…and i am sure each of us “non-handy” persons know a friend that happily comes to your home with his tool kit to start fixing the table, hanging the frames on the walls, or just glueing back pieces of a broken vase! It is said that crisis in Europe, and specially here in Spain has led to a boom in all that has to do with DIY tool shops. Suddenly with less money, people were forced to fix their broken stuff rather than buy new ones and learn how to do it themselves rather than send it to a repair shop which will charge them quite a sum for a repair service. This even reached Kids toys, you can find now section of toys as a first “DIY Kit for kids". My daughters were so happy with the glue, they started repairing even the non-broken stuff. One day, a mug hit the floor and lost a piece, they tried to glue it but still it spilled out the milk they drink…at the end they realized it was irreparable, and became useless. What would you do with a Broken Mug?!

I was so moved reading Psalm 31 and the descriptive metaphor David uses to show how lost he felt, how useless he perceived himself:

I am forgotten like a dead man, and out of mind; like a broken vessel am I. (Psalm 31:12 AMP)
نُسيتُ مِنَ القَلبِ مِثلَ المَيتِ. صِرتُ مِثلَ إناءٍ مُتلَفٍ. (31 المَزاميرُ:12 )

Like a broken vessel beyond repair, a feeling that attacks many of us across the journey of life. The great news is that we know THE Great Handy Man in History, the one who put you together in the first place, the One that no matter how shattered in pieces your heart might be, or how broken you come out of a tough experience, He is willing to take you and make you all NEW again, New and Perfect in the eyes of the Master Potter!

"And the vessel that he was making from clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he made it over, reworking it into another vessel as it seemed good to the potter to make it." (Jeremiah 18:4 AMP)
ففَسَدَ الوِعاءُ الّذي كانَ يَصنَعُهُ مِنَ الطّينِ بيَدِ الفَخّاريِّ، فعادَ وعَمِلهُ وِعاءً آخَرَ كما حَسُنَ في عَينَيِ الفَخّاريِّ أنْ يَصنَعَهُ. (18 إرميا:4)

Dear Lord, how many times we decided that all the fixing within us has to be DIY, has to come from within or from surroundings, how many times we tried to fix our broken vessel, glueing it with work, outings, self help, sports, entertainment…but still this vessel leaks and gets useless in our eyes. I thank you for the Loving Father you are, for the Comfort you send through your Spirit and for the Guaranteed Repair you offer in your eternal workshop in Prayer!

And you…Do you still have a broken Mug Somewhere? The repair shop is Open 24/7!

Keep shining my friends!

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18 NIV)

God V2.0

The excitement of a new phone is an unparalleled feeling these days. Every phone owner knows what it feels to upgrade his handset and get the newest launched version (be it a fan of Samsung S6 or an iPhone 6 follower). Suddenly, your old phone-that used to be your amazing mind blowing super advanced phone-becomes so old and out of date. No new tricks, no amazement. Yes, One day you held it dear to your heart, you stayed in long lines to buy it, you showed it off to everyone, you posted about owning it, and cleaned off fingerprints every once a while. It is normal! With your new phone, a new leap of technology and options, a whole new level of wonder and admiration marks the first few days and weeks, and by time the passion wears of until a newer version is soon to be launched in the market.

We have been treating God the same way, we wait for the moments of launch, a new version, an excitement that mainly comes around Christmas and Easter, moments of looking at the wonders in Christ. Sooner than later, this hype wears off and we find that the world can give much more options, tangible ones that lure our eyes away, and the once Standing-in-long-lines-Church entrance, the hours-of-prayers in services, the Facebook-religious-filled timeline becomes just an old version of excitement…replaced back with the newer thing that pleases your heart. Yes you Love Christ, but may be the tricks you wait for don’t keep you that excited. You miss seeing in Him the life-changing, daily-renewing, sin-forgiving God that He truly is. You want a new trick and you are not given one!

This is not new! During the last days of Jesus, we meet Herod, who as The Book states, was so excited seeing Jesus, asked Him to show a trick or act a miracle, but Jesus knew that this man´s excitement is going to fade once these wonders become normal, Jesus knew Herod´s drive, seeking God´s pocket and wonders not seeking His heart and a life time relationship. In front of such request of a trick, Jesus stood silent, did not give him even a word! and then, as an old phone, Herod kicked Jesus out and pushed Him away in anticipation for the next excitement his servants would bring in.

"When Herod saw Jesus, he was very happy. He had heard all about him and had wanted to meet him for a long time. Herod wanted to see a miracle, so he was hoping that Jesus would do one. He asked him many questions, but Jesus said nothing. Then Herod and his soldiers laughed at him. They made fun of him by dressing him in clothes like kings wear. Then Herod sent him back to Pilate." (Luke 23:8-9, 11 ERV)
وأمّا هيرودُسُ فلَمّا رأى يَسوعَ فرِحَ جِدًّا، لأنَّهُ كانَ يُريدُ مِنْ زَمانٍ طَويلٍ أنْ يَراهُ، لسَماعِهِ عنهُ أشياءَ كثيرَةً، وتَرَجَّى أنْ يَرَى آيَةً تُصنَعُ مِنهُ. وسألهُ بكلامٍ كثيرٍ فلَمْ يُجِبهُ بشَيءٍ. فاحتَقَرَهُ هيرودُسُ مع عَسكَرِهِ واستَهزأَ بهِ، وألبَسَهُ لباسًا لامِعًا، ورَدَّهُ إلَى بيلاطُسَ. (23 لوقا:8-9, 11 AVDDV)

While the Marys that fell in Love with their Saviour Jesus, the Lord they thought was dead, and they expected to see no wonders from a dead man, they went with there essences to anoint His body, with hearts full of love few last minutes with their Master. Behold, for their Loving hearts beating Clear to the ears of our Lord, He showed them the Miracle of Miracles and the Wonder that Herod could never even dream of witnessing…they witnessed His Resurrection and Victory over death! What a Glory!

The men said to them, “Why are you looking for a living person here? This is a place for dead people. Jesus is not here. He has risen from death.(Luke 24:5-6 ERV)

Are you waiting for God V2.0, a new version every Easter and Christmas to get some excitement around the season or is it a personal relation, a life time journey, where you seek Him rather than His tricks! He has a lot for each one of us, just let´s come seeking His heart not His Pocket!

Which of them are you seeking? Are you Herod or one of the Marys?

Keep shining my friends!

Give me the Calculator!

Studying with your kids can make you learn new stuff on the way! Given I am a finance guy, the kids believe their father is the Math know-it-all, at the end of the day, I am all day adding and subtracting as they say. Couple of days ago, doing some math homework with Leila, staring at her exercises sheet: 

Leila broke the “Study Focus Silence”: Papi, can you please give the calculator please. I saw you using it. It is much easier.
Me: Leila that´s not the point.
Leila (with a disappointed tone): But Why should I spend too much time trying while I can get the answer right away.
Me: You know Leila, you need to understand how it is solved and the concept behind it. The calculator won’t help with that. I am next to you here to explain how we shall solve it. I am not leaving you alone with it.
Leila (excited back again): Yes, better, because if the calculator is out of battery I won’t do anything, and I won’t be even able to explain to the rest of the class how I solve it.
Me: Exactly!
………………………..

Me: Oh God, why do I have to go through this pain, through this pressure, test, problem. Just Take it away now. Don let me go through it. You have the calculator, Give it to me.
God: Do you remember Joseph, before reaching high up in the Egyptian kingdom ranks, was betrayed by his brothers, was put unjustly to Jail, left there for a while. I didn´t hand him the calculator, but I was there with him all the way, and Joseph did not deny the work of my Hands. Just read this carefully, after he was sold in Egypt as a slave:

"The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master." (Genesis 39:2 NIV)
وكانَ الرَّبُّ مع يوسُفَ فكانَ رَجُلًا ناجِحًا، وكانَ في بَيتِ سيِّدِهِ المِصريِّ. (39 التَّكوينُ:2 )

and when he was put in Jail:
"The Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden." (Genesis 39:2, 21 NIV)
ولكن الرَّبَّ كانَ مع يوسُفَ، وبَسَطَ إليهِ لُطفًا، وجَعَلَ نِعمَةً لهُ في عَينَيْ رَئيسِ بَيتِ السِّجنِ. (39 التَّكوينُ:21 AVDDV)

and After all that He knew the lesson, and brought back the praise to Me in front of his brothers, to the One who didn’t leave him alone:
"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (Genesis 50:20 NIV)
أنتُمْ قَصَدتُمْ لي شَرًّا، أمّا اللهُ فقَصَدَ بهِ خَيرًا، لكَيْ يَفعَلَ كما اليومَ، ليُحييَ شَعبًا كثيرًا. (50 التَّكوينُ:20 )
………………………….

We always ask God to hand us the calculator, blinding our eyes to the fact that tests are for our strength, our growth, and for us to experience what problems others one day can face. He didn’t promise a Full Spring, but He promised He is always with us even through the Toughest Storms.

Get your learning today, rest assured that The Master is not leaving you alone, but wants you to know how to face it with Him, so others ask you and you shall have the answer, the know how, The Key!

Keep shining my Friends!