Vegetable Soup

Daily Devotional Time May 18 What Drives Your Life? This is my devotion last week until now. I've been distracted so sometimes I miss a day of the time I spent with God for quiet time. A time to hear, time to learn, time to grow, time to evaluate, time to share and time to live it out. It's a big question "What drives your life?"; this is my first time I'm going to blog my devotion and I'll be glad to share it. The book I'm using for my devotion is "Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren and Bible, I'm also writing a journal for every topic to study and evaluate at the same time for future sharing. "I observe that the basic motive for success is the driving force of envy and jealousy!" -Ecclesiastes 4:4 "The man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder --- a waif, a nothing, a no man." -Thomas Carlyle What is the driving force in our life? When I was reading this I got blanked to the question not because nothing enters to my head, but because there's a lot of things struck my head. As I ask it repeatedly there's a lot of things drives my life problems, pressure, even deadlines. Also there's painful memory, haunting fear, or an unconscious belief. As I go through the topic Rick Warren shares 5 most common that drives an individuals life: Many people are driven by guilt 'Guilt' according to the dictionary its the fact of having committed a legal offeb\nse or trangressed the moral law. For my entire life, every bit of story of my life there's guilt and I always regret by shame. My very own memories are one that drives my life mostly there's often times that I can't move on because the I linger too much to the past that my future are already affected meaning I am sabotaging my own self 'cos of it. And the most crucial part I'm disconnecting myself to God. God's Solution: Purpose is not limited by our past - He turned a murderer named Moses into a leader -He turned a coward named Gideon into a courageous hero -He can do amzing things with the rest of our life, too. Bible Says: "What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven!...What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God gas cleared their record." -Psalms 32:1 Many People are driven by Resentment and Anger Ouch! This is a tough part resentment and anger (I'm being convicted here). I've been here and just got there. While evualting myself to these two from before and now there's a big gap or difference. It says to the book that people hold on to hurts and never get over them. Insted of releasing the pain through forgiveness, they repeat it over and over in their minds. Very unhealthy and unhelpful. That's go the same for me, I'm to resenting to people who hurt me even I tried to tell myself I'll move on still in the back of it I don't. It will only lead to bitterness, hate and anger. What happened? Nothing it just hurt me back repeatedly. Learning from mistake can't bite it will just take all time to realize where and how to start. FORGIVENESS might be out of our dictionary still to have peace of mind learn from and it take time to kneel and pray. "Those who have hurt you in the past cannot continue to hurt you now unless you hold on to the pain through resentment. YOUR PAST IS PAST! Nothing will change it. God's solution: For your own sake learn from it, and then let it go. Bible says: "To worry yourself to death with resentment would be foolish, senseless thing to do." -Job 5:2 Many people are driven by Fear Yes! Fear, all of us have fears either from a traumatic experience, unrealistic expectations, growing up in high-control homem, or even genetic predisposition. I myself are driven by traumatic experience. Dark past that stained my entire being, those time I'm almost at peek to giving up life. I'm blinded by it and never get the chance to see great opportunities before. I lock myself because I am afraid. Playing it safe, avoiding risks and trying to maintain statu quo. 'Fear' acoording to the dictionary it is the instinctive emotiona aroused by impending or seeming danger, pain or evil. In other term it become our self-imposed prison that will keep us frim becoming what God intentends for us to be. God's solution: Weapons of faith and love Bible says: "Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life --- fear of death, fear of judgement --- is one not yet fully formed in love." -1 John 4:18 June 07 Many people are driven by Materialism During the night of June 07 this topic hit me the post. Got lot of materials in my life that becomes my needs, necessity or what's worst the word WANTS. -Desire becomes the whole goal of life -Having more will make me more happy, more important, more secure Those 3's are untrue. Possessions only provide temporary happiness. Things do not change, we become bored with it, then we want newer, bigger, better versions. It's a myth that if I get more, I will be more important. (I think only few people think that now a days.) note: Self worth and net worth are not the same. Our value is not determined by our valuables. Another myth is having more will make me more secure (talking about money). Yes! Now a days money is important, but if the way of approah to it is different. We become greed people. Well secure definitely NOT! Wealth can be lost instantly through a variety of uncontrollable factors. God's solution: The most valuable things in life are not things! Real security can only be found in that which can never taken from you- your Relationship to God Many people are driven by the need for approval 'people conrol lives' -peer pressure -unpleasable parents We are always worried by what others might think. There's this phrase says, "Those who follow the crowd usually get lost in it." I agree to Rick Warren "One key to failure is to try to please everyone. Being controlled by the opinions of others." I've experienced that with people that I almost lay my life even my decision to them. God's Solution: Knowing His purposes There are other forces that can drive an individual's life but all lead to dead end: unused potential, unnecessaery stress, and unfulfilled life. God's purpose: Life guided, conrolled and directed. Bothing matters more that knowing God's purposes. Nothing matters more than knowing God' purposes for our life and nothing can compensate for not knowing thme- not success, wealth, fame, or pleasure. without a purpose, life is motion w/o meanin, eactivity w/o direction, and events w/o reason. W/o a purpose, life is trivial, petty, and pointless.

-RICK WARREN