SPIRITUAL ESPRESSO SHOTS OF WISDOM FROM THE BOOK OF PROVERBS
Starting the day with a perfect cup!
It seems we are always looking for the ‘magic pill’ or shortcut in life that will somehow fix all our problems and to overcome the challenges. What if the ability to overcome life’s challenges was less about trying to “fix” the mistakes we’ve made and instead to simply learn how to prepare for them, better yet, avoid them altogether? That special ability can only be found by drinking from the cup of wisdom.
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Below is a series of Wisdom Shots that I hope will I hope you will to start your day perfectly.
CHEERS
ACKNOWLEDGE A GREAT CUP OF COFFEE (BEFORE ITS TOO LATE)!
Proverbs 3:27 “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.”
Snippet - We generally discover too late that our ‘secret society of selfishness’ is in fact the worst membership we could ever be a part of. The incredible benefits we might reap from it in the short run, only destroys the very thing that we love most about it. When there is something, or someone, that is incredible and good in our lives, we should not hide it away, but shout it from the rooftops so that all can hear about it.
BRING AN EXTRA CUP TO SHOW SOMEONE YOU CARE
Proverbs 11:25 "A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed."
Snippet - How many lives have been saved by random acts kindness? How many school shootings, acts of violence, cruelty and memberships in hate groups have been prevented by simple acts of kindness by one individual? We will never know all of them. The most dangerous response is not having one at all.
REMEMBER, ITS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT THE COFFEE
Proverbs 24:11 "Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter."
Snippet - So when you're sipping your amazing cup of wisdom this morning and contemplating the coffee filled doughnut picture, just remember. It's ALL about the coffee (your relationship with God) and not the doughnut (religious distractions). Everything else is just a wonderful addition to your amazing day that is ahead of you.
HOT COFFEE NEEDS TO BE SIPPED SLOWLY
Proverbs 22:3 "The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty."
Snippet - What if... Just like with coffee, instead of rushing into something and getting burned, we took a moment before each decision in life to become 'prudent' (Websters definition - 'acting with or showing care and thought for the future') and thought about each decision or choice we were going to make. Imagine how much pain and suffering we could avoid and how amazing and peaceful the rest of the day would be.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - COFFEE TRANSFORMATIONS
Proverbs 27:14 "If anyone loudly blesses their neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse."
Snippet - So, if your spouse, brother or sister is one of those that needs to first spend time with God in order to transform, LET THEM. You will avoid a lot of pain and hurt feelings if you let them absorb that spiritual coffee first. They are more apt to sing with you, dance with you, and perhaps even listen to all your thoughts and dreams once they do. Just don't forget to listen to theirs too.
LOOKING FORWARD TO EACH CUP
Proverbs 19: 8 "The one who gets wisdom loves life; the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper."
When I read this proverb this morning, I could not help but think about the times I have shared about my discovery of a wonderful coffee shop, restaurant, or any other amazing and unique services that I had stumbled upon, only to have someone pull me aside and tell me to ‘keep my voice down’ followed by, “we don’t want others know about it and ruin it for us”.
Whether the incredible discovery was from dumb luck or diligent searching, it is as if you are now a valued member of a secret society that allows you to enjoy all the incredible benefits that membership holds, but only if you keep it a secret. Although incredibly selfish, on the surface it seems like a wonderful membership. Yet our keeping this secret to ourselves is incredibly harmful to the success of the coffee shop, restaurant or service that is struggling to survive because they cannot find enough customers. We eventually arrive at our secret society meeting place to find that it has been forced to close due to a lack of business. We then begin our search again, suffer in the process and wonder why there are not more around.
We might chuckle at the above 'secret society' concept, but emotionally and spiritually we can do the same to our spouse, friends, co-workers, employees, and even strangers. This world can be a very cruel and dangerous place for our hearts to live and many people are giving everything we have to survive it, while others are taking advantage of them. Whether it is an employer who does not acknowledge the incredible work that their employee provides them (or visa-versa), only to see them lose heart and leave. We talk a close friend who has been your greatest fan and supporter out of taking a new job, or from pursuing an amazing relationship out of fear we would lose them, only to see them grow unhappy and frustrated in life. Perhaps worst of all, we put off for ‘tomorrow’ telling our spouse how amazing they are, how beautiful they are, how much we love them and how grateful we are for all they do for us, only to wake up one morning to find God has called them home, or worse, they can no longer endure our ingratitude or lack of love and withdraw their broken hearts from us and/or give us back your wedding band.
We generally discover too late that our ‘secret society of selfishness’ is in fact the worst membership we could ever be a part of. The incredible benefits we might reap from it in the short run, only destroys the very thing that we love most about it. When there is something, or someone, that is incredible and good in our lives, we should not hide it away, but shout it from the rooftops so that all can hear about it. What we fail to realize in our selfishness is that instead of watching an incredible and treasured ‘coffee shop’ (a heart) close, it would inspire and encourage more hearts just like them to be created. There would be enough for everyone. When someone is amazing, no matter what it might be, tell them today. Do it now before it is too late!
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