Reflection

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Praying for wisdom may increase your exam points

Jasmijn sent a nice testimony from the youth group. Hadewych gave permission to publish it.

Jasmijn explains:

“Later on they told stories about the persecution they experience because of their faith, especially during religion class. Nearly all of them explained how hard it was to express their personal opinion on a test. If they really do it, they often loose points because the teacher has a different opinion.

Giving and receiving

Theo and Maria needed wood for this winter. Theo, at present 74 years young, healthy and strong, had already looked around here and there. One day in beginning of April that year he prayed for it. He remembered God His promise in Malachi 3 where stands “that you can test God when giving tenths and sacrifices”. He prayed frankly: “Lord, I give You faithfully my tenths and sacrifices; You promise that in that case You would open the windows of heaven and pour blessings in abundance over me. I ask this only once: I need wood badly”.

Sorting!

In Belgium we figured it out: the time that you could just dump your trash on the sidewalk for the garbage truck to pick it up is long gone. Television, glass, cans, green waste… everything used to end up in 1 bag, cart or box. If people back then would have told us one day we would be sorting that junk ourselves, we would have had a good laugh about it. Now, as the years have passed, we are there: we are so used to sorting the stuff, that we are shocked when we find someone that does not do so, because it serves our environment!

So who did invent sorting really? God, of course!
You could object that when God created the world there was no paper trash nor were green waste containers required. But God taught us how to sort more than merely visible trash. He also taught us sorting our thoughts, a practice that, if well done, contributes to a happy life.

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly thing” (Colossians 3:2) is His commandment. “demolish strongholds… that sets itself up against the knowledge of God…” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6) is another advice He gave us. After all these years some of us have still not excelled in this type of sorting. All too often we still fill ourselves with every possible thought and junk that we can find, the media being well-willing to serve our every need...

With the holidays coming up my suggestion to you is this: try sorting your thoughts, leading them instead of them leading you. This type of sorting will change your life, and in time, the whole world!

Enjoy your holidays!
Many blessings,

Hugo