On February 23, 2020, Chitetsu Watanabe did in Nigate, Japan as the oldest man on Earth. Mr. Watanabe was ten days short of being 113 years old. He was born on March 5, 1907.
After the Guinness World Records recognized him as the World’s Oldest Living Man, Mr. Watanabe become known for his response to the question regarding the secret to longevity. His answer was, “…not to get angry and keep a smile on your face.” 1
The Bible speaks to removing anger and not focusing on anger. Consider these passages,
“Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.” (Psalms 37:8)
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (James 1:19-20)
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” (Ephesians 4:31)
For Christians, anger can be a fire which consumes our thoughts and our soul. Focusing on anger causes individuals to lose their focus on God and His ability to take care of His people. (Romans 8)
When you get angry, where do your thoughts go? God wants to hear from His people. He wants us to share our thoughts with Him. He cares for us and wants us to go to Him. (1 Peter 5.7)
When you get angry, do you remember that God is in control?
Take time to consider why you get angry and remember that God is in control. Since God is always in control, we can smile. We know he cares for us. Remember Psalm 55.22.
On November 22, 1986, Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight boxing champion of all time. His fame ultimately deteriorated to infamy, which makes one of his most famous quotes so poignant because it’s autobiographical. He said, and it’s often been repeated with variance, “Everybody has a plan until they get hit.” The year 2020 began with a lot of plans until we got hit. (1)
2020 has been a tough year for many. Each one has felt the effects of this traumatic time. However, as we enter August, what does it mean for Christians?
The words of Jesus from Matthew 6.34 come to mind every week, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
While each of us know these words, in times like the current, these words might be hard to comprehend. It is important that we remember Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13.8). He has sat down at the right hand (Hebrews 12.2) has not left us to fend for our own, but made a way for us to access the Father (1 Timothy 2.5).
God wants to hear from you, and we need to communicate with Him (Luke 18.1). Even when we do not know what to say (maybe in a time like this) His spirit intercedes for us with groanings too strong for words (Romans 8.26).
While we may have had a plan for 2020, our plans probably changed. Remember, just because our plans may have changed, our citizenship in Heaven should have not changed (Philippians 3.20).
Let each of us talk to our Father and approach Him knowing that His Son has made a way for us. May we be blessed.
Before you read on, take note that the only thing that “makes” us give up being a Christian is us. While one might blame other things, people or teachings, the fact is that it is one’s decision. Various factors may affect our decision, but ultimately, the decision is still our responsibility.
With that in mind, consider the findings from Amy Black. Dr. Black is a political science professor at Wheaton College in Illinois, and the author of Honoring God in Red or Blue. She earned her Ph.D. in political science at MIT and is a leader in research on the intersection of religion and politics.
In a 2019 interview, Dr. Black shared the following disconcerting information: “Studies show that party identity is even stronger than religious identity for many people. That means many ‘Christians’ would stop being a Christian before they stopped being a Democrat or Republican.” She paused and then added, “Think about that.”
For a moment, think about that.
When Christ takes second place to politics or anything else, the results will not be good.
What would make you give up being a Christian?
Politics? Sports? Work? Fame? Fortune?
May we find the strength of faith that will allow us to place Christ at the forefront of all.
A broken promise hurts. A broken promise can cut very deep, wounding our soul, spirit and outlook.
However, a kept promise gets us motivated to continue forward. Even knowing that a promise made by a caring, honest and promise-keeping person pushes us in the direction we need to go. It is motivation. It is a fuel to continue.
Below are Nine Bible Promises to give you some motivation to keep going forward.
Enjoy.
Nine Promises to Keep You Motivated
The Promise of a Gift— “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” (Ephesians 4.7; ESV)
The Promise of the Son — “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2.29-32; ESV)
The Promise of the Spirit — “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8.26; ESV)
The Promise of God — “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13.5; ESV)
The Promise of a Rainbow — “When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” (Genesis 9.16; ESV)
The Promise of a Crown — “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4.8; ESV)
The Promise of Cleansing — “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1.7; ESV)
The Promise of Forgiveness — “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you…” (Matthew 6.14; ESV)
The Promise of Heaven — “And this is the promise that he made to us–eternal life.” (1 John 2.25; ESV)
What other promises from the Bible can you remember?
What other promises from the Bible keep you motivated to press toward the prize each day?
Life is hard. Some days it is easy and some days it can wear you out. From time to time, we can see the world around us and become discouraged by the turmoil and the problems. As Christians, we know that sin has cursed this world and is the root cause of the issues.
How can you stay motivated each week?
Remember why you began your spiritual journey. Think back to the moment you realized you were gogin to become a Christian, do you remember why you made that choice? Most of us made that choice because we knew Christ was our only hope (1 Peter 1.3-6; Ephesians 2.8-10)
Keep your goals in front of you. As humans, we can let the material cloud our vision, but we should not let the material get in our way of the spiritual. Remember to press onto the prize before us (Philippians 3.13-16)
Surround yourself with Christians. I know this may seem repetitive to here if month after month but remember to surround yourself with people of the same mindset (Philippians 2.5) and the same goals (Hebrews 3.13).
