¹⁸ If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace;
if you accept correction, you will be honored.

No one is perfect, and even experts don’t know it all. The most successful people in the world, and the smartest people in the world, have taken some constructive criticism along the way. Sometimes we fall into the trap of wanting to do things “our way” and become motivated by trying to prove that we can do things on our own. Opting to learn things the hard way is simply being stubborn. While there is some value in experimenting and finding things out on your own, ignoring or completely rejecting what others can offer is a mistake.

This is not to say that destructive criticism does not exist, or that there isn’t advice is better left not followed. You need to use discretion regarding criticism (read more on this). The point is that you can greatly benefit from humbling yourself enough to at least consider that other people may be right and you may be wrong sometimes. You can go a long way in life if you are able to remain secure while accepting correction from other people and use it to your advantage.

¹⁹ When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise.

Has your tongue ever gotten you in trouble? Can you remember a time when you, or someone you know, only made matters worse by continuing to talk? As a Christian, it is important to be careful what you say. In James 3 it reads: “Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. ⁶The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” It seems that the more we allow our mouths to open, the more opportunity there is for wrong. It takes great discipline to learn when not to speak. At times of anger, jealousy, and other weak circumstances, we can easily say whatever we feel like saying, and often sin in doing so. I have noticed in my own life that if I speak whenever a thought comes into my mind, not everything that comes out is godly or appropriate. Less speaking and more listening (to others and to the Spirit) is necessary in the Christian walk.

Be encouraged to practice the discipline of silence on a daily basis. That is not to say don’t speak at all. Be prayerful and use wisdom regarding what you will say before you allow your mouth to open. Don’t just let your tongue burn uncontrollably, saying whatever you feel like saying. Being selective about what you will say will guard your heart and improve your relationships with others and the Lord.

As a believer in Christ, it is important to honor God in your daily life. Regardless of the activities of the day, you can please God and bring Him glory. You might be home doing chores and taking care of children, or working ten hour days in the city. Either way, there is plenty of opportunity for you to allow the Lord to shine through you. Everything that you do will either please or displease God. Simply by choosing to do those things that are pleasing to Him is worshiping and honoring God. As a child of God, you have to make a daily effort to avoid those things that are contrary to God’s Word and ways.

The point is that you don’t have to leave the country on a missions effort or get involved with every church program and activity to serve God and please Him. While these things are a wonderful blessing for yourself and others, you shouldn’t feel guilty if your not “busy.” Just strive to please Jesus everyday. He may lead you to make an extra sacrifice here and there or do something out of the ordinary. Otherwise, if you are in close relationship with Him, and you consider God as you do your normal routine, you will lead a happy life and affect those around you positively.

Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you in those little areas of your life, and you will find it easy to handle those trying and unusual situations because you will sense where He is guiding you more readily. You will also find that with a heart full of praise even the most mundane tasks can be enjoyable, because He is always with you.

read more on this

I read a great article here: http://www.christiancharacter.net/truth/Facts_are_Relative.html called Facts are Relative.

This powerful message explains that you can’t base your life on facts because they are unstable and they can’t save you. The power of the truth in God’s Word can alter logical fact. Our circumstances are facts. Things might seem hopeless for you and it may not make sense to step out in faith in certain areas of your life. Regardless of the fact that you may not have a job right now, or your marriage isn’t doing well, the truth is that God can prosper you, He can heal you, and He can give you the desires of your heart. Pay attention to the truth that won’t change, and expect the facts to be altered.

Faith is not ignoring the facts, but it is understanding that the truth is more powerful than the facts.

¹ Early on Sunday morning,^[a] as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.

² Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. ³ His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. ⁴ The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.

⁵ Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. ⁷ And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”

⁸ The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. ⁹ And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”

The Report of the Guard

¹¹ As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened. ¹² A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe. ¹³ They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’ ¹⁴ If the governor hears about it, we’ll stand up for you so you won’t get in trouble.” ¹⁵ So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today.

The Great Commission

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!

¹⁸ Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,^[b] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

(Matthew 28 NLT)

³ When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. ⁴ “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”

“What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.”

⁵ Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.

⁶ The leading priests picked up the coins. “It wouldn’t be right to put this money in the Temple treasury,” they said, “since it was payment for murder.”^{[a] 7} After some discussion they finally decided to buy the potter’s field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners. ⁸ That is why the field is still called the Field of Blood. ⁹ This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah that says,

“They took^[b] the thirty pieces of silver—
the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel,
¹⁰ and purchased the potter’s field,
as the Lord directed.^[c]”

Jesus’ Trial before Pilate

¹¹ Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. “Are you the king of the Jews?” the governor asked him.

Jesus replied, “You have said it.”

¹² But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent. ¹³ “Don’t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?” Pilate demanded. ¹⁴ But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor’s surprise.

¹⁵ Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd—anyone they wanted. ¹⁶ This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas.^{[d] 17} As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” ¹⁸ (He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)

¹⁹ Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.”

²⁰ Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death. ²¹ So the governor asked again, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?”

The crowd shouted back, “Barabbas!”

²² Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”

They shouted back, “Crucify him!”

²³ “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”

But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”

²⁴ Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!”

²⁵ And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!”^[e]

²⁶ So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

²⁷ Some of the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into their headquarters^[f] and called out the entire regiment. ²⁸ They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. ²⁹ They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” ³⁰ And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it. ³¹ When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.

The Crucifixion

³² Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene,^[g] and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. ³³ And they went out to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). ³⁴ The soldiers gave him wine mixed with bitter gall, but when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.

³⁵ After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.^{[h] 36} Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. ³⁷ A sign was fastened to the cross above Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against him. It read: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” ³⁸ Two revolutionaries^[i] were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

³⁹ The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. ⁴⁰ “Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!”

⁴¹ The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. ⁴² “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! ⁴³ He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ⁴⁴ Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way.

The Death of Jesus

⁴⁵ At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. ⁴⁶ At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,^[j] lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”^[k]

⁴⁷ Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. ⁴⁸ One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. ⁴⁹ But the rest said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”^[l]

⁵⁰ Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. ⁵¹ At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, ⁵² and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. ⁵³ They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.

⁵⁴ The Roman officer^[m] and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

⁵⁵ And many women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to care for him were watching from a distance. ⁵⁶ Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee.

The Burial of Jesus

⁵⁷ As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus, ⁵⁸ went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him. ⁵⁹ Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. ⁶⁰ He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left. ⁶¹ Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching.

The Guard at the Tomb

⁶² The next day, on the Sabbath,^[n] the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. ⁶³ They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ ⁶⁴ So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.”

⁶⁵ Pilate replied, “Take guards and secure it the best you can.” ⁶⁶ So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it.

(Matthew 27 NLT)

Do you need the resurrection power of Jesus to revive some area of your life? Maybe your finances are dead. Perhaps there isn’t much life left in your marriage. Maybe circumstances have killed your joy. Whatever it is that you need today, believe that Jesus is alive and is available to meet those needs for you. Pray, ask for his help and his wisdom. Repent for your sins and thank him for the sacrifice that he made in order to give you an abundant life. Receive his love today.

Remember that Jesus is alive everyday, and that we should acknowledge him always. Don’t forget his horrible death and fantastic resurrection, because these events are true everyday of the year. His love for you is real, so accept it and celebrate it always.

I would like to offer you some encouragement. Between you and the Lord, you have all the power you need to achieve your goals and dreams. You have to focus on pleasing God and only him, not other people. There is no need to prove your abilities to anyone. If you believe that the anointing of the Lord is upon you, and that you are doing what you have been called to do, that is all that matters. Don’t allow negativity, doubts, and fears to plague your mind and turn you from the path to greatness. Every amazing success story begins with hard times, and these stories almost always include memories of people telling these successful people that they can never get where they plan to go.

Here are some scriptures to stand on as you move forward towards your goals:

Philippians 4:13 (New Living Translation)

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Luke 1:37 (New International Version)

37 For nothing is impossible with God.”

Proverbs 13:4 (New Living Translation)

4 Lazy people want much but get little,
but those who work hard will prosper.

Joshua 1:8 (Amplified Bible)

8 This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.

Galatians 6:9 (Amplified Bible)

9 And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.

¹⁹ “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. (NLT)

Earthly possessions are temporary, and they should not be what we value the most. If we value our relationships with Christ and focus on things of eternal importance, we can face economic adversity with contentment, knowing that our needs will be met.

What do you truly value in life? It is time to re-evaluate our priorities, and make sure that our hearts are not vulnerable to the pain of parting with earthly pleasures and possessions. If you are having financial problems, pray, and ask God to give you wisdom. You will probably find that if you are willing to part with certain non-essential things, and live a more simple life, your situation will improve.

God knows how to take care of you. The question is: Will you allow Him to take care of you?

³¹ “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ ³² These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. ³³ Seek the Kingdom of God^[d] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

³⁴ “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Trust in the Lord, keep Him first, and He will help you in your time of need. If you are not struggling, find ways to help others who might be. The Lord loves us, and it is his will that we live abundantly. Focus on His Word, and you will be prosperous. (Joshua 1:8)

Don’t let this be the only time of year when you remember the goodness of God. Make a regular habit of thanking God for the little things and the big things that He does for you. Even if you are having a hard time right now, if you think about it hard enough, you will find something to thank Him for. Take advantage of this holiday, and renew the habit of showing appreciation for all that you do have, and don’t worry about what you don’t have.

Thank you, Jesus, for all of the blessings that you have given me. I know that there are so many people who do not have what I have. I know that even though things don’t go my way sometimes, you are in control. You, Lord, are always listening, watching, and taking care of me. Thank you so much for where you have brought me from, and where you are taking me. I love you. AMEN.