I finished a book entitles The Traveler’s Gift by Andy
Andrews and I have to share some of the concepts. But, this won’t be a spoiler!
This book has not changed my life, yet! It will only change me if I put the
seven concepts into practice. The sunburn cream only works if it is applied, not started at in the bottle. How does the book encourage one to apply? By
reading the seven concepts each day until they are a part of your character.
When they are part of your character, they will be seen in your reactions to
situations and people in your life. So, basically, what you put in your heart
through TV, magazines, games, FB rants or less than decent posts, are what will
come out of your heart in the form of your words and deeds others see. We can’t
delete all the junk that is out there, but we can counteract the subliminal
messages by putting the Word in our hearts more than the junk.
I am 40ish and I already wonder about the things I could
have accomplished if I’d just had more self-discipline. Do you do that, too? I
wonder about the opportunities that will never come again. I wonder about the
people I could have influenced and didn’t because of fear. I wonder if I will be
shown all the gifts I denied when I get to heaven and the people I could have
saved if I would have spoken a word of Jesus to them. (Jude 23 “Save others by
snatching them away from the fire.”) For example, there is a lady I know who
committed suicide and I had two opportunities to begin a relationship with
her…and did not. Don’t get me wrong and think I live in the past and dwell on
these thoughts…I don’t, but they come up esp. when I read this book.
The best part of the book is about starting where you are
right now. Don’t worry about the past. Don’t look in a mirror of regret every
morning. Make the future better. Applying these concepts to your life could
potentially touch thousands of lives in the future.
So, applying these concepts to the present gifts God has
already given you, is a start. Do you know what your gifts are? Many think they
have no gifts…they are wrong. Maybe the gift has not been used in years because
of fear. But, fear and faith are the same thing. We fear what we do not know or
we have faith in what we do not know. Which one will you apply to your life?
Fear= inaction because you do not know what to expect. Faith= action and you
still don’t know what to expect. With fear you don’t trust God. With faith you
plow through, head out, march on and KNOW God will take care of you even when
you don’t know what to expect. Abraham did it initially. Jonah had to have a
little visit in a fish before he marched in the right direction. Let us not
‘make’ God get our attention in such a dramatic way before we use our faith in
Him to march forward.
How to start?? Read the Word…every chance you get and God
will place his will on your heart. You will become more in step with the Spirit
when you put His Word in your heart. You can’t be in step with no instruction.
Think of a ballroom dancer going to a competition with out any instruction.
Disaster! Get instruction and your faith will grow and God will place
opportunities in your path. Only read positive material. Only follow positive
people. I have a rule on FB, if someone posts or shares stuff with bad words
more than twice, I don’t follow them any more. What do you allow in your
life…positive or negative?
I could go on and on from the concepts I read about in this
book. Blessings to you! And, press on the prize…heaven (Phil 3:14).
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