A miracle happened instead of a tragedy when Chesley Sullenberger, pilot of US Airways Flight 1549 safely landed on the Hudson River, after both engines went out due to a flock of birds, thereby saving the lives of 150 people.
The pilot ‘Sully’ had courage, a vital attribute. The dictionary defines courage as : ’the state of quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger with self-possession, confidence and resolution.’ Actually the word, courage comes from the old English word, ’corage’ which means heart as the seat of feeling. Thus in the heart is where courage gets its start.
That thing called courage has a historical background. One philosopher warned that true courage is not the brutal force of vulgar heroes, but the firm resolve of virtue and reason. Another pointed out that the courage that grows from constitution, often forsakes a man when he needs it, but courage which arises from a sense of duty acts in a uniform manner.
The late President, John F. Kennedy once said: “The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment, it is no less than a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy. A man does what he must…in spite of personal consequences ,…in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures...and that is the basis of all human morality.” And the late Lyndon B, Johnson commented: “I’d rather give my life than be afraid to give it”.
You can start on the road toward courage in several ways: Say positive things about yourself, accept sincere compliments about yourself, express your opinions freely and honestly. Respect others views and they’ll respect yours.
The great lesson all of us should learn from this near tragedy is that friendship is about the cement that will hold the world together. It seems that love, sympathy, compassion and feelings of genuine brotherhood surface at such a time.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Grace and Gratitude
It seems fitting to start the New Year off with understanding the meaning of mercy and grace in our life and to be grateful to God for this unsurpassable gift.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” (Psalm 23:6) The Psalmist is not concerned with what goes before him but he is rejoicing in what will follow him all the days of his life. It displays what sort of a man he is when his paths are tracked with goodness and mercy. Lives have been made better all along his path. I think the reason the psalmist has such confidence that goodness and mercy shall follow him all the days of his life is because he has turned his life over to God and he follows the instructions in the Bible.
The first priority then is being thankful to God, for being alive, for receiving the gift of salvation.
Let us remember that salvation is what we receive, not what we achieve. We are saved by grace and grace alone. We can do nothing to earn it. Our redemption is a gift from God. Our part is to acknowledge our sinfulness and inability to save ourselves. We must place our trust in Jesus, believing that He died on the cross for our sins. God provides salvation - that’s His part.
Receiving salvation by faith - that’s our part.
A unique explanation of mercy and grace. If you spread your arms about a foot
wide-that’s mercy. If you spread your arms as far as you can, than imagine the space between being endless-that’s grace.
Because of God’s grace, we enjoy many blessings we don’t deserve, and because of His mercy we don’t receive those things we do deserve. So when we receive God’s grace & mercy, our hearts should swell in Gratitude. Grace and gratitude should go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other .Our gratitude to God should be as habitual as the reception of mercies is constant.
There is something within us that wishes God would reward our faithfulness with prosperity and protection. But God is working far beyond what we can see and is accomplishing His purposes. Our life often carries yesterday’s problems, but God’s grace is new each morning. Exactly what we need to meet each new challenge. It is inexhaustible ,an ever-fresh supply. Sometimes He removes the trial and sometimes He doesn’t . He will, however, sustain us through every difficulty with His grace and mercy. We can be confident of God’s presence and power . God’s great mercy to the unsaved is surpassed only by His mercy to the saved.
All we need, to have a right relationship with Him. is to cast ourselves on His mercy and trust Him and realize it is He who does the saving and be thankful for the indescribable gift of Grace.
Gratitude
We are prone to take the blessings
We receive from day to day
Without a word of ‘thank you
Till they pass away.
Let us express appreciation
For our blessings, come what may
And try to be more worthy
Each and everyday.
Wilhelmine
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” (Psalm 23:6) The Psalmist is not concerned with what goes before him but he is rejoicing in what will follow him all the days of his life. It displays what sort of a man he is when his paths are tracked with goodness and mercy. Lives have been made better all along his path. I think the reason the psalmist has such confidence that goodness and mercy shall follow him all the days of his life is because he has turned his life over to God and he follows the instructions in the Bible.
The first priority then is being thankful to God, for being alive, for receiving the gift of salvation.
Let us remember that salvation is what we receive, not what we achieve. We are saved by grace and grace alone. We can do nothing to earn it. Our redemption is a gift from God. Our part is to acknowledge our sinfulness and inability to save ourselves. We must place our trust in Jesus, believing that He died on the cross for our sins. God provides salvation - that’s His part.
Receiving salvation by faith - that’s our part.
A unique explanation of mercy and grace. If you spread your arms about a foot
wide-that’s mercy. If you spread your arms as far as you can, than imagine the space between being endless-that’s grace.
Because of God’s grace, we enjoy many blessings we don’t deserve, and because of His mercy we don’t receive those things we do deserve. So when we receive God’s grace & mercy, our hearts should swell in Gratitude. Grace and gratitude should go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other .Our gratitude to God should be as habitual as the reception of mercies is constant.
There is something within us that wishes God would reward our faithfulness with prosperity and protection. But God is working far beyond what we can see and is accomplishing His purposes. Our life often carries yesterday’s problems, but God’s grace is new each morning. Exactly what we need to meet each new challenge. It is inexhaustible ,an ever-fresh supply. Sometimes He removes the trial and sometimes He doesn’t . He will, however, sustain us through every difficulty with His grace and mercy. We can be confident of God’s presence and power . God’s great mercy to the unsaved is surpassed only by His mercy to the saved.
All we need, to have a right relationship with Him. is to cast ourselves on His mercy and trust Him and realize it is He who does the saving and be thankful for the indescribable gift of Grace.
Gratitude
We are prone to take the blessings
We receive from day to day
Without a word of ‘thank you
Till they pass away.
Let us express appreciation
For our blessings, come what may
And try to be more worthy
Each and everyday.
Wilhelmine
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