Do you ever feel discouraged?

We all do. If you feel discouraged, start by looking outside. Look up. Oak trees abound, and they cause us to look up.

That oak tree is pointing to heaven. Focus on God, our Creator. He promises that “we can do all things in His strength.”

Practice prayer as the first resort, not the last. God is interested in anything that interests you. Talk to Him about your concerns. Ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit, the Encourager and Comforter.

Get enough rest. Fatigue makes cowards of us all. When our bodies and minds are rested, we view circumstances differently.

Refuse to quit. Keep on keeping on! Perseverance produces character, and character, hope. Hope comes in trusting God to see us through. And remember, an oak tree is just a little nut that refused to give up!

If you’re dealing with discouragement, look to God. He’ll give you the strength to knock discouragement on its face.

In the 1920’s, George Bernard Shaw predicted that, in the 1980’s, the workday would last no more than two hours. He thought advanced technology would bring this about. Shaw was a bright man, but a poor futurist. People are working longer hours in spite of all the technological inventions to save us time. As a result, leisure gets squeezed out.

God’s Word is clear about the need for balance between work and leisure. Hard work is good, but God’s gift to us, to bring balance to our life, is the Sabbath. Everyone needs at least one day a week to rest from his or her regular job. To enjoy this gift requires discipline. To ignore it is to hit the wall of burnout. Here’s the real good news—if you maintain this weekly discipline you’ll be better at work.

Do you have that balance between work and rest? Ask God to help you enjoy a weekly day of rest—a Sabbath. You’ll be glad you did.

It’s always appropriate that we take a moment to remember those who have put their lives on the line to preserve our freedom and to give thanks for those who have given their lives for their country.

We should especially honor those who served in Vietnam. Never has our nation acted so shamefully as it did to the men and women in uniform who served in that conflict. They served in a war they did not start, to preserve freedom for those they did not know, yet time and again our soldiers returned home, only to be spat upon by citizens of this land.

Chances are, you know someone who served in Vietnam and never considered the trauma they faced, not only in war, but caught in the crossfire of a nation divided when they returned home. Always honor those who have given their lives for their nation. But let us especially take time to thank those who put their lives on the line in Vietnam.

If you were one who served, I salute you. If you know someone who did, it’s time to say thanks.

Are you bullish or bearish? Is the Federal Reserve on the right track or not? When you think about the Dow Jones, is it buy or sell? Hold or liquidate? As important as financial advice from Wall Street is, there’s a more reliable place to gain understanding on managing our money. That place is the Bible. Amazingly, Jesus speaks more about money and possessions than He does about heaven or hell.

The problem is, we don’t want to do it God’s way. God’s way says to give and share and provide for those who have less. It’s advice diametrically opposed to what our human reason tells us—to get, to keep, to hoard. God’s way is to spend less than we earn. The world’s way is to build up that debt. Charge it, baby.

Face it. The best financial planner is the Creator of the world. Why not learn what He has to say about managing money and then try it His way? It’s always best.

Do you see work as a calling or a curse? Is your only reason for working to make a living, or do you live for your work? Is your work drudgery or fulfilling, monotonous or challenging? One thing is certain, it was never meant by God to be a curse. He invented it.

When man was placed in the garden at the beginning of time, God told him to care for it and cultivate it. Obviously that called for work. After man sinned, He said work would be harder, but He still meant it for good.

So how can we have a healthy view of work?

Listen to the words of Scripture: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” When we adopt that view, no matter how difficult, monotonous, or challenging the work, our motivation changes. To work heartily to please God is the key to finding meaning in work.

So, whatever you do, be it a plumber or a president, a carpenter or a teacher, a janitor or CEO, see your work as a calling, and a privilege to serve God by doing your best.

Have you ever taken a minute to think about hell—who’s going to be there and exactly what it’s all about? Did you know that Jesus spoke more about hell than He did about heaven?

Jesus tells an interesting parable about a rich man, and a beggar named Lazarus. The beggar would sit each day at the gate of the rich man’s house, hoping for some leftovers from the rich man’s feast, but they never came. Both men died. Lazarus, the poor man, went to be with God, and the rich man went to hell. Seeing Lazarus across a great divide, he begged that Lazarus might dip his finger in water and bring even a drop to cool his tongue because of the agony of the heat, but it was too late. They were separated by the great divide—forever.

Many people act like hell doesn’t exist. They believe everyone eventually goes to heaven for God is love. What if they’re wrong? Jesus believed in hell. Do you believe He was wrong or do you believe He tells the truth?

A truth about eternity—until you believe in the bad news of hell, you can’t understand the good news of Jesus. For He came to save us from hell and guarantee us a place in heaven. So the question is, what do you believe about hell? What Jesus says, or something else?

What is Heaven like?

The most common image is a place of clouds where people wear white robes and halos, and do nothing except play a harp with a goofy smile on their faces. That’s a view of Heaven that sounds more like Hell to me! What a bore!

What is Heaven really like? Jesus spoke very little of it, but He did say this, “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. I go to prepare a place for you.” What is heaven like? It’s like home, with a loving Father. It’s a place of security, a permanent place to live, and a place of refuge. There’s a longing within all of us to find home. Heaven is like home with a Father and loved ones as they’re supposed to be.

How can you be sure that you’ll get to that home? Is there a map or some rules to follow? No, it comes through a person, Jesus Christ Himself. As He talked about a heavenly home, He also added that He is the only way to ever truly come home.

As you think of the future, I have a question. What do you plan to leave to your heirs? Stocks and bonds? Property? Investment quality art? As important as planning is for the future, there is one fact that so many fail to recognize. You’re creating a legacy that will live beyond your death. Your character will continue to speak for good or evil after your life on earth has ended.

“Unquestionable character” is one of the greatest gifts we can leave our heirs. So many, by concentrating on amassing financial wealth, fail to help build honesty, responsibility, compassion, or love for God and their fellow man, into the life of their kids.

Character begins with your example—your life. It’s more caught than taught, but teaching is important too. You can’t leave your heirs a greater gift than this.

Wouldn’t you like to know that your life will be remembered for more than money? What a legacy we leave our kids when they reflect on our life and say, “You know my Mom or my Dad, why, that’s the finest person I’ve ever known.”

When Thomas Edison’s intelligent and sympathetic mother learned that his teachers felt he had inferior ability, she educated him at home. He said, “My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me, that I felt I had someone to live for, someone I must not disappoint.” A mother’s love and a mother’s time are vitally important to the development of a child. Just think of the ways we benefit today from the investment of time on the part of Thomas Edison’s mom.

British psychiatrist John Bowlby said, “The young child’s hunger for his mother’s love and presence is as great as his hunger for food.”

Moms, you’re pulled in so many different directions today. The stress can be unbelievable, but remember that nothing is more important than the investment of time in the life of your child. God’s Word tells us that when a mother does this, her children rise up and call her blessed and her husband praises her, saying, “Many women have done virtuously but you exceed them all.”

I’m certainly thankful for my mom and have been tremendously blessed by her love and devotion.

Years ago the great Methodist preacher, Charles Allen, was asked by a wealthy Texas oilman who he believed was our greatest president. Dr. Allen said, “That’s easy. LBJ.”

The man’s face turned red with anger. He said, “Dr. Allen, how in the world can you say that lying, scheming scoundrel was our greatest president?”

He replied, “Well, one day I was standing in the lobby of a hotel and LBJ came through. He shouted to me, ‘Dr. Allen, you keeping those Methodists straight?’ The reason I feel he was the greatest president is because he is the only one who knew my name.”

When important people know our name it makes us feel good. But when they call us by name in front of a crowd, we really feel special.

Good news. The most important person who ever lived knows your name. His name is Jesus. He knows everything about you and He loves you anyway. When you get to know him as Savior and Lord, He’ll make you feel important and significant—even more than the president calling you by name.