The Significance Of The Present Suffering

“For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that His life may be revealed in our mortal body”. This is contained in 2 Cor 4: 11. Relevant scriptures for this purposeful topic could be found in James 1: 2-4, Col 12: 4-29, 2:1-5.

Nobody will choose to suffer for nothing, that is, without a reason or attached reward. Christ chose to suffer in order that we may have life and have it in abundance. Paul suffered so that the lost may be saved. Stephen died for Christ. The sufferings of all other disciples cannot be all discussed here. They passed through ‘hell’ but they have their reasons for accepting the sufferings. The sufferings are significant. Nothing good comes without a price. James 1:2-4 sees sufferings (trials and temptation) as a pure joy and the testing of faith that produces perseverance. Paul suffered for the church and for Christ (Col 1:24-29). Whatever you passé through in the course of liberating some souls seen suffering for Christ, if only we could endure, we shall be glorified and receive reward from Christ. Christ is standing at the right hand side of God during your sufferings, trials, temptation, pains, agonies, etc. as in the case of Stephen, to see if you will fail Him and lose heart. The bible says, ‘if you fail in the time of adversity, your strength is mall’. The time allotted for the suffering is small, but the glory is great!

The present sufferings we Christians are passing through are very important one in the liberation of the creation and it is glory-rewarding, soul-winning and Christ- agony-sharing suffering. Our hope in times of trouble should be that our sufferings are not going unnoticed and will be adequately rewarded. More so that it helps us grow unto perfection, grants us in-depth knowledge about Christ and that at the end of it all, we shall have life, be saved and reign with Christ.

Can you take a pause and think on how you have suffered for Christ (if any)? Why did you choose to suffer at that particular time? Paul talked about boasting in his sufferings. What do you understand by that? It simply means that by so doing, we are helping others to grow in faith and be much stronger, encourage them; we give glory to God thus and make others praise Him. In all, our position/submission in times of trouble should be that such is a worthwhile one, it is meant for a short-while, it is needed for better society and in fact, it is our primary responsibility and service unto God.

In conclusion, the word ‘present’ in present suffering (Rom 8: 18a) denotes that the sufferings are just for a short time i.e. for now and more so, in the next few moment it will be story and then the glory and joy of sharing in the suffering of Christ will fill our heart. If Christ suffered to save you, don’t you see it as a great responsibility bestowed upon you to go out there and save others irrespective of the knowledge or unseen sufferings that are attached?

7 Speaking Trends — How to Make a Powerful Presentation Today

The fundamentals of a great speech stay the same. (Develop one strong idea. Focus on the audience. Be authentic, clear, and committed.) But styles change with time. These are the latest trends in speeches and presentations.

1. Keep it Short

People want information, but they’re already overwhelmed by too much information. If you give them what they need to know in a way they can quickly understand and apply, they’ll love you. Get to the heart of the matter in as few words as possible. Say what you have to say. And stop speaking — even if you haven’t spoken for the allotted time.

2. Let’s Get Personal.

In this age of Oprah, interactive websites, and blogs, formal presentations are out. Instead, savvy speakers are speaking conversationally. They’re less likely to “make a speech,” more likely to talk to their audiences. They move away from podiums. They use personal stories and anecdotes. They say I and you, we and us. They encourage audience interaction.

3. Simple Is Chic.

Sophisticated technology is simple — at least for the end user. A point-and-shoot camera takes in all sorts of data and makes innumerable, complex calculations so you don’t have to. Successful speakers do the same thing. They do their research. They decide what’s important. And they present what the audience needs to know in a way the audience gets.

4. The Love Affair with PowerPoint(TM) Is Over.

Audiences are no longer wowed by PowerPoint(TM). They take it for granted, and if anything they’re a little bored by it. Use it as a tool, a way of presenting information. But don’t let it upstage you. Keep yourself up front and personal.

5. Recycling Is Good for What Ails You.

Creating a good speech takes a lot of time. So once you’ve created a presentation, reuse it. Don’t think you have to come up with something new for each occasion. You can give the exact same speech word for word to a different audience, and it becomes a different speech. Take bits and pieces from one presentation and repackage them. Trim a 45-minute in-depth presentation into a 15-minute overview of your topic. Or use your 15-minute overview as an outline for a longer presentation.

6. Mark your Territory.

It’s almost impossible to come up with something brand new and original to talk about. After all, how many news ways are there to make a sales, a speech, or a successful relationship? Winning speakers take the best of what’s already known and make it new by making it their own. They put their own spin on it, using a unique (and consistent) choice of words and phrasing. Think Chicken Soup for the Soul, the One-Minute Manager, and Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. New stuff or clever packaging?

7. Everyone Wants a Security Blanket.

It’s a scary world, and people are afraid of losing what they have. They want something or someone who will make them feel safe. If you’re going to challenge them to change, you need to show them why. And you need to reassure them that what they get will be better than what they leave behind. Threats — implied or explicit — will make people react in the moment, but they won’t sustain people’s long-term efforts.

Happiness! Future Or Present?

Are you living your life on the deferred plan? Some people are waiting for that special moment to be happy. Waiting for the perfect mate, waiting for the right job, waiting for the house to be paid off, waiting for the kids to finish college. If you keep waiting for the perfect moment to be happy, you will never be happy.

You have to be happy right now, in the present, then you will be happy in the future. Happiness is a mental habit, a mental attitude, and if it is not learned and practiced in the present, it will never be experienced.

Happiness cannot be waited upon until all problems are solved. Every time a problem is solved another one comes along. Life is a series of problems. If you are to be happy at all, you must be happy now, not because of.

Abraham Lincoln quoted: “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

We have let the little things make us unhappy for so long, it has become a habit to have frustrations, dissatisfaction and irritability. Things that make us that way are a blow to our self esteem, so we react as being unhappy.

You need to stop letting circumstances and other people dictate how you feel. Change your attitude, change your out look and change your feelings. Form the habit of reacting positively toward problems. Practice keeping a positive attitude. Continue to do this and you will be happy in the present and in the future.