To See Ourselves

A well known Scottish poet of the 18th Century, Robert Burns once wrote:
"O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!"
(O would that some power gave us the ability to see ourselves as others do)
Admittedly he was writing rather unkindly about an insect seen on a Lady's bonnet at church but the truism is stated very clearly. Very few of us actually have 20:20 vision when it comes to ourselves. In fact self deception and illusion often appears to be the order of the day.
A question often asked is how does one rate oneself. For many people there are a whole host of criteria that contribute to one's own assessment of oneself. These may include some or all of the following and more:
Looks
- Am I good looking / beautiful
- Am I slim / muscular / fat
Intellect
- Am I bright / dim
- Are my grades A or F
- Do I grasp concepts easily/ have difficulty
Sports
- Am I sporty / not sporty
- Can I run fast/ not fast
- How well do I do Swimming, Football, Hockey, Basket Ball etc.
Personality
- Am I interesting / Dull 
- Do I have many friends / Few friends
Am I
- Energetic
- Trustworthy
- Chatty
- Honest
And so on.
The simple fact is that most people will not confront all these facts about themselves. Either they cannot truly assess the situation, or they deceive themselves or do not really want don't want to know.
But now there is an opportunity for your friends and acquaintances to tell you truly what they really think of you. They will be asked to rate you on 6 scales so none is too personally threatening and yet gives a true picture of how others see us.
Most of the Social media sites could have the ability to deliver this information albeit not very clearly. The other thing is that most of the "friends" one has on Facebook, for example, cannot even be rated as acquaintances. The chances are good that 80% or more of these people one has either never met or are likely to meet, or haven't seen or actually spoken to in ages. So rating one's self esteem by the number of Facebook friends or Twitter followers or visitors to one's Myspace page is not a true assessment at all.
Here's a place you can go where there is no pressure, you can meet as many or as little people as you want.  a place where everyone is striving for the same goal, SUCCESS.   To find out more about this place take a look Here.http://bit.ly/My6pva 

Michael Stanley

The Agony Of Being Double-Minded With God

Double-mindedness is cause for agony in any arena:

• Who wants an employee who has never decided to kick it in 100% with the company?
• Or someone on the athletic team who is half-hearted?

Having our affections divided between God and the world is like a guy standing on two chunks of ice that are floating in opposite directions. Disaster is imminent!

Here's how Francois Fenelon addresses this business of double-mindedness:

"Woe unto those weak and timid souls who are divided between God and their love for the world!

"They want and they do not want.

"They are torn by passion and remorse at the same time.

"They fear the judgments of God and those of others.

"They have a horror of evil and a shame of good.

"They have the pains of virtue without tasting its sweet consolations.

"O how wretched they are! Ah, if they had a little courage to despise the empty talk, the cold mockings, and the rash criticism of others, what peace they would enjoy in the bosom of God."

"There is only one way to love God: to take not a single step without Him, and to follow with a brave heart wherever He leads."

James cautions us that a double-minded man "cannot hope to receive anything from the Lord, and the life of a man of divided loyalty will reveal instability at every turn." (James 1:7, 8; Phillips)

So, if you are struggling with a divided heart, you may want to pray this prayer:

"Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name." (Psalm 86:11)

Facts of the Matter: Daily Devotionals.

Be sure an visit The Corner Market-ing Blog.

Michael Stanley