Appreciating ALL Our Meetings

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Symbol: Donor pays for needed expensive medical

Lesson: Appreciating all our meetings

Illustration: If someone paid for a lifesaving procedure that would require several treatments, would you follow through with each and every appointment, or would you, lacking appreciation, show up for your appointments only when you felt like it? Consider people on chemotherapy or dialysis – they must complete the whole regimen of prescribed treatments or, really, that haven’t benefited themselves at all.

The same goes with our meeting attendance. We are in a dying condition and, without God, hopeless for anything better. Our brother Paul wrote at Hebrews 10:24, 25 that we shouldn’t forsake the fellowship that our Christian meetings provide us. If we show up only occasionally, we are not getting the benefit of the regular spiritual “treatments” that we need to fortify ourselves in this world ruled by Satan. Jesus spoke of a man that was too busy with personal pursuits to build any relationship with God. But really, can a minimal or lazy relationship be any better? Can either be said to “rich toward God”? Both “no” relationship and “some” relationship demonstrate a lack of dedicated determination to get spiritually invigorated.

Notes: When we consider that the price paid for our future prospects of living forever was beyond anything we could ever have done for ourselves, we need to seriously reflect on these matters.

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How To Give Counsel

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Symbol: How to Give Counsel

Lesson: Always find something good to say

Illustration: Always sandwich your meat of counsel between two thick bread slices of commendation.

Notes: I heard this illustration at a Toastmasters meeting years ago. I’ve tried to remember in all my relationships. If you have several points of counsel to give, instead of dumping them all at once, if at all possible try to give just one point of counsel per conversation, thus giving the person time to adapt and feel a sense of accomplishment.

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