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The Top 5 Multi Level Marketing Companies

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Multi level marketing companies are companies that rely on a different sort of method for advertising their products; basically, it is wherein an independent representative or spokesperson refers other potential buyers to the company they represent. This is done through e-mail and other online means. The MLM advertising tactic has been increasing in popularity over the years, and today, it has produced numerous companies that rely on that strategy in order to make sales. This article will cover the best and most well-known multi level marketing companies that people frequently search for in various search-oriented websites.

Herbalife is the single most popular among the multi level marketing companies. It is a company dedicated to nutrition, helping individuals by selling a myriad of vitamins, all manufactured by Herbalife itself. The variety of pills offereed range from ones that can assist in weight management to stress management vitamins. The company has its significant share of success stories that have played in a role in getting Herbalife to where it is today.

Another popular, well-respected MLM company is Mary Kay. With the popular slogan “enriching women’s lives”, it has taken the world by storm and offers a wide range of beauty products. It even provides consultation services to women who wish to improve their appearances. Aside from skin care products, Mary Kay also offers makeup, perfume and spa and body treatments. Boys won’t feel left out; it is also not just all about women, for the company also has a division dedicated to men’s beauty products, too. Its reputaton has made it one of the most formidable multi level marketing companies around.

The third most renowned multi level marketing company focuses specifically on multilevel marketing. As the self-confessed “gloal leader in multilevel marketing”, it provides numerous business opportunities and unique products of its own. It sells its items worldwide, and enables regular people to start their own Amway business and become an Amway business owner. The items it sells ranges from vitamins to skin care products, to water purifiers, exemplifying the wide scopes of the company itself. Amway is on a different level compared to other multi level marketing companies.

Arbonne International is another beauty-oriented company that, unlike others, is available to the entire world. With creams that help prevent skin aging, assist in weight loss and improve skin care, no wonder Arbonne products are widely used. It is a company with the customer’s best interests (and looks) at heart, and will not cease in trying to make the world a more beautiful place.

The fifth but not least popular of all multi level marketing companies is Pampered Chef, which makes online sales of kitchen tools. Everyone needs food, and what better way to make excellent food than with the best equipment? Pampered Chef certainly has this in mind, because it offers kitchenware, bakeware, cookware and more. Gift certificates are also available, and all products can easily be ordered online! MLM companies like Pampered Chef are living proof that multi level marketing can help send a company straight to the top.

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Source by Michael Goudelock

Views: 1

November 12, 2022
What is the Ultimate Lifestyle?

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Since the mission of this newsletter is to help you define,

carve out, and live your own Ultimate Lifestyle, I figured I

should devote some space to laying a proper foundation for

doing that.

Before you can hit a target, you need to know where it is!

So, to begin, let’s answer the question:

What is The Ultimate Lifestyle?

First of all, it’s different for different people. There are

no rules or formulas. For some people, it means a lot of

money, lots of “stuff,” a fast-paced and “jet-set” sort of

lifestyle. For others, it means a very simple, slow-paced

life that focuses on service to others. And for others, it’s

every possible scenario in between these two “extremes.”

There’s no right or wrong lifestyle, or good or bad

lifestyle.

There’s just what works for you — and it will likely change

over time. I know it has for me.

No matter how you end up defining Ultimate Lifestyle for

yourself, now and in the future, there are 8 components that

must be considered:

1) Income Streams

To live your Ultimate Lifestyle, you must have income

streams flowing that allow you to pay your bills and finance

all the “extras” you prefer. To me, the ultimate target to

shoot for in this arena is to have income streams flowing

whether you “show up” for “work” or not, so you can choose

what you want to show up for (even if it continues to be

what you call “work” or a “job.”).

That’s what I’ve been able to achieve by applying my

Invisible Path/11th Element strategies combined with direct

marketing on and off the Internet.

Having income streams flowing whether you show up or now

seems like “pie in the sky” to many people, but it’s

actually very attainable in today’s world. You’ll learn more

about how to do it in future issues.

2) Emotions and Beliefs

Many people fail to create their Ultimate Lifestyle because

they have emotional blocks, issues, or beliefs (what I call

“p.s’s.” or “master biography files”) that hold them back.

Other people have produced extraordinary results and could

live their Ultimate Lifestyle, but their blocks, issues or

beliefs prevent them from doing it — or fully enjoying it.

Therefore, living The Ultimate Lifestyle must include having

access to resources and inner skills that allow you to

uncover and remove, heal, or release any blocks, issues or

beliefs that hold you back. You’ll learn more about how to

do that in future issues.

3) Fulfillment and Satisfaction

Whether you have a 9-5 job and career, you’re a full-time

mom, or whatever you do with your time, a big part of living

The Ultimate Lifestyle means getting as much fulfillment and

satisfaction from what you spend your time on as possible.

Many people don’t ask for this, don’t focus on this, and

therefore don’t get it. You must make it part of your

intention and focus!

4) Living Environment

How and where do you want to live? In the mountains? In the

big city? On the water? Multiple homes? Do you want to live

in a big home or a small home? Is privacy or seeing

beautiful scenery out your windows important to you? Do you

like modern furnishings, antiques, or an eclectic mix?

Living the Ultimate Lifestyle means asking these questions

and having a home base that nourishes you at a very deep

level. My family recently moved to Charlottesville, Virginia

in pursuit of the nourishing living environment we craved —

and we got it, even better than we expected!

5) Relationships

What good is having income streams, a healthy emotional

life, empowering belief systems, a great living environment,

and a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction from how you

spend you time if you’re alone (and don’t want to be) or

your relationships with significant others (parents,

siblings, kids, associates, etc.) are a mess? Believe me, I

know about this one from long personal experience (before

meeting my wife, Cecily).

Therefore, living The Ultimate Lifestyle must include having

access to resources and inner skills that allow you to

attract, build, and maintain healthy relationships.

6) Health

Again, what good is having income streams, a healthy

emotional life, empowering belief systems, a great living

environment, fulfillment and satisfaction, and great

relationships if you have health problems that drag your

quality of life into the gutter?

Dr. Robert Lindberg says, “We spend most of our life gaining

wealth and we then spend most of our wealth on gaining back

our health.”

Living The Ultimate Lifestyle means having access to

knowledge, resources, and skills that allow you to get

healthy, stay healthy, and quickly resolve difficulties if

and when they arise. I discussed some of the resources I use

for this in previous issues, and will continue to share them

in future issues,

7) Time

You can have income streams, a healthy emotional life,

empowering belief systems, a great living environment,

fulfillment and satisfaction, great relationships and health

and if you don’t have any time to do what you love, to

follow your non-work passions, or to truly enjoy anything,

what’s the point? I know many people who could absolutely be

living their Ultimate Lifestyle, but they choose to work too

much, to the detriment of their quality of life. That’s too

bad — to have the choice and ability and not do it.

8) Wealth Building, Management, and Responsibility

The final component to living The Ultimate Lifestyle is

having systems in place that allow you to use your income

streams to create wealth (as you define it), manage it, grow

it, protect it, structure your financial and business

affairs for maximum efficiency and personal benefit, and

find ways of contributing and giving back (if that’s

important to you, which it is to me and my wife).

I’ll be writing a follow up article, called “The fuel that drives the Ultimate Lifestyle” shortly.

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Source by Bob Scheinfeld

Views: 0

November 11, 2022
Relief for a Sore Penis – Healing After Aggressive Sex
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A good roll in the hay or an especially sensual round of solo action can lead men to unbelievable ecstasy, followed a glow of satisfaction and a sense of relaxation and well-being. However, it can also lead to soreness, aching and a lingering feeling of discomfort – not the takeaway most men are looking for from the experience. While a sore penis after sex is common, and in general nothing serious, knowing how to prevent the pain from happening, and how to relieve it when it does occur – can improve men’s overall penis health and even enhance the sensations they feel during the proceedings.

What causes penis pain?

Penis pain can occur for a number of reasons and can even be related to more than one of these factors:
- Chafing – while the sliding, gliding and thrusting of sex feels tremendous in the moment, there is actually a lot of heat being generated by the friction. Most men won’t notice this when it is happening, unless things are particularly dry, but when the heat of the moment is over, this chafing can lead to red, raw-looking skin, or even the appearance of a rash. Over time, friction from intercourse or masturbation can cause the skin to overcompensate during healing, and a thicker layer of keratinized dermal tissue may be the result. Since this callus-like tissue can actually block pleasurable sensation, preventing it from occurring through regular moisturizing and use of a lube is highly recommended.
- Irritation – the penis skin is fairly delicate, and exposure to a partner’s body fluids, as well as lubes, latex, or other substances which may come into play can cause the skin to become irritated. Redness, itching, burning and even swelling may ensue. Avoiding known irritants is important here, so if a reaction seems to occur any time a particular product is used, eliminating this from the process is a good idea.
- Blunt force trauma or torsion – in a heated moment, it is natural to get overly enthusiastic, but abrupt moves can lead to sudden impact with a partner’s pelvic bone or with a sudden twist or turn that can cause penis pain and even rupture the penile tissue. Taking care during play sessions and avoiding sudden, forceful moves may take some of the excitement out of the process, but it can also prevent a world of hurt later on.
How to relieve a sore penis

When soreness and injuries do occur, pain relief may be the first thing on a man’s mind. In some cases, all that is needed is a little time off, but in others, some TLC at home can do the trick. Applying cold compresses (not too cold, or frostbite can be a real danger) or using an over-the-counter oral pain reliever may help to take the edge off while things heal. It is always a good idea to check with a doctor before trying any self-care techniques, however, especially in the case of sudden injury or for men who are being treated for other medical conditions.

When professional help is needed

If a penile injury is accompanied by a popping sound and/or sharp pain; if bruising or bleeding occurs; or if a man experiences an erection that does not dissipate after several hours, prompt medical attention is necessary to treat potentially serious issues.

Extra support for a stressed, sore penis

Aside from pain relief and waiting out the healing process, men can take some proactive steps, not only to promote healing, but also to prevent a recurrence of the problem:
- First of all, using a lubricant – and a little bit of common sense – for future sessions can also help to prevent injuries from friction, accidental impact, or sudden bending or twisting.
- Second, in order to heal properly, the penile tissues need to work harder than normal. Repairing damaged tissue requires essential nutrients that men can obtain through a penis vitamin cream. (health professionals recommend Man 1 Man Oil) that is fortified with vitamins and amino acids, as well as natural emollients for extra relief. After the healing process is complete, continuing to apply a quality penis health cream can help to reduce the degree of cellular damage that can result from rough treatment.
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Source by John Dugan

Views: 0
November 11, 2022
Hemorrhoid Cures With Ginger

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No hemorrhoids cure would be complete without the ingredient, ginger. It is more often recognized as a cooking spice rather than an herbal ingredient that can naturally heal your body of its many ailments. Regardless of your preconceived notions, ginger is a great addition to any solution or formula that you may be entertaining.

Ginger serves a number of purposes when used as part of a hemorrhoids cure. This remarkable herb serves two main functions for your body. Both functions are very important to your optimal health and well being. The function it serves is to increase the circulation of the blood. By doing so, it is one of the best ways to cleanse the body from excess waste as a part of your hemorrhoids cure.

You see, poor blood circulation means poor ability to cleanse waste from your system. And when you are unable to cleanse waste from your system, you often end up with extra build up of waste on your cells. It can also lead to thicker blood. Thicker blood can cause small blood clots. Your hemorrhoids cure must absolutely help to prevent blood clots, cleanse and thin the blood, as well as to improve the circulation. If your hemorrhoids cure does that, nutrition and waste can be properly transported throughout your system.

Ginger extracts have been shown to have both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects upon cells. What hemorrhoids cure could possibly be complete without this remarkable substance? Not only does this herb improve your blood circulation and help to naturally cleanse your blood, it is also mindful of your bowels. Every hemorrhoids cure is in need of a good stool softener and mover. Ginger helps with both.

Many cooking spices are also used in bulk as natural healers of all sorts of ailments. That is actually why they came to be used in cooking; for the health of the body. Now days, there is not enough nutrition in our day to day meals to keep our bodies from developing these uncomfortable situations. Your treatment needs to provide some nutrition and fiber to help you with your problem as well. Ginger is great, but cannot do it all by itself. You will need a combination of other health promoting properties in your hemorrhoids cure if you want to get healed.

Your hemorrhoids cure should also include additives that help to strengthen your veins, provide nutrition, sooth irritation and aid your body in absorbing the nutrition. Make sure that your hemorrhoids cure has all of these key points and you will be well on your way to relief.

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Source by Erin Celeste

Views: 0

July 29, 2022
Real Grief Requires Attention – Real Grief Healing Requires Attention

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As you experienced your personal grieving key questions must be addressed: How can you overcome floating on a cloud of despair? How do you overcome your sorrow and loss? Can you overcome your sorrow on your own? Can God give you additional inspiration and strength? When and how do you give attention to your grief? What action steps must you take to start healing and stop grieving?

Five Essential Healing Attention Stepping Stones To Help You Restore Your Happiness And Find Peace Again:

1-Let Happiness Sneak In The Back Door

“Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open.” ~ John Barrymore

Happy moments are ever-present. Happy opportunities are abundant even at times of your unwanted grieving. Often, new happy healing possibilities sneak unnoticed through the door you left opened, setting motionless waiting to be recruited and embraced. During your unique personal grieving, you may not have perceived their value. Look again for all happy joyful moments, opportunities and possibilities.

2-Be Grateful For All Good Things

“Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.” ~ Marianne Williamson

Grief happenings come in many dosages, but true about all grief happenings, happy happenings are also present. Counting your grateful moments, as bad as your grieving condition may be, is healing to the soul and your emotions. Often during a grief experience it is not uncommon to not look for joy in your life; it’s seldom easy to find.

“Half the joy of life is in little things taken on the run… but let us keep our hearts young and our eyes open that nothing worth our while shall escape us.”

~ Victor Cherbuliez

Your grief experience may have had you on the dead run on a sorrow path. Your eyes may need adjusted so that nothing worthwhile will continue to escape your view or grasp. Counting your blessings will help concentrate on the good things that are part of you.

3-Accept Personal Responsibility

Certainly, you may not have been able to prevent or control how your grief from happening in your life.

“Although I may not be able to prevent the worst from happening, I am responsible for my attitude toward the inevitable misfortunes that darken life. Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have – life itself.”

~Walter Anderson

Although you may not be able to prevent the worst from happening, you are responsible for your attitude toward the inevitable misfortunes that may darken your life.

I beg you – Do not despair for behind every dark and dismal grief cloud is a beautiful blue sky with a happy rainbow of future hope available for you. Seek it! Decide what you can do-and do it!

4-Don’t Waste Your Days – It Is Your Proper Time To Live Not Merely Exist

I am sure you are familiar with the often-quoted phrase: “The saddest words of tongue and pen are it might have been.” Your challenge is to carefully examine your grief condition then execute actions to live your life, given your grief circumstances, with no misgivings and no uncertainties.

Even given your horrendous unwanted grief experience, you must learn to enjoy all grateful healing moments as you learn to take the actions necessary to release all anxiety and hesitation.

Treat each day as a new opportunity. As you choose your personal action plan be sure you plan is one with full awareness and intention. Don’t waste your days grieving; live your life fully don’t merely exist. Don’t squander your time – start healing and stop grieving now!

5-Thoughtfully Choose All Healing Possibilities

Consider all opportunities. In the midst of your grieving stay alert and aware of all healing doors which may be available for you to open. You really are the one who determines your permanent destiny. Accept the challenge to rejoice for those things you have.

At all times, embrace all positive available social media, technology, internet, and all other beneficial and essential resource solutions. Think about asking for Gods help. Overcoming despair, grief and loss should be your highest priority. To stop grieving, start healing grief, loss, and sorrow – and finding hope and joy is vital to you experiencing lasting peace and happiness.

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Source by Duane Marchant

Views: 0

July 29, 2022
How to Overcome MLM Challenges – Multi Level Marketing Tips For Success

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There are plenty of helpful tips available to help you overcome your MLM challenges. In my opinion most of the challenges we face in MLM are avoidable but only if you start off on the right path. When I am faced with a challenge in my primary opportunity its usually around developing new techniques for marketing, lack of customers, or lack of money. As business owners in the field of MLM we are faced with difficult challenges but they aren’t unlike those that any other business owner faces. We do face different challenges because of the nature of our business but if you plan for the unexpected and have a vision for the day-to-day operations of your company you’ll be able to thrive in your business.

Every day businesses are birthed around the world within a dynamic and formidable marketplace where only the toughest survive. If you are in the network marketing industry you know that our environment is particularly fickle and can be a tough training ground for the almost 25,000 people that join Multi-level marketing business everyday in the U.S. and the 95% that fail within their first year.

Most people join network marketing companies not recognizing the importance of having a vision for how their business will grow and function in its infancy. There is concept that many large corporations use to lead their work on a daily basis and I think that it can be particularly effective for network marketers. Its called Strategic Planning. Planning is not a new concept to business corporations but it might be to those that don’t know about its extreme effectiveness for providing a roadmap for any business for periods of 6-months, to 3 years, to 20 years.

By understanding the importance of this process and the questions that go into taking you through it, you can gain a better sense of preparedness for your company’s growth. As someone new to this industry you need as much structure in the beginning as possible to understand how to plan and set and meet your goals. By taking the first step in this process you will exhibit your commitment to your business and your leadership for your organization.

You have to believe in something yourself first, before you can get others to believe.– Ashraf Seddeck, Oracle Corporation.

What does your company do?

What product or service do you provide?

What is your mission statement?

What are your company’s values?

What is your plan for your first 30 days, 6 months, 1 year?

What are your weaknesses/strengths?

How will you market your business?

Who is your competition?

What might be challenges that prevent you from reaching your goal?

What is your plan to grow your business over the next 12 months?

What is your plan for recruiting for your business?

What resources do you have to build your business?

What is your budget for your business?

What does your organization look like and what types of people are your recruiting?

What actions are you taking on a daily basis to build your business?

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Source by Inger L McDowell

Views: 0

July 28, 2022
Importance of Evidence-Based Complementary Medicine
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The modern-day world has many challenges and thus good health is one of the greatest blessings in today’s era. For example, a rich man with a bad health will always be unsatisfied and unhappy! “Health is Wealth”. Improving your health is an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed. It is a fact that your health affects all the aspects of your life, be it professional, or personal. Probably that is the reason why evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine came into existence!

With increasing number of health-related apps and journals on the internet, you can now easily move towards a healthier lifestyle. Even the experts of medicine have admitted that the advice and products of work best when supplemented with a doctor’s standard care and supervision.

As the famous proverb suggests, “Prevention is better than cure” and evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine helps you achieve this goal. So, here are a few benefits that you might get if you follow an integrative healthcare protocol:
- It helps you in receiving specific treatment plans as per your physical requirements. As each individual has a unique body, it is not advisable to subscribe to a generalized treatment protocol. An effective biotyping assessment studies your inherited traits such as body frame, personality type, digestive capacity, metabolic activity, nutrigenomics, as well as environmental factors. In this way, it provides you with a personalized holistic Integrative healthcare medicine advice.
- It aims at examining and treating all the aspects of physical as well as emotional components. It is proven that daily stress negatively affects your emotions, biology and genetics. All this further results in greater risks of several chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease!
- It offers a wide range of Natural Cure and Remedies so that you are not completely dependent on pharmaceuticals, many of which have side-effects. The food that you eat is one of the biggest reasons behind your healthy (or unhealthy) life! Following unhealthy food habits can result in an increase in the risk of heart conditions, high blood sugar, obesity, etc. So, what could be better than utilizing food as a medicine?
- It focuses on the prevention of diseases before it even occurs. While conventional medicines are prescribed for a lifetime for chronic disease, alternative medicine examines the root causes of the disease. It also encourages the patients to focus on preventing a disease by eating healthy foods, exercise, meditation, etc.
So, if you also wish to treat or prevent any disease with Natural Cure and Remedies, evidence-based complementary medicine is the key! After all, it’s never too late for improving your health.

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Source by Luke Harper

Views: 0
July 28, 2022
Dangerous Driving Habits

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Many of today’s drivers have dangerous driving habits. You do not have to travel far to see people driving with risky driving techniques. Dangerous driving habits can be observed on highways, on residential streets, and in parking lots. Dangerous driving habits are not only fraught with danger to the driver performing them, but to the public as well.

Everyone eventually crosses paths with a reckless driver! Many of us survive these encounters, but some do not. Dangerous drivers kill people and destroy property everyday. As a result, Insurance companies cite dangerous drivers as one of the main reasons for the skyrocketing cost of automobile insurance.

There are drivers from all age groups that have dangerous driving habits. Younger drivers can be dangerous drivers simply because they lack experience driving in various environments, such as driving at night, or driving on interstate highways. Older drivers are sometimes dangerous because their senses and reflexes are not as sharp as they once were.

Technology has also added to dangerous driving habits. Cell phones are now more popular than ever, many drivers have cell phones. While driving in town or on the highway, it is rare not to see someone driving while talking on his or her cell phone. Another dangerous driving habit is applying makeup while driving. Applying make-up while driving is thought to be a leading cause of accidents, and is completely irresponsible. One of the most common dangerous driving habits is eating while driving. Many drivers leave the drive through lane of their favorite restaurant and immediately pull onto a road while trying to eat and drink the food they just purchased. All of those bad habits can distract a driver from paying attention to other drivers on the road and being aware of road conditions.

There are many kinds of driving habits that are considered risky. Speeding is a very common driving habit that can lead to a disaster. Drivers that speed are engaging in reckless and impulsive behavior. It is especially dangerous to speed in residential neighborhoods where children and pets may be playing. Speeding drivers can also be dangerous in neighborhoods where homeowners in their vehicles are entering and exiting their driveways.

Another category of dangerous driving habits is failing to use turn signals. Proper use of turn signals can help prevent most accidents. Failing to use turn signals properly can increase the rate of accidents with other vehicles and pedestrians. Turn signals are simple devices that can give advance notice to other drivers about your driving intentions. It is unfortunate that failing to use such a simple device can cause so many tragedies in terms of lives and property damage. Road rage is a one of the consequences of failing to use turn signals. Many drivers become enraged when they barely escape an accident due to another driver failing to use a turn signal to notify them before changing lanes or making a turn.

Many dangerous driving habits are a result of over confidence. Drivers with years of experience sometimes become dangerous drivers because they are over confident with driving their particular vehicle, or a particular route between home and work. They are not prepared when something out of the ordinary occurs.

There is an old saying, “Good habits are as hard to break as bad habits.” If you have dangerous driving habits you can change them by applying good driving skills for a few weeks, after a few weeks many of these good driving techniques will become your new habits. You should practice watching for speed limit signs, and adjust your speed if necessary. If you practice using turns signals every time you make a turn or change lanes it will quickly become a habit. Developing good, safe driving habits may one day save your life or the life of someone close to you.

(c) 2006, Marcus Barber

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Source by Marcus Barber

Views: 0

July 27, 2022
The Difference Between Good Success and Bad Success

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Do you desire to be a good success here on this beautiful earth?

Do you need the secrets that can ensure you record good successes in everything you do?

If you answer YES to these questions, then i believe you need to know the difference between good successes and bad successes

“This book of the Law shall not depart out

of your mouth, but you shall mediate therein

day and night that you may observe to do

according to all that is written therein: for

then you shall make your way prosperous,

and then you shall have good success” – Joshua 1: 8 (KJ2000).

The first time I read the above portion of the bible, I was inspired to understand that, there is a good success and a bad success.

Nothing support this fact other than the passage quoted above from the Scripture. The Word of God says if “you will hearken to the Voice of God, Obey His Commandments, Study and Meditate daily on His Word, you will have good success”.

The Word of God qualifies the noun “Success” with the adjective “good”. This simply means you will not have a bad success if you follow God’s rules during your success journey in life.

What then, are a good success and a bad success? How do you differentiate a good success from a bad success? How do you recognize someone with a bad success and someone with a good success?

Good Success

I have tried to carefully study the lives of people in the bible days and those of present times and I found out that there are actually some people with good successes.

I was able to reach a conclusion using my definition of success stated earlier on as a basis of analysis.

God

God Almighty enjoyed good success during the creation of heaven and the earth. He actually set the pace at creation, showing us how to obtain good successes in whatever we do.

“And God saw everything that He had

made, and behold, it was very good.

And the evening and the morning were

the sixth day.

-Gen 1:31 (KJ2000)

There were lots of obstacles which stared HIM in the face when HE was creating heaven and the earth but HE never allowed them to stop HIM.

“And the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters”

-Gen 1:2 (KJ2000)

Yes, even a formless earth and the darkness would not prevent Him from achieving His aim.

“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:

and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,

and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”

-Gen 1:26 (KJ2000)

He also transferred His “breath of Life” into Adam for him (Adam) to become a living soul.

What a loving and selfless God who strongly desired somebody to act like Him

There are countless numbers of people in the Bible who had good successes: Jesus, Moses, Apostle Paul, King David, Joseph, John the Baptist, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob all had good successes.

One thing is however, common with all these people and that is the fact that they fear God.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom:

and the knowledge of the Holy one is understanding.

-Prov 1:10 (KJ2000).

You can become a child of God by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior and begin to live a life that has the fear of God.

You can expect to record good number of good successes in your lifetime as you do this.

Bad Success

I may not need to bother you with the stories of people who recorded bad successes in the Bible or even in our societies today but you will observe with me that this set of people also have something in common – they lived a Godless life.

You can study the stories of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt when the Israelites were in bondage in Egypt.

Cain who killed his brother Abel (Gen 4:8)

Herod the king who ordered the killing of all new born babies when Jesus was born (matt 2:13-23)

Satan who fell from grace to grass because of pride (Luke 10:18)

Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus ( Matt 26:36-46)

These People all recorded bad successes. One thing is also common to these people: they lacked the fear of God.

My dear reader, I want to believe you desire to be a good success. You need the fear of God in you to be successful in all you do.

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Source by Sesan Oguntade

Views: 0

July 25, 2022
Love One Another (A Sermon on John 13: 31-35)
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We are in the 13th chapter of the Gospel according to St John's this week, and I'm going to unpack our reading verse by verse as it is a difficult passage.

"When he had gone out, Jesus said," Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. " (John 13:31)

The person who had 'gone out' was Judas, and the sentence seems to suggest that Judas' leaving somewhat brought glory to Jesus, which sounds really odd.

"If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once." (John 13:32)

I really have no idea where to begin with that statement!

"Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.'" (John 13:33 )

That statement makes sense to us as Jesus speaking about his own impending suffering and death, though at the time it made no sense at all to His disciples.

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. "(John 13: 34-45)

That concluding pronouncement, I suspect, is the most difficult to understand of all!

"All you need is love!" – so said the Beatles.

When I read statements like these from the lips of Jesus, I can almost hear the soundtrack of that well-known Beatles song playing in the background.

"Love is all you need. Love is all you need …"

It's not true, of course. Love isn't all we need – not in relationships, not in families, not in governments.

We had an election yesterday. Did you vote for the most loving candidate? Should you have?

I tried to give some thought after reading this passage as to who the most loving candidate for electoral office was. It wasn't obvious.

It didn't take me long to come up with the names of politicians who were definitely NOT full of love and sweetness, but it seemed less obvious to me which candidates actually were.

Did the candidate who loves us the most win? Do we care?

In truth, in as much as we might say, "all we need is love" , I don't think we really care whether our political leaders love us, any more than we really care whether our boss at work truly loves us. Love is not all we need. A good capacity for management is probably far more important in cases like this than is love!

Love is not all we need in government or in families, and it's not even all we need in a system of morality! This might sound counterintuitive. Is not all of morality – all our statements about what is right and what is wrong – really an extension of that basic ideal of love?

Certainly, over the generations, scores of philosophers and other great thinkers have suggested that all of our moral intuitions can be reduced to one simple exhortation – if not 'to love' exactly, to something very akin to that.

The British philosopher, John Stuart Mill, saw all of morality as a system of increasing pleasure for people and reducing harm. He is probably best remembered for his 'harm principle' :

"That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others."

I have a feeling that if you'd asked Mill what the essence of morality was, he might not have said 'love one another' , but might well have said 'don't' harm one another ' , which is pretty similar.

Likewise, the great 18th century German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, believed that morality could be reduced to a single maxim – the 'categorical imperative' :

"Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law."

That's always sounded to me like a really complex way of saying 'love your neighbor as you would love yourself " , which, of course, was Jesus' 'golden rule' that many people see as being His one-line summary of the moral law , along with the first and great commandment, of course, that you have to love God:

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. " (Matthew 22: 37-40)

We are familiar with these commandments. We hear them every week in church, and they do seem to suggest that everything in the law of God comes down to love, and that the rest is just commentary.

Is that really what Jesus was saying? St Augustine thought so, and in my previous sermons on these passages, I have suggested exactly that – that there is really only one law of God – that we love – and that the rest is just application. My more recent reading though has suggested that it's actually a lot more complicated than that, at least if Jesus really was being true to His Hebraic tradition.

The Hebraic law centers around the Ten Commandments – the ten words of God to the people of Israel – and while it seems straightforward to see commandments like "thou shalt not steal" and "thou shalt not murder" as being extensions of the commandment to love , other commandments like "honor thy father and thy mother" do not seem to be so easily reducible. Honoring your father and your mother seems to be more about respecting authority than it is about love .

I've been reading a very interesting book lately by moral psychologist, Jonathan Haidt, called "the Righteous Mind" , in which he outlines what he calls 'moral foundation theory' .

I'm not suggesting that everyone should rush out to get a copy of this book. It is not an easy read and could prove difficult if you don't have an academic background in the study of philosophical ethics (which, thankfully, I do).

The author's key point, at any rate, is that our moral intuitions can't be reduced to any one simple maxim such as 'love one another' as morality is invariably more complex than that.

Haidt suggests that there are five reasonably independent dimensions to our moral awareness, and 'caring' for others is just one of those dimensions. The others are:
- Fairness (which is all about justice, rewards and punishments)
- Loyalty (which is associated with values such as faithfulness and patriotism )
- Authority (where you honor your father and your mother, king and country)
- Sanctity (which involves respecting your body and potentially embracing things like chastity, temperance and cleanliness)
Forgive me if I'm now sounding more dry and esoteric than the book I mentioned. My point is actually a simple one – that 'all you need is love' is both simplistic and inadequate. We don't only need love – not if we are going to be successful in our relationships or in all of life. We actually need a lot of things – courage, self-discipline, wisdom, nurture and support and a good education, and more!

Of course, Jesus didn't say "love is all you need". That was ' The Beatles' . What Jesus did say was "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" . In other words, Jesus didn't say that love is all we need to live a full and productive life. What He said was that it was all we needed in order to show the world that we are His disciples. That might sound like much the same thing but it's actually quite distinct.

The life of love is not a strategy for success, despite what any number of tele-evangelists might have told you. Indeed, if it's right to consider it a strategy at all, the life of love could only be a strategy for getting yourself killed. That's certainly how it worked for Jesus.

I'm sure I've mentioned before that friend who said to me "I'm sick of hearing people tell me about all the problems they had before they met Jesus and how He solved them all for them. till I met Jesus! "

That's difficult to hear, I think. We don't want to think of Jesus as the one who leads us down a path of suffering and misery. We want to think of Jesus as one who elevates us to heavenly places.

Isn't that what religion is for after all? Isn't good religion supposed to benefit our lives and help us live more fully and peacefully with a great sense of purpose and fulfillment? Surely, it's not just about suffering in this world so that we can enjoy a better life in the next? Surely there's more to it than that?

I don't think Jesus is saying that discipleship is all about suffering any more than it is all about success. Discipleship, Jesus says, is all about love, and everything else depends on what Jesus means by love .

Jesus says His command to love is a new commandment, and that's a surprise. Certainly, the commandment to love is as old as the Scriptures themselves, so it must be the latter part of the commandment – to love one another ' as I have loved you' – that makes it new.

When we hear those words, I suspect most of us immediately think of the cross and Jesus laying down his life for us. That makes sense, and indeed the same Gospel writer, John, writes in his first letter "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us" (1 John 3:16). Even so, without wanting to press the issue of the timeline too heavily, the exhortation we have in today's Gospel reading -to love one another "as I have loved you" happens before the cross, suggesting that the model on view here may not be the death of Jesus but the life of Jesus!

Further, as noted, today's reading begins with a reference to Judas – "when he had gone out" – and Jesus' exhortation to love each other as He has loved us comes immediately before the two terrible betrayals from disciples whom Jesus had just broken bread with and whose feet Jesus had just washed – the one betrayal being from Judas, of course, and the other one being from dear Peter!

Jesus loved Peter, was betrayed by Peter, and would eventually be reconciled with Peter. Jesus loved Judas but would never be reconciled with him. Even perfect love does not guarantee a perfect ending to the story. Even so, love anyway – that's the new commandment .

Yes, "greater love has no one than this – to lay down one's life for their friends" (John 15: 3). That is true, and bodily self-sacrifice is indeed the ultimate example of love, but most of the time love is not so grandiose and (thankfully) not quite so painful. The far more common (and in some ways more difficult) labor of love is the ongoing work of having to forgive those who fail us, and sometimes fail us very badly.

This, I believe, is the love by which everyone will now that we are His disciples – it's the love that breaks bread with those who betray us and that washes the feet of those who turn their backs on us. It's the love that finds its ultimate inspiration in the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross, but which likewise finds daily encouragement in the simple acts of grace shown by Jesus towards those whom He knew would radically fail Him.

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. "(John 13: 34-45)

It's not a strategy for success. It's not a means to a better life or more successful relationships. It's just the way that we demonstrate to the world that we are followers of Jesus. We break bread, we wash feet, we empathise, we forgive. We love one another just as He loved us.

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Source by David B. Smith

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July 25, 2022