[Darris McNeely] We’ve been doing a series on half-full or half-empty, whether the glass of water, as we know, half-full half-empty, as an approach toward life and a mind view and a mindset that we have toward life. We talked about the “Parable of the Talents,” back in Matthew 25, in part 2, and I wanna go back to that because it’s important for all of us to be able to kind of analyze ourselves in that way and look whether or not we have 1, 2, or 5 talents, going for us.

You know, look at your life. Look at whether or not you have things that you can give of your experience, of your time, even in small amounts and as affordable of your parts of one’s wealth. Some people are able to do that. How about empathy? How about taking an interest in other people’s lives, the condition of their health, their family, their friends? Making that a part of your own life where you are concerned and you go and you check up, and you pray for them, but you let them know, and, again, developing a sincere empathy for people. What about just volunteering? Finding a place where you can contribute and make a difference in your community, at your local school, your children’s school and determine to contribute something to the whole of a school, an organization, perhaps even your church.

Let’s turn it around sometimes and just understand how this half-empty approach impacts our own lives as we look at life and what we will do, even some of the unrighteous acts that the Bible calls sin and the things we might wanna get a bit close to in our life and dabble with, and watch, and view, and/or do, that are not defined as good acts or righteous acts but unrighteous acts. What does that say about one’s life? I think that it can say that we have a mind-view that is a bit more of half-empty because it gets to the point where we might even doubt life. We might doubt God. We might doubt that there is a penalty for the action that we get kinda close to, or we just do only on a part-time basis.

It also might say that we kinda doubt that we would ever have to give an account for that in our life before God in any way. We just rather push the envelope when it comes to unrighteous acts of sin. Think about that, where you are in your life right now. There is a Scripture, in Philippians chapter 4, that probably defines the positive, half-full approach more than anything else, beginning in verse 12, where the apostle Paul is writing from prison. And he says this to the church at Philippi, “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again, though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need because I have learned,” Paul says, “In whatever state I am, to be content” (Philippians 4:10-12 Philippians 4:10-12 10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me has flourished again; wherein you were also careful, but you lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be content. 12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
American King James Version×).

He was in prison, remember? He rejoiced and he said, “I learned to be content.” Then verse 12, “I know how to be abased. I know how to abound.” In other words, to be without and to be with plenty. “Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” This is a classic, positive, half-full approach to life. Make it something that you think about. Make it a Scripture that you are close to. Make it a teaching from God that helps define the type of person that you are. You know how to be without and to be with plenty. And when you are with plenty, you don’t forget God and you know how to use it, to not only worship God but to serve others and to deepen your appreciation for a positive, contented, joy-filled approach to life and to God.

Come back, we have one more part to cover, one more interesting story as BT Daily . Join us next time.