RJ Design Studio

  Good Decisions Always Line-up With God’s Word “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105 (NIV) Essentials for Living Every day, we make one decision after another, and it can be hard to know how to make those decisions. But here’s a simple principle: If you want to make good decisions, listen to God. The Bible says, “If you want better insight and discernment . . . learn the importance of reverence for the Lord and of trusting him . . . He shows how to distinguish right from wrong, how to find the right decision every time” (Proverbs 2:3, 5, 9 TLB). So how do you listen to God? One major way God speaks is through his Word. So when you’re making a decision, ask yourself: “Is my decision in harmony with God’s Word?” When you’re making a decision, you’re choosing what’s going to be your ultimate authority in life. It really boils down to this choice: God’s Word or the world. Are you going to base your decisions on what God says or what other people say...

YOU CAN'T Connect if you DON'T commit “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” -  Proverbs 18:24 (ESV) You Can’t Connect If You Don’t Commit Good relationships don’t happen by accident. They take cultivation, work, and a lot of time. They take commitment! I can’t count the number of times my wife Kay and I have felt like walking out of our marriage, particularly in the early years. We often thought, “This is not worth it. We’re so different. This marriage will never work.” But we didn’t walk out. Why? Because we’d made a commitment. We took a vow—“till death do us part”—not just to each other but also to God. So we said, “We’re going to keep this commitment even if it kills us.” And it nearly did! There have been times in our marriage when the only thing keeping us together was that commitment—not love or interest but simply the commitment we made to God. I’m so glad we did not give up. Today, my wife is my best friend...

 “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.” - Proverbs 11:13 (NIV) Is Gossip Destroying Your Relationships? We tend to think of gossip as one of those “little” sins. But when God talks about gossip, he puts it on the list with things like sexual immorality and murder. Why? Because it is so destructive to relationships. Gossip can tear apart friendships, families, and churches. When you gossip, you talk about a situation with somebody who is neither a part of the problem nor a part of the solution. If we’re honest, gossiping often makes us feel a little more important at somebody else’s expense. We’re talking about their hurts and their problems to make us feel like we’re morally superior to them. That’s the danger and the hurt of gossip.  There’s a story in the Old Testament about a family that struggled with gossip. Moses had siblings named Miriam and Aaron who got caught up gossiping about him. So God called all three of them to come see him. H...