If you were asked to use one word to describe the Christian life, which one would you choose? Many of us would pick faith because believing in Jesus is the foundation of Christianity. But did you know that the believer’s life should also be characterized by good works? While we aren’t saved by anything good we’ve done, genuine salvation always results in a changed life, complete with new thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. Every Christian should be a living, walking example of good deeds.

When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, he commended them for their “work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 1:3). Everything we do should be motivated by faith, hope, and love, which are rooted in our relationship with Christ.

So now the question is, What qualifies as good work in the Christian life? Scripture is filled with examples: caring for others, meeting needs, giving our time and treasure, and engaging in activities like worship, prayer, and Bible reading. These are the activities that should characterize us as God’s children and Christ’s representatives in this world.

As we consider the topic of good works, we must remember four important truths. Otherwise we may assume that we are the ones who define what’s good, what needs to be done, and how it should be accomplished.

First of all, God determines what He wants each of us to do. According to Ephesians 2:10, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Since we belong to Christ, who purchased us with His blood, He has full authority over our life. There are specific tasks we are appointed to accomplish as we walk according to His will. If we think believing in Christ means attending church on Sundays but living as we please all week long, we’re wasting our life. Christians are the people through whom the Holy Spirit is carrying out the work of Christ here on earth. He redeemed us from sin and purified us for Himself so we could be people zealous for good deeds (Titus 2:14).

Second, God equips us for whatever He calls us to do. He “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us” (Eph. 3:20).  In every opportunity God gives and every act of service He calls us to perform, He has already provided whatever we need to accomplish the task before us.

Just consider the many resources the Lord uses to empower us for good works. His indwelling Spirit gives us direction and strength to obey, as well as spiritual gifts that enable us to serve Him. He uses the Scripture to teach, reprove, correct, and train us in righteousness so we’ll be adequately equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). And He uses our brothers and sisters in Christ to motivate us toward love and good deeds (Heb. 10:24). Even our wealth becomes a tool in His hands when we use it as He desires—“to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share” (1 Tim. 6:18).

Third, our good works are to glorify God, and not ourselves. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus called His followers “the light of the world” and said they were to let their light shine so others would see their good works and glorify the Father (Matt. 5:14-16). But just one chapter later, He warned them: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them” (6:1).

The difference is motivation. Although we should never seek the approval and praise of other people for what we do, our life should stand out and be characterized by good deeds in the midst of a dark, self-centered world. If commendations come our way, we need to remember that apart from Christ, we are nothing. Then we can simply pass the praise on to Him in a silent prayer of recognition and gratitude.

Fourth, God will one day judge our good works. What we do in this life will have a tremendous impact on our eternity. As believers, we will be called before the judgment seat of Christ to account for our deeds (2 Cor. 5:10). Some of our works will be worthless and burned up like wood, hay, and straw in the judgment. But we will be rewarded for the good works done in obedience to God, according to His power, and for His glory (1 Cor. 3:10-15).

Although we don’t know exactly what these rewards will be, one thing is certain: They will signify a life of good deeds that glorified and pleased God. Nothing could be more valuable than receiving praise from our beloved Savior. So let’s each spend our life living for Him.

When it comes to good works, remember that these are not just religious activities. Christ takes into account whatever we do that flows from obedience to Him—at home, work, school, church, and beyond. Also, we must resist the temptation to compare our works with the achievements of others. We’re responsible only for the tasks God has prepared specifically for us.

I had a great time, coming back on the train was really great.

President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali discusses reparations on ITV’s Good Morning Britain. September 20th, 2023

Lost to TKR...

Is the Swamp closing done? Maybe it needs someone more competent to run it.

No one knows how the amount was reduced to US$11M or US$3Million. This scandal is worst than the PSA US$18Million bonus.

https://oilnow.gy/news/arbitra...roek-block-expenses/

Well since i injured my rt elbow (damaged tendon)last Dec, I havent been cooking a lot esp kneading flour

but i am slowly getting better n last night I decided to make my pizza again after 6 months..

made 2 ..1 veggies n other veggies with smoked turkey scraps..

(roasted the veggies: mushroom, eggplant, zucchini, red/gree/.yelow/orange sweet peppers, broccoli n cauliflower)

seasoned with eschallot n basil leaves..plus halved grape tomatoes n pineapple chunks on top

I also made  a crustless quiche using the same veggies (low carbs suitable for diabetics)

August 25, 2020

Source

GEORGETOWN, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Ever since Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) found vast deposits of oil off Guyana's coastline in 2015, government leaders have pledged that black gold would transform the fortunes of one of South America's poorest countries.

This year alone, the economy should grow 48%, the fastest rate on the planet, according to the World Bank.

But managed poorly, development experts and diplomats warn, those funds will stoke Guyana's overheated, race-based politics, while adding the nation to a long list of petrostates whose people have remained poor despite vast resource wealth.

In May, Guyana's government announced it had tapped the sovereign wealth fund that holds the royalties paid by oil producers for the first time. By year-end, drawdowns will exceed $600 million, a figure that will soon balloon into the billions.

By 2027, Exxon and its partners, New York-based Hess and China National Offshore Oil Corp (0883.HK), aim to pump 1.2 million barrels per day from Guyana's seabed, making the country by far the world's largest producer per capita. read more

"Prepare for a massive influx of government revenue with little expertise on how to handle it," wrote analysts at the U.S. Agency for International Development in a report released earlier this year.

Interviews with more than 30 politicians, entrepreneurs, activists and citizens across the country showed both the buoyant aspirations and profound anxieties of a nation on the cusp of radical transformation.

The current government, supported largely by Guyanese of East Indian descent, says the oil boom will fund broad-based development with a focus on infrastructure and education for the nation's roughly 790,000 residents. read more

"Our commitment as a government is to ensure that opportunities are real across the country, irrespective of where one lives, irrespective of who someone might have voted for," Guyana's Finance Minister Ashni Singh said in an interview.

But many communities, particularly in areas associated with the Afro-Guyanese opposition, are skeptical. Some complain cash and contracts are already flowing to government supporters and allege the ruling party is installing loyalists to bodies meant to govern the nation's newfound riches – allegations that Guyana's leaders deny.

"What they're seeking to do is use oil for political patronage," said Aubrey Norton, a federal lawmaker and the head of the opposition. "There's no vision."

MAJOR OPPORTUNITY, COMPLEX TIMING

Tucked between Venezuela and Suriname, statecraft has long been volatile in Guyana, due in part to competition between its main ethnic groups.

Descendants of African slaves compose about 30% of the population. Another 40% of Guyanese descend from indentured workers from India. Mixed race and Amerindian peoples largely make up the remainder.

President Irfaan Ali of the largely Indo-Guyanese People's Progressive Party (PPP) assumed power in 2020 following a months-long political standoff after a disputed election.

In the legislature, the PPP is now in a position to make pivotal decisions regarding the nation's future thanks to a razor-thin, two-seat advantage over the opposition, led by a mainly Afro-Guyanese grouping of parties known as A Partnership for National Unity (APNU). In recent months, the two sides have butted heads on every issue from how the government's ballooning accounts should be audited to key appointments.

But perhaps the most central dispute has been fought over how to govern the Natural Resources Fund, the sovereign wealth fund holding Guyana's oil royalties. read more

Among the opposition's qualms with the current legislation, which came into effect this year, is that they have no right to appoint representatives to its board. That's a major concern in a country with a history of endemic corruption, they say.

The government calls those concerns baseless.

Singh, the finance minister, told Reuters a proposal under the previous APNU government, which was in power from 2015 through 2020, would have centralized power in the hands of the ruling party to an even greater degree.

In any case, he argued, the credentials of the government's board nominees are unimpeachable.

The opposition counters by saying that is beside the point. Regardless of any individual's qualifications, they deserve a seat at the table.

"When everyone is from one side, it sends one message - and that is that the fund will be politicized," said Vincent Adams, a former environmental regulator whose nomination to the board by the opposition was rejected by the government.

FIGHT FOR FUNDS

Beyond the halls of the National Assembly, Afro-Guyanese communities have taken to the streets at times to call out the government for allegedly unfair distribution of resources.

In an interview, the opposition leader Norton argued the government's generous use of cash handouts, often administered by local bureaucrats, promotes corruption and political favoritism.

The government has consistently denied any graft and said handout programs are subject to a federal audit. Outwardly, the government has made a point of adopting inclusive rhetoric.

But the fight for resources is often subtler than a battle over bags of cash.

Under the previous government, many state-owned sugar farms - known locally as estates - were closed or downsized amid flagging productivity. That enraged the Indo-Guyanese community, whose members make up the vast majority of workers on those estates.

Since the government changed hands, the roles have begun to reverse, with many Afro-Guyanese complaining that sugar-growing communities are getting outsized investments, while their own neighborhoods are neglected.

The Uitvlugt Estate west of Georgetown lost hundreds of workers to other industries as the former government refused to adjust salaries, its manager Yudhisthira Mana said.

But in the last year, government investment has flooded back.

"What is happening with sugar now, I have never seen in my lifetime in terms of capital injection," said Mana, a 38-year veteran of the trade. He recounted with a smile a recent visit from President Ali, whose personal residence is nearby.

Fifty miles south, however, in the primarily Afro-Guyanese bauxite-mining town of Linden, much of the population is wary.

The government has made significant investments here, including an aggressive push to pave and resurface the isolated region's undermaintained roadways.

But many residents suspect their region is getting less than they are owed.

"We're in mourning because it seems Linden isn't benefiting like the rest of the country," said Charles Antigua, a retired miner.

Also fueling the sense of inequality is that most of the country's major entrepreneurs are Indo-Guyanese, giving their ranks a massive advantage in cashing in directly from the fast-growing oil sector.

One such businessman, Nazar Mohamed, a port developer, said in an interview that President Ali had asked him if he could add an Afro-Guyanese investor to a planned project near Georgetown, but that few had the funds.

Ali's office did not respond to a request for comment regarding the purported request.

"We did approach several persons," said Mohamed. "But they couldn't even find the money for the studies, much less building the project."

Article by.

Gram Slattery

Thomson Reuters

Rio de Janeiro-based correspondent specializing in the oil and gas industry, as well as white-collar crime and corruption. Recent stories have shed light on criminal wrongdoing by some of the world’s largest commodity traders and revealed how organized crime groups have infiltrated Brazil’s largest fuel distributors. Previously posted in São Paulo and Santiago and has also reported extensively from Argentina and Bolivia. He was born in Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard College.

Test ?

http://www.google.com/doodles/sridevis-60th-birthday

• Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Mumbai-based guest artist Bhumika Mukherjee, celebrates Indian actress Sridevi’s 60th birthday! Starring in nearly three hundred movies over the course of four decades, Sridevi made Bollywood’s sweeping dramas and comedies shine, oftentimes without a male counterpart in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

  Sridevi was born on this day in 1963 in present-day Tamil Nadu, India. She fell in love with movies as a child and started acting at four years old in the Tamil movie, Kandhan Karunai. Sridevi learned to speak multiple South Indian languages, which allowed her to break into India’s other film industries. Early in her career, she acted in a variety of genres and across multiple film industries, including Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam movies.

  In 1976, Sridevi gained national recognition as the protagonist in K. Balachander's Moondru Mudichu. After the film’s success, she and her co-stars became even more famous with a string of hit films like Guru and Sankarlal. Widely considered the star of Tamil cinema at the time, Sridevi’s on-screen charisma garnered attention from producers from the Hindi-speaking film industry as well.

  After playing the lead role in the action comedy Himmatwala, Sridevi established herself as a national icon and box-office attraction in Bollywood. Over the next decade, Sridevi starred in hits like the romantic drama film Sadma and the comedy ChaalBaz. She remains one of the only Bollywood actresses to headline blockbuster movies without a male actor in an industry that was traditionally male-dominated.

  Sridevi took a break from acting in the early 2000s before starring in television shows like Malini and Kaboom. She then joined the Asian Academy of Film & Television board of directors. In 2012, she announced her comeback with English Vinglish; the film marked her successful return as a leading lady in Bollywood after a long hiatus.  The Indian government also honored her with the Padma Shri. In 2017, Sridevi starred in the crime thriller Mom as a rage-filled and protective mother, earning her the National Film Award for best actress.

  Sridevi forever made her mark on the film industry by charting new avenues for women to take on leading roles in Indian cinema. She will be remembered as one of the greatest Indian actors of her time.

  Happy birthday, Sridevi!

Sorry, I don't post in Political....

Got this article from a friend....interesting read.

Time to go open an Timmys and give Starbucks competition!!

Excellent opportunities for all the budding entrepreneurs!

Guyana: An Emerging Global Retail Hub (therobinreport.com)

Note: This is part one of an ongoing series on emerging retail economies.

Just off the North Coast of South America, tucked in between Venezuela, Brazil, and Surinam, lies Guyana, a former English colony. Although its capital, Georgetown, has a decidedly laid-back Caribbean vibe – it won’t take a first-time visitor more than a few minutes in the country to realize that this is a nation of contrast and symbiosis. Its people are a melting pot of East Indian, Afro-Guyanese, Amerindian and European, and its music, cuisine, and culture reflect these vectors of global influence. But what’s also readily apparent to a first-time visitor is growth. Construction sites are everywhere. Shiny, new buildings are going up on almost every corner. Expats from Europe, Brazil, and Latin America, as well as East Asia, fill the local cafés, restaurants, and lobbies of the new hotels that have been built to serve them. Something is up in Guyana, and it’s something retail executives from around the world should have their eyes on. This small country that few Americans could find on a world map is about to emerge as one of the most important places on the global business landscape.

Enjoy!

The world’s most expensive coffee, made from poop of civet cat, is made in India

India, Asia’s third-largest producer and exporter of coffee, has started producing the world’s most expensive coffee, made from the poop of civet cat, on a small scale in Coorg district of Karnataka.

India, Asia’s third-largest producer and exporter of coffee, has started producing the world’s most expensive coffee, made from the poop of civet cat, on a small scale in Coorg district of Karnataka.

Don't boycott Guyana news and information--contribute in discussions. People seem to be stuck with linear time and schizophrenics function as a varying of time and that is why we are illogical in our reasoning. If you can contribute to my book sales please tell me how. The way we talk as Guyanese is a good thing because that accomplishes a varying of time as opposed to linear time.