Checklist for Life - Checklist for Life: Timeless Wisdom and Foolproof Strategies for Making the Most of Lifes Challenges and Opportunities

Checklist for Life

Presented To:

____________________________

Presented By:

____________________________

Date:

____________________________

Checklist for Life

Checklist for life

Copyright 2002 by GRQ Ink, Inc.
Franklin, Tennessee 37067

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.

Scripture quotations noted NKJV are from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.

Scripture quotations noted CEV are from THE CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION. 1991 by the American Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations noted GODS WORD are from GODS WORD, a copyrighted work of Gods Word to the Nations Bible Society. Quotations are used by permission. Copyright 1995 by Gods Word to the Nations Bible Society. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations noted KJV are from the KING JAMES VERSION.

Scripture quotations noted THE MESSAGE are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations noted NASB are from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations noted NCV are from The Holy Bible, New Century Version, copyright 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing, Nashville, TN 37214. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations noted NIV are from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations noted NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations noted NRSV are from the NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION of the Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of The Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations noted TLB are from The Living Bible, copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Managing Editor: Lila Empson
Manuscript written and prepared by Steve Parolini
Design: Whisner Design Group

Checklist for life: timeless wisdom & foolproof strategies for making the most of lifes challenges and opportunities.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-7852-6455-8
1. Christian Life. I. Thomas Nelson Publishers.
BV4501.3.C46 2002
248.4dc21

2002005448

Printed in the United States of America

02 03 04 05 06 CJK 5 4 3 2 1

Heart Attitude

I will be confident that God knows my heart.

Table of Contents

Give me understanding, and I shall livePSALM 119:144 NKJV

Are you prepared for life?

Life is a journey that can often lead you to unexpected places. Its an adventure with a penchant for hurling challenges and opportunities in your path. Are you equipped for the challenges? Geared up to seize the opportunities?

As any great adventurer will tell you, its advisable to bring along the right tools when you set out on a journey. If your journey is a search for a fulfilling and confident life, Checklist for Life may be just the tool set youre looking for. Whether youre in the middle of a difficult challenge today or simply preparing for the ones that will come tomorrow, this book can help you know which fork in the road you should take. When opportunities arise, it can help you make the most of your circumstances.

The sixty-six overviews or insight passages in this how-to guide explore a wide variety of topicsfrom fighting fear to knowing Gods forgiveness to setting and reaching goals. Want to be prepared for many of lifes surprises? Read the book cover to cover. Dealing with a specific challenge or opportunity? Look up the topic in the Table of Contents and study that meditation.

Immerse yourself in and anchor your life to the timeless wisdom and truth of Gods Word. Explore the sensible strategies that can help you take confident steps in your life journey. Then complete the checklists. The I Will checklists guide you in reflecting on the topic and embracing the wisdom that can help you make the most of your challenge or opportunity. The Things to Do checklists provide practical ideas for applying this wisdom to your life today.

Keep Checklist for Life with you. Use it as a field guide to lifes incredible journey. Feeling tired? Learn how to find rest (see A Day for You). Struggling with temptation? Discover how to overcome it (see A Way Out).

Life is a big adventure. Be prepared. Bring Checklist for Life along for the ride.

Life is Gods novel Let him write itISAAC BASHEVIS SINGER

The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.

LEO TOLSTOY

The first duty of love is to listen.

PAUL TILLICH

Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

PSALM 37:3 NKJV

Call on God, but row away from the rocks.

RALPH WALDO EMERSON

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen.
It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.

PROVERBS 19:11 THE MESSAGE

The way from God to a human heart is through a human heart.

SAMUEL GORDON

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.

GALATIANS 5:2223 NKJV

Aim at Heaven and you will get earth thrown in: aim at earth and you will get neither.

C. S. LEWIS

Checklist for Life

Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die.

G, K. Chesterton

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

Philippians 2:3 NKJV

Jonathan, Sauls son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God.

1 SAMUEL 23:16 NKJV

Take a moment to think about someone who is a close friend. Can you recall a time when that person was merely an acquaintance? What was it that took your relationship from acquaintance to friend? A shared interest? Passion for a common cause? Perhaps a heated debate? However your friendship began, things are probably quite different in your relationship today. The polite hello of acquaintance days has grown into a vocabulary of deeper relationship, which includes spoken as well as unspoken sentiments.

Jonathan was just such a friend to David. David was hiding in the wilderness, attempting to discern Gods will while simultaneously avoiding detection by Saul, who sought his life. Jonathan, Sauls son, came to David with words of encouragement, saying, Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you (1 Samuel 23:17). These words from a mere acquaintance might have been received with a smile and a thank-you, or maybe one of those you-dont-know-what-youre-talking-about looks. Yet those were words of encouragement from a true friend, and so the words mattered. Jonathans words could be trusted.