Be cheerful

Welcome back readers! I hope your week is going well. Today, we are going to focus on being cheerful. Have you ever been around someone who always seems to be grumpy? Are you that way? I know I have had my moments, but it is during those times that we have a choice: to be grumpy or be cheerful. When we are truly seeking God, he fills us with His joy, His love and His power. We are much happier and cheerful when our heart and soul belongs to Christ. Let’s see what the Bible tells us about being cheerful:

Proverbs 15:15
“A cheerful heart has a continual feast.”

2 Corinthians 9:7
“Each person should do as he has decided in his heart–not out of regret or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Philippians 2:14-15
“Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure.”

James 5:13
“Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.”

You have the choice….be grumpy or cheerful….which will you decide today?

Be a blessing to others,
~M

Encouragement Challenge Week 4

Welcome back! This is the last week of our encouragement challenge. I hope you have enjoyed learning more about encouragement and being positive! This week we are going to focus on our attitude. We have a choice on how we behave. We need to choose to behave differently. Each day we make choices. Those choices can either bring us closer to God or away from Him. We can live according to His Commands for our lives. We can find those in The Bible. We can, also, choose to ignore Him–disobeying His commands. Each day we are faced with difficult choices and powerful temptations. We must seek His counsel and follow His will for our life.

The Bible reminds us:

Galatians 6:7-8
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

2 Peter 1:5-6
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness”

1 Peter 2:16
“As God’s slaves, live as free people, but don’t use your freedom as a way to conceal evil.”

Be a blessing to others,
~M

Don’t Let Bitterness Rule You

Welcome back to the encouragement challenge. Congratulations!! You have made it to week 3!! This week we are focusing on forgiveness. We are going to talk about bitterness today. What is bitterness? Bitterness can be described as, “the experience of a negative emotion (anger or hatred, for instance) felt as a result of a real or imagined wrong done.” Bitterness is what happens when you hold a grudge for too long. Bitterness will not hurt the person who wronged you. It only hurts YOU! Let it go. Forgive and move forward in your relationship with Christ! Let’s see what the Bible has to say about bitterness.

Ephesians 4:31-32 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Hebrews 12:14-15 “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled”

Romans 12:17-21 “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.'”

I urge you today to seek your heart. Let go of any bitterness you are harboring. Let go and Let God take full control of you heart. Allow His love to consume your heart today.

Be a blessing to others,
~M

Encouragement Challenge Week 2

Welcome back to the 2nd week of the Encouragement Challenge. Today, we are going to talk about the Power of Kindness.

Kindness can be defined as “the act of having or showing a gentle nature and a desire to help others; wanting and liking to do good things and to bring happiness to others.”

Kind words can last a lifetime, but so can mean words. Do you want to be the positive influence in someone’s life or the negative, hurtful influence? Being kind to someone can change their whole life. We need those encouraging, kind people in our lives. What would you like to be known for: being kind or hurtful? It is your choice.

1 Thessalonians 3:12 — “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all.”

Ephesians 4:32 — “And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.”

Ephesians 4:9 — “Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word is a gift.

Lord, please help us to be kind to others. Let us rise above the need to criticize others. Let me be the source of genuine kindness and encouragement to my family, friends, coworkers and anyone You put in my path. In Jesus Name, Amen!

Be a blessing to others,
~M

Encouragement Challenge Week 1

Welcome Back to our Blog. Today, we are going to talk a little more about the Encouragement Challenge. Each week we will post a few scripture and suggestions to help you out during this challenge. This week we are going to talk about encouraging each other and building up one another.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 reminds us, “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another.”

Ephesians 4:29: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Hebrews 3:13: “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”

How can we build each other up?

Pray for Each Other
Be Kind
Don’t spread gossip
Don’t say hurtful things
SMILE at someone
Show God’s love
Listen to Others
Forgive

Be a Blessing to Others,
~M

A Challenge for You

30 days of encouragement — The Challenge!  The Lord has been laying this on my heart for a while.  Our world is so full of people putting others down, hurting and violence.  You can’t even watch the news without hearing about bullying or some type of violence.  Our world is full of hate and sadness.  It is such a hard time for both our children and the adults.  So many people are immune or numb to the pain of words and actions from others.  The following verse just jumped off the pages when I read it.

Galatians 5:13-15

 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”

We are called to love each other and not hurt each other.  This verse is so true now.  We hear about people destroying each other all the time.  But what about encouraging each other?  Encouragement is defined as “the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope.”  Jesus is so full of encouragement for us.  We have His support.  We can be confident in His promises and His love.  Jesus gave us HOPE when he died for each of us.

Let’s stop the pain and the devouring of each other by words and actions.  Let’s show others Christ’s Love and Encouragement.  I would like to challenge each and everyone of you to participate in 30 days of encouragement.  Here’s what the 30 days of encouragement campaign consists of:

1.  Don’t say anything negative about others.

2.  Say something that you admire or appreciate about someone else.  You can even send someone a card of encouragement.

3.  Greet others with a smile.  One smile can change someone’s day.

4.  Pray for Others daily.

5.  Show Christ’s LOVE all the time.

6.  FORGIVE others!

7.  Go out of your way to help make someone else’s day better.

Please comment if you are joining our challenge.  Keep us posted on your progress.  We are praying for each of you.  You CAN do this!!  Don’t forget to Be a Blessing to Others,

~M

The Source of Joy

Welcome back to The Fruit of the Spirit Series. Today, we will start talking about the next Fruit of The Spirit — Joy.

Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Webster’s New World Dictionary Defines:

Joy – a very glad feeling; happiness.

The Source of Joy:

Psalms 16:11 (NIV)
11 You have made known to me the path of life; 
 you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Joy comes from being in the presence of God.

Psalms 13:5 (NIV)
5 But I trust in your unfailing love; 
 my heart rejoices in your salvation.

Psalms 4:7 (NIV)
7 You have filled my heart with greater joy 
than when their grain and new wine abound.

Acts 2:28 (NIV)
28 You have made known to me the paths of life; 
you will fill me with joy in your presence.’

John 15:11
11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

~Dr. G

Part of M’s Testimony & Mercy Shown by Love Part 7

Hello Readers! It’s been a while since I wrote a blog. Pastor G asked me to share part of my testimony with today’s scripture. Just remember, if you are experiencing hurt or being bullied, you are NOT alone! You can submit a public or private comment and we will praying for you. As our 7 year old daughter says, “Stop the meanness! Love God! Love Others!”

Luke 6:27-36 (HCSB) from Biblegateway.com

27-“But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, 28-bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29-If anyone hits you on the cheek, offer the other also. And if anyone takes away your coat, don’t hold back your shirt either. 30-Give to everyone who asks you, and from one who takes your things, don’t ask for them back. 31-Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them. 32-If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33-If you do what is good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34-And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to be repaid in full. 35-But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. 36-Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Luke 6:27-36 (HCSB)

Notes:

33-If you do what is good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.

Wow! This verse spoke straight to my heart. It is easy to be kind and compassionate to those who love you and treat you with respect. But, even sinners do that. It reminds me of a time in my life where I had a choice to hold on to bitterness or just let it go.

The following is just a brief section from my testimony–my walk with The Lord.

When I was in the fifth grade, I was bullied so badly that it left me with emotional and physical scars. I’m not going to go into all the details right now. The Lord brought me through that trying time by clinging to this verse: Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

When I started High School things only got worse. But, my parents always taught me to never let the bullies see that they are hurting you. So, on the outside, I looked happy and content. But, inside I was so broken that only the Lord could put the pieces back together. I was pushed up against walls, knocked down, my hair pulled during classes, even spit at, and the names I was called were just as heartbreaking. I never sought revenge. I treated them with respect and kindness. If it had not been for those trying times in high school, I would not have worked so hard in school. I poured myself into my studies and graduated as the salutatorian. I went on to attend and graduate college at Ouachita Baptist University, where I was a cheerleader. I even met the love of my life there. I have since forgiven those who hurt me. Since those days, my motto in life is Ephesians 4:31-32: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” People are always going to hurt you, but you can’t dwell on it, you need to forgive and keep going. Life is too short to hold grudges!

I try to always remember Psalm 28:7, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.” Just because we are saved does not mean that we won’t go through trying times, it means that we have someone carrying us through those times. Psalm 91:2 tells us, “This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.”

I have learned that the only way to defeat those who hurt you, is to forgive them. When you forgive them, there is such a calm and peace that The Lord feels you with. Forgive them and pray for them. Pray changes things! Just as the verse says

~M
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing

Mercy Shown By Love Part 5

Welcome back. The Super Bowl is over. But, God is super all the time! Each day, we should live like we are God’s MVP! You never know when The Lord is going to call you home. Will you have lived your life for Him? Today we are going to discuss verse 31. Have a blessed week!

Luke 6:27-36 (HCSB) from Biblegateway.com

27-“But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, 28-bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29-If anyone hits you on the cheek, offer the other also. And if anyone takes away your coat, don’t hold back your shirt either. 30-Give to everyone who asks you, and from one who takes your things, don’t ask for them back. 31-Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them. 32-If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33-If you do what is good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34-And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to be repaid in full. 35-But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. 36-Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Luke 6:27-36 (HCSB)

Notes:
31-Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them.

A friend of mine asked me to make a list of ten ways that I would want others to treat me. So here is my list. Top 10 ways: Lovingly, Respectfully, Seriously, Compassionately, Mercifully, Forgivingly, Gently, Kindly, Encouragingly, and Gracefully. After compiling my list of the top ten I was feeling pretty good about myself,until he said something to me that I did not expect. He said with a firm voice; now ask yourself one question. “Is that how I treat all people?” Wow I was taken back by this question. It caught me off guard. I wasn’t sure if I could answer yes to all ten or even to just a few of them. Because he was asking not how I would treat those who are loving, but for the treatment of all people. The longer I pondered on this simple question, the more I realized that the first question was not nearly as important as the second one. My answer to all ten toward all people was No, not always. At this point in my conversation with my friend I prayed these words.”God forgive me of this sin and help me to treat others how I want to be treated even when they don’t treat me the way I desire. Thank You Father for this insight and revelation In Jesus Name I Pray Amen.” The Bible tells us in Luke 6:31 (NIV) “31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.” So as a challenge to you, I’m asking each one of you to take time and write your own top ten ways that you want to be treated. Then ask yourself, is this how I treat all people? A question that all of us need to honestly answer before God. How do you treat what God has created?

~Dr. G
John 14:6 – Jesus Is The Way, Truth, & Life

Mercy Shown By Love Part 3

Welcome back. Today we are going to discuss verse 29. Have a blessed Thursday!

Luke 6:27-36 (HCSB) from Biblegateway.com

27-“But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, 28-bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29-If anyone hits you on the cheek, offer the other also. And if anyone takes away your coat, don’t hold back your shirt either. 30-Give to everyone who asks you, and from one who takes your things, don’t ask for them back. 31-Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them. 32-If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33-If you do what is good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34-And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to be repaid in full. 35-But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. 36-Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Luke 6:27-36 (HCSB)

Notes:
29-If anyone hits you on the cheek, offer the other also. And if anyone takes away your coat, don’t hold back your shirt either.

I read a story about a young man who put this verse into practice as he understood it to be. One afternoon a pastor was in his study when all of the sudden the phone rang. It was a well respected deacon in his church on the line with him. The two men talked for a few minutes and set up a time when they could meet later that day. When the pastor arrived at the deacons home he was greeted warmly and asked to join the family for dinner. As they all sat down around the table for dinner the deacon told his son to tell the pastor why he had two freshly bruised black eyes and a nervous stutter in his voice. The young man began his story with these words. Pastor last Sunday you preached Luke 6:27-36 and I paid close attention when you got to verse 29. Today I put into practice what it said and I turned the other cheek and that is why I have these two black eyes. The pastor was so excited to hear that his sermon had impacted this young man’s life. He began to congratulate the young man for his boldness of faith and obedience to God by turning the other cheek. Then the deacon said, son, now tell the pastor the rest of the story. The pastor couldn’t wait to hear about this young man’s act of faith for turning the other cheek. The son said to the pastor in a really low voice. Pppppastor I did what you said and I turned the other cheek, but when he hit me the third time, I hit him in the face and knocked out all of his front teeth. The pastor sat in silence for a moment and then he asked the young man. Why did you hit the other boy back? The young man simply replied with well all I could remember about your sermon was to turn the other cheek and after I did that and he hit me again. Well I figured that I did what you said and you didn’t say I had to keep on turning my cheek so I knocked him out. The pastor looked over at his deacon and said, well at least we know he obeyed the Word of God to the best of his knowledge.

Sometimes in life we find ourselves unsure of what to do when someone hurts us physically or emotionally. So we act or react to life just like the young man in the story above. We obey the Word of God to the best of our knowledge.

~Dr. G
John 14:6 – Jesus Is The Way, Truth, & Life