Wednesday, 25 September 2013
After This
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After This
Today's Scripture:
And after this it came to pass that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them…2 Samuel 8:1, KJV.
Today's Word:
Your life is not over because you had a setback. God has an “after this” in your future. He has another victory planned. He wants to take you further than you ever dreamed possible!When you go through tough times, don’t be surprised if the enemy whispers in your ear, “You’ll never be as happy as you used to be. You’ve seen your best days. This setback is the end of you.” No, let that go in one ear and out the other. God is saying to you, “After the bad break, after the disappointment, after the pain, there is still a full life.” Know today that you have not danced your best dance. You have not laughed your best laugh. You have not dreamed your best dream. If you will stay in faith and not get bitter, God has an “after this” in your future. He’s not only going to bring you out, He is going to bring you out better than you were before!
Prayer for Today:
Father, thank You for victory in store for my future. Thank you that “after this,” I’m rising higher. I’m coming out stronger. I’m more prepared for my future. I’m better equipped and empowered to fulfill the destiny You have prepared for me in Jesus’ name. Amen. |
“Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.” (Proverbs 17:9 NLT)
Let’s just admit it: When you have some crazy-maker in your life, and she’s just done the craziest thing again, it’s almost impossible not to get in the car, pull out your phone, and call somebody and say, “You won’t believe what she just did!”
Or, “You won’t believe what he just did!” In fact, you may even be texting as he’s doing it!
That’s what we do with crazy-makers. We want to tell somebody else. We want affirmation from somebody else. It’s the most difficult thing in the world to let go of it. It may feel good when we call someone to spread the word about the crazy-maker’s craziness, but it’s also unloving.
The Bible says to forgive even your enemies. Proverbs 17:9 says, “Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends”(NLT).
Gossip is incredibly destructive. It is destructive to churches, families, and businesses. It is destructive to your life. It tears you up. It separates the closest of friends.
The worst thing about gossip is that the crazy-maker wins! All of a sudden, your crazy-maker is controlling your conversation. The crazy-maker is controlling your emotions. Don’t let that person win! Don’t let the crazy-maker win by choosing gossip.
1 Peter 3:9 says, “Do not do wrong to repay a wrong, and do not insult to repay an insult. But repay with a blessing, because you yourselves were called to do this so that you might receive a blessing” (NCV).
Talk About It
- What are your strategies for avoiding or confronting gossip?
- Why do you think it is so hard to walk away from gossip?
Tuesday, 24 September 2013
Galatians 5:22-23
Barbara de Angelis
| If You Love Her Enough Author: Bill Walls My friend John always has something to tell me. He knows so much that young men have to have older and more worldly wise men to tell them. For instance who to trust, how to care for others, and how to live life to the fullest. Recently, John lost his wife Janet. For eight years she fought against cancer, but in the end her sickness had the last word. One day John took out a folded piece of paper from his wallet. He had found it, so he told me, when he tidied up some drawers at home. It was a small love letter Janet had written. The note could look like a school girl's scrawls about her dream guy. All that was missing was a drawing of a heart with the names John and Janet written in it. But the small letter was written by a woman who had had seven children; a woman who fought for her life and who probably only had a few months left to live. It was also a beautiful recipe for how to keep a marriage together. Janet's description of her husband begins thus: "Loved me. Took care of me. Worried about me." Even though John always had a ready answer, he never joked about cancer apparently. Sometimes he came home in the evening to find Janet in the middle of one of those depressions cancer patients so often get. In no time he got her into the car and drove her to her favorite restaurant. He showed consideration for her, and she knew it. You cannot hide something for someone who knows better. "Helped me when I was ill," the next line reads. Perhaps Janet wrote this while the cancer was in one of the horrible and wonderful lulls. Where everything is -- almost -- as it used to be, before the sickness broke out, and where it doesn't hurt to hope that everything is over, maybe forever. "Forgave me a lot." "Stood by my side." And a piece of good advice for everyone who looks on giving constructive criticism as a kind of sacred duty: "Always praising." "Made sure I had everything I needed," she goes on to write. After that she has turned over the paper and added: "Warmth. Humor. Kindness. Thoughtfulness." And then she writes about the husband she has lived with and loved the most of her life: "Always there for me when I needed you." The last words she wrote sum up all the others. I can see her for me when she adds thoughtfully: "Good friend." I stand beside John now, and cannot even pretend to know how it feels to lose someone who is as close to me as Janet was to him. I need to hear what he has to say much more than he needs to talk. "John," I ask. "How do you stick together with someone through 38 years -- not to mention the sickness? How do I know if I can bear to stand by my wife's side if she becomes sick one day?" "You can," he says quietly. "If you love her enough, you can." |
Get Back in the Game
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Get Back in the Game
Today's Scripture:
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.Isaiah 60:1, NIV.
Today's Word:
Are you going through a tough time today? Are you sitting on the sidelines of life? God is saying, “Arise and get back in the game.” If a friend betrayed you, don’t go through life lonely. Go out and find some new friends. The right people are in your future. If you lost your job, don’t sit around complaining. Go out and find another job. When one door closes, God will always open another door. If you’re facing a health issue, fighting that sickness, don’t give up on life and start planning your funeral. Arise from that discouragement!When God sees you do your part, He will do His part. He will give you a new life. That means He will restore your health, give you new opportunities, new relationships. He will give you a new perspective. You will see that even though it’s painful, it is not the end. Even though it was unfair, it is not over. There is still life after the sickness, life after the divorce, life after the bad break. A full life is still in front of you. Today, arise and let God’s glory shine all over you!
Prayer for Today:
Father, thank You for Your grace and mercy on my life. I choose to rise and put my trust in You. I choose to get back in the game. Thank You, Lord, for accomplishing Your purposes in my life in Jesus’ name. Amen. |
“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” (Colossians 3:13 NLT)
Many of us have someone in our lives who has done some crazy, hurtful thing to us or, maybe even more importantly, to somebody that we love. In our minds we think, “I know the Christian thing to do is to forgive, so I will. I will forgive him as soon as he gives me an apology.”
The problem with that is, you’re still holding on to the hurt. Truth is, that person may never ask you for forgiveness. He may never say he’s sorry, because he doesn’t get it, or she may not even realize what she’s done. So you end up stewing over something that the other person has long ago forgotten. And it’s eating you up inside!
Never hold on to a hurt, because resentment tears you up. Resentment is like drinking poison and hoping it’s going to kill someone else. It doesn’t work. You have to decide that, before anything else happens, you are going to forgive that person.
Jesus said this even in the most extreme of circumstances, as he’s hanging on the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34a NIV).
So what do you do? When you struggle with forgiving, remember the great gift of God’s forgiveness.
Remember a verse like Colossians 3:13: “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (NLT). It’s not a bad one to memorize and carry with you throughout the day, because you’re going to have plenty of chances to use it.
That phrase “make allowance” is the Greek word that means “to bear with, to endure, to be tolerant.” Basically it means to cut people some slack. Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7 NIV). I want God’s blessing in my life and your life. One of the ways you receive that is by being merciful.
Talk About It
- What hurt are you still holding onto?
- What do you need to do today so that your hurt does not turn into resentment?
Monday, 23 September 2013
Someone Has Their Eye on You
Posted by Joel Osteen
There's a young lady in Scripture by the name of Ruth. Ruth
went through a great disappointment. Her husband was killed in a battle, and
the future didn't look very bright for her. She moved to a
One day, the owner of that field noticed Ruth. His name was
Boaz. He noticed how beautiful she was and what a hard worker she was. What's
interesting is that Ruth didn't know anybody was watching her. She didn't even
know who Boaz was. She just kept working hard, doing her best, and caring for
Naomi.
The point to think about today is that even though you may
not realize it, somebody has their eyes on you. A supervisor is noticing your
excellence. A manager is noticing your character. A friend is noticing your
faithfulness. If you are single, you may think there is nobody to meet, but you
don't know who God is about to bring into your life. You don't know who has
their eyes on you.
Long story short, Ruth and Boaz fell in love and ended up
getting married. Ruth no longer had to work in the field—she owned the field!
Like Ruth you may have gone through a difficult time, but let me tell you, God
has another Boaz out there. God has already lined up somebody to notice you,
somebody to befriend you, somebody to promote you, somebody to make your life
more fulfilled. That disappointment was not the end. It's a new beginning. It
may have been a setback, but God has already lined up the right people to help
you come back. Trust and believe that God has His best in store. He has the
opportunities lined up; He has good breaks and favor in store for your future.
He has the right people in the right positions ready to give you a hand up.
Always remember that someone has their eye on you!
"…She asked him, 'Why have I found such favor in your
eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?' Boaz replied, 'I've been told all about
what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how
you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a
people you did not know before. May the LORD repay you for what you have done.
May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings
you have come to take refuge.'" (Ruth 2:10-12, NIV)
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