My Journal |

Sometimes we overlook the goodness of God in our lives. We ponder on things that make us sad, not being able to see the good things that are happening around us .

The problems we face everyday, whether it be financial , emotional, physical, spiritual, make us forget that there are many things that can remind us that we are special to God our Father…

Everytime we face such trials or difficulties in our lives, let us always remember that there are so many other things that God gave to us which make us important. When we think of our blessings God provided for us, our family, our kids, the people around us who love and care for us, the friends we seldom see, the physical well being, and most importantly, that spiritual gifts that He gives us as we grow in serving, knowing, praising, loving God with all our heart and mind.

Our failures often times rob us of our joy. Don’t let thing happen. Let the Spirit of God be upon us always thru His words. Let us sing praises to Him in the midst of problems, failures, temptations and difficulties.

^”A cheerful heart is good medicine,
      but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” –Proverbs 17:22 (NLT)

We will be victorious if we let God enter into our hearts and lives. God bless you all!

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry – James 1: 19 (NIV)

This verse serves to remind us to be careful in everything we say. That we should think before saying things or before talking to other people especially when problems are being resolved.

When we are trying to resolve problems with people, more often with our loved ones, we should always be calm and think that we should avoid hurting them by the way we talk and the things we say should always reflect that we still love them inspite of our differences.

Let the poem below by C.A. Lufburrow be our guide…

The Echo

I shouted aloud and louder

While out on the plain one day;

The sound grew faint and fainter

Until it had died away.

My words had gone forever.

They left no trace or track,

But the hills nearby caught up the cry

And sent an echo back.

I spoke a word in anger

To one who was my friend,

Like a knife it cut him deeply,

A wound that was hard to mend.

That word, so thoughtlessly uttered,

I would we could both forget,

But its echo lives and memory gives

The recollection yet.

How many hearts are broken,

How many friends are lost

By some unkind word spoken

Before we count the cost!

But a word or deed of kindness

Will repay a hundred fold,

For it echoes again in the heart of men

And carries a joy untold.

Let us live with the love of God in our hearts. God bless you all.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil (Romans 12:17).

Who wants to be criticized? No one does. Especially if it is a false criticism. It will hurt ones feelings and may ruin the entire day of a person.

It is hurts even more if the person who talks bad things about you is someone who is very close and dear to you. Your husband, wife, mother, father, kids, relatives, friends…

Spouses are often critical of one another in marriage. Sometimes our criticism of each other is valid, but often it’s not because it springs from a wrong appraisal of our spouse or his or her behavior. You may not be able to control the fact that unjust criticism will come your way, but you do have control over how you handle it!

Moses was criticized by the nation God called him to serve and by his subordinates. But the real pain came when he was criticized by his own family, his own brother and sister spoke against him because he married a Cushite woman (Numbers 12:1). Aaron and Miriam questioned whether God had really spoken through Moses (12:2). They made their accusations public. That is when criticism really hurts!

If you and your spouse have a problem, as much as possible if you can solve your problem by yourself, do not involve your parents and other relatives, because sometimes our family will hang on to the problem even if the problem is already over.

Follow Moses.

1. He did not defend himself against the criticism of his family because he knew that the truth would eventually clear him, and it did.

2. He did not retaliate or fight against his brother and sister. The problem will get even worst and you will also hurt the ones you love. And you will have a never ending battle.

It is important that when people say bad things about you or hurt you or criticize you, you must always be willing to forgive them and it will surely make you life happier.

Ask yourselves…When was the last time you felt criticized? Are you willing to forgive? Have you spoken to that person…Always remember that God wants us to have a forgiving heart that abides to His words. God bless you all.

1Peter 3:1-4 Likewise, wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, so that if any do not obey the Word, they may also be won without the Word by the conduct of the wives,  having witnessed your chaste behavior in the fear of God. Of whom let not be the adorning of garments, or outward braiding of hair and wearing of gold, or of putting on clothing, but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, the meek and quiet spirit, which is of great price in the sight of God.

Often times people are attracted at the outward beauty of a person, but as time passes by and we get to know the person really well, our thought about them changes.  Also, we are blinded by the outward appearance of a person.

In our devotion for today, we would like to know which is really important to God? The outward appearance or the inward characteristics of people?

Peter wrote these words to a society in which wealthy women placed extreme importance on outward adornment. More often than not, women spend more time in their outward appearance, spending a lot more time fixing their hair, taking a bath than reading the bible and having devotion. I think this does not only involve women but to men as well, because sometimes men are more vain than women. This is a good reminder to all of us. God gave us 24 hours a day, but sometimes we forget to say thank you to God. We become so ungrateful for all the blessings we receive.

What Peter wants to say is that “God is far more inter­ested in the inner beauty of a woman than her outward appearance”. But inner beauty also requires time and nurturing by reading the bible and spending more time with God.

In our society there is a tremendous imbalance between the amount of time we spend on outward appearance and the time we devote to inward development. Many women base their feelings of self?worth on how they look, whereas the true basis of self?worth should be on how God views us. Peter mentions in verse 4 that inner beauty is reflected in an outwardly noticeable gentle spirit.

Gentleness is an attitude of thoughtfulness and servanthood. Being willing to see God’s pattern for marriage as the healthiest way to de­velop personal security and to reflect the presence of Jesus Christ in your marriage. A woman with a gentle spirit is one who has confidence as a result of relying upon God and using this gift to serve others.

FEAR NOT, STAND STRONG, MOVE ON

Do not be afraid. Stand firm….Be still…. Move on (Exodus 14:13?15).

1. “Do not be afraid.” . Don’t be afraid of fear. (2Timothy 1:7  For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. )It reminds us we are alive, human. The same channel of our emotions through which fear flows can be the riverbed for trust and loving obe­dience. Fear is the opposite of faith. When we surrender our fear by telling God how we feel, we allow faith to force out fear.

2. “Stand firm.” Do not let the circumstances in your life affect you in a way that you will give up on life. Stand your ground. Don’t give in to your fear and run away. You have to face your fear. Stop for a while, calm down, and then see the fear from God’s perspective.

3. “Be still.” Don’t panic thinking that you will not be able to overcome your problems. The effect of panic is that we tend to override God’s direc­tion, God’s peace, and God’s presence in our lives. We can listen to the voice of God quietly.

4. “Move on.” We should face our problems and be able to overcome them. When we fail to move on, we procrastinate, and procrastina­tion is not God’s plan for us. Procrastination is fear that has forgotten the promises of God. It is our effort to make life stand still for a while when God has clearly instructed us to keep moving. Don’t be a stagnant Christian. Don’t allow fear to control you. Don’t be afraid to come closer to God.

Take a few minutes to reflect on this. But be sure you “move on.”