Seasoned With Grace

Main Scripture: Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. Colossians 4:6

I was reading an article where a man had a situation where his mobile phone was malfunctioning and he called the customer service department. The lady who answered the call was unreasonable and unyielding. She kept repeating the same policy manual paragraph to him without acknowledging his point of view. He was adamant that until somebody paid attention to this customer’s needs; he was not even going to pay his phone bill. This resulted in his communications being seriously interrupted for several days.

The man argued with customer service for days adamant about bringing his point across until eventually they agreed to send him to a dealer for a second opinion. In this instance the man decided to change his attitude. He smiled and greeted the customer service representative and was very nice to the manager and did not resist when they repeated the same thing the customer service representative told him before. This new attitude resulted in him getting a brand new phone, all for free, as a courtesy-exception.

Today’s scripture encourages us to always be gracious in our speech. As you can see from the story above that the man situation worsened when he behaved in a difficult manner with the customer service representative. However, once he changed his attitude and his speech he found favour with the manager.

The scripture goes further to say that our speech should be seasoned with salt. What does it mean to have our speech seasoned with salt? According to one author Mary Fairchild “salt enhances the natural taste in foods so that we want to eat more. It also makes us thirsty. Our speech ought to be fresh and inviting, full of spiritual flavor, causing others to be desirous, hungry, and thirsty to hear more.”

If I should be honest God is still working on me in this area, however in order for us to be successful spiritually and otherwise, we need to consider the spiritual flavor of our speech. The fact is that even though you did not mean anything by words you utter it may harm someone for a lifetime.

Therefore ladies, my encouragement to you today is to practice being graceful in your speech, what you say can either bring life to someone or kill them. Let your words bring life.

Let’s Pray,

Oh Lord, we thank you for this word today. Father we pray that you will help us to be gracious about our speech. Help us to use our words to uplift, encourage, heal and build persons instead of killing them

In Jesus Name

Be Content

Main Scripture: …for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV)

Song to meditate on: Never Would've Made It - Marvin Sapp (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JXFg5KEoXg)

Recently I was reflecting on life’s situation and I was reminded of a time when I had to assist a young lady who was having suicidal thoughts. This young lady’s situation was so heart wrenching as her elderly parents and her siblings had not eaten for six days, yet they try so hard to do what they can to survive. For example she has a brother who was sitting exams. Although he hadn’t eaten most days he still studied and went to school. (By the way, he is adopted).

In my reflection I was also reminded of today’s scripture that encourages us that whatever circumstances we find ourselves in, we should learn to be content. You see ladies if we learn to depend on Christ, He will strengthen us. He will take us through whatever we are going through and ensure we come out refined and better for it. The Bible also tells us in Luke 1:37 that “with God nothing shall be impossible.”  God also promises us that if we pray and make our requests known unto Him, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Also be assured that your situation is not the worst in the world and someone has already gone through what you have been through. After all, there is nothing new under the sun. This morning be encouraged, learn to be content, be thankful and make your requests known unto God so you can find peace.

Lao Tzu once said “Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” 

Let’s Pray,

Father, we are thankful for your blessings.  We pray that you will teach us to be content with what we what have. Strengthen Lord as we go through these trying times; give us your peace so that we might come out stronger and better equipped to help others. Give us testimonies that we can share with others so that they too will know of your faithfulness and that they too can get past their situations.

In Jesus Name

Amen

Live Again

Today’s Scripture: The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). John 10:10 (AMP)

Song for Meditation: What A Marvelous Thing – Bishop Walter Hawkins (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDsEycdNRL8)

This past week we celebrated Holy week, where we took the time to reflect on the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, because of Christ resurrection two thousand years ago we can live victoriously today.

You see ladies because Christ is risen we do not have to die in our situation, in our pain, suffering and shame but we can live in the land of the living victoriously so let us focus on living victoriously through the redemptive blood of Christ Jesus.

Recently, I saw a quote that says “No alarm clock needed, my passion wakes me.” Ladies God placed a purpose in each of us and to each of us He gave gifts; it is this purpose and gift that God gave to us that is going cause us to rise above every situation and circumstances in this life that may want to kill us.

So if you are in a situation that you think will kill you, maybe you are depressed, discouraged or sad. My encouragement to you is to use your God given purpose to cause you to rise. The devil will always send discouragement, pessimists, fear; guilt etc. to keep you from trying but remember that his purpose is to kill and destroy you. He allows his purpose to motivate him, so use yours to show him that you can be victorious.

Unlike the devil Christ came so that we “may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance”. He also paid the price of death so that we might live victoriously then He gave us an example by rising from the dead so that we might know how to live. Ladies like Christ I implore you to live again.

Let’s Pray,

Father we thank you for paying such a high price for our lives. We ask that you help us to live our lives in abundance by fulfilling our God given purpose.

In Jesus Name

Amen

The Passion of Christ

Today’s Scripture: “…he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors .For he bore the sin of many,    and made intercession for the transgressors.” Isaiah 53:12

Song for Meditation: There is a Fountain (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMcG0JclK-A)

Today is Good Friday; this day is observed on the Friday before Easter Sunday. On this day Christians commemorate the passion, or suffering, and death on the cross of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Many Christians spend this day in fasting, prayer, repentance, and meditation on the agony and suffering of Christ on the cross.

This Good Friday I want to encourage you to not only meditate on the suffering but I want to encourage you to access the benefits of the suffering. Christ knew fully well that He had to die and did it willingly because He loves us.. John 10:17-18 states "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father." (NKJV)

He died so that we might have eternal life, He made the ultimate sacrifice for us to remove, atone, and make eternal payment for our sin. 1 Peter 1:18-19 tells us “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.” (NLT). Therefore ladies we should honour Christ’s sacrifice by turning away from sin and living a life that submits to his will and purpose for our life.

Today understand that what fuelled Christ’s passion was His love for mankind, because of that love He left his kingly position in heaven, came to earth, mingled with man and was mocked, abused and suffered. He did this so that we could be saved, so that we might have peace, so that we can become righteous, so that we can inherit the Kingdom of God.

So today ladies, remember Christ’s passion, His love for us and how much He suffered for us. So if you are already walking with God, keep on walking. If not I invite you to meet Jesus, I invite you to start walking today.

Let’s Pray,

Heavenly Father, we thank you this morning for giving your life for us. Thank you for suffering so that we might be saved. Lord today we submit everything to you.

In Jesus Name

Amen

The Value of One

Main Scripture: “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’  In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:8-1

Today’s scripture reminds us of a popular parable that Christ used to depict how much one soul is valued. In the parable a woman who had ten coins lost one, searched for it earnestly and when she found it she called all her neighbours to rejoice. Most importantly however, is verse 10 that tells us that there is a party in heaven when one lost soul returns to Christ.

Ladies, since Jesus is no longer on earth we are His ambassadors, we are His eyes, His ears, His hands, His feet and His lips. We are expected to look for the ones that are lost.

It is important for us however to understand the value of one. Ladies if you are like me, you have big dreams and believe that God has greatness bottled up inside of you and one day knows that God has called you for something big. Recently however I was sharing with someone that I cannot see the transition from where I am to where I am sure that God is taking me. He advised me to start where I am, to start with one.

Ladies sometimes we tend to look at the big picture and not realize that we can start by impacting one. The one that you need to impact maybe a family member or a co-worker. That person probably talks to you every day and need some encouragement, someone to pray with them or someone to tell them about God’s love for them. Jesus values this one so today ladies, don’t be afraid take the advice of my friend and start with one.

Let’s Pray,

Lord Jesus we thank for valuing each of us individually. Take away every spirit of fear from us and help us today to impact at least one person so that their soul can find you.

In Jesus Name

Amen

Think, Smile, Cry

Today’s Scripture: “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go”  Gen 28:15 (NIV)

While doing some research for writing today’s devotional I stumbled on a post   “99 Tiny Stories to Make You Think, Smile and Cry”. These are simple, powerful, real life stories written by the people who lived them and is meant to MMT – Makes Me Think. They really made me think and appreciated more that unseen eye that constantly watches over us. I was also reminded that we all share this space called earth together and despite what happens, there is always a reason to give thanks and to show love to each other.  Here are some that touched me the most. I hope they will cause you to think and will also give you hope especially if you can relate to any of them:

·         Today, we live in a lower-middle-class neighborhood. My wife was just diagnosed with breast cancer, so my 14-year-old son decided that he wanted to raise money to help pay for some of her miscellaneous medical expenses. His idea was to go door to door around the neighborhood with battery operated hair clippers and let people shave a part of his head for a small donation of their choosing. He asked me whether a $100 goal would be too much. I told him not to get his hopes up. He came back home ten minutes ago with a totally bald head and $1,223. Two people gave him $100 bills. MMT

·         Today, it’s been ten years since my best friend became ill and needed a kidney transplant. As I was a fitting donor, I chose to donate one of my healthy kidneys to her even after doctors said her chance of survival was only 30%, and that there would be inherent risks to my health as well. But here I am at 10AM, getting ready to drive to her wedding venue where, in just a few short hours, I will be her maid of honor as she marries the love of her life who she happened to meet at the hospital ten years ago. MMT

·         Today, a big stray dog randomly followed me from the subway on my walk home. For about six blocks he followed just a few paces behind me. And just as this began to freak me out, a guy came out of nowhere, held a knife up to my face, and yelled, “Give me your purse!” Before I had a chance to react, the stray dog lunged at the man and bit his leg. He dropped the knife and fell to the ground as I ran away. I am now at home, safely, because of that dog. MMT

·         Today, when I landed at J.F.K. for a business trip, I turned on my phone and was inundated with several voicemails and text messages from family and close friends back in Seattle. “Call home. Your mom had a severe stroke and is currently in intensive care,” read the first text message to pop-up on my phone. My boss was with me, told me she’d handle things herself, and insisted that I catch the next flight back home. As I stood in line at the ticket counter, talking to my brother about my mother’s condition, crying, and explaining that I was going to try to make a flight that leaves in 30 minutes, the twelve people in line in front of me overheard my conversation and let me skip to the front. Then after the Delta rep quickly issued me a ticket, she walked around the counter, handled me a box of tissues, and before I had a chance to react, gave me a big hug. I made my flight. And my mom is now in stable condition. MMT

·         Today, a deaf-mute child I have been caring for 5 days a week for the last 4 years looked up at me this afternoon after I fed him his favorite lunch and spoke aloud to me for the first time. He said, “Thank you, Monica. I love you.” MMT

·         Today, my dad is the best dad I could ask for. He’s a loving husband to my mom (always making her laugh), he’s been to every one of my soccer games since I was 5 (I’m 17 now), and he provides for our family as a construction foreman. This morning when I was searching through my dad’s toolbox for a pliers, I found a dirty folded up paper at the bottom. It was an old journal entry in my dad’s handwriting dated exactly one month before the day I was born. It reads, “I am eighteen years old, an alcoholic who is failing out of college, a past cutter, and a child abuse victim with a criminal record of auto theft. And next month, ‘teen father’ will be added to the list. But, I swear I will make things right for my little girl. I will be the dad I never had.” And I don’t know how he did it, but he did it. MMT

·         Today, I texted my supervisor to tell him I wouldn’t be able to come into work today due to the fact that I’m in the emergency room with my dad after he had a heart attack. I got a response saying I had the wrong number. But then a few minutes later the person called me, told me her prayers are with me and my dad, and then told me a story about how her dad made a full recovery from a heart attack last year. We spoke for a half hour and she made me feel better. People like her who convey unrelenting compassion and goodwill MMT.

·         Today, after my daughter’s funeral I was going through my phone deleting all the condolence messages. There were so many of them that I simply selected ‘delete all,’ but one message didn’t delete. It was the last message my daughter left me before she passed and it was marked as ‘new.’ Sometimes my voicemail forces me to listen to messages before I can delete them, so played it. She said, “Hey dad, I just wanted to let you know I’m okay and I’m home now.” MMT

·         Today, a homeless man whom I recognize from around the neighborhood came into my bakery and purchased a large birthday cake (I gave him a 40% discount). I curiously watched as he walked the cake across the street to another homeless man. The other man started laughing and then the two men hugged. MMT

Have A God Filled Day Ladies

Let’s Pray,

Lord thank you for always watching over us and protecting us. Thank you for the people that we share this space with called earth. Help us to love each other, be kind and forgiving to each other.

In Jesus Name

Amen