Seventy-seven times!

“…how many times shall I forgive…?”‘ Matthew 18:21

Lamech was a descendent of Cain, one of Adam’s sons. Now when Cain killed his brother Abel, God put a mark on him, saying that if anyone killed Cain they’d pay for it seven times over. One day somebody hurt Lamech, so he gave in to resentment, killed the offender, and said, ‘…”I have killed a man for wounding me…If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times”‘ (Genesis 4:23-24 NIV). In Lamech’s mind he was absolutely justified. The guy who did him wrong, had it coming. The philosophy of Lamech was: if you hurt me, I’ll hurt you. And not just once, but seventy-seven times over. The spirit of revenge is never satisfied. Simply stated: ‘It doesn’t work!’ Like Lamech, Peter had been hurt by someone close to him, and it happened more than once. So he went to Jesus and asked, ‘How many times do I have to forgive this man? Seven times?’ Peter thought he was being extremely generous and expected Jesus to pat him on the back, so he probably wasn’t too pleased when Jesus deflated his ego by saying he must forgive the offender, ‘not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’ Where did Jesus get that number? From the Old Testament. Jesus knew the Scriptures well, so He chose it deliberately. He was doing away with the philosophy of Lamech! ‘Peter, you can follow in the footsteps of Lamech and retaliate, or you can follow Me and keep extending forgiveness; but you can’t do both!’
http://www.ucb.co.uk/word_for_today

So…are you still holding onto someone/something? Find the time to let them/it go aka forgive ‘em seriously. A part of you knows you’ll feel a whole lot better, have a fab week
till next time,
easy does it

Mind the checks

‘…after the fire came a gentle whisper.’ 1 Kings 19:12

A respected author writes: ‘I was driving a safe distance behind the car in front when the driver slammed on his brakes. I stopped short, but the car behind was too close and rammed into my Jeep. There was no real damage, but as I drove off something about the incident nagged at me. Weeks later I was on a fast-moving highway. Behind me was a huge truck loaded with cars…in front were several cars…and up ahead, a school bus. Suddenly I noticed the brake lights from the cars ahead. The bus had stopped to let a child off. I pulled to a stop behind the car in front; then I remembered the lesson from the accident earlier. Sometimes I can stop safely, but the driver behind me can’t. When I looked in my rear view mirror the truck loaded with cars was frantically trying to stop. I pulled over, giving him an extra car length, and he screeched to a stop, right behind the car ahead of me. If I hadn’t listened we’d all have piled up.’ A new Christian was asked the secret to her spiritual growth. Her response was, ‘Mind the checks.’ One reason we don’t understand God better is because we don’t heed His gentle ‘checks.’ The Bible says: ‘…after the fire came a gentle whisper.’ Learn to listen for it. When you’re about to speak and you feel a gentle restraint, say nothing. When you’re about to go down a certain path and you sense a red light, or a different path opening up, pay attention, even when God asks you to move in the dark. Wherever His finger points, His hand will clear the way.
http://www.ucb.co.uk/word_for_today

Is this speaking to anyone? It is…to me
till next time,
easy does it

Are you approachable? (2)

29 Jan 2009

‘When the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce… kindness, goodness…gentleness…’ Galatians 5:22-23

Approachable people exhibit the following characteristics: 1) Personal warmth; they truly like people. In an old Peanuts cartoon Charlie Brown says, ‘I love mankind, it’s just people I can’t stand.’ Hello! It’s not enough to love people in theory; you have to generate personal warmth toward those you meet each day. 2) Their moods are consistent. Have you ever worked with someone whose moods are constantly up and down? You never know how they’ll be. In contrast, approachable people are even-keeled and predictable. They’re basically the same way every time you see them. 3) Sensitivity toward people’s feelings. Although approachable people are emotionally steady, that doesn’t mean they expect others to be that way. They recognise that good people have bad days; consequently they tune their moods to the feelings of others and quickly adjust how they relate to them.   4) Understanding of human weakness, and exposure of their own. Novelist Ed Howes said, ‘Express a mean opinion of yourself occasionally, it will show your friends that you know how to tell the truth.’ Approachable people are honest about their abilities; and their shortcomings. They embrace the old proverb which says: ‘Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.’ And because they can admit their own faults, they don’t have a problem allowing other people to have faults as well.   5) The ability to forgive, and ask for forgiveness. Author David Augsburger wrote, ‘Since nothing we attempt is ever without error, and nothing we achieve, without some measure of the finitude and fallibility we call humanness, we are saved by forgiveness.’

http://www.ucb.co.uk/index.cfm?itemid=88&testdate=29%20Jan%202009

till next time,
easy does it

…the M.K. experience…

amazing is an understatement. Kinobe and the other people were amazing. And there was a gentleman that offered me a seat after I’d been standing a while, something that I’m not familiar with..it’s been a while, I’d gotten all caught up in the ‘I’m a strong woman, I don’t need to be taken care of and I’m fine wit it…blah blah blah’ so it was a breath of fresh air.
Thank you kind sir
till next time,
easy does it

Are you approachable? (1)

‘When the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce… kindness, goodness…gentleness…’ Galatians 5:22-23

Dr John Maxwell writes: ‘Sooner or later, a man, if he is wise, discovers that life is a mixture of good days and bad, victory and defeat, give and take. He learns that it doesn’t pay to be a too-sensitive soul, that he should let some things go over his head. He learns that he who loses his temper usually loses out, that all men occasionally have burnt toast for breakfast, and that he shouldn’t take the other fellow’s moans too seriously. He learns that carrying a chip on his shoulder is the easiest way to get into trouble, that the quickest way to become unpopular is to carry tales of gossip about others, that buck-passing always turns out to be a boomerang, and that it doesn’t matter who gets the credit so long as the job gets done. He learns that most others are as ambitious as he is, that they have brains as good or better, that hard work, not cleverness, is the secret of success. He learns that no one ever gets to first base alone, that it’s only through co-operative effort that we move on to better things. He realises (in short) that the “art of getting along,” depends 98% on his own behaviour toward others.’ So, what about you? Jesus said, ‘”…Consider carefully how you listen…”‘ (Luke 8:18 NIV). When was the last time someone brought you news you didn’t want to hear? Or strongly disagreed with you? Or confronted you? If it’s been a while, you may not be a very approachable person. We can give no greater gift to others than putting them at ease.
http://www.ucb.co.uk/word_for_today

These lessons serve to shed light on areas in my day to day life that need work. Take for instance, today at work, I needed to know whether I’d get re-imbursement for an expense I incurred earlier in the week regarding transporting myself to work (note that despite getting my appointment letter, I still have not officially been initiated/introduced to the rest of the employees that make up the company I work for – it’s something I’ve been told they do. ). In asking for the ‘incharge-of-transport’s e-mail address so that I could make my inquiry, the contact person assumed I was skipping protocol and merely wanted to make a mountain out of a mole.
…Before that, having hosted a guest on the show, and taken a caller towards the close of the hour, inevitably overshooting the news bulletin start by 2minutes (dare I add that the interview was expertly conducted), the guy that reads the news steps up to me after the news, and matter of factly quizzes me about why I took a caller 5 minutes to the news,adding that ‘Don’t you know it’s a rule not to take calls 5minutes to the news?”, to which I responded that no one informed me about the rules – I’ve not been inducted into the system, remember?!

In a nutshell, for the sake of peace, I made my apologies to both people – I did not want to, neither did I mean to, now that I think of it. So I maintain, for the sake of peace and only peace, nothing more.

Till next time,
easy does it

Cultivate a thankful heart!

‘I will bless the Lord at all times…’ Psalm 34:1

David said, ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.’ A thankful heart should be a way of life for us. But did you know that it can save your life? When Jonah disobeyed God and ended up inside the whale, he told the Lord, ‘…I will sacrifice to You with…thanksgiving….’ (Jonah 2:9 NKJV). When he did, God made the fish spit him up on dry land.
When you’re in the pits and all hell is breaking loose around you, that’s when you need to raise your voice in praise. Nothing demonstrates trust, like thanking God when you’re in the throes of crisis.
A thankful heart does two things:

1) It builds your faith. The reason ‘we [can] walk by faith [and] not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7 NAS), is because we know that regardless of the circumstances, God’s working on our behalf (Romans 8:28). David said, ‘…magnify the Lord with me…’ (Psalms 34:3). To magnify something is to enlarge it. When you focus on God instead of the problem, God becomes bigger and the problem becomes smaller. Plus, ‘…faith cometh by hearing…the word of God’ (Romans 10:17). Hearing God’s promises coming from your own lips, causes faith to rise in your heart. So start talking!

2) It restores life. Before raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, ‘…”Father…thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me”…’ (John 11:41-42 NKJV). Something wonderful happens when you start thanking God for saving, protecting and providing for you. Your faith soars. You gain the confidence to command those things in your life that you thought were dead, to live again. So, cultivate a thankful heart!
http://www.ucb.co.uk/word_for_today

till next time,
easy does it

Help in tight places!

‘God is our refuge and strength…’ Psalm 46:1

We live in a troubled world. 9/11; natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, tsunamis, wars, the sub-prime mortgage crisis and soaring petrol prices have tapped the roots of our anxiety. Every night the media invades our homes bringing it all to us in real time, exposing us to a new phenomenon called ‘compassion fatigue.’ Modern-day psychiatrists identify the helplessness, stress, vulnerability and depression we feel watching and wondering, ‘What if we are next to be targeted by terrorists or slammed by forces of nature? Who will protect us?’ To the fearful in heart, the Bible says three things:

1) ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.’ The margin of the New American Standard Bible renders this last phrase, ‘Abundantly available for help in tight places.’ Isn’t that great! When you’re in a tight spot, God is abundantly available to help you. Notice, it doesn’t say that God will help you occasionally or reluctantly. No, He will do it abundantly and faithfully. What more do you need?

2) ‘Therefore we will not fear…’ (v. 2 NIV). You needn’t panic, talk defeat, or give in to despair. The songwriter said, ‘He’s as close as the mention of his name.’ Just breathe His name in prayer, and He’ll be there for you.

3) ‘…Before the rush and roar of oceans, the tremors that shift mountains…’ (v. 3 TM). When everything you once thought to be stable and dependable, is threatened and shaken to the core you will be where you have always been; in the strong and loving arms of God; the One who is ‘abundantly available to help in tight places.’
http://www.ucb.co.uk/word_for_today

Happy Liberation y’all
till next time,
easy does it

‘Finding yourself’ and graduation kudos to all you graduands come graduates :-)

‘…she found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz…’ Ruth 2:3

Ruth’s life was spiralling downward. Her husband died. She’d left her old home in Moab and wasn’t accepted in her new one in Bethlehem. She was in survival mode, making the best of a bad deal by gleaning just enough to stay alive. Then God turned things around. The reapers began deliberately dropping handfuls of barley in her path. She started picking up undeserved blessings. Why? Because Boaz saw Ruth gleaning and told his workers, ‘…leave them for her to pick up…’ (Ruth 2:16 NIV). Even though Boaz had never spoken directly to Ruth, she still received the blessing. There’s an important lesson here: You don’t know what God has spoken over your life, but suddenly everything changes! Doors open, opportunities come, people you thought didn’t notice you, or even like you, begin showing you favour. What’s happening? Your steps are being ordered by the Lord (Psalms 37:23). When the Israelites came into the Promised Land God told them, I’m giving you ‘…vineyards…you did not plant…’ (Deuteronomy 6:11 NKJV). God can put you in situations where others do the work and you get the benefit. And you don’t even have to worry, or get jealous about somebody else getting what’s yours, because nobody can glean it except you. Ruth started out for one destination and ‘found herself’ in another. When Boaz called her name, she came from the background to a place of blessing in the foreground. Instead of working in a corner of the field, she ended up owning the field. When God moves, that’s how quickly it can happen. So be ready!
http://www.ucb.co.uk/word_for_today

congratulations to each one of you bloguands, lol
I’m mighty proud of you
till next degree…and next time,
easy does it

Who belongs in your life?

‘”…Where you go I will go…”‘ Ruth 1:16

Ruth told Naomi, ‘”Where you go I will go.”‘ You can spend your life anywhere with anybody doing anything, then suddenly meet someone and sense that there is a connection between you. It’s what made Elisha quit farming and follow Elijah, an eccentric prophet; it’s why Timothy hung out with Paul, an old man soon to be executed. You know intuitively, ‘I won’t reach my destiny without you in my life.’ Looking back you realise if you hadn’t met that certain person, or taken that phone call, or read that email, you wouldn’t be where you are today. On the other hand, ‘…Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye…’ (Ruth 1:14 NIV). Now Orpah’s leaving didn’t make her a bad person; it just meant her part in the story was over. Recognise when somebody’s part in your story is over, otherwise you’ll just keep trying to raise the dead. David pleaded with God for his newborn baby’s life. ‘He fasted…spent the nights lying on the ground…and…would not eat…’ (2 Samuel 12:16-17 NIV). But when the child died he had to accept that there was nothing more he could do, so he ‘got up…washed…changed his clothes…and he ate’ (2 Samuel 12:20 NIV). Acknowledge when something is over. If God means you to have it, He’ll give it to you. If you’ve tried to make it work and it hasn’t, accept His will in the matter. Get up, go to the department store, buy yourself a new outfit, treat yourself to a good meal; start living again! Never beg anyone to stay with you against their will. Their leaving is no accident; it just means God has something better in store for you (and possibly them too), so trust Him and move on!
http://www.ucb.co.uk/word_for_today

I hope that encourages you,
love you loads,
thanks for taking the time to read this note,
till next time,
easy does it

…office drama…

I’m a month and 3weeks old at this new job in town. I share the same office space with different people who’ve all been there a lot longer than I have. And with each new entrant, come the same old antiques to ‘test’ what fibre the newbies are made from.

I’ve been involved in two rather engaging exchanges with two of the supposed ‘who’s-who’ in the office, neither of whom have any authority over my appointment to that job. The first was with a guy, some days ago, over a job he should have done, didn’t do, so my colleague and I got his job done, so he blew a fuse, which we screwed back on in that one sitting that you’ll call an exchange. We’re buddies today, and all’s cool.

The other was with a woman (I say woman because she has no social graces but tries too hard to convince everyone otherwise) who is such a loud-mouth, for lack of a better term. She’s accustomed to getting things done her way, short of which, she’ll pull the intimidation card.
The subject of contention today was who was supposed to use the PC at what time. Note – she found me at the PC in question and asked in a matter-of-fact kinda way to excuse her so she could work.
I clearly told her that I was still working and that she would be best advised to wait and once I was done, she’d have it all to herself…all this I said whilst looking her squarely in the eye. I kinda relished the fact that she didn’t have a come-back for that.

It wasn’t long before all hell broke loose, well, a crack in hells’ wall let go of some lava…I’m not one to be intimidated, thanks to teachings from my Dad thanks Dad, I love you

I’m sure this tangibly foul mood wont go away just yet, however I’m all good.
It kinda helps that I listen to some of the lessons in all them studies I post from time to time.
till next time,
easy does it