"The heart of her husband safely trusts her" - Proverbs 31:11 NKJV
The poet wrote, 'Love in your heart is not put there to stay. Love isn't love, till you give it away.' We can be rejected by many, as long as we can come home and be loved by one. At times life will beat you down, so make your home a sanctuary. Here's a story to help you do that.
He'd finally decided to ask his employer for a pay rise. Before leaving for work he told his wife about it. All day long she felt apprehensive. Finally, late in the afternoon he summoned the courage to approach his boss. To his delight he got the pay rise. Elated, he arrived home to a beautiful table set with their best china and lighted candles. Smelling the aroma of a specially prepared meal, he guessed that somebody from the office had called his wife and tipped her off. Finding her in the kitchen he shared the good news. They embraced before sitting down to a wonderful meal. Next to his plate he found a note that read, 'Congratulations! I knew you'd get the pay rise. This dinner is to show how much I love you.' Later, on his way to the kitchen to help his wife serve dessert, he noticed a second card that had fallen from her pocket. Picking it up off the floor he read, 'Don't worry about not getting the pay rise. You deserve it anyway. This dinner is to show you how much I love you.' Acceptance! Love! She stood behind him no matter what - softening the blows, healing the wounds, believing in him. So the word for you today is - support your spouse!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Praise In The Early Stages
"They praised [God] because the foundation was laid" - Ezra 3:11 NKJV
We read, 'When the builders completed the foundation of the Lord's Temple... all the people gave a great shout, praising the Lord... ' (vv. 10-11 NLT). Why praise God in the early stages of something? First, because praise is an act of faith. It says, 'Lord, what You start, You finish. Thank You for giving me Your plan because Your plan always prevails. Some folk think I won't succeed, but with You on my side I'll succeed anyway. I'm not doing this for myself; I'm doing it for You and with You.' Second, because praise strengthens you. Nehemiah told his workers, '... "The joy of the Lord is your strength!"' (Nehemiah 8:10 NLT). If you lose your joy you lose your strength. If you lose your strength you lose your power to overcome the enemy. If you lose your power to overcome the enemy, you're defeated. But if you praise God even when all you have in front of you is a small beginning, His joy will energise you and you'll find it easier to complete the task. If you only praise God when things are easy or going right, you won't praise much, you won't have joy and you won't have strength. Third, because praise changes your environment. Imagine wheelbarrows, cement mixers, a partially built wall, and in the midst of it people shouting the praises of God. That's what happens when you put on a praise CD or tune into a Christian radio station; your problems don't necessarily change, but your outlook does. Simply stated, when you praise God in the early stages, you work better and the job gets done!
We read, 'When the builders completed the foundation of the Lord's Temple... all the people gave a great shout, praising the Lord... ' (vv. 10-11 NLT). Why praise God in the early stages of something? First, because praise is an act of faith. It says, 'Lord, what You start, You finish. Thank You for giving me Your plan because Your plan always prevails. Some folk think I won't succeed, but with You on my side I'll succeed anyway. I'm not doing this for myself; I'm doing it for You and with You.' Second, because praise strengthens you. Nehemiah told his workers, '... "The joy of the Lord is your strength!"' (Nehemiah 8:10 NLT). If you lose your joy you lose your strength. If you lose your strength you lose your power to overcome the enemy. If you lose your power to overcome the enemy, you're defeated. But if you praise God even when all you have in front of you is a small beginning, His joy will energise you and you'll find it easier to complete the task. If you only praise God when things are easy or going right, you won't praise much, you won't have joy and you won't have strength. Third, because praise changes your environment. Imagine wheelbarrows, cement mixers, a partially built wall, and in the midst of it people shouting the praises of God. That's what happens when you put on a praise CD or tune into a Christian radio station; your problems don't necessarily change, but your outlook does. Simply stated, when you praise God in the early stages, you work better and the job gets done!
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