Show God's Goodness

10/29

Romans 2:4

Show God’s Goodness

If somebody is not treating you right, go out of your way to be kinder than usual to that person. If you husband is not serving God, don’t go around beating him over the head with your bible, preaching at him, nagging him, coercing him to attend church with you.  No, just start being extra kind to him. Start loving him in a fresh way. God’s goodness expressed through you will overcome evil. Love never fails.

 

When you can bless your enemies and do good to those who have used or abused you, that’s when God will take that evil and turn it around for good. Remember that God is in control. And when you bless your enemies, you will never lose. God will always make it up to you.

 

10/30

Romans 4:20

When You Believe

In obedience to God, Abraham moved all his flocks, his herds, his family, and even his extended family members to a new land. After living there for a while, they discovered that the portion of land where they settled wasn’t able to support them with enough food and water for all the people and their flocks and herds. So Abraham offered his nephew Lot whichever part of the land he wanted. Taking advantage of his uncle’s kindness, Lot took the beautiful valley with lush green pastures and rolling hills and ponds.

 

Abraham said, “Fine: go and be blessed.” He could have said, “Lot, God spoke to me, not to you. I should get the fine choice” Abraham didn’t do that. He believed that God would make it up to him, and God did.

 

10/31

Genesis 13:14-15

Lift Your Eyes

After Lot took the best land and left Abraham with arid and barren land, Abraham must have been disappointed with his scruffy portion of the land. I’m sure he thought, God, why do people always take advantage of my goodness? Lot wouldn’t have had anything if I hadn’t given it to him.

 

However, God saw Abraham’s integrity and said, “Because you treated your relative kindly, I’m going to give you an abundant blessing – hundreds and hundreds of acres: miles and miles of land. All that you can see is going to be yours.” That’s what He did for Abraham, and He can do it for you.

 

Today's Word with Joel & Victoria - He Laughs in the Heavens

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He Laughs in the Heavens TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “He Who sits in the heavens laughs...” (Psalm 2:4, AMP) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Have you ever imagined God laughing in the heavens? Think about it for a moment. Right now, God is on the throne. He’s not mad. He’s not worried about the economy. He’s not upset with you and me. God is full of joy and laughing on the throne. It goes on to tell us in Psalm 37 that He’s laughing because “He can see the destruction of the enemy coming.” In other words, the reason God laughs is because He knows the end of the story. He knows the final outcome. The good news is that you and I win. God always causes us to triumph! Imagine watching the Super Bowl when you already know the outcome. You already know who is going to win. No matter how far behind the winning team falls, no matter how bad it looks for them, you wouldn’t get upset. You wouldn’t be worried. Why? You’ve got inside information. You know the final outcome. That’s what God is saying to us today. When it gets tough and things don’t look like they’re going to work out, we know that with God we are on the winning team! Today, you can laugh with Him knowing that He has favor, strength and victory in store for your future! A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father in heaven, I choose to rest and trust in You. Thank You for bringing victory in every area of my life. Give me opportunities today to share Your joy and love with the people around me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen   WITH A GIFT OF ANY SIZE THRIVE 2-Disc CD/DVD Resource WITH A GIFT $250 OR MORE Hope for Today Bible Plus: THRIVE and THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

 

 

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Love Overcomes Evil

 

10/28

1 Corinthians 13:5

Love Overcomes Evil

You may have people in your life who have done you great wrong, and you have a right to be angry and bitter. But if you will choose to let go of your grudge and forgive them, you can overcome that evil with good. You can get to the point where you can look at the people who have hurt you and return good for evil. If you do that, God will pour out His favor in your life in a fresh way. He will honor you. He will reward you, and He’ll make those wrongs right.

 

God wants His people to help heal wounded hearts.

 

Show Kindness

 

 

10/22

Luke 6:38

Helping the Hurting

The closest thing to the heart of our God is helping hurting people. God loves when we sing and worship and pray. But nothing pleases God more than when we care for His children.

 

John Bunyan said, “You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who cannot pay you back.” Be on the lookout for somebody you can bless. Somebody needs what you have to give. It may not be your money; it may be your time, your listening ear, your arms to encourage, or your smile uplift. Who knows? Maybe just putting your arm around somebody and letting him or her know that you care can help begin to heal that person’s heart.

 

10/23

1 Thessalonians 5:15

Show Kindness

How you treat other people can have a great impact on the degree of blessings and favor of God you will experience in your life. Are you good to people? Are you kind and considerate? Do you speak and act with love in your heart and regard other people as valuable and special? You can’t treat people poorly and expect to be blessed.

 

The Bible says we are to “aim to show kindness and seek to do good.” We must be proactive. We should be on the lookout to share His mercy, and kindness, and goodness with people. Moreover, we need to be kind and do good to people even when somebody is unkind to us. Evil is never overcome by more evil.

 

10/24

Luke 6:27-28

Walk in Love

When somebody doesn’t treat you right, you have a golden opportunity to help heal a wounded heart.  Keep in mind, hurting people often hurt other people as a result of their own pain. If somebody is rude or inconsiderate, you can almost be certain that they have some unresolved issues inside. The last thing they need is for you to respond angrily.

 

Keep taking the high road and be kind and courteous. Walk in love and have a good attitude. God sees what you’re doing, and He is your vindicator.  He will make sure your good actions and attitude will overcome that evil. If you’ll keep doing the right thing, you will come out far ahead of where you would have been had you fought fire with fire.

 

10/25

Matthew 5:41

Aim for Kindness

When that coworker walks by you and doesn’t give you the time of day, God expects you to go the extra mile and be friendly to him anyway. When that employee at the grocery store checkout counter is curt with you, your initial response may be to act rudely in return. That’s the easy way; anybody can do that. Why not show them some of God’s grace and mercy?

 

Aim for kindness and give them a word of encouragement. After all, you don’t know what they may be going through. They may be living in hell on earth. If you return their venom with more vitriol, you could escalate the conflict, or your response could be the final straw that causes them to give up and sink into utter despair. Neither scenario is pleasing to God.

 

Blessed to Bless

10/20

Genesis 12:2

Blessed to Bless

We read God’s promise to Abraham, and we often say, “All right, God! Come on; pour out Your blessings on me!” But notice, there’s a catch. We must do something: better yet, we must be something. God is implying that we will not be blessed simply so we can live lavishly or self indulgently. We will be blessed to be a blessing. Indeed, unless we are willing to be a blessing, God will not pour out His favor and goodness in our lives. We will receive from God in the same measure we give to others.

 

If we’d listen more carefully, maybe we’d hear God saying, “When are you going to start being a blessing?”

 

it began with a wooden rocking chair

 

Arlene A. Wilson

Associate Director of Community Initiatives

American Diabetes Association of Upstate New York

 

160 Allens Creek Road

Rochester, New York  14618

585-458-3040 x3481

585-458-3138 [fax]

 

315 Alberta Drive

Buffalo, New York  14226

716-835-0274 x3481

716-835-0283 [fax]

 

 

www.diabetes.org

 

Twitter: @AmDiabetesAssn
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AmericanDiabetesAssociation
 
Join the movement to Stop Diabetes at www.stopdiabetes.com
 

 

October 2010 Praise and Prayer Calendar

Life is too short to wake up with regrets...

"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...it's about learning how to dance in the rain.." -   SISTAS   Sister Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Love the ones who don't just because you can. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it. Kiss slowly. Forgive quickly. God never said life would be easy. He just promised it would be worth it. Today is Sister's Day.  Send this to all your sisters, mothers, daughters, girlfriends even me..... if I am..... like .....one of them. If you get back 7, you are loved. Happy Sister's Day! I LOVE YA SISTA'!!! :-) Girlfriend and Sister's Week I am only as strong as the chocolate I eat, the hair spray I use and the friends I have. To the cool women that have touched my life. Here's to you! National Girlfriends Day What would most of us do without our sisters, confidants and shopping, lunching, and traveling girls? Let's celebrate each other for each other's sake! TO MY GIRLFRIENDS! If you get this twice you know you have more than one girlfriend.. Be Happy! PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO ALL OF YOUR GIRLFRIENDS AND RETURN IT TO THE FRIEND WHO SENT IT TO YOU! It is good be a woman

 

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Encourage Others

Live to Give

Too many people focus only on what they want, what they need, and what they feel will most benefit themselves, and they never get it. Quit trying to figure out what everybody can do for you, get your mind off yourself, start trying to figure out what you can do and go do it. Go visit the nursing home or a children’s hospital. Call a friend and encourage that person. If you’re struggling financially, go out and help somebody who has less than you have. For example, you could mow somebody’s lawn or help them with something that needs to be fixed in their house. Somebody needs what you have to share. Somebody needs your love and encouragement.

 

If you want God to bless your life, live to give.

 

 

Hebrews 3:13

Encourage Others

When you center your life on yourself, not only do you miss out on God’s best, but you rob other people of the joy and blessings that God wants to give them through you. It’s easy to criticize and condemn, pointing out everyone’s flaws and failures. But God wants us to build people up, to be a blessing, speaking words of faith and victory into their lives.

 

It doesn’t cost anything or take a lot of time to give somebody a compliment. What does it cost to tell your wife, “I love you. You’re great. I’m glad you’re mine?” How long does it take to tell your employee, “You are doing a fine job. I appreciate your hard work?”

Do it today!

 

Isaiah 58:7-8

Always Blessed

It’s not enough to simply think nice thoughts about others; we need to express them. As the old saying puts it “Love is not love until you give it away.” We should get up each morning with an attitude that says: I’m going to make somebody else happy and meet their need today. Something supernatural happens when we get our eyes off ourselves and turn to the needs of those around us. When you reach out to hurting people, God makes sure you are always blessed in abundance.

 

Hosea 10:12

Reap the Fruit

When my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer, she could easily have come home and just sink into a deep pit of depression. But, she didn’t stay focused on herself, and she refused to dwell on that sickness. In her time of greatest need, she went to church and prayed for other people who were sick and in need. She sowed those seeds of healing. And just as the Scripture says, as she began to help other people in need, her own healing came.

 

I’m convinced that many people would receive the miracle they are always praying about if they would simply turn their attention away from their own needs and problems and start to focus on being a blessing to other people. We need to look for opportunities to share God’s love, His gifts, and His goodness with others.

 

God can do everything- including giving us the tools [hands mind and heart] to do all he wants us to do

Created to Give

John 3:16

Created to Give

One of the greatest challenges we face in our quest to enjoy our best lives now is the temptation to live selfishly. Because we believe that God wants the best for us, and that He wants us to prosper, it is easy to slip into the subtle trap of selfishness. Not only will you avoid that pitfall, but you will have more joy than you dreamed possible when you live to give, which is another major step to living at your full potential.

 

We were not made to function as self-involved people, thinking only of ourselves. No, God created us to be givers. And you will never be truly fulfilled as a human being until you learn the simple secret of how to give your life away. Have an attitude that says, Who can I bless today?

 

God Is a Giver

Acts 20: 35

God Is a Giver

Many people nowadays are blatantly and unashamedly living for themselves. Society teaches us to look out for number one. “What’s in it for me?” We readily acknowledge this as the “me” generation, and that same narcissism sometimes spills over into our relationship with God, our families and one another. Ironically, this selfish attitude condemns us to living shallow, unrewarding lives. No matter how much we acquire for ourselves, we are never satisfied.

 

God is a giver, and if you want to experience a new level of God’s joy, if you want Him to pour out His blessing and favor in your life, then you must learn to be a giver and not a taker.

 

YOUR BEST LIFE BEGINS EACH MORNING

10/8

Job 23:10

Sustaining Faith

Yesterday morning, you read about Job. Not only did he lose his children, his wealth, and his health, but his own wife told him, “Job, just curse God and die” (Job 2:9).  But Job knew that God is a God of restoration. I’ve discovered two kinds of faith – a delivering faith and a sustaining faith. Delivering faith is when God instantly turns your situation around. When that happens, it’s great. But it takes a greater faith and a deeper walk with God to have sustaining faith. Sustaining faith is what gets you through those dark nights of the soul when, like Job, you don’t know where to go or what to do…but because of your faith in God, you do. Faith tells us the best is yet to come.

 

10/9

Isaiah 61:7

Better Days Ahead

Have you experienced some unfair situations in which somebody did you wrong or mistreated you? Perhaps you are having problems in a relationship, or in your marriage, or with a child. Or maybe you’ve struggled financially, and you don’t see how you can ever get ahead. Life has been one setback after another. If that sounds like you, I have good news for you: God wants to restore everything that has been stolen from you. He wants to restore your joy, peace, health, finances, and your family. And when God restores, He doesn’t leave you as you were before bad things happened to you; He brings you out better than you were previously.

 

10/10

Isaiah 57:18

With Abundance

God does not want to bring you out of your adversities all beaten up and bedraggled: no, you are not simply a survivor; you are “more than a conqueror”. He wants to bring you out promoted and increased, with abundance. Beyond that, God wants to make the enemy pay for the wrongs done to you, His child. God wants to bring you out to a flourishing finish.

 

If you’re in a tough situation today, you need to develop a restoration mentality. Mentally encourage yourself that God is going to turn your situation around. Remind yourself that you don’t just defeat the enemy; you gather up all the spoils. Your attitude should be, Father, I thank You, for I know I’m going to come our stronger, healthier, and happier than I’ve ever been.

 

Subject to Change

 

2 Corinthians 4:18

Subject to Change

The Scripture teaches that we shouldn’t look at the things that are seen but at the things that are not seen: for the things that are seen are only temporary, but the things that are seen through our eyes of faith are eternal. One translation says, “The things that are seen are subject to change.’ That means your health or finances may not look too good today, but that’s subject to change. Nothing may be going right in your life, but it’s all subject to change.

 

When you look at your child who’s not living right, instead of getting discouraged and losing your hope, look at him or her and say, “You are subject to change.’ Stay filled with hope, and start expecting things to change.

 

When Life Doesn't Make Sense

 

Job 42:10, 12

When Life Doesn’t Make Sense

Job was a good man who loved God. Yet he lost his business, his flocks and herds, his family, and his health. Things could not get any worse for Job, and I’m sure he was tempted to be bitter. He could have said, “God, it’s not fair. I don’t understand why this is happening to me.”

 

But no, Job knew God could turn any situation around. And his attitude was, Even if I die, I’m going to die trusting God. I’m going to die believing for the best. And, when it was all said and done, God not only turned Job’s calamity around, He brought Job out with twice that he had before.