I hope & trust this post finds you having a great day as a beautiful new day begins to dawn on the Texas Gulf Coast! New...pretty powerful word. Let's seize THIS day and all the hope, opportunity & promise that it has to offer! :)
Hurricanes Harvey & Irma. Hurricane Maria. Wildfires across the West & Northwest. A(nother) devastating earthquake in Mexico. And these are just the various storms of nature that I know about. There are also storms of life. All storms bring with them pain, destruction and tremendous loss. So I wanted to pause for a moment this morning and ask a simple question; what is the condition of your well this morning Friend?
Ken Whitten, the Pastor at Idlewild Baptist Church, once said, "What's in the well always comes up in the bucket." I have shared it with ya'll many times and I remind myself of it nearly every single day. It is impossible to give to others what we ourselves do not have. The well will eventually run dry if we do not refill it with fresh, clean, life-giving water. So as you are perhaps pouring yourself out in prayer or in action to serve others who are suffering through the various storms let me ask you, how are you filling your well?
It's interesting; how many times did Jesus go away and spend time with His Father? I don't know the answer - kinda hopein you did! :) - however it happens quite regularly, especially after a full day of ministry. So, Jesus need to take time away to fill his well by spending time with His Father but you & I don't?!?!
I love my Bible. It is the Amplified version and throughout there are little points where Joyce Meyer shares insights that help better understand the scriptures. This morning in one of these life points she asks the question, "Who do you receive encouragement from?" That is a great question. The reality is you & I are receiving encouragement from someone...who is it? And, are our thoughts, actions & words after receiving their words of encouragement leading us to live the lives we want to live? We can encourage folks positively or negatively and, in fact, we do. The fruit that is produced by our lives and theirs will tell us which choice we made.
Here is a scripture for you to ponder, the one that led to Joyce's question. "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word." 2 Thessalonians 2: 16 - 17
I also want to share a few quotes about encouragement with you as well. Please remember though Friends, unless the well is filled first, nothing else will matter.
"Listen, read and speak words of encouragement to yourselves and others always." ~ Terry Mark
"Taking an interest in what others are thinking and doing is often a much more powerful form of encouragement than praise." ~ Robert Martin
"Try a little encouragement and be patient. All of us are doing our best to stand up and reach our full potential. Take every chance to whisper words of encouragement, especially to those who are faltering. Life is not a competition. Its an opportunity to feel the joy of seeing others thrive, and using your words to raise them up." ~ Kemmy Nola
"Each person has an ideal, a hope, a dream which represents the soul. We must give to it the warmth of love, the light of understanding and the essence of encouragement." ~ Unknown
A couple of other things I wanted to share with you this morning.
1. Now this first one, well, this is terrible and I have a confession to make. There is this dude who sends out an email every week, to me and several other guys. It is much like Happy Friday - thoughts, ideas, reflections, etc. The thing is, I can't remember the dudes name right now..augh! So, last week he had some really good things in his email that I wrote down and want to share with you. When I receive his email this week I will write down his name and share with all of you next week. For now, know this is from someone other than me... :)
"People experience growth when they feel loved & appreciated."
"How am I fostering an environment for the people around me to feel loved and appreciated?"
"If you're not looking to foster a team like atmosphere in your home and work place you're not maximizing the potential of the people you influence."
2. The second one came from one of Joyce Meyer's editorial sections in my Bible. I read it last Sunday. It was so profound to me that I typed up little notes with the following on it and gave one to my Beautiful Bride and each of my Tender Warriors. Here is how our note cards read:
"Anything that offends God in our conversation needs to be eliminated.
Psalm 17: 3: "I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress." This says we need to plan to keep our mouths from speaking bad or negative things. Whatever we do in this life of faith, we must do it on purpose. Discipline is a choice. It is not necessarily easy, but it begins with a quality decision.
Psalm 19: 14: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."
Prayer - "Lord, I pray that You will help me to develop sensitivity to the Holy Spirit concerning all manner of my conversation. I do not want to be stubborn like a horse or mule that will not obey without a bridle and bit. I want to move in Your direction with only a gentle nudge from You. Place a guard over my lips and let all the words of my mouth be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer In Jesus' name I pray, amen."
Scripture - "Set a guard, O Lord, before my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips." Psalm 141: 3."
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
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