38Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
With there being a tendency in the world of greedy and ungenerous mindsets, it is sometimes a task to hone in on the innate urge to give. But I ask: what does it cost to give? What does it take from you to give? Financially, one can argue that it is not free to give, however it can be said that the best things in life are free.
A hug can make a lonely person feel warm and a smile can turn a person's frown in a different direction...
Consider this scripture that says when you give, you will be given what you gave away back fully in return. It will be given to you shaken up, packed in tightly (to get as much in as possible) and spilling over into your lap.
If you give love, love will return to you! If you give sincere advice, that will available to you when you need it! If you give with a pure heart, you will receive a gift that so filled you will barely have room to receive it!
Who doesn't want a gift like that?
Realizing that every good and perfect gift comes from God, it is encouraging to know that the things that I have control over (which are on loan to me for a time), will come back to me if I have a mind to give.
Today, my heart is made up to give love, support, and time to those people and things that I believe will please God.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Sprinkle all of the
seasonings over both sides of the meat, to taste. Place in hot skillet and sear
all sides of the beef. Add the green chiles, diced tomatoes, beef broth, garlic
cloves, and cilantro to the Dutch oven. Cover with a lid and place in the oven.
Cook in the oven for 3-4 hours or until the meat is tender and falling apart. Note: Make sure to check the meat periodically to make sure there is
enough liquid in the Dutch oven. Add more beef broth if needed.
Remove the meat from the Dutch oven and place on a cutting board to rest.
Strain the liquid into a bowl then place back in the pan to cook over medium
heat for a few minutes to reduce. Pour the liquid onto the sliced beef and
serve immediately. Enjoy.
“Now unto him that is able
to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the
power that worketh in us.” Ephesians
3:20
During this season of change and introspection, I have
been thinking about the people that I have wronged and the sins I’ve committed
over the past year. I am asking God to
forgive me for the sins that I have committed and to help me to do better, to
be better, and to act differently. But
one person that I really need to work on forgiving is myself. I am working on forgiving myself for the
mistakes I’ve made and for not always being the person that God has called me
to be. And I’m praying that God will
forgive me too. It’s such a tall order;
to ask God to see past my imperfections and decide that I’m worthy to be called
one of His own. But if anyone can take
on such a daunting task, its God. He is
able to do more than I could ask or think (exceeding abundantly more, as a
matter of fact). He is able to surpass
my expectations for myself. He is able
to dream bigger dreams for me than I could dream for myself. I look in the mirror and see my
imperfections. He looks at me and sees
my possibilities. This past week in
services a minister (who also happens to be my husband) said, “You’re better
than your mistakes. You’re better than
your shortcomings. You’re better than
what other people say about you. You’re
better than what you say about yourself.” So as I journey towards forgiving myself, I hope that you will
work on forgiving yourselves too.
Whatever it is that is causing you to feel down about yourself, remember that the power of God is working within you. He is able to do all things. You're better than your situation. You're better than your circumstances. You're better than that. --Lady S.
The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my
songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the
LORD.
Have you ever felt like it was too late to turn your life
around? If you could just do it all over
again you would have done things differently?
In spite of these feelings, did you know that God is always ready to
save you? We are God’s treasure and he
is always looking to clean us up and give us another opportunity to walk in his
light. According to Merriam Webster’s
Dictionary, a treasure is something of great worth or value; a person esteemed
as rare and precious. The word “save”
means to deliver from sin, rescue from danger, and to preserve from injury or
destruction.
Your life is very precious to God, which means it has GREAT
value. God is the potter and we are the
clay. As the song says “make me what you’d
have me to be” because God is molding and forming us into the person he desires
us to be. You are also valuable to God
because you are rare, meaning there is no one else exactly like you, no one
else with your exact makeup of qualities and experiences.
As a precious gift of God, he is always ready to save and
deliver you from all harm and danger.
The Lord is here to protect you from hurt, harm, or danger. God wants to build you up and not tear you
down. No matter what you do always
remember the Lord is ready to save you.
God wants to pick you up from that low point in your life
because you are his treasure. God wants to bring you out from destruction
because you are his treasure. God wants
to heal your wounded heart and broken spirit because you are his treasure. God wants to ease your pain because you are
his treasure. God is ALWAYS ready to
save you because he loves his creation.
I love sleep. Its
really one of my favorite things to do.
If I could have a magic wand grant me one wish it would be to have 8
hours of uninterrupted sleep every night from now on. Sadly, it will probably be a few years that wish can
realistically be granted. My infant son
doesn’t sleep through the night yet, and recently my daughter has decided that
4 AM is a good time to come into the bedroom and check up on her parents. A full night of sleep is just not in the
cards, and getting up early in the morning is the last thing that I want to
do.
In spite of all that, I need make some time for myself. And the only time to enjoy a peaceful, quiet
house is to get up earlier than everyone else.
To give myself some structure, I joined Inspired to Action’s Maximize
Your Mornings Challenge. Read more
about the challenge here .
If you are interested in creating some peaceful time for
yourself in the mornings, try taking these small steps:
Write
down everything that you do in the morning (wake up, take a shower, make
breakfast, get the kids dressed, etc.)
Review
your list and identify things that can be done the night before (pack
lunches, get clothes ready, etc.). This should buy you some extra time in the morning and take the stress out of getting everyone out of the house on time.
Set
your alarm clock for 5 minutes earlier than you usually get up.
Start
your morning spending 5 minutes enjoying the peace and quiet of your
house. Use the quiet as a time to
fellowship with God and get your day started on the right foot.
As I mentioned, I hate getting up early in the morning. But, when I do get up and start my day with
prayer, praise, and exercise, I find that I have more energy all day long, that
I feel better about myself, and I feel a strengthened connection to God
throughout the day.
So give it a try.
Start out with 5 minutes just for yourself, then move on to 10 and so
on. Before you know it, you’ll be
looking forward to getting up in the morning.
Inspried To Action also has a free ebook on Maximizing Your
Morning. It is a great resource. Check out the ebook here .
Success and accomplishments don't have an age nor do they come without struggle, sacrifice, or obstacles. In every step that you take towards succession do not let anyone, thing, or problem come between you and your goals. Don't weigh success by age or how quickly you gain it, but by whats inside your heart and making strides to reaching your goals. Geneva Farrow is a young black women paving the way for many young women across this country. She is showing that ALL things are obtainable if you work to reach them. As you read a little bit about who she is and what she is doing, you will grow strength in knowing that dreams can become reality.
Geneva Farrow is the Executive Director and Founder of A Young
Mother’s D.R.E.A.M. (YMD) a mentoring organization that helps young mothers
complete their education. Geneva became
a parent at the age of 19 while attending Temple University in Philadelphia
PA. If you attended Temple at that time
you most likely saw her on campus with a baby strapped to her chest going to
class. She held on to her dreams and graduated in 4 yrs without skipping a
beat. She longed to help other young
mothers to conquer this same feat, which is why she founded YMD. She believes
that God gets us through challenging situations so that we can help others
going through the same challenge. Geneva speaks to middle and high school
students about goal setting in her DREAM Chasers workshop to help in her
mission to reduce teen pregnancy. She
believes that when children have a strong grip on a dream they are less likely
to be sidetracked.
Her favorite quote: You can not solve a problem with the same mindset used to
create it –Albert Einstein
Please visit A Young Mother's D.R.E.A.M. website to learn more about this great organization.
I will praise
thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for
evermore.
Praise is what I do, from the
bottom of my heart to the depths of my soul. Lady ~R said it best when
she said “the best part of waking up is waking up! Be thankful! She
has committed to praising God for having another chance to be in the
land of the living.
Praise is a form of thanksgiving.
When we praise God we are thanking him for ALL that He has done for
us. There are different forms of praise: you can testify, shout, sing,
cry, or just say "Thank you, Lord." But no matter
how you praise God, proclaim that praise is what you do. Make it up in
your mind that praise will be your full-time occupation, not a part-time
gig or a side hustle. Make it up in your mind to praise God in the good
and bad times. Praise God for bringing you out. In the story of the
three Hebrew boys, the Bible says they were walking through the fire
instead of laying down, bound as they went in. Despite their situation,
they glorified God's name because they knew that God would save them and
bring them out from the fiery furnace. Remember that you can never be
better to God then God is to you. Today, don’t give in to sadness or
disappointment, but tell sadness and disappointment that praise
is what you do! ~ Lady A
6My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. 7Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. 8And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
We, as less-than perfect people, sometimes beat ourselves up for the things we have done that didn't hit the mark. Today, be reminded that every day is a new one. This day brings new chances to get things right and earnestly put our best foot forward. Go into today thankful for this day that has never been seen before... Make it count!
Do you want to come home and dive straight into the tub, but realized you don't have any "smell-good" products? Here is a fun, EASY-PEASY project to make your own bath salts *courtesy of ehow.com*
Things You'll Need
1 cup epsom salts
1/2 cup sea salt (course or fine)
essential or fragrance oil
liquid colorant
Measuring Scoops
small glass jars to store your salts
metal spoon or funnel
Epsom salts
1 or 2 baking sheets
liquid colorant that is skin safe
wax paper
Medicine Droppers (if oils don't have thier own dropper lid)
Sea salt
Essential oils or fragrance oils
large metal bowl
Instructions
1You will need a clutter free, clean work surface to mix your bath salts. A kitchen table covered with a plastic garbage bag for protection works perfectly.
2
Measure out your Epsom and sea salts and pour into a large, metal mixing bowl.
3
Add your essential or fragrance oil and your colorant (optional) and begin mixing the salts thoroughly with your hands. It will take some time for the scent and coloring to incorporate with the salts so be patient.
4
Once you are satisfied that all the salts have been coated pour your bath salts out onto your wax paper lined baking sheet. Use your hands to spread the salts out to as thin a layer as possible for quickest drying time. Allowing your bath salts to dry before placing them in a bottle with lessen their likelihood of clumping in the jar. Allow them to dry for at least six hours.
5
Once your salts have dried they are ready to be packaged. The best container for bath salts is a glass jar with a tight closure. You want to seal your scented bath salts as tightly as possible to avoid excessive exposure to the air. Exposure can cause clumping from humid air, which is common in a bathroom, or can cause premature fading of the scent. storage. Dollar stores usually have little jars that are perfect for this.
O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man
that trusteth in him.
All of us are familiar with the five basic senses: sight,
touch, hearing, taste, and smell. These five
senses allow us to make countless observations, such as whether an object is
read or whether something is soft or rough.
This verse talks about two senses in particular, taste and sight. Sight
is the ability to see with your eyes. It gives you the ability to determine if
something is appealing or poses a danger.
Just imagine seeing a brand new car, a new pair of shoes, or a good
looking man or women. Taste gives you
the ability to determine if something is pleasing to the palette or has the
right flavor. If it is pleasing to the
soul we will enjoy it and come back for more.
The writer of this Psalm says “O taste and see that the Lord
is good.” Doesn’t it feel great when the Lord blesses you day after day? Doesn’t it make you feel good inside? When you’ve been blessed you just want to run
and tell somebody. Think of some of the
good things that God has blessed you with and how it made you feel great and
warm and bubbly inside. Well, your ability
to taste allows you to reap the benefits of a blessing and, in turn, feel good
about yourself and others. When you can
see what the Lord has done for you then you can bear witness to the fact that
the Lord is good.
Have you ever wondered how you received these blessings that
you may not have asked God for directly?
Well, Jesus said the Father knows the things we have need of before we
ask. And God blesses us through people, so the next time you receive an
unexpected blessing you can say that you’ve tasted and see that the LORD is
GOOD, which is to say you’ve observed it first-hand.
Once you have verified something for yourself, it is easy
for you to believe in it. Once you have bear witness to something, no one else
has to convince you that it is true. The same goes for God’s goodness. Once you
recognize for yourself that God is good, you can trust in that goodness. Trust
means to believe in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of something
or someone. When you trust in God you
know that everything will be alright because God is the orchestrator of your
life. That does not mean that things
will always go the way you want them to go, but you will be better prepared to
deal with them. The Psalmist confirms in Psalm 118:8, “It is better to trust in
the Lord than to put confidence in man.”
If you have witnessed God’s goodness in your life, and if
you have realized how he brought you through, then you can encourage someone
else to “taste and see." ~ Lady A
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