Water Your Faith Wednesday (Oct 29)

Hello everyone! Welcome to "Water Your Faith" Wednesday! How do you feel after spending your Sunday at church praising and worshiping our Lord? I know I feel great! I start my week fired up and ready to face what's in store. Oftentimes, however, by Wednesday, life begins to drag me down. My goal is provide a way to overcome the spiritual doldrums with encouraging words, scriptures, devotions, songs, etc. Let me know what you think!

 

I'm combining two different devotions this week for our Water Your Faith Wednesday. They are both similar in nature and, I think, go together quite well. 

 

From The Daily Bible Verse: "Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble." – 1 John 2:9-10 (NIV) 

 

Today’s commentary by Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org
We only entrap ourselves when we allow our souls to be bitter toward others. There could be a good reason for our feelings, but harboring hate toward others doesn’t affect those people in the least. On the contrary, we are the ones who become imprisoned by our feelings. So bring your bitterness to the light. Talk to someone about your hurt and receive prayer for your need. God’s light can fill the dark soul and take out the obstacles around us if we will just humble ourselves.
Subscribe : Email | Facebook | Twitter

 

From Proverbs 31:

OCTOBER 28, 2014 Why are Women so Hard on Each Other? LYNN COWELL "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it's in your power to help them." Proverbs 3:27 (NLT) "Why, when a woman walks in a room, do all the other women size her up?" my husband asked. Where was the nearest rock? I thought, as I desperately wanted to crawl under one. My husband had just pointed out what I've often seen, but didn't think others noticed. Our insecurity tends to come out when we're in situations where we feel "less than" or uncomfortable. Greg's comment that evening stirred a series of questions in my mind. What holds us back from offering encouragement when we know most of us struggle with feelings of insecurity? Why, when we have the power to do so much good for each other, do we not do it? Why would I not, when I have a good thought about another person, simply say it? Beautiful comments we think in our head, yet fail to say such as: "I noticed your kind act in the grocery store. You inspired me! "Your generous heart makes me want to be giving as well!" "When I see the boldness of your faith, I'm encouraged to be bold too." The more I thought about it, the more I knew how easy it would be to start speaking good things about others. King Solomon reinforced my thoughts as I read Proverbs 3:27, "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it's in your power to help them." My heart heard a thought from God as I read this verse, "Lynn, do not withhold a compliment. When you speak good, you are doing My good." So, I'm starting with this resolve: If I have a positive thought, I'm going to say it. It doesn't matter if I know you or if you are a woman I've never met. With God's help, I no longer want to withhold good from those who deserve or those who need it, when it is in my power to help them. My prayer is that not only will I encourage others along the way, but my kids will see God's goodness pouring through me and they too will be inspired to not withhold good from others. If we'll join together and make sharing the good we see normal, we might just bring some really good change to the world. Jesus, I want to be a bringer of Your good to my world today. In everyday moments like at the grocery store, when seeing my neighbor and as I go about my work, open my eyes to see the good in others and then call it out and encourage them with the power of my words. In Jesus' Name, Amen. Did you enjoy today's devotion? Click here to subscribe. My Thoughts: People, most specifically women, tend to judge others and see the worst in them rather than taking the time to get to know one another and look for the good. Why is that? I think it has to do with our own self-image and consciousness. We would rather throw judgement on someone else than look at ourselves and our lives. The Bible clearly states that this is wrong. In both key verses, God tells us that we shouldn't hate one another or withold good from one another. When we do, we are not following God's commands to help one another and lift each other up.    What do you think about these verses? Why do you think we judge each other so harshly?