Daily Devotional

Another devotional that I thought was amazing! I have been really working on this but a lot of times I still get it wrong. I know now that I must continue trying and apologise when I get it wrong! :)



How to Deal with Conflict Quickly
by Rick Warren

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. James 1:19 (NIV)

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How do you deal with conflict quickly? I’ll tell you, but you’re not going to like it. The solution to resolving conflict is confrontation.

That’s right; if you’re going to resolve conflict, you must confront.

You don’t have to confront in anger, though. In fact, you shouldn’t confront in anger. Lovingly go to the person and, speaking the truth in love, deal with the problem immediately.

In James (1:19), we’re taught three rules for confrontation: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.

If you do the first two, the third one is automatic. If you’re quick to listen and you’re slow to speak, then you will be slow to anger.

What are you listening for?

You listen for the hurt in that person. Hurting people always hurt other people. When someone is being a jerk, more than likely, it’s because that person is hurting. When you understand their hurt, you have a better understanding of why they do what they do, and you’re a little more patient with them.

© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved.

The Entire Bible

Revelations 22:21 - The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.

This is the end of the Bible. I actually read it all the way thru!!! And man what life change did it bring.

• I now work at my Church that preaches this book in the most relevant way.
• My relationship with my Lord has grown by leaps and bounds.
• I lead my small group.
• I am in counseling to heal my past and my wounds so that I can be closer to my God.
• I let go of a boyfriend who I was living inappropriately with and committed to dating God's way.
• This past year I have not dated to give myself time to learn how God wants me to date.
• I have served on a mission team to Slovakia and had one of the best times in my life.
• I start tithing regularly, from the first of my income, and with so much joy in my heart.
• I now have a child. Who I sponsor thru Compassion International.
• My relationship with my family has gotten stronger and closer.
• Friends now look to me and expect Godly wisdom.

God has worked miracles in my life and I am so thankful and grateful for HIM!! None of this would have happened with out him in my life.

Devotional

Rachael, one of my friends at work, introduced me to the devotionals from a Purpose Driven Life. They are free and they are amazing. Today was about service and servant-hood.

“You can tell what they are by what they do” (Matthew 7:16 CEV)

Amazing.

Read the whole Old Testament??!?

I have actually (finally) read thru the entire Old Testament of the Bible. I decided last October that I wanted to read the entire Bible in one year. I have made this decision before in my life but never made it thru Exodus. I am super excited that I have read as much as I have. I may not get thru the New Testament by October but I will by December!! My grandma gave me a book that goes thru the whole Bible in chronological order and has devotionals. I will be starting that in January!

I am super excited!!

Philippians 2:2-4

I have been going thru all my friend's blogs trying to catch up on my friend's lives when I came across a post from my friend Rachael. Her Bible verse for the month is:

"Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should not only look to your own interests but to the interests of others." Philippians 2:2-4

I absolutely love it. Being completely unselfish has been something that I have been praying about and it has been heightened by being around my Slovak friends the past week. The giving spirit of everyone that I met last week was amazing and I want to emulate that in my every day life. This passage really embodies that and I now want to make it my Bible verse for the month. To recite it, to pray over it, to memorize it.

Absolutely Beautiful...