Tag Archives: Encouragement

Stewards of the Earth

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We have been gifted with being stewards of the earth.

~ Lisa Blair

This morning on the BBC News, a story was reported about the effects of Climate change. The guest speaker stated, extreme heat increases mortality. We hear cases where throughout the world older people and people with illnesses often die from the heat intensity brought on by climate change. But the brutality is much greater than that which focuses on human beings. When we experience extreme heat, as we are this year, throughout the world, we experience droughts that reduce the water levels of lakes ponds and rivers. The ground dries and has no moisture needed to nourish living things to grow. Fish, wildlife, and insects begin to die off which creates another level of mortality due to starvation. When fish, wildlife and insects die, their purpose dies. As the heat lasts longer and becomes much more intense plants die, trees die and green life itself begins to pass away. Trees and plants are the filters that help clean our air, keep vegetables healthy, and diseases at bay.

Entrusted to steward the earth and all it offers

God created the earth and provided all of the resources for man to live and prosper. Have we been good stewards of His earth? I think not. But let us look at this a bit differently if we, Christians, are blessed with an earth to live on and sent Christ who in John 4:14 tells us, “Whoever drinks of the water that I (Jesus) will give him shall never thirst, but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” Then, doesn’t it stand to reason that our gifts should create a consciousness of stewardship? 1 Corinthians 4:2 calls us to prove faithful.

“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”

Are you a good steward? Am I a good steward? Are we doing all we can today? How do we impact the cycle of life? “Our stewardship of creation involves the caretaking of the environment and animals as well as our families and communities. Charles Bogg defines stewardship in the Holman Bible Dictionary as “utilizing and managing all resources God provides for the glory of God and the betterment of His creation.”” (Bible verses about Stewardship. Biblestudytools.com. 02/23/2021)

And most importantly, how do you help those in need, not just through provision of things, but in finding Christ? When we become more responsible, the earth will reap the benefits, as will those who are lost.

No Selfish Ambition or Vain Conceit

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As Christians we* should always be alert. Selfish ambition and vain conceit are traps. ~ Lisa Blair

When we focus on others and not ourselves, we are the servants Christ encourages us to be.

The world promotes ‘it’s about you’ in every arena. Everywhere you look the focus is on the individual. The Internet is replete with Instagrams, TikTok, Facebook and many more. We have been indoctrinated by the evil ones ploy to separate us from God pushing the ‘me first’ philosophy.

K-Love, Susie Kalous, Pinterest

God is all knowing and alerts us of the ploy of self righteousness and vain conceit through the inspired writings of Apostle Paul, the author of Philippians 2:3-4. I am inserting various versions to clarify, evil is always lurking and we must stay alert and dedicate our lives to making the world a better place by living like Christ.

“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:3-4‬ ‭NLT‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/116/php.2.3-4.NLT

“Let nothing be done out of strife or conceit, but in humility let each esteem the other better than himself. Let each of you look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:3-4‬ ‭MEV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/1171/php.2.3-4.MEV

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:3-4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/114/php.2.3-4.NKJV

Each version is clear – like Christ, we should esteem ourselves as servants. Servitude in this instance is not waiting for instruction by the world, it is knowing that we were created to build our personal and public lives with humility. We don’t have to daily announce our greatness or victories. We possess greatness and victories as part of our DNA.

Our DNA proves we are part of the bloodline of Christ, part of the Trinity. Our DNA began before the beginning of time, before God created the earth and everything on it, including us.

Jeremiah 1:5 and Ephesians 1:3-6 informs us that God made us and therefore knew us before we were born.

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart…”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭1:5‬ ‭NLT‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/116/jer.1.5.NLT

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before Him in love; He predestined us to adoption as sons to Himself through Jesus Christ according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace which He graciously bestowed on us in the Beloved.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:3-6‬ ‭MEV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/1171/eph.1.3-6.MEV

* When I use the plural, we, I always include me. My posts are not written excluding me from the discussion. I am also struggling to live life exuding Christlike behaviors, by applying His attitude as Christians. It is not always an easy path, we are in the battle of good and evil and often find ourselves lured by the bright lights of this world. The scriptures in the Bible is the only thing that can point us to Christ, especially in our weaker moments. The Holy Spirit is the only person that can redirect us, though our Christian friends, as the scripture informs, can pull us aside and talk truth without offense-in short help set us back on the path.

Remember, we are not our own.

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:19‬ ‭NLT‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/116/1co.6.19.NLT

In closing, please know that every time I think about you (my readers), I thank God for you. God knew us before we were born and knows the challenges that lie before us. I pray that He keeps you covered and places a hedge of protection around you.

Are You a Peacemaker?

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We are all peacemakers. It is a natural practice and as Christians, we benefit by implementing the characteristics of Christ and therefore are described by God as His children.

~Lisa Blair

We are all peacemakers. It is a natural practice, and as Christians, we benefit by implementing the characteristics of Christ and therefore are described by God as His children.

Mathew 5:9 says peacemakers are blessed because they will be called children of God. So, who are peacemakers? Barnes Notes on the Bible-biblehub.com informs us that they are the people who work to prevent contention, strife, and war. They are the people who use their influence to reconcile opposing parties, and who prevent hostilities in families and neighborhoods.

 “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of competing or fighting. That’s when you discover who you really are and your place in God’s family.” ~ Matthew 5:9 MSG

We can influence others in our homes, between friends, at work, and in social settings. We are the peacemakers. We can promote peace.

As Christians, our call is to share the gospel. The gospel can be shared in several ways: we can share the Word of God, i.e., scripture, ensure our behavior reflects the character of Christ, and mediate verbally.

I believe if any of us retrace our past experiences, we have already established ourselves as peacemakers from a very young age. Given our pasts, some of those experiences were done before and others after being saved.

Our goal should always be to live as a peacemaker whenever the opportunity arises and not to shy away It may call you to share a scripture or scriptures with others, offer to listen to others in distress, and offer options if it is the right time, or volunteer to serve as a mediator.

In doing these things, God says He will call us His children. As peacemakers, we abide by the characteristics of Christ. We are acting under our primary goal in life to share the scripture and reflect on how the scriptures frame who we are and how we live. We should not only share what the Word of God describes a peacemaker to be, but we should act as peacemakers. You never know who is observing you. Some people will reflect during trying times about how you present yourself as a peacemaker; others may ask why you feel comfortable being a peacemaker.

Reference: Matthew 5:9, biblehub.com; biblegateway.com

Image: bibleversestogo.com, free site

Excerpt – God Focus, from Our Daily Bread

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This morning I flipping through my copy of the June edition of Our Daily Bread and stopped on the June 4, 2022 Devotional, God Focus by Adam Holz. The scripture reference is 1 Timothy 6:6-11.

Our Daily Bread

I am sharing this because the title immediately captured my attention. Some 26 days later it was speaking to me and as you read this, most likely many of you. You see, I fall in the category of being a maximizer. My husband is a satisfacer. It worked well when I was younger or so I thought. Actually it kept me up nights. I was never really content. The truth is, I was always envious of my husband who was as a satisfacer and was content with life as it was, not to overlook the fact that he slept well. There is a saying that I guess satisfacers understand and live, ‘let go, and let God’. Others of us hear it, but are not ensconced in it.

In delving into my past, I now realize you can be a satisfacer, content with what you have and where you are in life and still pursue the path of your God given destiny. Wanting more is not wrong if you do not allow it to govern your life, as the money pleasers in the Bible learned being driven by greed and the need for attention is nothing more than an albatross around your neck.

It is time for me to transition from being a maximizer, always seeking more, perfecting more, and needing more and begin to open my life to being a satisfacer. How many of us are loosing time being maximizers? In looking back being a maximizer caused me to loose time, and the enjoyment of life. When you are a maximizer you are in the maximizer prison, striving for more and missing out on life. As you read this, think about my last post, do you need to view life through a new lens, a new perspective? Is it time to look through our makers eyes as Paul was instructing Timothy to consider. Is contentment all you really need?

EXCERPT, Adam Holz

When I was shopping for engagement rings, I spent many hours looking for exactly the right diamond. I was plagued by the thought, What if I miss the best one?


According to economic psychologist Barry Schwartz, my chronic indecision indicates that I am what he calls a “maximizer,” in contrast to a “satisficer.” A satisficer makes choices based on whether something is adequate for their needs. Maximizers? We have a need to always make the best choice (guilty!). The potential outcome of our indecision in the face of many choices? Anxiety, depression, and discontent. In fact, sociologists have coined another phrase for this phenomenon: fear of missing out.


We won’t find the words maximizer or satisficer in Scripture, of course. But we do find a similar idea. In 1 Timothy, Paul challenged Timothy to find value in God rather than the things of this world. The world’s promises of fulfillment can never fully deliver. Paul wanted Timothy to instead root his identity in God: “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (6:6). Paul sounds like a satisficer when he adds, “But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (v. 8).


When I fixate on the myriad ways the world promises fulfillment, I usually end up restless and unsatisfied. But when I focus on God and relinquish my compulsive urge to maximize, my soul moves toward genuine contentment and rest.

Reflect – Would you say you tend to be a content person? Why or why not? How do you think your relationship with God affects your overall contentment in life?

Pray – Father, help me to remember that only You can fill my soul.

Insight – One of the most misquoted statements in Scripture is 1 Timothy 6:10: “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” Notice that money itself isn’t the root of evil, but when it becomes the object of our love, that’s when the problems begin. Because money is so seductive, Jesus addressed this issue at the launch of His public ministry. In the Sermon on the Mount, He spoke of the value of pursuing treasure in heaven rather than money. Why? Matthew 6:21 explains that “where [our] treasure is, there [our] heart will be also.” Jesus also addressed a primary reason we seek security in money—worry. He reminded us that the God who cares for “the birds of the air” values us and can be trusted to provide for our needs (vv. 25–27).

I highly recommend downloading the Our Daily Bread App from your App Store or visiting their Website – https://odb.org/. It is a great tool to begin your day.