WINNING WISDOM DAILY DEVOTIONAL MONDAY 18TH NOVEMBER, 2013 - WINNING ATTITUDES 7 - GRACIOUSNESS And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Josephs son? Luke 4:22 Life can be harsh and unfriendly without attempts at graciousness from all we relate with. God expects us to be gracious with one another. Christian maturity is often measured by the degree of kindness and graciousness with which we treat or talk to others. It is indeed a contradiction in terms to talk about an ungracious or unkind Christian but the truth is that the capacity to be gracious is the first fruit of grace. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. Colossians 4:6 Graciousness is a gift we owe each other daily. Gracious living is characterized by non-judgementalism, by acceptance of others, by forgiveness, and by giving of oneself to others. Hear what Paul said about love: Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do. Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. Love never fails! - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (CEV) The Christian who lives graciously does not go about looking for faults in others or trying to analyze their motives. Instead, they try to think the best of others, say the best about others, and do their best for others. The best thing we can do is to accept people as they are and not try to analyze them and judge them. Often, things are not as they seem to us. An engineer, a psychologist, and a theologian were hunting in the wilds of northern Canada. They came across an isolated cabin, far removed from any town. Because friendly hospitality is a virtue practiced by those in the wilderness, the hunters knocked on the door to ask permission to rest. No one answered their knocks, but, discovering the cabin was unlocked, they entered. It was a simple place-two rooms with a minimum of furniture and household equipment. Nothing was surprising about the cabin except the stove. It was large, pot-bellied, and made of cast iron. What was unusual was its location: it was suspended in mid-air by wires attached to the ceiling beams. Fascinating, said the psychologist. It is obvious that this lonely trapper, isolated from humanity, has elevated his stove so he can curl up under it and vicariously experience a return to the womb. Nonsense! replied the engineer. The man is practicing the laws of thermodynamics. By elevating his stove, he has discovered a way to distribute heat more evenly throughout the cabin. With all due respect, interrupted the theologian, I’m sure that hanging his stove from the ceiling has religious meaning. Fire lifted up has been a religious symbol for centuries. The three debated the point for several minutes without resolving the issue. When the trapper finally returned, they immediately asked him why he had hung his heavy potbellied stove by wires from the ceiling. His answer was succinct: Had plenty of wire, not much stove pipe! A Christian who lives graciously, understands that things are not always as they seem, so he seeks to refrain from making rash judgments. NB: A. If you like your friends and family to receive and be blessed by this devotional, please forward their email addresses to me. B. If you have a prayer request and will want me to pray with/for you, please email/text/ call me. Thanks. C. We are trusting God to have this devotional printed and circulated widely. If you would like to assist with finances, please contact us. Thanks Dr. Segun Oshinaga is a veteran Pastor, Author and International speaker with 30 years of ministry experience. He has preached the gospel in many countries on five continents. He travels the world sharing the wisdom of God in camp-meetings, conventions and conferences. He also has a rich and varied experience and career in industry and government. He is the Ceo of Productivity Plus, a training programme for executives in industry and also host of Productivity Plus TV Broadcast, a personal development, life enhancement programme. He also runs Leadership Plus and Winning Wisdom Network. To invite him for training of your workforce or sponsorship on radio and TV stations or for further spiritual help, prayers and counselling or invitation to minister in your church or city, call +2348030773584, +2348186715959, +2348156920758 or email - droshinaga@gmail
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 06:51:18 +0000