How much does disobedience cost?

Hey 👋🏾 there BCU Family!

Typically, you have the option of listening to our podcast, reading the notes or both. For this post, because of the conversational story, please tune into the podcast recording and refer to the written post for the highlights and corresponding Scriptures. We pray the post blesses and encourages you.  If so, please thumbs up or leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the post!

Podcast outline:

So, in having a conversation with Professor Peanut (aged 7 1/2), we discussed the price of continued and deliberate disobedience and that play now, pay later is not the wisest of decisions. Here are the high points of what you’ll hear.

  • The importance of listening and following directions.
  • Thinking through the consequences of disobedience.
  • The need to be filled with the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:38).
  • ALL decisions carry a consequence—good or bad.
  • My own story where I rebelled as a youngster–and the HUGE price I paid.

Here is the podcast link!

Scripture references:

Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. (Romans 6:1).

Therefore to him that knows to do good, and does not do it, to him, it is sin (James 4:17).

For he that sows to his flesh shall reap corruption, but he that sows to the Spirit shall reap life everlasting (Galatians 6:8). 

There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same [steward] was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he [the rich man] called and said unto him, how is that I hear this of you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you may no longer steward (Luke 16:1-2).

And the foolish said to the wise, give us of your oil for our lamps have gone out. But the wise answered and said, not so, lest there be not enough for us and you. but rather, go to those that sell and but for yourselves. Ans while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shut.  Afterward came also the other virgins, saying Lord, Lord open to us. But He answered and said, verily I say unto you, I know you not (Matthew 25:8-12).

His lord said unto him, well done, thou good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many. Enter into the joy of the Lord (Matthew 25:23). 

Whew! This was a sobering, but needful lesson, BCUFam! What are your thoughts about willful disobedience? Paying those consequences? Is it a struggle?  There’s a comment section here on the BCU site, just ripe for us to continue our conversation!

In the meantime, if you have not subscribed to BlenCouragesU.com, please do so! It’s free and a good place to get the encouragement, inspiration and information based the Word of God! Additionally, you can also see what we are up to on Facebook, Twitter , Instagram, and  YouTube! You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher Radio , Google Play, and iTunes!

Thank you SO much for stopping by. God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

*Join us on Periscope every Thursday night at 8:05pmEST on channel BlenCouragesU.

BlenCouragesU1 Comment

Procrastination reason number 14: “Waiting for someone else do it”.

Hey 👋🏾 there BCU Family!

Typically, you have the option of listening to our podcast, reading the notes or both. For this post, because of the conversational story, please tune into the podcast recording and refer to the written post for the highlights and corresponding Scriptures. We pray the post blesses and encourages you.  If so, please thumbs up or leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the post!

Podcast highlights:

  • This is based on a Stewardship study series we’re doing on *Periscope, specifically time management/procrastination (meaning to forward to tomorrow), and the reasons for doing so. One such reason for procrastination: waiting for someone else to do it. 
  • The Lord showed me how that very reason came up in an area of my life…I totally missed it!
  • We talk through that illustration and the detriments of waiting and delegating.
  • We are accountable to God for all assignments He delegates to us.

Here is the podcast link!

Scripture references:

Faith without works is dead (James 2:17).

Therefore to him that knows to do good, and does not do it, to him, it is sin (James 4:17).

And Gideon said unto God, if you will save Israel by mine hand, as You have said, behold I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth besides, then I shall know that You will save Israel by mine hand, as you have said (Judges 6:36-37–read through to verse 40).

There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same [steward] was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he [the rich man] called and said unto him, how is that I hear this of you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you may no longer steward (Luke 16:1-2).

And the foolish said to the wise, give us of your oil for our lamps have gone out. But the wise answered and said, not so, lest there be not enough for us and you. but rather, go to those that sell and but for yourselves. Ans while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shut.  Afterward came also the other virgins, saying Lord, Lord open to us. But He answered and said, verily I say unto you, I know you not (Matthew 25:8-12).

Whew! This was a sobering, but needful lesson, BCUFam! With God’s grace, we want to be in God’s perfect chronos/kairos timing in ALL assigned tasks. And that may mean us having to take an assignment the Lord gives us–one that we would not have chosen for ourselves. That’s another podcast, but suffice it to say, I know ALL about that! Nonetheless, as stewards, our responsibility is to carry out the duties that our wise God has assigned us.

What are your thoughts about avoiding the things God tells you to do, BCUFam? There’s a comment section here on the BCU site, just ripe for us to continue our conversation!

In the meantime, if you have not subscribed to BlenCouragesU.com, please do so! It’s free and a good place to get the encouragement, inspiration and information based the Word of God! Additionally, you can also see what we are up to on Facebook, Twitter , Instagram, and  YouTube! You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher Radio , Google Play, and iTunes!

Thank you SO much for stopping by. God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

*Join us on Periscope every Thursday night at 8:05pmEST on channel BlenCouragesU.

BlenCouragesU6 Comments

When gossip strikes back…

Hey 👋🏾 there BCU Family!

As usual, you have the option of listening to our podcast (click the BCU avatar below to listen), reading the notes or BOTH. In any case, we pray the post blesses you. If so, please thumbs up or leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the post!

There’s a gospel song called “Birds in the Church”. Actually, its a narrative by Rev. Benjamin Cone, Jr. (from Mississippi Mass Choir, I believe) who among other things, tells us how people can be a lot like parrots–freely repeating other people’s business. I get tickled when I hear it, but the truth is evident!!!

Before I was saved, I could be a little “Willona-ish” (remember her from the TV show Good Times) when it came to discussing the happenings of people’s lives. The intent wasn’t malicious, just something to talk about, dissect, and share my “expert opinion” on the matter at hand.

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“Chile, have you heard?”

This behavior continued after I got saved….more of a bad habit, I suppose–and apparently God was trying to get my attention and did when I shared something rather personal/serious in confidence with someone I’ll call “Thelma”, who went back told their family.  Mayhap that wouldn’t have been so bad, if the family was offering sound wisdom, but Thelma came back to tell me the family laughed about it. That may sound petty to you all, but I was SO hurt that someone would repeat and make light of my concerns to others so casually.

 

Another time, I was involved in a sensitive situation where someone I’ll call “JJ” had to get involved. Now, JJ was helpful throughout the situation, but promptly started spreading the details of what happened and it got back to me.

I politely confronted JJ, letting them know it really wasn’t right getting others involved in a matter that was supposed to stay between selected persons. JJ was VERY apologetic–and I’m certain the chatter wasn’t done to be mean, rather it was just JJ’s habitual, but hurtful behavior.  With God’s grace, I forgave Thelma and JJ and we’re cool, but I have to say I felt really hurt, embarrassed and betrayed! Through that pain, God showed me how awful it is to idly parrot and betray confidences AND that my idle chatter were NOT Christ-like at ALL! Thankfully, with His help that behavior soon ceased in Jesus name, and has been dormant for the past couple of decades.

In the days since those times, God guides me on who to tell what to and when to do it. Luke 2:16-19 tells us about the birth of Jesus and how the angels talked to the shepherds and those shepherds told people, but Mary, the mother of Jesus, now “kept all these things and pondered things in her heart”. There is a valid reason she didn’t share that information with everybody!  Follow the leading of the Lord as to who to confide with.

Another lesson is, that God also blessed me to be a confidant. People do come to me with sensitive information and private challenges, knowing that with the grace of God, I will offer wise council, pray and keep the matter between us. No ifs, ands, buts or suppose. Period.

My final lesson is that people have also come to me with other’s business and that behavior needs to be shut that down with a swift retort like, “I will keep the situation/persons in prayer”, “that’s not my battle to fight–only God can work that out”, or “have you been praying for them?” Talking about someone is not as effective as praying for them. I’m not saying that we can’t talk through someone’s situation to understand things better or help that individual in crisis—we just need to be sensitive to how the Holy Ghost is telling us to handle it so we’re truly walking in the Spirit, rather than the flesh.

The bottom line?  The Bible says we will give an account for every idle word spoken (Matthew 12:36).  That means we have to explain or justify WHY we said what we said., and I have to tell you, BCU Fam, we will have NO justification whatsoever.  Let’s repent TODAY and with the help of God, work on our spiritual balance sheet, so that we will have more credits (allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our conversation) rather than debits (allowing the flesh to rule the conversation). Amen? Amen!

So, BCU Fam, what’s your reaction to this week’s post? How do you guard against gossip coming out of your mouth and staying out of your ears?  Please scroll on down to the comments section and let’s continue our conversation!

In the meantime, if you have not subscribed to BlenCouragesU.com, please do so! It’s free and a good place to get the encouragement, inspiration and information based the Word of God! Additionally, you can also see what we are up to on Facebook, Twitter , Instagram, and  YouTube! You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher Radio , Google Play, and iTunes!

Thank you SO much for stopping by. God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

 

 

BlenCouragesU8 Comments

It’s about time….

Hey there BCU Fam!

As usual, you have the option of listening to our podcast (click the BCU avatar below to listen), reading the notes or BOTH. In any case, we pray the the post blesses you. If so, please thumbs up or leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy your study!

 

A while back I was scrolling through the BCU Instagram feed and saw this quote from Christian comedian Broderick E. Rice: “Early birds get more than just the worm; they get everything the latecomers aren’t willing to sacrifice for.” He lowered the “BOOM”, y’all! 😳

As I pondered that, back in my 20’s, I might have chuckled and kept moving. Fast forward a couple of decades, and I totally agree with what he said. Occasional tardiness, or something that can’t be helped (church service starts at 7pm and you get off work at the same time, you got a flat tire, you were ministering at church, etc..) is one thing, it is the habitual lateness that is the quagmire for most of us. Not only is non-punctuality extremely discourteous, it is stressful (for the offender and the offended) and most of all, it shows lack of stewardship of the precious commodity of time that God entrusts us with. I Corinthians 4:2 says that stewards have to be found faithful–and that means in all areas of our lives. Many times, we just need to manage our time better, with God’s help.

In doing some quick research, I ran across a post about tardiness written by Brett and Kate McKay–a snippet of the high points are below. While the post was intended to help our male population be on time, I believe this information is just as important for the ladies! Let’s dig into the highlight reel courtesy of TheArtOfManliness.com, as well as the added biblical checkpoints.

1) Being punctual shows your humility. That bumper sticker maxim: “Always late, but worth the wait” shows that tardiness and an overestimation of one’s worth sometimes go hand in hand. People will be glad to see you when you arrive, but they would have been gladder still had you come on time.

Biblical checkpoint: Proverbs 29:23 says, a man’s pride will bring him low, but honor shall uphold the lowly in spirit. 

2) Being punctual shows your respect for others. Being late is a selfish act, for it puts your needs above another’s. You want an extra minute to do what you’d like, but in gaining that minute for yourself, you take a minute from another, which is why….

3) Being late is a form of stealing. That’s a tough truth, but it’s a truth nonetheless. When you make others wait for you, you rob minutes from them that they’ll never get back. Time they could have turned into money, or simply used for the things important to them. In coming to meet you at the agreed upon hour, they may have made sacrifices – woken up early, cut short their workout, told their kid they couldn’t read a story together – and your lateness negates those sacrifices. If you wouldn’t think of taking ten dollars from another man’s wallet, you shouldn’t think of stealing ten minutes from him either. Being punctual shows you value time yourself, and thus wouldn’t think of depriving others of this precious, but limited resource.

Biblical checkpoint: Thou shall not steal (Exodus 20:15).

4) Being late strains your relationships. When you’re late in meeting other people, it makes them feel under-valued, that whatever you couldn’t pull yourself away from was more important or that they didn’t mean enough to you to warrant allotting sufficient time to arrive on schedule. The guest who flies in to see you feels like a dope standing at the airport alone, your date feels awkward sitting at the restaurant by herself, and your child feels abandoned as she waits with her teacher for you to arrive, all the other children having already been picked up from school.

Biblical checkpoint: Let nothing be done though selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves (Philippians 2:3). 

5)Being punctual strengthens and reveals your integrity. If you tell someone that you will meet them at a certain time, you have essentially made them a promise. And if you say you’ll be there at 8:00, and yet arrive at 8:15, you have essentially broken that promise. Being on time shows others that you are a man [woman] of your word.

Biblical checkpoint: Lord, who shall abide in your tabernacle? Who shall dwell in your holy hill? He that swears to his own hurt and changes not (Psalm 15:1, 4). In other words, even if it hurts you, keep your word. 

6) Being late takes a toll on your life. Always running behind simply hurts you in all areas of your life. It results in lost opportunities: missing a plane, missing a meeting, missing an important part of a lecture, missing a wedding. It creates stress and can lead to car accidents and traffic tickets. It results in embarrassment and forces you to come up with excuses for why you’re late, putting a strain on your honesty. Basically, it makes your life more complicated; for men [women] seeking to simplify their lives, cultivating punctuality is an essential part of that path.

Biblical checkpoint: In telling  a parable about what the kingdom of heaven is likened to,  Jesus said there were ten virgins (Matthew 25) who were supposed to be ready to meet the Bridegroom at a particular time. Five of the ladies were wise enough to take oil with them and the other five did not. When the bridegroom called, the five wise ladies were ready with their lamps trimmed, while the five foolish were caught out without oil and had to go buy it. By the time they got back, the door was shut to them-the bridegroom said he did NOT know them. We could really go deep here, but suffice it to say being late causes you to miss out on things that could be life-threatening. 

Whew, BCU family–I’m a bit convicted here! Ephesians 5:16-17 says we should walk circumspectly not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil! That being said, ALL the points spoke to my tardy heart!

Please leave a comment below and tell us which punctuality points resonated with you.  In the meantime, let’s ask The Lord to help us to manage the time He so graciously gives us! I may do a follow-up to this post–I’m excited about implementing habitual timeliness! 😊

As a reminder, there are additional podcasts for you to enjoy–you are welcome to peruse the BlenCouragesU.com site 24-7!  You can also see what we are up to on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher Radio , Google Play, and iTunes.

Until we are together again,  thank you for stopping by and may God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you! #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

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