family – Page 2

Despise not the chastening of the Lord

Hey there BCU Fam!

For this post, because of the informal format, please tune into the podcast recording (click here or on the BCU avatar below) and refer to the written post for the highlights. We pray the post blesses and encourages you. If so, please thumbs up AND leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the post!

Podcast highlights:

Recently, I had a conversation with my best friend, Kenya, who is a decorated nurse, and dedicated wife, mother, student, teacher, and minister of the gospel.
At work, an unintentional miscommunication came up between Kenya and a nursing student that initially strained the relationship.
The Lord used this circumstance as a teaching moment for Kenya, the student, the staff, and many others.
With permission, Kenya urged me to share the story and lesson with the BCUFam.

BlenCouragesU · BCU podcast | The Chastening of the Lord | Ep 283

Hebrews 12:5-11

⁵And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

⁶For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

⁷If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

⁸But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

⁹Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

¹⁰For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

¹¹Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Romans 12:10

¹⁰Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

John 13:34-35

³⁴A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

³⁵By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Psalm 61:1-2

Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.

²From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Psalm 63:1

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

Proverbs 16:3

³Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.

Psalm 19:14

¹⁴Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

BCU Fam, this testimony was such a blessing on several levels. Many times, the people of God testify about the good things (money, cars, homes, et cetera), that God provides, and there is nothing wrong with that at all–He us a supplier of needs, will take care of His people and we NEED to hear that. What’s more valuable and less popular are these testimonies——-where we confess our faults to one another and share the lessons and correction without shame or concern about who will judge us.

Frankly, we should be more concerned with the Lord judging us. 1 Corinthians 11:31-32 tells us, if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. In other words, the Lord lets us know where we missed the mark, so we can correct ourselves NOW (with His help), so we don’t have to be condemned LATER. Kenya was tender to the Holy Spirit’s correction and obeyed what He said, so she’s all set. And she shared this story with us as a reminder for us to do the same thing. Let’s pray!

Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for our sister Kenya sharing her testimony and experience with us freely. Thank You for the correction and chastening that You give us here, Lord, so we can see You in peace when we leave this present world and hear “well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of the Lord.”

Bless us to be without spot, wrinkle or blemish in all interactions with people, so that You are glorified, honored and praised every time. Help us to see when we are not honoring You in our communication and blessing us to correct our behavior going forward without justification, but rather in humility and gratefulness. Thank You for the mind to want to please You in all of our ways. We thank You for hearing our plea, for Your patience and unfailing love towards us. In Jesus name, we pray, Amen!

Also, if you so inclined, join us for our Thursday Night Bible Study––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform BCU is available on. Some of those platforms are Amazon Music, AnchorFm, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, Stitcher Radio , and many more of your favorite podcast platforms!

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

Love,

BCU

21 Feb 2023

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What’s love got to do with anything? Everything.

Hey there BCU Fam!

Podcast highlights:

We use the term “love” very generally, but the definitions are very specific.
There are more types of love to define, but our focus is on the four below.
Regardless of the love type or (lack of) love reciprocity, God expects us to exhibit love in all interactions.
Loving the hard-to-love can be a challenge, but God is able if we are willing.

BlenCouragesU · BCU podcast | What's love got to do with anything? Everything. | Ep 282

BCU Fam, I admit it has been some time since I have looked at these love types in detail, so this was a good reminder for me to check my love-meter in all these areas so I am loving people the right way. This study also let us know how much God loves us!!! There is NOTHING like His agape, unconditional love that He has for us and I am SO grateful for that and I know you are as well.

Also, in honor of Valentine’s/Love Day/Week, with all of the hearts, flowers, chocolates, pictures posted and everything love-themed, this time of year can be difficult for people for many reasons—even in knowing that Jesus loves us. Is that you today? I definitely understand, and I know from experience that Jesus is a present help. Let’s pray about it.

Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for this day that You have made–Your Word tells us to rejoice and be glad in it. For someone today, it’s a struggle to rejoice and be glad. Jesus, we ask that Your love comes in and washes over all who are broken-hearted, broken in spirit, challenged with not forgiving, needing to be forgiven, or whatever the circumstance is. We thank You for being nigh to and healing those with a broken heart and saving those of a contrite spirit. Jesus, please wrap Your loving arms around someone today and bless them to feel Your presence as a Comforter and strengthen them in every area of need. Thank You for blessing someone today to know You, Jesus are always present and available when we need help, guidance, strength, tear-drying, love and above all—–salvation! We honor and praise You for answering our prayer today, in Jesus name, we thank You! Amen!

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

Love,

BCU

14 Feb 2023

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Redeeming your time

Hey there BCU Fam!

Podcast highlights:

As youngsters, we often “counted down” to important milestones in our lives—–birthdays, days off, driving, dating, college, etc.
In many cases, we lived for reaching whatever the date was, only to rush the count-down to the next one—– and complain about the in-between time.
As adults, that same “hurry-up and complain” mindset often resurfaces in our lives as we deal with our various responsibilities, assignments and tasks that we were assigned.
While there is nothing wrong with looking forward to enjoying the next “good” thing, our complaining about our assignments displeases God and wastes the precious time He gives us.
God can help us to be more intentional about using all the time He gives us wisely.

BlenCouragesU · BCU podcast | Redeeming your time | Ep 281

Scripture references

Psalms 118:24

This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Matthew 5:16

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Colossians 3:23-24

²³And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

²⁴Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

Psalm 133:1

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

James 5:16 (b)

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Ecclesiastes 5:18

¹⁸Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.

Enjoy the present. Amen? Amen.

BCU Fam, I really have to be intentional about not rushing through my days and wishing my time away. Otherwise, we can miss how we can be a blessing to others and God blessing us, because we are ready to get to the next good thing. With the help of the Lord, let’s enjoy all the moments God gives us, rather than complaining.

Also, there are times when we are in extreme pain, grief, sadness, distress—and it’s a challenge to rejoice in the day the Lord has made. This is when we lean more into Jesus who will carry us through moment by moment. Let’s pray.

Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for this day and with your help we will rejoice and be glad in it. As we commit this day to you, please bless us to be aware and intentional in our thoughts, actions and interactions that we are serving and representing You, Jesus. Thank you for helping us through the assignments and tasks that we struggle with to complete them to your glory, honor and praise. Thank you, Jesus for the job, the family, the ministry, the chores, the bills, the mountains, the valleys, the lessons, correction and the blessings you’ve graciously bestowed on us—and with Your help, we will learn to be content until our change comes.

Please remember those of us are that are enduring hardness and experiencing heart-breaking situations, where it is a challenge to function as the Word tells us to. Speak, Jesus to hearts and minds today, letting someone who is in the struggle of pain, grief, sadness–whatever it is—to hear Your voice, feel Your presence and to be strengthened by You, Jesus. Thank you for Your comfort, Your guidance, and for blessing someone today to know that You love them and are a present help. Thank you for lifting someone’s head and their hands in praise, even now, Jesus! It is in Your Name, we thank you for the victory! Amen!

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

Love,

BCU

7 Feb 20237 Feb 2023

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Dysfunction | It runs in the family…Part 2

Hey there BCU Fam!

Podcast highlights:

Last time we were together, we learned that any behavior that deviates from the Word of God is sin. Sinful acts are a dysfunction—–and dysfunction runs in all families.
For instance, deception, broken promises, lies, murder–are all examples of sinful behavior that people have committed from the beginning of time.
In part 2 of our podcast, we continue talking about Jacob’s family——-a perfect example of a very dysfunctional family–and how God intentionally chose members of that family to be in the lineage of Christ.

BlenCouragesU · BCU podcast | Dysfunction..it runs in the family part 2| Ep 280

Scripture references

Genesis 38-1-30

And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

²And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.

³And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er.

⁴And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.

⁵And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him.

⁶And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.

⁷And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord slew him.

⁸And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.

⁹And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.

¹⁰And the thing which he did displeased the Lord: wherefore he slew him also.

¹¹Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.

¹²And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah’s wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

¹³And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.

¹⁴And she put her widow’s garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.

¹⁵When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.

¹⁶And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?

¹⁷And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?

¹⁸And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.

¹⁹And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

²⁰And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand: but he found her not.

²¹Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place.

²²And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place.

²³And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.

²⁴And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.

²⁵When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff.

²⁶And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.

²⁷And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.

²⁸And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.

²⁹And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez.

³⁰And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.

Genesis 49:1-28

1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.

²Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.

³Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:

⁴Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

⁵Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.

⁶O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self will they digged down a wall.

⁷Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

⁸Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.

⁹Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

¹⁰The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

¹¹Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:

¹²His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

¹³Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon.

¹⁴Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:

¹⁵And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.

¹⁶Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.

¹⁷Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.

¹⁸I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.

¹⁹Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.

²⁰Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.

²¹Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.

²²Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:

²³The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:

²⁴But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)

²⁵Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:

²⁶The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

²⁷Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.

²⁸All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

We do not have to be bound by our family lineage, background or past sin to be chosen of God.
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BCUFam, if you turn to Matthew 1, you can see the lineage of Christ includes Jacob and his son Judah, both former deceivers; David a repentant murderer, and his wise son, Solomon, who had 1,000 women in his life; some wicked kings, Abijah and Rehoboam; some better, but faulty kings, Asa and Jehoshaphat, on down to Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ (Matthew 1:16). See that? The bloodline of Jesus had ALL kinds of dysfunction in it, but that did not stop Jesus from fulfilling His mission to save us. Armed with that knowledge, we should encouraged to know that our backgrounds do not disqualify us from being chosen and used by God. Are you still in doubt? Let’s pray about it.

Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for the good news and reminder that when you call us, the only special qualifications we need are a repentant heart, water baptism in Jesus name, the Holy Ghost on the inside, and a willing heart to serve and represent You in our lives. Thank you for helping us to serve You with distinction and blessing us to walk worthy in the vocation in which you have called us, so You, Jesus are glorified, honored and praised! We thank you for encouraging our hearts today and always, in Jesus name, we pray, Amen!

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

Love,

BCU

31 Jan 2023

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Revisit: Four Types of Love

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 informal format, please tune into the podcast recording and refer to the written post for the highlights. We pray the post blesses and encourages you. If so, please thumbs up AND leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the post!

Podcast highlights:

We use the term “love” very generally, but the definitions are very specific.
There are more types of love to define, but our focus is on the four below.
Regardless of the love type or (lack of) love reciprocity, God expects us to exhibit love in all interactions.
Loving the hard-to-love can be a challenge, but God is able if we are willing.

BlenCouragesU · BCU Podcast | Four Types of Love | Ep 230

When we lay this out, BCU Fam, we see what our responsibility is in terms of loving people the way God requires—especially the unconditional, forgiving agape love that is threaded through all these love types. I have to say the flesh would have us to stifle our love and save it for those who deserve it or show us love, but Matthew 5:43-48 reminds us that there is no reward in that behavior, rather we are to love our enemies. We will be tested in this area until we get it right, BCU Fam! (Ask me how I know?) Even in that testing, demonstrating love is possible with the help and total surrender to the word and will of God. Amen? Amen!

BCU Fam, what are your thoughts on our topic? How can we ensure that we show love in all of our interactions? Please head to the comments section below and let’s chat some more!

As a reminder, 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 and Instagram. Also, if you so inclined, join us Thursday nights–we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher Radio , Google Play, and Apple Podcasts!

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

Love,

BCU