"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. " Proverbs 25:11
This is an interesting word picture to describe our words when they are spoken at the right time. They are compared to "apples of gold in pictures of silver".
Let's break it down this morning to grasp the meaning.
There is an old saying- "An apple a day keeps the doctor away". A word spoken correctly will bring "health" to the hearer. Our words either build up or tear down. So we want to speak words that bring health and healing to the hearts and minds of others.
Gold is one of the precious metals. It is highly valued and has an expensive price. It represents the divine nature of God. His words are always precious and should be valued. When we use our words wisely, we are reflecting His nature.
Pictures has the translation of more than just an object hanging on a wall to look at. It is also an image, a show piece, figure, even an idol. When we speak to others, we are leaving an "image" with them. (Our words truly do paint pictures.) It is either an image of defeat and discouragement, or its an image that builds faith, hope and encouragement. When we speak to others, we want to leave them with a "show piece"- something they can go back to and "look" at over and over again, and each time be encouraged.
Silver is another precious metal- right up there at the top. It symbolizes redemption. Our words have a redeeming power about them- if they are used correctly. They can deliver someone who is feeling weak, unloved, worthless, no good, forgotten. How amazing, just one word can completely change a person's life. A word is all it takes sometimes for someone to change- a word of kindness, a word of compassion, a word of mercy, a word of grace, a word of encouragement or even a word of correction that is spoken in love.
Did you "get the picture"? Seeing the beautiful picture that our words can paint should cause us to consider what we say, how we say it and when it say it.
Have a great day. Our words are painting a picture. The question is, "What kind of picture are they painting?"
For further reading:
Psalm 19:14
James 3:5
Proverbs 18:21; 15:4
1 Timothy 6:3,4
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org
You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
"Scattered Paper"
"From 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 61:2
A friend and I were praying recently for a mutual friend of ours who was going through a very difficult time. They were being pressed on every side. Their job was getting overwhelming. They were under a heavy burden and lots of pressure. In short, they were being bombarded in every area with chaos and confusion. As my friend and I were praying, I saw a picture in my mind. I feel the need to share it with you this morning.
I saw a floor that was covered with paper. It looked as if someone had taken a stack of copy paper and tossed it up in the air and it all fell scattered on the floor. I knew these scattered papers represented all the chaos that our friend was going through. Each piece was symbolic of an area of their life- family, job, demands, health, etc. It was just a mess of paper all over the floor. But then I saw something else. I saw the loving hand of our Heavenly Father reach down and begin to pick up each piece of paper and put them in a nice neat stack. As He did I saw Him begin to reorganize them. He would pick up one and put it in the stack, then He would pick up another one and throw it out because it was unnecessary and not important. Pretty soon the floor was cleared and there was a small neat stack of organized, prioritized papers.
Do you feel as if your life is a bunch of scattered papers on the floor? Does it feel like there is no order to your life, only chaos? Does it look hopeless as you look at the mess of papers laying on the floor? Are there things in your life that need to be discarded but you can't seem to decide exactly which ones? If this represents your life, then there is hope. What I saw was not for our friend only, but for all of us whose lives feel the same way. The focus of what I saw was not the scattered, disorganized paper all over the floor, the focus was the hand of God reaching into the mess and bringing peace, order, clarity and help.
You may be having a hard time with what is happening in your life- not knowing what to keep and what to discard, how to organize it, how to clean it up, how to have some peace through it- but the Lord doesn't have a hard time with it. He knows what to do with what is "scattered on the floor" and how to clean it up. Look to Him this morning and ask Him to help get your life back in order.
Have a great day. Your life may feel like a stack of scattered paper on the floor, but the Lord wants to help you pick them up.
For further reading:
Psalm 121:1
Mark 4:39
Matthew 6:33
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org
You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.
A friend and I were praying recently for a mutual friend of ours who was going through a very difficult time. They were being pressed on every side. Their job was getting overwhelming. They were under a heavy burden and lots of pressure. In short, they were being bombarded in every area with chaos and confusion. As my friend and I were praying, I saw a picture in my mind. I feel the need to share it with you this morning.
I saw a floor that was covered with paper. It looked as if someone had taken a stack of copy paper and tossed it up in the air and it all fell scattered on the floor. I knew these scattered papers represented all the chaos that our friend was going through. Each piece was symbolic of an area of their life- family, job, demands, health, etc. It was just a mess of paper all over the floor. But then I saw something else. I saw the loving hand of our Heavenly Father reach down and begin to pick up each piece of paper and put them in a nice neat stack. As He did I saw Him begin to reorganize them. He would pick up one and put it in the stack, then He would pick up another one and throw it out because it was unnecessary and not important. Pretty soon the floor was cleared and there was a small neat stack of organized, prioritized papers.
Do you feel as if your life is a bunch of scattered papers on the floor? Does it feel like there is no order to your life, only chaos? Does it look hopeless as you look at the mess of papers laying on the floor? Are there things in your life that need to be discarded but you can't seem to decide exactly which ones? If this represents your life, then there is hope. What I saw was not for our friend only, but for all of us whose lives feel the same way. The focus of what I saw was not the scattered, disorganized paper all over the floor, the focus was the hand of God reaching into the mess and bringing peace, order, clarity and help.
You may be having a hard time with what is happening in your life- not knowing what to keep and what to discard, how to organize it, how to clean it up, how to have some peace through it- but the Lord doesn't have a hard time with it. He knows what to do with what is "scattered on the floor" and how to clean it up. Look to Him this morning and ask Him to help get your life back in order.
Have a great day. Your life may feel like a stack of scattered paper on the floor, but the Lord wants to help you pick them up.
For further reading:
Psalm 121:1
Mark 4:39
Matthew 6:33
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org
You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
"Drastic Measures - Part 2"
"For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." Malachi 3:6
Yesterday we talked about the drastic measures that the Lord went through to get Jonah's attention and cause him to stop running from God and His call. This morning I want to ask the question, "Why did God do that? Why didn't He just let Jonah drown? Why didn't He just forget about Nineveh since Jonah didn't want to go there?"
The reason is simple-- God is a God of love and mercy. He is not willing that any should perish. He showed Jonah mercy by sparing him. He showed Nineveh mercy by not changing His plan to send them a warning.
Nineveh and Israel were enemies. Jonah didn't want to see his nation's enemies spared. He wanted judgment to fall on them. He wanted God to destroy them. And Jonah knew that if they repented, God would forgive them and they would continue to cause trouble from his people. Listen to Jonah's words to God when they did repent and God spared them. Let me read it out of the New Living Translation because it puts it so plainly-- "So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people." (Jonah 4:2) First, it seems to me that Jonah should have been thankful that the Lord is so gracious and merciful because had He not been, Jonah would have drowned in the sea- there would have been no fish story, that would have been the end for Jonah. (How is it that we want mercy and forgiveness for ourselves, but not necessarily for everyone else.) Secondly, because Jonah knew God he knew He does not change. He expected God to be no less than He is. He knew God would be faithful to His own nature. Therefore, He knew God would show mercy to even his enemies if they repented.
Are we like Jonah in these two areas? Do we want mercy for ourselves, but there is someone that we have dealings with that we don't want the Lord to show mercy to? Instead, we want Him to "get them"? We want His vengeance to fall on them? We don't want Him to bless their lives in any way? Do we expect God to do what He says He will do? Do we know Him so well that we know we can count on Him to always work according to His own nature? Do we expect the Lord to be who is His and no less?
Have a great day. We can expect God to be just who He is.
For further reading:
2 Peter 3:9
Psalm 86:5, 15; 103:8
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org
You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.
Yesterday we talked about the drastic measures that the Lord went through to get Jonah's attention and cause him to stop running from God and His call. This morning I want to ask the question, "Why did God do that? Why didn't He just let Jonah drown? Why didn't He just forget about Nineveh since Jonah didn't want to go there?"
The reason is simple-- God is a God of love and mercy. He is not willing that any should perish. He showed Jonah mercy by sparing him. He showed Nineveh mercy by not changing His plan to send them a warning.
Nineveh and Israel were enemies. Jonah didn't want to see his nation's enemies spared. He wanted judgment to fall on them. He wanted God to destroy them. And Jonah knew that if they repented, God would forgive them and they would continue to cause trouble from his people. Listen to Jonah's words to God when they did repent and God spared them. Let me read it out of the New Living Translation because it puts it so plainly-- "So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people." (Jonah 4:2) First, it seems to me that Jonah should have been thankful that the Lord is so gracious and merciful because had He not been, Jonah would have drowned in the sea- there would have been no fish story, that would have been the end for Jonah. (How is it that we want mercy and forgiveness for ourselves, but not necessarily for everyone else.) Secondly, because Jonah knew God he knew He does not change. He expected God to be no less than He is. He knew God would be faithful to His own nature. Therefore, He knew God would show mercy to even his enemies if they repented.
Are we like Jonah in these two areas? Do we want mercy for ourselves, but there is someone that we have dealings with that we don't want the Lord to show mercy to? Instead, we want Him to "get them"? We want His vengeance to fall on them? We don't want Him to bless their lives in any way? Do we expect God to do what He says He will do? Do we know Him so well that we know we can count on Him to always work according to His own nature? Do we expect the Lord to be who is His and no less?
Have a great day. We can expect God to be just who He is.
For further reading:
2 Peter 3:9
Psalm 86:5, 15; 103:8
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org
You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
"Drastic Measures"
"But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep." Jonah 1:4,5
Jonah received the word from the Lord to go preach to Nineveh that they repent or He would destroy them. But instead of obeying, Jonah rebelled and tried to run from the Lord. He boarded a ship heading in the opposite direction of Nineveh. While he was on the ship a storm arose. The storm was so bad that the sailors were afraid, they cried out to their gods, they threw their cargo overboard, they bailed water out of the ship and were preparing themselves to die. The whole time this was taking place Jonah was sound asleep in the bottom of the boat. Jonah must have been pretty comfortable to be able to sleep through such a storm.
The Lord will send/allow a storm to come into our lives if we have reached a place where we are comfortable in our rebellion and disobedience to Him. When we get comfortable in our sins, He will cause a storm to begin to wake us up out of our comfort zone.
Does He do this for our destruction? Never. He does it because of His great love. Whom the Father loves He chastens. He knows that if we go in the wrong direction and we get comfortable there, it will lead to our harm. He sends it as a "wake up call" so that we will get up, face the truth and turn back in His direction.
Even though the Lord sent the storm to wake Jonah up, He also sent a big fish to save Jonah and keep him from being destroyed. The Lord is never out to harm us. He loves us so much that if He needs to, He will go to drastic measures to save us- save us from our rebellion, save us from sin, save us from destruction. The storm and the whale were drastic measures to reach this rebellious prophet, but they can never compare with the drastic measure the Lord went to when He sent His only begotten Son Jesus to die on the cross to save us and turn us to Him.
Have a great day. The Lord loves us so much that He will go to whatever measure He has to to wake us up when we have become comfortable going in the wrong direction.
For further reading:
Jonah 1
Hebrews 12:5-10
John 3:16
Romans 5:8
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org
You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.
Jonah received the word from the Lord to go preach to Nineveh that they repent or He would destroy them. But instead of obeying, Jonah rebelled and tried to run from the Lord. He boarded a ship heading in the opposite direction of Nineveh. While he was on the ship a storm arose. The storm was so bad that the sailors were afraid, they cried out to their gods, they threw their cargo overboard, they bailed water out of the ship and were preparing themselves to die. The whole time this was taking place Jonah was sound asleep in the bottom of the boat. Jonah must have been pretty comfortable to be able to sleep through such a storm.
The Lord will send/allow a storm to come into our lives if we have reached a place where we are comfortable in our rebellion and disobedience to Him. When we get comfortable in our sins, He will cause a storm to begin to wake us up out of our comfort zone.
Does He do this for our destruction? Never. He does it because of His great love. Whom the Father loves He chastens. He knows that if we go in the wrong direction and we get comfortable there, it will lead to our harm. He sends it as a "wake up call" so that we will get up, face the truth and turn back in His direction.
Even though the Lord sent the storm to wake Jonah up, He also sent a big fish to save Jonah and keep him from being destroyed. The Lord is never out to harm us. He loves us so much that if He needs to, He will go to drastic measures to save us- save us from our rebellion, save us from sin, save us from destruction. The storm and the whale were drastic measures to reach this rebellious prophet, but they can never compare with the drastic measure the Lord went to when He sent His only begotten Son Jesus to die on the cross to save us and turn us to Him.
Have a great day. The Lord loves us so much that He will go to whatever measure He has to to wake us up when we have become comfortable going in the wrong direction.
For further reading:
Jonah 1
Hebrews 12:5-10
John 3:16
Romans 5:8
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org
You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.
Monday, October 10, 2011
"The Vision- Ministry Update"
Dear All,
"And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it." Habakkuk 2:2
This morning instead of the Coffee Break devotional, if you will allow me, I want to give you an update on what is going on in the ministry. The Lord has been opening more and more doors lately. He is truly enlarging my tents, and I believe that this is only the beginning.
For those of you who aren't familiar with what this ministry does I want to take this opportunity to share a little with you. (Please continue reading- I have a reason for sharing this.)
In addition to the email devotions, monthly newsletter, conferences, preaching ministry, drug and alcohol recovery center ministry and nursing home ministry we also have an outreach to help meet people's physical needs. The Lord has truly blessed us to be able to help many people in many different ways. We have paid people's rent, bought medicine, paid light bills, bought gas, furnished Bibles, helped orphanages, supported missionaries, etc. Many people have been so gracious to donate items to us so that we have been able to help those who have been burned out, or need help with clothes and other items. The Lord has opened the door for me to have two storage buildings at my home to house the donated items, and a storage unit where I am free to hold yard sales to help with the financial support of the ministry.
But there is another burden on my heart- it is for the homeless. I have a vision that I believe is from the Lord and I believe the timing to pursue it is now. I am in the process of looking for a ministry center where we can feed the hungry, clothe the naked and provide shelter for the homeless. I am looking into purchasing some sort of apartment complex or multi-family dwelling. Over the past several weeks I have received numerous calls from people who were burned out and had no place to go or who were living on the streets and needed a place to stay. All I have been able to do was put them up in a hotel, which gets expensive... but the Lord has graciously provided.
I have never asked for financial support, the Lord has always supplied the need and always will. But I believe the Lord has instructed me to put the vision before you to give you the opportunity to partner with me on a monthly basis to see this vision became a reality. I believe there are some of you out there who have been wanting to partner with something like this but haven't known where or how. All I am asking is that you pray about it and see if the Lord would have you to give into this ministry. If not, then I ask for your prayer support as we help advance the Kingdom of God in the earth.
Thank you so much for allowing me to have this personal time with you and share what the Lord has laid on my heart to do. There are so many hurting people. We must reach them while we can. Thank you for prayerful consideration of this matter.
In Christ's Service,
Lorraine Ezell
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc. (501c non-profit incorporation; all gifts are tax deductable)
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org
"And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it." Habakkuk 2:2
This morning instead of the Coffee Break devotional, if you will allow me, I want to give you an update on what is going on in the ministry. The Lord has been opening more and more doors lately. He is truly enlarging my tents, and I believe that this is only the beginning.
For those of you who aren't familiar with what this ministry does I want to take this opportunity to share a little with you. (Please continue reading- I have a reason for sharing this.)
In addition to the email devotions, monthly newsletter, conferences, preaching ministry, drug and alcohol recovery center ministry and nursing home ministry we also have an outreach to help meet people's physical needs. The Lord has truly blessed us to be able to help many people in many different ways. We have paid people's rent, bought medicine, paid light bills, bought gas, furnished Bibles, helped orphanages, supported missionaries, etc. Many people have been so gracious to donate items to us so that we have been able to help those who have been burned out, or need help with clothes and other items. The Lord has opened the door for me to have two storage buildings at my home to house the donated items, and a storage unit where I am free to hold yard sales to help with the financial support of the ministry.
But there is another burden on my heart- it is for the homeless. I have a vision that I believe is from the Lord and I believe the timing to pursue it is now. I am in the process of looking for a ministry center where we can feed the hungry, clothe the naked and provide shelter for the homeless. I am looking into purchasing some sort of apartment complex or multi-family dwelling. Over the past several weeks I have received numerous calls from people who were burned out and had no place to go or who were living on the streets and needed a place to stay. All I have been able to do was put them up in a hotel, which gets expensive... but the Lord has graciously provided.
I have never asked for financial support, the Lord has always supplied the need and always will. But I believe the Lord has instructed me to put the vision before you to give you the opportunity to partner with me on a monthly basis to see this vision became a reality. I believe there are some of you out there who have been wanting to partner with something like this but haven't known where or how. All I am asking is that you pray about it and see if the Lord would have you to give into this ministry. If not, then I ask for your prayer support as we help advance the Kingdom of God in the earth.
Thank you so much for allowing me to have this personal time with you and share what the Lord has laid on my heart to do. There are so many hurting people. We must reach them while we can. Thank you for prayerful consideration of this matter.
In Christ's Service,
Lorraine Ezell
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc. (501c non-profit incorporation; all gifts are tax deductable)
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org
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