Thought For The Week – Have Good Relationship With People

Thought For The Week – Have Good Relationship With People

People all over the world want to be loved; they want someone who will listen to them and talk with them. This is one of the reasons there are so many people in the church and other places where they can interact and share with others. It was Rebecca West who said that “There was a definite process by which one made people into friends, and it involved talking to them and listening to them for hours at a time.” This means that those of us who offer goods and services have a great job to woo people into our businesses by giving out time to talk with them and listening to their complaints.  

In creating and having a good relationship with people, you need to go the extra mile in wooing them to your side through encouraging words; through good moral and character, through money and material things. The essence of this is not for immediate gain but for future and long term fulfilment. However, you should choose your friends for their character; for goodness, for truth and trustworthiness, because some people could take advantage of your goodwill and abuse it. In choosing friends, we should bear in mind that there are relationships for the sake of business and there are relationships for the sake of finding fulfilment in life.

In the opinion of Madame de Tencin, we should “Never refuse any advance of friendship, for if nine out of ten bring you nothing, one alone may repay you.” Having good relationship with people has these advantages:

Ø  It gives a wide range of opportunities to us – networking, more business opportunities, more customers, more members (churches), more income, etc

Ø  It brings us goodwill from people

Ø  It exposes us to the wider world

Ø  It gives us an opportunity of mentoring people or being mentored.

Ø  It helps to actualize our dreams.

As you go out this week, ensure you affect people through your friendship with them. Don’t always wait to receive; give to people and affect them through your character and good morals. Try to show love to someone and you will never regret it.

Have a lovely week

(Culled from the book I will be presenting on my birthday – My Rise To Legendary Status)

Your Brother and Friend,

Tabugbo Morgan Uzoma

An Industrious Lady

MY DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL

Devotion for Wednesday January 18, 2017

Topic: An Industrious Lady

Text: Ruth 2: 1 – 3                 

We find in this book called Ruth, excellent examples of faith, piety, patience, humility, industry, and loving-kindness, in the common events of life as demonstrated by Ruth and Naomi. Now Ruth had made her home in a foreign land. Instead of depending on Naomi or waiting for good fortune to happen, she took the initiative. She went to work. She was not afraid of admitting her need or working hard to supply it.

When Ruth went out to the fields, God provided for her. If you are waiting for God to provide, consider this: He may be waiting for you to take the first step to demonstrate just how important your need is. This is what most people don’t know about Providence. God is ever working.

Again, He has deposited great talents in us to make a living and be a blessing to our generation. Unfortunately, many of us have been blinded to the diverse opportunities beckoning on us. Just as we saw yesterday, we shouldn’t allow our immediate environment, our lineage, etc., to block our view of what lies ahead of us. Ruth went out to work even in a foreign land. Why can’t you work?

On the day I wrote this devotion, I read the story of Jennifer Adokorach from northern Uganda who was paralyzed at 5years as a result of injection in a hospital, but rose through primary school to a university with that paralysis. As she wasn’t employed after studies because she was paralyzed, she started farming and from the proceeds, she opened a hair dressing saloon. She now takes care of her aged mother and her 3 nephews – two in the university and one in secondary school. She is presently contesting for District Councillorship position and hopes to run for the Parliament in future.

If this woman, Jennifer Adokorach can go this far, what stops you? Think about it and be industrious.

Food for Thought: What are your excuses for not working hard enough?

Memory verse: Ruth 2 v 2 - Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favour.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter” (ESV)

Prayer: Make me industrious, O Lord that I will have enough for my family, dependants and the needy around me. Amen.

Call Me Mara

MY DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL

Devotion for Tuesday January 17, 2017

Topic: Call Me Mara

Text: Ruth 1:19 – 22  

Naomi had experienced severe hardships. She had left Israel married and secure; she returned widowed and poor. Naomi changed her name to express the bitterness and pain she felt. She was now a woman of a sorrowful spirit. She had come home empty, poor, a widow and childless. This might be the reason for the reaction of people in 1:19. In response, she opted to answer Mara – bitterness. Naomi was not rejecting God by openly expressing her pain. However, she seems to have lost sight of the tremendous resources she had in her relationship with Ruth and with God. 

Most of us face bitter and severe hardship like Naomi did. Some of us have lost all we worked for to fire overnight, some have lost their benefactors, and some have had chains of sicknesses as if they will never end. These notwithstanding, when we face bitter times, God welcomes our honest prayers, but we should be careful not to overlook the love, strength, and resources that He provides in our present relationships. Again, we shouldn’t allow bitterness and disappointment to blind us to new opportunities He gives to us.

Food for Thought: In every disappointment there are opportunities.

Memory verse: Ruth 1 v 19

Prayer: Lord, grant me the grace I need in times of hardship and disappointments never to be blinded to opportunities you will provide.

MAXIMIZING OPPORTUNITIES: Devotion for Saturday August 13, 2016

MAXIMIZING OPPORTUNITIES: Devotion for Saturday August 13, 2016

Text: 1 Samuel 17: 12 – 30           

Memory verse: 1 Samuel 17:26 – Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

We have opportunities that come our ways every day. When we maximize the opportunities they usually lead to more opportunities and blessings. Jesse had no other motive of sending David to his brothers in the Israeli army. Fortunately, David got to the Israeli camp at that critical juncture when Goliath was threatening the Israeli army. But God, who in His wisdom orders actions and affairs of men, was there to use David to serve a purpose. He made him and knew the qualities in him.

This instance wasn’t the first time David went to the Israeli camp to see his brothers. He visits them occasionally as we have in 1 Samuel 17:15. However, on this particular visit, David saw the Philistine champion, Goliath threatening the army of Israel and defying their God for 40 days. When David heard the words of Goliath and the promise made by Saul to whoever will kill Goliath, he opted to maximize the opportunity to glorify God. He saw Goliath as inferior in power compare to the fearful animals like bear and lion he had killed earlier while tending his father’s sheep.  

“In times of general formality and lukewarmness, every degree of zeal which implies readiness to go further, or to venture more in the cause of God than others, will be blamed as pride and ambition” so posited Matthew Henry. This was the case of David’s senior brother who picked offence against him for offering to fight Goliath. David saw that opportunity as appropriate and right to glorify God in the eyes of heathen nation and faithless Israel.

We do have such opportunities on daily basis to preach God’s word and to do good to others. How much do we utilise them? Do we consider what our relations will say and thus fail to speak out for God? Remember that if God can use donkey to speak, He can use any other thing to glorify His name. Will God use stones to glorify Himself when you are alive? Think about it.

Action: Use one opportunity you have this day to preach the gospel to someone.

Prayer: Help me to maximize every opportunity I have to glorify you, O Lord.

THERE IS HOPE FOR THE LIVING: Devotion for Monday November 23, 2015

THERE IS HOPE FOR THE LIVING   Monday November 23, 2015

Text: Ecclesiastics 9:4 – 10       Memory verse: v 4

The most despicable living man's state is preferable to that of the most noble who have died without repenting. This is true because such still have opportunity to repent. Solomon exhorts the wise and pious to cheerful confide in God, whatever maybe their condition in life. He conceded that the living have an advantage over the dead (9:4), for the dead have no further opportunities to secure reward for their life’s labours (9:4 – 6).

Presently, we may be facing some challenges and we are asking, “When will all these troubles of life end?” No matter what you may be passing through now, there is hope for you as long as you are alive. Therefore, don’t give up your faith. Are you suffering the consequences of sin? You can still repent, make restitution and have peace. To you that is expecting, don’t loose heart for your time is coming as long as you are alive.

Food for Thought: Being alive means that we still have better opportunities

Prayer: Lord, I thank you for there is still hope for me.