tradina waller

Below is a poem from Og Mandino,  who was one of the most best selling inspirational author of the 20th Century.  Mastin Kipp shared this poem with me on his blog and when I read it I said to myself, “I have to keep this one and share it with my readers.”  So, Here it is! I hope it speaks to you as much as it spoke to me.

“I will greet this day with love in my heart. And how will I do this? Henceforth will I look on all things with love and be born again. I will love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit. I will love the light for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars. I will welcome happiness as it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul. I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge.”

This poem reminds me that we all grow and mature through good and bad times.  The enjoyment of life can be found in our perception of how we view the situations we face.  It also reminds me of scripture, Ephesians 5:20 to be exact.  It reads: “giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  So today I encourage you to give thanks for all things for God is maturing you!

Tags: heart, love, positivity, thanks

I have read a lot of blogs and tweets lately about “haters”.  I am glad that people are coming to the understanding that “haters” have the ability to push you toward your full potential and that instead of hating on your haters we need to embrace them.  Fortunately, this concept of embracing your haters is not a new concept.

Jesus took this concept further and told us in Matt.5:44, “But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”  Luke repeated an account of this teaching in Luke 6:27 “But I say unto you which hear, love your enemies, do good to them which hate you.”

Could it be Jesus knew that haters/enemies have the potential to push you into your destiny, point out your weaknesses, are the key to greatness, don’t possess the power to hurt or harm you unless you allow it, keep you on your toes, and that we can actually learn from them.

You see Jesus knew all too well about the power of love.  He knew that loving your haters/enemies can change their hearts and yours.  He knew that for the Christian, loving your enemies has the power to make them Christians.  Matt 5:45 goes on to read, “That they may be children of your Father which is in heaven…”

Jesus was and still is the master teacher. He knew that we need haters/enemies and without them we would not be able to survive.  He knew that with them we would thrive!  We will thrive with haters/enemies as long as we learn to love them, learn the lessons they have to teach us and correct the weakness they see in us.  He knew when we learn to love our haters/enemies we become more and more like Christ.

I feel we are just scratching the surface of embracing our haters.  We need to imitate Christ and understand the depth and power of loving them.  Our world would be a much better place if we would truly love our haters/enemies as Christ instructed us to.

So what do you say, are you ready to love your haters?

Tags: enemies, h8ters, hatas, haters

My spirit was in a state of disease as I heard a well known scripture half quoted to support/cover wrongdoing. The funny thing about it was done out of ignorance. I did approach the person afterword and brought clarification in a spirit of love.

I then realized that many Christians use Roman 8:1 to cover there sin.  They will read up to the following words: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are  in Christ Jesus” and say no one can condemn them, which is true because man has no Heaven or Hell to put anyone in.  But, what they fail to realize is that they condemn themselves when they sin. Many Christians think or take this scripture to say that because I am a Christian there is no condemnation for me.

If we read the whole verse which states, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”  We would see that the reason why there is no condemnation is because the Christian is walking after the Spirit and when one walks after the Spirit they are not walking after the flesh and thus commit no sin. If sin is not committed then there is no reason to condemn.

Yes, Christ died for our sins, but that does not mean that we can now commit all the sin we want and not be condemned.  We crucify Christ daily when we live in reckless sin. Many are trying to live the  life of a sinner and have the benefits of a Christian and it doesn’t work that way. God is not mocked, whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap.( Gal. 6:7)

Have you ever tried to bring correction or clarification in the spirit of love? If so, how did it turn out?  I would like to hear your stories.

Tags: condemn, condemnation, Walk after the flesh, walk in the Sprit

Proverbs 31:18, “She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.”

She knows that the Spirit of God within her is good and her faith in Him does not go out in the storms of life.  She keeps her faith strong by reading the Word of God and with daily prayer.  She knows not to be weary in well doing for she shall reap if she faints not.  She knows that if she delights herself in the Lord He will give her the desires of her heart.  So, she holds on to the prophesies that she receives with earnest expectation.  She hides the world of God in her heart, so that she might not sin against the Lord.  She knows that God is not a man that he should lie, or the son of man that he should repent.  She knows that God has given her Angles to watch over her and bare her up in their arms, so that she will not dash her foot against a stone.  She knows that Jesus will return for her, so her heart does safely trust Him.  Though the night maybe dark and long and the valley steep it does not shake her faith or dim her love for Him.  Her weeping may endure for the night, but joy is restored to her in the morning.  Her faith is not circumstantial, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.  Therefore, she fights in victory knowing that she is more than a conqueror.

Ladies, dare to be that virtuous woman of God and watch Him take care of it all.  Please share with me how you are fighting the good fight of faith.

Tags: Proverbs 31:18, virtue, virtuous, woman, women

Family Responsibilities:

-love one another

-pray for one another

-encourage one another

-admonish one another

-greet one another

-serve one another

-teach one another

-accept one another

-honor one another

-bear one another’s burdens

-forgive one another

-submit to one another

-be devoted to one another

Are you upholding your family responsibilities?  If so, what challenges have you faced?

It is a real challenge to walk out these family responsibilities within a church.  We my think it is  easier to be holy when no one else is around.  This way we are never upset or frustrated.  But that is not true holiness because true holiness is tested.   Rick Warren said it best,  “Isolation breeds deceitfulness; it is easy to fool ourselves into thinking we are mature if there is no one to challenge us.  Real maturity shows up in relationships.”

The Bible is a great tool to help up grow, but  we need more than that;  we need one another.   Accountability to one another helps us to grow stronger and faster.  Taking the time to teach and correct one another in love builds a community of mature believers.

Rick Warren is the author of  “The Purpose Driven Life”

Tags: Christian Living, Kingdom, membership