7 Ways to Tend Your Flock

“…Tend the flock in your midst…”

1 Peter 5:1-11

Who’s in your flock? In this life, none of us is an island unto ourselves. We have many people in our lives and different roles in this life: Child, parent, spouse, brother, sister, niece, nephew, friend, even acquaintance… And every relationship is beautifully unique. These relationships we have with the people in our lives, some new, some lifelong, offer so many opportunities to practice patience, to help and love others unconditionally, and even forgive them as needed. In reality, some people we treasure and some we don’t. Yet, as Christians, we are called to love them all to the best of our abilities—which as we all know, at times, is no small task!

At times, our greatest temptation is to think we have little in common with other people, while focusing on our differences. However, we must find a way to normalize commonality. That is, to find a bond of some kind, even if it is just a family bond or ones faith. No, we may not like everyone who enters our life, but we are mandated by Jesus to love them all the same. Divine providence has a lot to do with who comes into your life, and that is how one’s flock comes into being.

7 Ways to Tend Your Flock

1)      Understand that relationships are most often mutually beneficial in some way.

2)      Accept that God has given you your flock for a reason.

3)      Always look for common ground with others.

4)      Practice patience with those who are difficult to love.

5)      Pray daily for the flock in your midst.

6)      Be quick to forgive others who hurt or offend you.

7)      Try your level best to love others as God loves you--unconditionally.

When you take a minute to look at your own flock, the comrades God has provided for you on your journey, it can be a little daunting, even baffling. We don’t always get to choose the people in our life, and may even struggle to accept or reach out to them. Some we find truly difficult to love, others we can hardly live without in our daily lives. We may even feel we have nothing in common with them. But there are no coincidences in this life, when we look at those closest to us, especially family members from birth.

As you tend to your flock, you must be willing to accept them as they are. Some are easy to love. While others, you are called to try, with God’s help, to love them with everything you have despite how you feel about them. Sometimes you need to help lead them to higher ground, other times you simply just need to be present to them. When you tend the flock in your midst, you are doing God’s work through the power of the Holy Spirit, and the blessings you receive are awe-inspiring, bringing greater love, peace and joy into your life.

© Copyright 2018   |   Adele M. Gill

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Chaplain Adele M. Gill, RN, BSN, ABDA is author of 3 books including “From Broken to Blest: Embracing the Healing that Awaits You,’ written with Dr. Verna Benner Carson. From Broken to Blest is now available on Amazon and Barnes at Noble in print, Nook & Kindle versions.  Click on this link to order:

https://amzn.to/2pNt9Sk

Top 5 Scriptures for Thanksgiving Bliss

By Chaplain Adele M. Gill

Whenever we get together with people, especially with family at Thanksgiving, we all bring something to the table. Yes, you may make and bring your favorite pie or stuffing to share, but we all bring so much more than just food for this annual feast. We may bring memories of all that has gone on since last Thanksgiving, and a deep abiding care and affection for our loved ones, high hopes for a perfect holiday, and/or anticipation that our favorite foods will be there just as we remember from years past. Sometimes we bring other things to the table that, if left unchecked, can derail even the finest holiday gathering, and cause lasting resentments and strained relationships. Truth is, things are never really perfect because we are all human, and relationships can be challenging at times.

Barriers to Thanksgiving Bliss

Difficult childhood memories. Grudges. Political views. Unrealistic expectations. Negativity. Any one of these can easily be detrimental to the pursuit of an enjoyable, peaceful Thanksgiving family celebration. Unfortunately, despite all the preparation and festivities, sometimes people may still choose to disagree on a variety of topics and use that day to ‘share’ or defend their disparate views, or get the final word. We’ve all heard of families that have experienced arguments and conflict at Thanksgiving dinner, as those in attendance engage in heated conversation about various and sundry things. But there is a better way…

Peace Be Within You:

5 scriptures to Help You Prepare for Thanksgiving Bliss

Clearly, as Christians, we all must do our part to make our holiday family gatherings peaceful and enjoyable for all that are there, but each of us is responsible for our own behavior and happiness. Some find themselves in the role of peacekeepers—a valuable role in any family-- striving to focus on commonality and unity rather than strife.

1)      “…Rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.”  2 Corinthians 13:11 / NIV

2)      “For the sake of my family and friends…“Peace be within you.” Psalm 122:8//NIV

3)      “Love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor.’                      Romans 12:10 // NIV

4)      “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.” John 15:12  //NIV

5)      ^8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think [and speak] about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”  // Philippians 4:8-10

For many people, preparing before you go to Thanksgiving dinner is important to set the tone for promoting and maintaining good relationships and living in unity and peace that day and moving forward. If you know Thanksgiving dinner has the potential to be socially challenging with your family, try to embrace these Bible passages and let them be your guide. Pray and ask God for help before you go. You may be surprised at what transpires!

“Peace be within you.” Psalm 122:8//NIV

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© Copyright 2018   |   Adele M. Gill

The Good Life

Greetings from Adele’s Inspiration Café!

Today’s blog post: 

The Good Life

by Chaplain Adele M. Gill

 ^“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17  (NIV)

To many unbelievers, the Bible is nothing more than an irrelevant and outdated book with vague words written long, long ago that have no application for our daily lives in these modern times. It is a book that is sometimes passed down from generation to generation, but too often, it is one that collects much dust, as it’s wisdom and application are put aside, left on a shelf, and virtually unknown.

However, to believers, Scripture is at the center of living a godly life. It is a bright candle in the darkness of a fallen world, a beacon of light for the weary, the lost, the last and the lowly. Sustenance for poor and hurting souls in need of discernment, protection, comfort and guidance, the Bible stands ready to address many of the contemporary issues we experience. It is a light to our feet and your ticket to redemption as you come to believe more and more in Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, our guide and advocate who was given to us by Jesus Himself.

The Holy Bible is chock-full of practical knowledge we can and need to apply to our daily lives through word and deed. Relationships, work, times of adversity—it’s all in there. It has been said there is nothing new under the sun. Those words take on special meaning when talking about all we can experience and learn through Scripture. For believers, followers of Jesus, there is great insight and clarity in the Word, which leads us ever closer into relationship with Him.

Once we start reading the Holy Bible, as we embrace the scriptural meaning ourselves, we are able to apply the truths we learn in so many ways in our own lives. We are enabled to effectively teach others about Jesus’ life, and The Way to righteousness, as opposed to self-righteousness. We are able to live a good life and use it to help others follow Jesus. We are able to speak truth in Love, helping each other to follow him with greater focus and fervor. In essence, we are to equip ourselves for the Christian life by reading the Bible, especially the New Testament, then in turn, share the Gospel of Jesus with others.

In as much as Jesus is the Light of the World, we are all commissioned to love God and one another, and to that end, bring His light into the darkness that surrounds us, while tending the flock in our midst. If we look closely at Jesus’ life and His teachings found in Scripture, we can easily grow in zeal over time, and openly share Him wherever we go--In that way, shining a bright Light upon our little corner of the world.

 “Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine.”  Mark 4:21

© Copyright 2018   |   Adele M. Gill

http://www.theinspirationcafeblog.net 

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Chaplain Adele M. Gill, RN, BSN, ABDA is author of 3 books including “From Broken to Blest: Embracing the Healing that Awaits You,’ written with Dr. Verna Benner Carson. From Broken to Blest is now available on Amazon and Barnes at Noble in print, Nook & Kindle versions.              

To order your copy, please click on this link:

https://amzn.to/2pNt9Sk

The Power of Civility

by Chaplain Adele M. Gill

 “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6

Like any loving parent, Father God stands in wait for our anguished pleas, for us to turn to Him so He can help us meet our daily needs and challenges.  Though He first loved us, He calls us to love Him, and others, with all our heart and soul. In fact, loving others—especially those who are difficult to love, is one great way that we express our love for God and answer His calling. We need to remember the times we have not been difficult or lovable ourselves, and use that as a starting point to build on in our relationships hence we slip into complacency.

Certainly with this mandate to love, it is important for us to be at peace with everyone in our lives lest hatred, loathing, and unforgiveness take root in us. Yet, what is it about our humanness that leads us to anger and disharmony with others that think and do differently than we do? Perhaps that is a question we’d prefer to answer another day, but there is no time like the present.

Hatred for others has the power to enable people to be ruled by their negative feelings. It can destroy lives, especially those who harbor deep anger, and remove all God given peace and joy in the process making us bitter. Hatred can be insidious, sometimes getting a foothold when we are fully unaware it is happening. When we hate others we know, we sometimes give up that peace and joy in the name of being self-righteous with the need to be right, superior or hostile, which is counterintuitive to God’s love for us.

But what about when we hate or fear those we do not know or respect, simply because they think differently than we do, especially in the current social climate? Well, the effects of hatred still apply—possibly in greater measure, as there is no room for negotiation. When the loathing of an individual involves an acquaintance, or even a public figure you do not personally know, judgement abounds. And the effects of hatred can linger on for years with no closure. Yet, as Christians, we know that there is but one judge, and human judgement of others should have no place in our lives, as one cannot love others and judge them all at the same time. We need to make a choice.

We need to ask for God’s Will in discernment of what is good and right and true, and seek out those things. When we differ with the beliefs or actions of others, whether we personally know them or not, it is best to step away and respectfully try to agree to disagree when necessary. The cost of giving away one’s peace and joy is steep and should be avoided at all costs. There is great power in coexistence and civility. Let that be a goal we strive for in our daily lives.

“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  Psalm 23:6

© Copyright 2018    |    Adele M. Gill

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Chaplain Adele M. Gill, RN, BSN, ABDA is author of 3 books including “From Broken to Blest: Embracing the Healing that Awaits You,’ written with Dr. Verna Benner Carson. Their book is now available on Amazon and Barnes at Noble in print, Nook & Kindle versions. Please click on this link:

https://amzn.to/2pNt9Sk