Proverbs 25:11

Proverbs 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver

When our regular Ladies Bible Class teacher approached me and said she was going to be unavailable this week and asked me if I would fill in for her, at first I said "Oh, no.  I am not able to do that.  I have never led a devotional before and just don't think I am capable."  She assured me that she thought I would do fine and should give it a try.  Well all my friends know I like to talk, and talk, and talk, so I told her I would do my best.  The following is the main body of the text I chose.  I admit I did a lot of Bible and internet reading to chose this and lots of praying over it.  Last night when a loud clap of thunder woke me up in the middle of the night I thought it was a good time to add another prayer to God that I would be able to lead this devotional.  I did get thru it.  At first I told the ladies if they would be patient with me I had 24 pages to read to them and although no one got up and ran I think they were relieved when I said I was only kidding and that it was not long at all.  The following is the message I presented:

A compliment or word of encouragement at just the right moment can lift our spirits and brighten our day, causing us to smile and to reach out to others. One person can truly make a difference in the world as smiles are spread along our journey.

Consider the story of the Ethiopian eunuch: an angel of the Lord said to Philip, go to the  road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.  So he did, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, who was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah. The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."  Philip  heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. "How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.    Because Phillip entered his life the eunuch was saved on that very day.  
 
We can be that same source of inspiration by telling others about Christ and salvation. Many precious souls are dying around us, lost in sin without hope, unless we study the Bible with them and give them a reason for hope.  I am again reminded of the old hymn "Lead me to some soul today, Oh teach me Lord just what to say, Friends of mine are lost in sin and cannot find their way.  I think we should sing that song every day and treat it as a prayer that God will lead us to someone in need.

One small compliment may be just the very thing someone needs to hear that very moment. How many sisters might be encouraged by the fact that we love them? Just as a wife needs to hear that she is loved by her husband, others need to be reminded, too. It has been said that we are Christ’s hands to help others, Christ’s feet to go visit and Christ’s heart to share with others. Jesus tells us that we are the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). Lights for the world are desperately needed to illuminate the pathway to our Lord.   At this point we discussed "random acts of kindness" and how a special book of devotionals "Jesus Calling" keeps turning up in many of our lives.  I have heard devotionals from the book and now want a copy of the book for myself.  We also mentioned that in the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes"  when the young girls took the older woman's parking spot before she could pull in, that her reaction was not the right action even tho she said "she had more insurance" and could destroy their car by hitting it over and over again in her anger. 

How can we share those beautiful apples of gold with others? 

* Smiling and thanking the cashier even if she is as slow as molasses
* Allowing an obviously stressed driver to pass us (even when passing only saves them about .0001 seconds on their commute)
* Waving at the people we pass in our neighborhood
* Allowing an elderly person or someone with fewer items to skip us in the grocery line
* Telling others they are in our prayers and meaning it (keep a notebook and write the person and situation to ensure you remember)
* Sending a “just thinking of you” card to someone who is having a bad day
* Sneaking a gift card for a local restaurant into the desk of a single parent or a coworker who’s on a very tight budget
* Asking God’s blessing on others and forgiving those who hurt us

As we journey through life, we can surely find plenty of opportunities to brighten others’ day if we look for them. We just might find that our own day is brightened as well as we seek to lift others and give God the glory.

Have a beautiful day filled with golden apples in settings of silver!