A friend who remains (3/4/2014)

Greetings Everyone,

All honor and glory be to God for providing us with another day of endless opportunities. Please remember that production gaps for the SOD will continue until I am able to invest in a more reliable computer system, I thank you in advance for your understanding. My sincere apologies yall, I suppose while proof-reading yesterday's lesson, I inadvertently deleted a complete section of the featured devotional, hopefully the message wasn't compromised... Anyway, let's move forward with today's healthy living tip... "To help prevent over-consuming sugars in your diet, you should aim for no more than 10% of your calories from sugars. For your daily diet that translates to no more than 6 to 8 teaspoons of sugar per day or about 24 to 32 grams of sugar each day. To put that in perspective, some sugar-flavored beverages alone can contain as much as 8 to 12 teaspoons of sugar. If you drink a couple bottles of regularly sweetened beverages, you could very easily be consuming a weeks worth of sugar in a single day. By reducing your consumption or eliminating these types of drinks from your daily diet, you could essentially reduce your daily calorie intake anywhere from 250 to 500 calories each day. This translates into 1 to 2 pounds of potential weight loss each week! Be informed. Check out how many grams of sugar you may be eating by reading the Nutrition Facts panel on food products" (Balance Mind, Body & Soul. (n.d.). Naturally-occurring vs added sugars. Retrieved from http://www.balancemindbodysoul.com). "To IMPROVE is to CHANGE" ~Winston Churchill~ #BeEncouraged

Fostering Mind, Body, and Soul Incorporated (FMBS Inc.) is on a never-ending quest to locate deserving individuals to extend our services to. Therefore we are always in need of monetary donations and/or contributions of hygiene items, sealed snacks, bottled water, winter items (gloves, scarves, blankets), mini bibles, etc.; our YEAR-ROUND mission is to serve homeless and/or needy individuals and families in underprivileged communities throughout Southern California. Speaking of "year-round," our See's Candies fundraiser is year-round aside from holiday themed fundraisers; you may request a catalog and make a purchase at any time, all profits outside of sales cost will benefit our organization's day-to-day operations. We are a NON-profit 501(c)(3) federally exempt organization, which means that ALL donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE. NO matter how big or small your contribution or donation is, YOU are helping someone in need. We encourage YOU to participate in our ongoing campaign whenever and however you can. If you were on the receiving end and needed a helping hand, wouldn't you want someone to reach out to you? Accept this opportunity to HELP LIVES. If interested in supporting our organization and helping others, simply make a donation and/or a contribution; make all checks payable to FMBS Inc., provide one of our representatives with your cash donation/contribution, or use the PayPal link located on our website. We are successful because of YOUR continued support. Please join our cause!

For more information about our organization, visit our website at http://www.fmbs-inc-bytye.org and/or add our Facebook page Fostering Mindbodyandsoul and Twitter @FMBSInc. On behalf of my team of volunteers, I thank you in advance. ~Tylesha "Tye" Allen, CEO/Founder, FMBS Inc. Est. 2012~

TRANSFORM your body, mind, and soul TODAY because tomorrow is NOT promised; by feeding your body healthy nutrition, and being cautious of what things you allow your eyes, ears, and spirits to be exposed to (e.g. media, books, TV, music, etc.), YOU can start anew and become a better you. CHANGE BEGINS WITHIN... Continue to keep one another in prayer, thanking God for the victory, and refraining from claiming defeat from the enemy; ALWAYS pray for your desired result, NOT the unfavorable outcome. Do NOT lose sight of God in the midst of adversity. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, "be the change that you want to see in the world." Have a blessed rest of the week.

Lord please clear our minds, and open our eyes and ears so that we may see, hear, and receive your intended message from this fellowship. In the name of Jesus, Amen!

Passage - Ecclesiastes 4:10:

"If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble."

***Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the New Living Translation (NLT) of the Bible***

"

It’s not fair," she said. "Life isn’t always fair," was the reply. But the words were not cold as they sound. He who offered those words did so with love, and compassion. The words were actually comforting as they were spoken by someone who had been there—someone who truly cared. And in the silence that followed, he wept with her, and did not leave her side. Each one of us will face those times. Very little makes sense and life feels so unfair. In truth we know there are often others who suffer more than we; and some who have suffered in similar ways. In such times, we should resist the temptation to suffer alone. We can lean on those who are near and dear—those who offer a shoulder; an ear; or to be a verbal punching bag if needed. And when it is another who suffers, we can be there for him, or for her—being Christ’s embrace to help them through. For it is in Christ we find our wherewithal; our all in all. In Christ we find the grace to extend to them; and the love to encourage them; and the strength to remain beside them. In such times, we become the arms of our Lord that wrap around the hurting and the sick; the suffering and the discouraged. We find in this truth, further encouragement to remain in Christ ourselves. For as we remain in Christ, and in His Word and faithful service; we draw from Him what we need to be-all we can be for another in their time of need. "Greater love has no one than this," Jesus said, "but that He lay down his life for his friend." We do no less than to lay down our own lives when we sacrifice and live for Christ each day so that He may live and love through us--touching the lives of those around us to help them on their way" 

(Chambers, R. (2014). A friend who remains. Retrieved from http://reflections.daybyday.org)

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We were NOT designed to be creatures of selfishness. Rather, we were created with a purpose of SELFLESSNESS, LOVE, COMPASSION, FORGIVENESS, and KINDNESS. What good are we in this world if we only offer our services, time, and sacrifices to those who reciprocate? Jesus committed His life to God at a very young age without so much as a question. His faith surpasses our own; hence God's provision of the Bible - these are our guidelines to show us how to be more like Christ. NO ONE today will ever even come close to that, but it is our mission - our duty to work toward achieving God's will, and NOT our own. The gist of the Bible is love; God sacrificed His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON so that WE MAY HAVE ETERNAL LIFE (refer to John 3:16). If you saw someone in imminent danger, would you risk your life to save theirs? That's a tough question, right? Well, it shouldn't be. Jesus laid His life down in the most heinous crucifixion for us - STRANGERS; we hadn't even been conceived, our parents' parents' parents weren't even conceived yet, but Jesus bore our cross so that we were given a chance to meet Him in eternal happiness upon His return. God commands us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (refer to Mark 12:31). Do you really believe that He meant your next-door neighbor? I highly doubt that. We all come from different cultures, different origins, and different backgrounds that were pretty much nonexistent in Jesus' day, yet He died so that we could live. Thus, He expects us to be just as loving, just as compassionate, and just as forgiving; we are to FORGIVE those who have wronged us - LET GO OF THE PAST and do NOT bring it back up when that person fails you, but forgive and keep forgiving (refer to Matthew 6:14-15; 18:22); we are to extend our services, our talents, and our time to ALL those in need - NOT limited to loved ones or people in our immediate circles; and we are to love others without conditions - AGAPE (refer to John 15:12-13 and I John 4:8). We cannot stop loving people or stop caring just because someone made a mistake, or keeps making mistakes. When you asked for forgiveness of your sins, did you also repent (turn-away from the sin - refer to Acts 3:19)? Perhaps some of you did, but I am sure most of us were in violation that same month, if not the very next day. Yet, God forgives us and grants us with a new day to make a conscious decision to change. Love is an ACTION not a noun or pronoun to be used loosely. Everything we do in this world determines where we will be upon the 2nd coming, so we must be prepared to reap what we've sown not only now, but even in our eternal life. Think of it like this, would you rather have a mansion in Heaven or a shack? Where you stand in Heaven is dependent on your WORKS on Earth.

Prayer of the Day:

Father God we thank you for life, health, and strength. We thank you for the strength we need to forgive those who have wronged us, the same way you continuously grant us forgiveness, and for placing upon those we have wronged the same desire, that we too may be forgiven by them. More so Father, we thank you for removing the guilt we once placed on self, and for removing every thought that has held us captive in our own minds. We thank you for transforming our image into one that mirrors Jesus, so that His goodness is reflected in all that we do. Thanks for blessing us with a double portion of your Spirit, and for closing every unnecessary door that is open in our lives. Thanks for opening supernatural doors in our lives that lead to peace, prosperity, clarity, contentment, and happiness. We thank you for providing each of us with the clear and concise revelations we need in order to overcome the adversary. Thanks for helping us to see, hear, and feel your presence through every trial and tribulation, and for the courage to rearrange our priorities, placing you at the top of our list. We thank you for discernment to know the difference between good and bad, right from wrong, and your will vs. our own desires. Thanks for provision, guidance, and protection from Satan’s attacks. By the authority in our words, we reverse all the negativity spoken into existence within our individual lives and the lives of our loved ones and associates. We take back everything the enemy has stolen from us, and bind every evil and malicious plot, plan, and scheme devised against us, in the matchless name of Jesus. Lord we also grant your angels permission to do our bidding on Earth without recourse. This is our affirmation of faith Father God; we submit our petition to you and thank you in advance for working it all out. All these things we claim in the name of Jesus, Amen!

Respectfully,

Tylesha "Tye" Allen

"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." (Psalm 118:8)

Ministry Blog: http://sodbytye.blogspot.com/

Non-profit Website: http://fmbs-inc-bytye.org/

Your independent Herbalife distributor/health coach: Tye.HL24@gmail.com

Change begins within; work on becoming a better You