In this life we have much to be thankful for, but we sometimes lose focus
of our blessings and look more on the temporary trials that come before us.
We must be diligent with our actions of praise and thanksgiving and not 
allow the enemy to infiltrate our mind causing us to murmur and complain
about the trials of life. If we look at those less fortunate than we are,
we will quickly see our many blessings that were otherwise forgotten. 

We are on this earth to love God and love others as we love ourselves and
be an example of Christ's love towards those around us. Be encouraged to
see your many blessings and make an effort to be helping towards those less
fortunate than you. In helping others, you will benefit more than the 
recipient. (John 13:34-35) (Galatians 6:1-2) (1 John 4:10-13) (Acts 20:35)

I hope today's message ministers to your heart to help those less fortunate
than you are because in doing so you will be made better by helping others
get better.


MY GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY

Back in my younger years, when I was an 8th grader in Junior High School
(what they now call Middle School), I got the opportunity of a life 
time...although at 14 years of age you often don't realize things like 
that at the time.

One day one of the teachers came around to all of our Study Halls (that's
where you went to do your homework so you didn't have to do it at home), 
and asked if any of us students would be interested in donating some of 
those Study Halls to doing something helpful.

Being thoroughly bored with Study Halls and preferring to do my homework 
at home in the privacy on my Dining Room with the doors closed, I of course
volunteered, and to this day am glad that I did!

From this point on, during one of my Study Halls on Monday, Wednesday and
Friday, I would join the Home Economics teacher in working with the 
mentally challenged (back then called the “slow class”), with teaching them
some aspect of how to prepare their dinner.

Some students would work with these kids by taking them food shopping (in
a classroom setting of course), and others would work with them on how to
budget and know how much money they would need to pay for their groceries,
and still others, like myself, would actually teach them how to prepare 
simple meals.

Now many others in the school would laugh at these mentally challenged 
students, but if they could have spent one meaningful class with them, 
they would have seen so much more and learned a lot themselves...I know I
surely did!

The joy these students took in the simplest of accomplishments would bring
tears to your eyes. They seemed so grateful for any kind of help you would
give them, and because you were helping them...they were your friends for
life!

Well, the three Study Halls a week sped by so quickly and were the 
highlight of my days there at Bennet Junior High School, and finally it
was June...and yes, back then we went to school until the end of June usually.

Darn those snow days!! Snow days were the days you had to miss school 
because it snowed and then had to make them up at the end of the school year.

So, one day, close to the end of the school year in June, I was called from
one of my classes, right before lunch time and was given the surprise of 
my life.

Barbara, a pretty blonde haired girl from the “slow class”, came and got me
and took me by the hand, which did cause many stares by the other students,
but the heck with them anyway. Barbara led me to the Home Economics class 
where I had been helping to teach the students how to cook.

As we approached the class, I could smell the aroma of food and I knew they
were up to something. When the door opened up, there in a neat organized 
fashion were 12 desks all shoved together to form a large dinner table. In
front of each chair was a setting of a dinner plate, silverware and a glass
and a napkin...all compliments of Barbara, as this was her offering to the 
banquet I was about to enjoy!

Dinner consisted of some Pillsbury dinner rolls and butter, spaghetti and
meat sauce, and Hi-C fruit drink. I was in total awe of what these 
wonderful kids did, all to show me what they had learned and to thank me 
for helping them along.

This was a learning experience for all of us, but I think I was the 
luckiest of all, for I had the “golden opportunity” to see that each and 
every one of us here on this earth was a caring and contributing human 
being, and while some of us may have more intelligence than others
...others may have more patience, and more appreciation of the simpler 
things in life.

To this day, I have never forgotten that wonderful experience and am 
thankful that I was able to participate in the program which led me to 
later on continue to do work with mentally challenged adults on into my 
adulthood.

Remember, life is what you make of it, as my Mother use to say, and you can
complain about life and think that it's not fair, or you can see things as
they really are and appreciate the simple things...and for that, you will
be a whole lot happier my friend...

Author Unknown


Read and meditate on these scriptures:

Hebrews 10:22-24 “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of
faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies
washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith 
without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;) And let us consider
one another to provoke unto love and to good works.”

1 Peter 2:9-10 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy
nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who
hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light: Which in time 
past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not 
obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”

2 Corinthians 4:6-10 “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of
darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure 
in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and 
not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are 
perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down,
but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord
Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.”

Revelation 22:12-14 Jesus declares “And, behold, I come quickly; and my
reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am
Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed
are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of 
life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”

All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible.


Today’s Selected Poem: BRIGHTEN YOUR CORNER
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/inpoem71.htm

Today’s Selected Testimony: ALBERT ODUYEMI’S TESTIMONY
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony137.htm


In Christ’s Service,

Dwayne Savaya
Gods Work Ministry