Everyone wants to be recognized, Everyone wants to be appreciated but not everyone deserves it. Recognition is gotten by making genuine sacrifice. What have you done to earn that Award, Certificate, applaud, ovation etc.
Be sacrifice driven.
Month: June 2018
STAY HAPPY ALWAYS…
Your Happiness is all that is required. True Happiness begins with doing what you love.
Stay Happy Always 
Mercy Zamora Cares!!!
Before I Became Series : Mother Theresa
Its a great day.
Another series just began..,……..
There are things that motivates us to be great and that includes the life story of another. Most people are interested in the glory without trying to know the story. Every gift, idea, Talent given to you was to render service to humanity,a song writer once wrote,
” they say there’s something wrong with the world , tell me whose gonna fix it”………..
Its all in our hands to do what is right through our services.
Its in the process of genuinely serving that recognition would be giving. Let the whole world see the light in you.
Matthew 5:16
King James Version
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Stay Close, let’s learn from the life of Mother Theresa.
“It is not how much we do,
but how much love we put in the doing.
It is not how much we give,
but how much love we put in the giving.”
– Mother Teresa
Short Biography of Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa was born in 1910 in Skopje, the capital of the Republic of Macedonia. Little is known about her early life, but at a young age, she felt a calling to be a nun and serve through helping the poor. At the age of 18, she was given permission to join a group of nuns in Ireland. After a few months of training, with the Sisters of Loreto, she was then given permission to travel to India. She took her formal religious vows in 1931 and chose to be named after St Therese of Lisieux – the patron saint of missionaries.
On her arrival in India, she began by working as a teacher; however, the widespread poverty of Calcutta made a deep impression on her, and this led to her starting a new order called “The Missionaries of Charity”. The primary objective of this mission was to look after people, who nobody else was prepared to look after. Mother Teresa felt that serving others was a fundamental principle of the teachings of Jesus Christ. She often mentioned the saying of Jesus,
“Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me.”
As Mother Teresa said herself:
“Love cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action, and that action is service .” – Mother Teresa
She experienced two particularly traumatic periods in Calcutta. The first was the Bengal famine of 1943 and the second was the Hindu/Muslim violence in 1946, before the partition of India. In 1948, she left the convent to live full-time among the poorest of Calcutta. She chose to wear a white Indian sari, with a blue border, out of respect for the traditional Indian dress. For many years, Mother Teresa and a small band of fellow nuns survived on minimal income and food, often having to beg for funds. But, slowly her efforts with the poorest were noted and appreciated by the local community and Indian politicians.
In 1952, she opened her first home for the dying, which allowed people to die with dignity. Mother Teresa often spent time with those who were dying. Some have criticised the lack of proper medical attention, and their refusal to give painkillers. Others say that it afforded many neglected people the opportunity to die knowing that someone cared.
Her work spread around the world. By 2013, there were 700 missions operating in over 130 countries. The scope of their work also expanded to include orphanages and hospices for those with terminal illnesses.
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
—- Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa never sought to convert those of another faith. Those in her hospices were given the religious rites appropriate to their faith. However, she had a very firm Catholic faith and took a strict line on abortion, the death penalty and divorce – even if her position was unpopular. Her whole life was influenced by her faith and religion, even though at times she confessed she didn’t feel the presence of God.
The Missionaries of Charity now has branches throughout the world including branches in the developed world where they work with the homeless and people affected by AIDS. In 1965, the organisation became an International Religious Family by a decree of Pope Paul VI.
In the 1960s, the life of Mother Teresa was brought to a wider public attention by Malcolm Muggeridge who wrote a book and produced a documentary called “Something Beautiful for God”.
In 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitutes a threat to peace.” She didn’t attend the ceremonial banquet but asked that the $192,000 fund be given to the poor.
In later years, she was more active in western developed countries. She commented that though the West was materially prosperous, there was often a spiritual poverty.
“The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.”
-— Mother Teresa
When she was asked how to promote world peace, she replied,”Go home and love your family”.
Over the last two decades of her life, Mother Teresa suffered various health problems, but nothing could dissuade her from fulfilling her mission of serving the poor and needy. Until her very last illness she was active in travelling around the world to the different branches of The Missionaries of Charity. During her last few years, she met Princess Diana in the Bronx, New York. The two died within a week of each other.
Following Mother Teresa’s death, the Vatican began the process of beatification, which is the second step on the way to canonization and sainthood. Mother Teresa was formally beatified in October 2003 by Pope John Paul II. In September 2015, Pope Francis declared:
“Mother Teresa, in all aspects of her life, was a generous dispenser of divine mercy, making herself available for everyone through her welcome and defense of human life, those unborn and those abandoned and discarded,”“She bowed down before those who were spent, left to die on the side of the road, seeing in them their God-given dignity. She made her voice heard before the powers of this world, so that they might recognize their guilt for the crime of poverty they created.”
Mother Teresa was a living saint who offered a great example and inspiration to the world.
Awards given to Mother Teresa
- The first Pope John XXIII Peace Prize. (1971)
- Kennedy Prize (1971)
- The Nehru Prize –“for the promotion of international peace and understanding”(1972)
- Albert Schweitzer International Prize (1975),
- The Nobel Peace Prize (1979)
- States Presidential Medal of Freedom (1985)
- Congressional Gold Medal (1994)
- U Thant Peace Award 1994
- Honorary citizenship of the United States (November 16, 1996),
Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan. “Biography of Mother Teresa”, Oxford, UK. www.biographyonline.net, 18th May 2006. (Updated September 2016)
#Copied
Am glad you learnt something. Stay focused its about you.
The Grateful
Today’s word is #Gratefulness……
The term “Grateful” is an act / feeling of showing appreciation for something done or received.
Many times, we get too carried away searching for the things we think we need while on the other hand, there are things we have but have never been grateful for. Some other times, we get too comfortable requesting and requesting forgetting that the things we have are priceless and more valuable than the things we need.
A true heart of gratitude never stops given thanks for what is in his/her possession. Life is flooded with a quest to receive more, Humans are insatiable but a true heart of gratitude never stops receiving.
When you appreciate God for what you have, you are simply opening the door to receive more.
King James Version
Psalm 24 vs 1
The earth is the Lord’s and its fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell there in.
You serve a mighty God, the one who sits in heaven and make the earth His foot stool. He has everything in His possession and they are all yours but you must understand the need to appreciate the ones you have.
There are a lot of things to be grateful for:
The air you breathe
The shoes on your feet
The cloths on your back
The ability to see, hear, smell,etc
The food and drink you take in
The functioning of all organs in the body
The freedom to move your body as you want
The ability to sleep
The capacity to wake up
The projects you’ve accomplished
The seasons you went through
The lessons you learnt
The experiences that didn’t take away your life
The healing you received
The battles you won etc
We can go on and on…………..
God is committed to our wellbeing, let’s just learn the art of gratitude.
It is a conscious effort.
If you can think, you would be able to thank.
God knows your needs before you would ever ask.
Thank Him today and always.
He Cares!!!
The Faith Expression : Trust
An awesome Morning
Okay? So today, we would be looking at the Faith Expression:Trust.
Life generally comes with various phases and seasons as it was explained in the previous article. These seasons comes with lessons, regrets, challenges, joy, happiness, sadness depending on what season of life you are in. The season is not the major focus, how we react in those times is what really matters.
Have you ever found yourself in a position where you prayed so fervent, cried so frequent, wished so much , thought so hard and yet you cant really feel any result. You stay prepared to pray but you don’t know what to say to this awesome God. You know He is capable of doing anything but yet you feel nothing is being done. The only thing to do is Trust.
Trust is the firm belief in the reliability, truth and ability of someone or something.
Trust is an expression of faith. When you feel nothing is working, when you feel your words are empty, when you feel you really have nothing more to offer, when you feel the whole world has turned their back on you, Just Trust.
Trust God, Trust His Word, Trust His Promises, Trust His Spirit, Trust His grace, Trust His love, Trust His directions, Just Trust, Trust! Trust!! Trust!!!
Trust that if He said it, He would do it. Trust that He loves you enough to share in your problems, Trust that He is totally concerned about your wellbeing.
King James Version
Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding
Just Trust Him………..
Your Understanding cannot take you far but God can…….
King James Version
Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
I recently read an awesome post that says……… I paraphrase,
“When you feel that God isn’t there with you during your trying time, remember the teacher is always quiet during the test”.
Every good teacher has given you the best study and explanation you need , so? He expects that during the test, you pour out all that you have learnt in time past
. That is the case with a believer and his trying time, you give out all that you have learnt from the bible during your test. God is there to help you out. He is there to ensure all goes right while He trusts you to continually make the right decision.
King James version
Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
He is right there. Just trust Him. Everything you need is in Him, trust Him. That’s the way you can express your faith.
God is interested in you.
I Care but God Cares more…….
Find peace in Him…
Life’s Seasons :
Hello friends,
Today , we would be discussing about the seasons of life.
Gen 8:22 ESV
While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.
Seasons :- are each of the four divisions of the year (spring, summer, autumn and winter) marked by particular weather patterns and daylight hours, resulting from the earths changing position with regard to the sun. This is a period of the year when a particular activity or event happens.
God promised us seasons to indicate the order of nature. But did you know that every person goes through four seasons as well? Did you know that every church goes through four seasons? Did you know your marriage goes through four seasons? Seasons affect all of us and everything we do.
There are four Major seasons:-
*Spring
*Summer
*Winter
*Autumn
The Winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate zones. It occurs after autumn and before spring in each year. Winter is caused by the axis of the Earth in that hemisphere being oriented away from the Sun. Winter is one of the four seasons and the coldest time of the year. It is the time of the year when the days are darker and colder than one could ever imagine.
Spiritual winter:
Our spiritual winter is a time of darkness and unfruitfulness. Spiritual winter is the most unusual time for many Believers, We might feel that God has deserted us, but this is the time to curl up in God’s lap for warmth and intimacy. There He will give you directions for planting new crops in spring; the next season. It is also the time to exist on what has been stored from previous harvests.
Winter is the time for evaluation, planning and preparation. It is the time to shovel snow and ice (unhelpful resource) from the driveway of your mind. It is the time when praise should be an automatic habit. it is normal to feel like God is not hearing our prayers or speaking to us. We may feel like we are having a “wilderness” experience. Our inclination is to pray harder and must remain in the season of rest. In winter, reflect on God and God’s faithfulness to you and maintain an attitude of reverence before God.
Winter is the time to PLAN for the upcoming seasons.
The Spring
Spring is one of the four conventional temperate seasons, following winter and preceding summer. Spring marks the end of blistering winter and the transitional period to scorching summer. In many places, the season brings mild temperatures in the 60s and 70s. Spring season is the favorite season of the year and liked by everyone than other seasons. Spring is the season of new beginnings. Fresh buds bloom, animals awaken and the earth seems to come to life again. Farmers and gardeners plant their seeds and temperatures slowly rise.
Spiritual Spring:-
Spring is the time to plant and carry out the instructions gleaned from your winter experience. From having spent time with God, you will have the spiritual and physical energy to break up your fallow ground.
Spring is the time to come out of the darkness of winter. You will see the first signs of vigor and life returning to the earth. Solomon said, “Lo, the winter is over; the rains are over and gone.” (Song of Songs 2:11)
Flowers will push through the damp soil; frogs will croak in the barely thawed ponds; and you will enjoy the feel of the first warm breeze upon you face.
Spring reminds us of the eternal cycle of death and rebirth and renewed life. Spring is the re-emergence of life. It indicated a balance of growth and decay; youth and maturity, innocence and experience.
During springtime, look for the leading of God in new activities and ventures into new opportunities. On the personal level, these can be activities like new ways of doing your daily devotions or new relationships with encouraging saints. Regarding ministry, springtime can bring new ministry, more attendees or new ways of serving God. Be careful not to invest too much of yourself in all these new things because, just like a fruit tree, not every blossom will lead to fruit. These temporary blossoms serve to pollinate other blossoms. They are also signs to show us that it is springtime.
The summer
Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, falling after spring and before autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice.
Spiritual Summer:-
This is the time to reap what you planted during your spiritual spring. Its a time to continue to work, while making sure to build refreshment and relaxation in as well. This is also a time for us to get rid of those “weeds” that may want to pop up and get us distracted. If we limit our distractions, a spiritual summer can be very good for us.
In summer, the flowers are in full bloom. The fruit is ripe and ready to be picked. It is during this spiritual season, that we develop the fruit of the Spirit. We read :-
Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
Autumn (Fall)
Autumn, also known as fall in American and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer to winter. Autumn, season of the year between summer and winter during which temperatures gradually decrease. It is often called fall in the United States because leaves fall from the trees at that time. Nighttime arrives earlier, temperatures begin to drop and most vegetative growth decreases.
Spiritual Autumn
If you look at nature this is typically a time of things falling away. This is when we see the temperature and leaves begin to change, which I’d how we know that fall is coming. Maybe God is calling some things to fall away in your life. What is He calling you to let go of?
Nature provides a great example of how this should look in our life. Often times, we want to hold on and not let go of things that could potentially cause problems in our next season. Spiritual fall is a good time to grow your trust in God
Autumn, with its colorful trees is the transitional season having both the abundance and the limitation of our everyday lives.
Autumn helps us see the passage of time; that is, where we have come from and where we need to go. This is the season filled with anticipation. And if we have been obedient in the other seasons, we will reap a harvest in due season. (Galatians 6:9)
Autumn is a season of fruition and reaping. It is a season of thanksgiving and celebration of abundance and goodness of the earth. It is a season of encouragement as we witness the changes in God’s earth.
What season are you presently?
Seasons come and go. Enjoy every season, learn from every season. He is always present.
God bless you.
Isioma O (A.K.A MercyZamora)
