Friday, October 18, 2013

October 18 - Decisively Speak Nicely

My lips certainly will not speak unjustly, nor will my tongue mutter deceit. Job 27:4
Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Psalms 34:13
And my tongue shall declare Your righteousness and Your praise all day long. Psalms 35:28 

Jesus was decisive—never wishy washy. He focused people on the spiritual aspect of life—on His Heavenly Father. He never spoke deceitfully—only the truth. What a good example for all of us. He allowed the Heaven Father and the Holy Spirit to guide His words. He used His words to glorify the Father God and praise Him. He was an encourager. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16. Do you let your light shine—showing the love of the Lord to others? Do you control your tongue and glorify the Lord with your words and your life? 

Training Tip – Use paper and matches to help your children understand the difficulty of controlling the tongue especially without the Lord.  First burn a small piece of paper talk about how you can’t do anything to control how quickly it burns the paper and its direction. With a second piece a paper, dip ½ of it in water and as the dry half burns, not wet portion, talk about how the wet side representing when we give the Lord control of our tongue, the Holy Spirit can temper the damage our tongue can do by controlling its direction. Ask your children to give examples of ways they can use their tongue to bless the Lord and others. 
Lord Jesus, help us to keep our tongues from evil—but to speak in ways that honor You and our Heavenly Father.  

Friday’s Feast at the Lord’s Table

Fall has arrived and the harvest of large zucchini is coming to a close. Time to make one last batch of sweet zucchini relish.

Sweet Zucchini Relish
Ingredients
12 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini
4 cups chopped onion
5 tablespoons canning salt
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
6 cups white sugar
2 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
1.      Place the zucchini and onion in a large, non-metallic bowl, and sprinkle the salt overtop. Use your hands to evenly mix the salt throughout the zucchini. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
2.      The following day, drain the zucchini in a colander, and rinse well with cool water. Squeeze out excess water and set aside.
3.      Place the red and green bell pepper, sugar, vinegar, and cornstarch into a large pot. Add the nutmeg, turmeric, celery seed and pepper. Stir to combine, then add the drained zucchini. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer 30 minutes.
4.      Meanwhile, sterilize 7 one-pint jars and lids to hold relish. Pack relish into sterilized jars, making sure there are no spaces or air pockets. Fill jars all the way to top. Screw on lids.
5.      Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with boiling water. Carefully lower jars into pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary, until tops of jars are covered by 2 inches of water. Bring water to a full boil, then cover and process for 30 minutes.
Remove jars from pot and place on cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press top of each lid with finger, ensuring that seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all).
Enjoy on hamburgers, fish in wraps or salads. These also makes good holiday gifts.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.
© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

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