Monthly Devotional

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=120 BGCOLOR="#BF0000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="06800880dvldal.jpg"> <div> <B>Happiness   Hill   Ministries</B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Adams Extended" ><I><B> </B></I></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="06a35140.gif" border=0 width="309" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=204 BGCOLOR="#BF0000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Happiness Hill Christian Home Academy"><B>Home</B></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="staff.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our Staff"><B>Our Staff</B></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="facilities.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Facilities"><B>Happiness Hill Christian</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="facilities.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Facilities"><B>Home & Academy</B></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="boys.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Boys Home"><B>Solid Rock</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="boys.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Boys Home"><B>Boy's Home</B></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="gallery.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photo Gallery "><B>Photo Gallery</B></A><B> </B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.guestbookcentral.com/guestbook.cfm?guestbook=41017" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.guestbookcentral.com/guestboo"><B>Guestbook</B></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="testimonies.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Testimonials"><B>Testimonials</B></A><B> </B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="volleyball.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lady Eagles"><B>Lady Eagles Volleyball</B></A></div> <bR> <div> <B>Monthly Devotional</B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="messages.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Audio Messages"><B>Audio Messages</B></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="cds.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Singing CD"><B>Singing CD"S</B></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Related Links"><B>Related Links</B></A><B>  </B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="needs.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Notes Needs"><B>News, Notes & Needs</B></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="contact.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><B>Contact Us</B></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=360 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I><B>Monthly Devotional</B></I></div> <div> <B>"Join us each month for a devotion from Dr. Jack L. High or Bro. David Harrell, or</B></div> <div> <B>a guest of their choice. Please </B><A HREF="mailto:Brodavidgeorgia@wmconnect.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:Brodavidgeorgia@wmconnect.com"><B>Email us</B></A><B>  with any questions, comments, or for further information."</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000080" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>November  2008</B></div> <bR> <div> “The Ruining of a Reputation”</div> <div> By: Bro. Justin Chaney</div> <bR> <div> <I>*Bro. Justin Chaney is a good friend to our home and is the pastor of </I></div> <div> <I>Ebenezer Baptist Church in Newton, MS. </I></div> <div> <B>Exodus 20:16</B> -“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”</div> <bR> <div> In the 20th chapter of Exodus we find a tremendous gift that has been given to mankind, the Ten Commandments.  Moses received these commandments and ushered them to the people of Israel.  I truly believe that God wanted Israel to honor them as well as us today.  God hasn't changed neither has his commandments.  Out of the ten I personally think that our text is possibly the most forgotten or neglected one on all.  Allow me to share a few thoughts with you on “Ruining a Reputation”.</div> <div> <B>Proverbs 22:1</B>-“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold”</div> <div> What is in a name?  It used to be that all a man had was a hand shake and a good name.  Here are a few quotes: </div> <div> <I>“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it.”</I>-Warren Buffet</div> <div> <I>“What people say behind your back is your standing in the community”</I>-Edgar Watson Howe</div> <div> “<I>The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour.”</I> -Unknown</div> <bR> <div> Let's look at three things dealing with this commandment that I believe is the “Ignored Commandment”.</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>The Commandment:</U></B></div> <div> I believe just by looking at what is said in this one verse we can come safely to the conclusion that God wanted the name of others protected.  Why?  We can mess our own lives up without the help of others.  </div> <div> Leviticus 19:16-“Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour; I am the LORD.”</div> <div> Proverbs 11:13A-“ talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.”</div> <div> Ezekiel 22:9-“In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood: and in thee they eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit lewdness.”</div> <div> Proverbs 18:8-“The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.”</div> <div> Proverbs 26:20-“Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.”</div> <div> Proverbs 6:19-“A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”</div> <div> *Here is an example of someone being a false witness…</div> <bR> <div> Numbers 14:36<B>-“</B>…the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,”</div> <div> If everyone would have listened to these guys they would have missed out on a blessing.  And the same applies today if we listen too all of the loose lips we might miss out on a blessing.  We all must strive to protect each other's name.  To aid and assist in gossip is to aid and assist in murder.</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>The Character:</U></B></div> <div> When it seems that a person lives for this, it tells a lot about himself.</div> <div> Psalm 58:3-“The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies</div> <div> Do you know what wicked means here? It means morally wrong, ungodly.  That is what kind of person does this.”</div> <div> Isaiah 59:4-“None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity”</div> <div> People that lie are lazy…The truth is heavy, therefore few care to carry it.</div> <div> People that gossip are lazy…they are spreading gossip instead of the gospel.  I wonder how many people have died and went to hell because of the fact that some were too busy gossiping instead of gospeling!  </div> <bR> <div> <B><U>The Consequences:</U></B></div> <div> The consequences are never good.  If you were to look at all of the situations in the Bible where gossip/lying was taking place you will never find where God awarded it.  </div> <div> Numbers 14:37-“Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD. “</div> <div> Numbers 14:38<B> -“</B>But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still.”</div> <div> The next time someone wants to tell something on someone else, here is what you do and I promise the gossip will stop, tell the individual you want them to go with you and talk with the “victim of gossip” and find out if it's true.  There was a saying one time, “why can't we all just get along”.  Let's strive to build up instead of tearing each other down.  Souls do not make it to Heaven through gossip.  Let's do the work of the Father instead of the work of Satan.  </div> <bR> <div> <B>Bro Justin Chaney</B></div> <div> <B>Pastor Ebenezer Baptist Church</B></div> <div> <B>Newton-Conehatta Rd </B></div> <div> <B>Lawrence, MS</B></div> <div> <B>601-562-1256</B></div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:brojchaney@yahoo.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:brojchaney@yahoo.com"><B>brojchaney@yahoo.com</B></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="archives.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Archives"><B>Visit Devotionals From Previous Months</B></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>