Daily Devotional – 5/23/12 “Why settle when you haven’t negotiated?”

Most times when you settle something you usually negotiate the terms of the settlement before you accept it, right? Then why are you settling for just anything in your Christian life? You settle for the first man/woman who comes along when they could be standing in front of the blessing God sent. You settle for the first loan the car salesman brings when you should be negotiating the terms for the price and payment you want. You settle for the first job that calls because the benefits sound good when your career was calling on the other line. You settle for the second dress that’s in the store when you should have told them to order the one you really want. Stop settling for a Big Mac when you got a taste for Quarter Pounder, make them cook it while you wait. Why are you settling for less when God has given you the means to have so much more? God blessed you with a gift for writing so do not settle for a math degree. God blessed you with the ability to be a great husband/wife, so don’t settle for being someone’s mister or mistress. God gave you the ability to speak life into your dead places so don’t accept when folks say you can’t make it. God has given you favor so don’t accept failure. God has given you love so don’t accept lust. God has given you salvation so don’t accept suicide as a way out. God has given you praise so don’t accept pain. God has given you a life to live so don’t let it pass you by because you choose to settle. You are worthy of so much more. If the person you’re with can’t appreciate what you offer (if you’re offering your absolute best) then you don’t need to spend another day being unappreciated. If the job you currently have can’t appreciate the talent you bring, find one that does. If the kids can appreciate the sacrifices you make to give them all they need and want, then stop giving. You don’t have to settle before you negotiate the terms.

Women, don’t you know that you are worth more than the cubic zirconia type love/support that you’re receiving? Proverbs 31:10 says, “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.” A ruby is considered a precious stone and its worth is determined by the brightness of its color which can range from $100 to $15000 per carat. Now, my question to you is, “Is your light worth more than what you’re getting?” Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” See, your light shines when you have God on the inside and when it’s bright, men of God will see it and will be attracted to it and those who are of the world will stay away. When your light is bright is blinds those who are not used to looking into and it keeps away worldly mess. Haven’t you heard the saying, “Place your heart into God so that a man would have to go through God to get it?” Well, why are you settling for just anybody? You think just because he was the star of the football team in high school and played during college, that he would make a great husband who could provide but does he know God, does he fear God, does he know how to provide for his family, will he hold on through the storm, take care of you when you’re sick, pick you up when you’re down, pull you back from falling off the ledge, pray with you through the good and the bad, admit when he’s wrong, apologize when it’s needed and treat you like his wife and not his child? If the answer is no, then why are you settling? You don’t have to settle for a man who finds joy in your pain and laughter in the tears you cry. You don’t have to settle for being second best when you should be the starter but you have to want more for yourself. Negotiate the terms of your settlement before you sign on the dotted line because breaking a contract is a lot harder than it looks.

Men, don’t you know that God wants the best for you? Why, because you are the head of your household who represents God before anyone else. Ephesians 5:23 says, “For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.” See, God put you in front so that you’re the first one the world sees and if you’re an outstanding example of what a Godly man is then your family will be too. So, why would you settle for the first girl who batted her fake lashes at you? You do know that if she can’t be real around her husband then she isn’t who she says she is, right? A wife should be your helpmate, somebody who lifts you up and not bring you down, she should have your back when everyone else is against you, she should encourage you when you can’t encourage yourself, pull you up when the world has knocked you down, be there to help you when you’re sick, able to step in if you’re unable to provide, pray with you, ride out the wave when the water gets a little hard to bare, eat noodles when the budget calls for it, not complain when there’s no extra money left for shopping and allow you to cry in front of her without being less than a man. You shouldn’t have to settle for someone whose only concern is the amount of money in your bank account, the type of car you drive, if you wear brand name clothes/shoes and how good you are in bed. You are worthy of being the head because, Genesis 1:26 says, “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Yea, God made you in His image which means you are worthy of being the head and not the tail. Stop settling for being a doormat for a woman who is not worthy of the rib that God removed from man to make her. Reach around the mess and get the blessing that God has for you. You, also, have to negotiate the terms of your settlement before you sign on the dotted line because getting out of a contract is a lot harder than it looks.

Being men and women who accept anything and settle for everything causes children to be raised not knowing they are worthy of so much more. Teach young women that they are better than having sex just to hold on to a boy whose not worthy of her heart. Teach young men that they are worthy of more than a girl who only calls when he gets paid from his part time job. Teach young men and women how to carry themselves in a way that is pleasing to God so that he can be pleasing to them. Teach the children how to value their self-worth before accepting the blue book value. We, as adults, have to set a better example for the younger generations who are watching us. We can’t just settle for anything because it looks good at the moment when something much more valuable is within reach. When we settle for anything we sacrifice the salvation that God sends because we lower the standards of who we should be. Oh, but when we negotiate the terms of our settlement we satisfy the Savior by shining our light bright enough to secure somebody who is spiritual enough to meet the standards of God’s plan by standing steadfast during storms and situations, who keeps their mind stayed on God in order to strengthen themselves to succeed during times of suffering and who is sufficient enough to sustain when settling just won’t do. No, we don’t have to settle because settling leads to suffering and why suffer with the wrong one when the right one is a negotiation, (that’s a blessing), away?