IDOK DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2008
Fruit Inspectors with Fog Horns
I hope you are not weary with me continuing in John 21. I have just sat down to read and as is often I don’t know where this IDOK is going today. My first stop is just a ‘warm fuzzy’ I think. It’s verse 9: Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there; and fish laid on it, and bread. I want you to see the scene. Jesus in His resurrected body, not some ghostly, shadowy, apparition but REAL, touchable; nail scars and all is there. Now get your mind and your emotions around this. He is not just any Man. He is GOD. Creator of the Universe. And He is COOKING BREAKFAST! Is He AWESOME or what? Don’t you just want to LOVE HIM!? Don’t you just want to be there? Don’t you want to just lay your baby blues or greens or browns; whatever color eyes you have upon HIM? OH, I Do!!! But even before I read this Scripture this morning, I could have told you that Jesus can cook. I rarely step into the kitchen to prepare a meal that I do not talk to Him about it. Especially when it’s a new recipe I’m trying, particularly if I am making it up as I go along. And as I do, I ask Him what ingredients to add. And often I hear Him right because the dish turns out ‘not bad’ as my Isabel is favored to say. Actually her Puppa says that too. Gotta love ’em!
My ‘warm fuzzy’ in this verse is that Jesus is REAL and He loves. He loves/loved Peter and the Boys. He gathered the materials – coals, utensils, fish, flour, oil – everything and GOD COOKED BREAKFAST! I LOVE IT!! Can you tell? I don’t want to freak you out too much here but I really think Jesus cleaned the fish too! I am so impressed with JESUS as a Man (and, of course, GOD). No wonder the Women followed Him. Talk about a Man who knew His manners and would help around the house! A Man who laughs at your holy jokes. A Man who listens, really listens when you talk. Girlfriend, He is it!! I am not intending to be irreverent. I am only wanting you to get a warm, loving glimpse that Jesus is the GOD-Man. 100% God. 100% Perfect Man. Ministering to Him must have been the greatest joy of their lives. Is it ours? Sisters and Brothers?
As I said, verse 9 is just one of those verses that makes me feel good. Don’t let anyone convince you that Our God is an emotion-less God. Where do you think you got yours? Notwithstanding, when He gave them to Adam and Eve they were perfected emotions. But, don’t despair, we will have perfected emotions again. And until then we will just keep practicing! Is that enough for today or shall I go on?
You know what happened after breakfast, don’t you? Serious business. Jesus began His restoring work on Peter. He asked Peter three times do you love Me? And He admonished Peter to feed my lambs and tend my sheep. I read a ‘commentary’ on this that I like. The Blog’s author is Seth Barnes. In part he wrote: “We see a more accurate concept of feeding sheep in Jesus’ picture description of a shepherd and sheep in John 10. The shepherd calls them out and the sheep listen to his voice.We see a third party in John 10 – the watchman who “opens the gate” for Jesus to speak and to call them out. It would seem his main job is to be on the lookout for enemies and teach the sheep to listen to the shepherd’s voice. John 10:4 says, “his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” It is Jesus himself who feeds his sheep. If as disciplers and pastors we’re not teaching our sheep to recognize Jesus’ voice, they inevitably will go hungry.” http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=what-does-feed-my-lambs-mean
A watchman or door keeper. Is there anything greater than this: to be a ‘Door Keeper’ in the Kingdom of God? I don’t think so. To listen and hear the Voice of Jesus and then help others hear Him too! This is the GREATEST and most noble of all callings!! And each of us as we mature in faith, in our homes and offices and class rooms, whatever our vocation or field of influence, are called to be ‘door keepers’. Oh! Yes! Let me be a Door Keeper in the House of God!!
One more thing. Not only do Doorkeepers help others hear the voice of Jesus but they also look out for enemies of the Sheep and sound an alarm.
2 Chronicles 23: 19 He also stationed doorkeepers at the gates of the LORD’s temple so that no one who was in any way unclean might enter.
Now don’t you dare think for a nano-second, I am saying this means the unsaved are to be discouraged from Services and Events at the Local Church. By no means! In fact Jesus said we are to go out and call them in. Luke 14: 23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
No, Doorkeepers are not called to be ‘Judge and Jury’; but rather, ‘Fruit Inspectors’ equipped with ‘Fog Horns’ and when a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ is spotted: Sound the Alarm! The sheep will listen and will heed.
Abba, when this IDOK started out is was warm and sweet and humorous, just holy fun but it has ended sober and so serious I think. I do want to be mature at this Doorkeeper calling. And I want to make sure that when a wolf in sheep’s clothing appears I sound the alarm in such a way as to not only warn the sheep but call the wolf to repentance too. Only You Lord can do that in me. Please make it so. And DADDY GOD, I think other IDOKs will say amen to this. Lord Jesus thank You for the intimate way You love us and live with us, even cooking breakfast. Lord You are AWESOME. And we do want to see You. We want to get so homesick for You that we tell every soul You prepare in our path, to come along with us to Your House. Holy Spirit, help us go to the highways and hedges of our homes and offices and classrooms and invited the people to come and see YOU. Thank You for this. Help us meditate on it and make it our own. And Lord, send a doorkeeper to feed our IDOK Troops and families today and keep them safe and bring them home at the appointed time. Open the mouths of Doorkeepers all over to sound the alarm to America and the world. Father, forgive America; give space and grace to repent. I am still trusting You for the Peace of Israel and for America to stand beside Israel. And now we turn closer to home and we come with this list of names, precious people; some hurting physically, some sick and seemingly gravely ill, some grieving the temporary loss of one they love, another wanting so much to hear again, please make it so; and so much more. Lord, we want them well, and whole and full of joy and peace and prosperous in business. You know our needs, You know our wants – and we say Do Your Will Lord and by Your Grace we will rejoice in it. Amen and amen.
As I post this it is 86°F and smoke in Balad, IQ & the time there is 5:35 AM AST – on August 19, 2008
Internet Daughters of the KING
THE WHITE STONE
His Ministry to You
I hope you are not weary with me continuing in John 21. I have just sat down to read and as is often I don’t know where this IDOK is going today. My first stop is just a ‘warm fuzzy’ I think. It’s verse 9: Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there; and fish laid on it, and bread. I want you to see the scene. Jesus in His resurrected body, not some ghostly, shadowy, apparition but REAL, touchable; nail scars and all is there. Now get your mind and your emotions around this. He is not just any Man. He is GOD. Creator of the Universe. And He is COOKING BREAKFAST! Is He AWESOME or what? Don’t you just want to LOVE HIM!? Don’t you just want to be there? Don’t you want to just lay your baby blues or greens or browns; whatever color eyes you have upon HIM? OH, I Do!!! But even before I read this Scripture this morning, I could have told you that Jesus can cook. I rarely step into the kitchen to prepare a meal that I do not talk to Him about it. Especially when it’s a new recipe I’m trying, particularly if I am making it up as I go along. And as I do, I ask Him what ingredients to add. And often I hear Him right because the dish turns out ‘not bad’ as my Isabel is favored to say. Actually her Puppa says that too. Gotta love ’em!
My ‘warm fuzzy’ in this verse is that Jesus is REAL and He loves. He loves/loved Peter and the Boys. He gathered the materials – coals, utensils, fish, flour, oil – everything and GOD COOKED BREAKFAST! I LOVE IT!! Can you tell? I don’t want to freak you out too much here but I really think Jesus cleaned the fish too! I am so impressed with JESUS as a Man (and, of course, GOD). No wonder the Women followed Him. Talk about a Man who knew His manners and would help around the house! A Man who laughs at your holy jokes. A Man who listens, really listens when you talk. Girlfriend, He is it!! I am not intending to be irreverent. I am only wanting you to get a warm, loving glimpse that Jesus is the GOD-Man. 100% God. 100% Perfect Man. Ministering to Him must have been the greatest joy of their lives. Is it ours? Sisters and Brothers?
As I said, verse 9 is just one of those verses that makes me feel good. Don’t let anyone convince you that Our God is an emotion-less God. Where do you think you got yours? Notwithstanding, when He gave them to Adam and Eve they were perfected emotions. But, don’t despair, we will have perfected emotions again. And until then we will just keep practicing! Is that enough for today or shall I go on?
You know what happened after breakfast, don’t you? Serious business. Jesus began His restoring work on Peter. He asked Peter three times do you love Me? And He admonished Peter to feed my lambs and tend my sheep. I read a ‘commentary’ on this that I like. The Blog’s author is Seth Barnes. In part he wrote: “We see a more accurate concept of feeding sheep in Jesus’ picture description of a shepherd and sheep in John 10. The shepherd calls them out and the sheep listen to his voice.We see a third party in John 10 – the watchman who “opens the gate” for Jesus to speak and to call them out. It would seem his main job is to be on the lookout for enemies and teach the sheep to listen to the shepherd’s voice. John 10:4 says, “his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” It is Jesus himself who feeds his sheep. If as disciplers and pastors we’re not teaching our sheep to recognize Jesus’ voice, they inevitably will go hungry.” http://www.sethbarnes.com/index.asp?filename=what-does-feed-my-lambs-mean
A watchman or door keeper. Is there anything greater than this: to be a ‘Door Keeper’ in the Kingdom of God? I don’t think so. To listen and hear the Voice of Jesus and then help others hear Him too! This is the GREATEST and most noble of all callings!! And each of us as we mature in faith, in our homes and offices and class rooms, whatever our vocation or field of influence, are called to be ‘door keepers’. Oh! Yes! Let me be a Door Keeper in the House of God!!
One more thing. Not only do Doorkeepers help others hear the voice of Jesus but they also look out for enemies of the Sheep and sound an alarm.
2 Chronicles 23: 19 He also stationed doorkeepers at the gates of the LORD’s temple so that no one who was in any way unclean might enter.
Now don’t you dare think for a nano-second, I am saying this means the unsaved are to be discouraged from Services and Events at the Local Church. By no means! In fact Jesus said we are to go out and call them in. Luke 14: 23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
No, Doorkeepers are not called to be ‘Judge and Jury’; but rather, ‘Fruit Inspectors’ equipped with ‘Fog Horns’ and when a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ is spotted: Sound the Alarm! The sheep will listen and will heed.
Abba, when this IDOK started out is was warm and sweet and humorous, just holy fun but it has ended sober and so serious I think. I do want to be mature at this Doorkeeper calling. And I want to make sure that when a wolf in sheep’s clothing appears I sound the alarm in such a way as to not only warn the sheep but call the wolf to repentance too. Only You Lord can do that in me. Please make it so. And DADDY GOD, I think other IDOKs will say amen to this. Lord Jesus thank You for the intimate way You love us and live with us, even cooking breakfast. Lord You are AWESOME. And we do want to see You. We want to get so homesick for You that we tell every soul You prepare in our path, to come along with us to Your House. Holy Spirit, help us go to the highways and hedges of our homes and offices and classrooms and invited the people to come and see YOU. Thank You for this. Help us meditate on it and make it our own. And Lord, send a doorkeeper to feed our IDOK Troops and families today and keep them safe and bring them home at the appointed time. Open the mouths of Doorkeepers all over to sound the alarm to America and the world. Father, forgive America; give space and grace to repent. I am still trusting You for the Peace of Israel and for America to stand beside Israel. And now we turn closer to home and we come with this list of names, precious people; some hurting physically, some sick and seemingly gravely ill, some grieving the temporary loss of one they love, another wanting so much to hear again, please make it so; and so much more. Lord, we want them well, and whole and full of joy and peace and prosperous in business. You know our needs, You know our wants – and we say Do Your Will Lord and by Your Grace we will rejoice in it. Amen and amen.
As I post this it is 86°F and smoke in Balad, IQ & the time there is 5:35 AM AST – on August 19, 2008
Internet Daughters of the KING
THE WHITE STONE
His Ministry to You
The White Stone 