IDOK Devotion for Friday, April 16, 2010

Praise Reports and Prayer Requests

Updates and Requests:  Melinda’s surgery went well; yesterday (Wednesday) she was even sitting up in a chair.  Our prayers are appreciated.

Nasty Little Words

As if you don’t already know, DADDY GOD is so very smart.  You see I have been reading, trying to stay awake, listening, waiting for over an hour now for a devotion to write for us.  Having waited this long seems to make this pending subject more palatable. Most often I write about that which I have experienced or with which I struggle. Therefore, food and the affect it has on the scale has often been our devotional topic.  And I have been putting off writing about a Word that was lifted off the page for me several days ago.  SO — since I have been given nothing else in this last hour plus, I am inclined now to write about it–greed.  Nasty little word, isn’t it?

The Scripture text I was reading is Luke 12:15 NIV.   Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And this is what I wrote in the margin, ‘eating more and what I don’t need (referring to white sugar and the like, mostly likely) is greed’.  As you can imagine that stung pretty bad – to embrace that I’d have to admit to myself that when I consistently eat more than I need, then I am guilty of the sin of greed.  It’s crossed my mind a time or two since then but I’d just dismiss it and move on.  And tonight here I was just reading along minding my own business and this verse comes up: Colossians 3: 5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. And there’s that word again: greed.  Moreover it is followed by another word: idolatry.  And now I have to tell you want came over me. But before I tell you that I have to give you this:  What we are about to write is NOT so you or I can get under a truck load of guilt and self condemnation.  Okay? You hear me?  That is NOT our purpose here.  Our purpose is to put this thing in a perspective that will give us the COURAGE to do the right thing in a wrong world.  Our purpose here is FREEDOM!

So consistently, daily or near daily, eating foods in amounts and selections that are detrimental to health and poundage is ultimately GREED.  We are greedy, period the end.  And if that were not bad enough, along comes tonight’s verse and it said: ‘which amounts to idolatry’.  I can’t get around it; there it is in black and white.  When I refuse to discipline my appetites of whatever origin (immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire or greed) I have placed a little g god on the throne of my being.  That’s what idolatry is and it is at the root of ALL sin – I can decide this for myself, GOD, I don’t need You to tell me what to do.  I don’t like communicating this but it’ll well make the point: when I consistently on a day in and day out basis eat amounts of and selections of what I know is unhealthy for me, it is the same as saying, ‘I am going to eat this as much and as often as I want and what You say about it, GOD, does not matter enough to me to stop me.’  That my friends, is idolatry – be it food greed, immoral greed, money greed … you name it greed. It is what it is.  And now we have a choice, we can lay down under a truck load of guilt that will with time only get heavier as we keep on practicing idolatry OR we can call it what it is and stop practicing it.  Those are our choices.  How many of us do not know that food greed affects our physical frame? How many of us do not now see that food greed, any greed, puts vinegar in our ‘sweet cream’ fellowship with ABBA? Click here if you missed the ‘sweet cream’ devotion.

Galatians 5: 1 (NIV) It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

To review the list of names for prayer, please click here. Well, ABBA, it’s written and I see it, all I have to do now is choose to remember it and practice it for Your glory.   By Your Grace I will; not perfectly but consistently.  Thank You.  And I pray for every soul who happens upon this writing that it will give courage to be free to each one of us.

Thank You for Melinda’s coming recovery.  Thank You for all that You have done this day for each of us.  I ask for  rest and peace for each of us tonight as we sleep.  I pray for our IDOK Troops, for them to lay down and rise up in peace and safety.  I pray for each name on our list, for Your Loving and Kind Will to be done in Jesus Name.  Amen and amen.

IDOK Devotion for Thursday, April 15, 2010

Praise Reports and Prayer Requests

Updates and Requests:  LeGrand is still amazing the doctors, one has even suggested that he should write a book to inspire people.  There’s still a long journey ahead for Grand and Carrie and our prayers are helping.  Thanks for praying.

Sisters

I woke up thinking this: patience is a virtue and procrastination is a sin.

And what’s the first Scripture verse that comes to mind?

James 1: 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.  4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. (KJV)

Are we also familiar with the preceding verse?

2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; (KJV)

Translation: The acquisition of patience comes by overcoming the temptation to NOT have patience.

But what about procrastination?  Some of us are so good at it that you’d think it was a virtue too!  Case in point: it’s 4:50 AM and I’m beginning to pen today’s devotion.
What was I doing yesterday?  Obviously not writing!

Here’s the official definition found at my online free dictionary: To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.  To postpone or delay needlessly.

And when the word patience is keyed into the search window of Bible Gateway, 33 Scripture references appear, and only in the New Testament.
What is the word patience missing in the Old Testament?
Obviously, in the King James, it is.  Hmmm — that’s interesting.   Ahh ha!  Change translations and there are 3 references for OT patience in the New American Standard Bible.

Ecclesiastes 7: 8b . . . Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit.

I don’t know about you but that one smarts. It tells me that when I refuse to exercise patience when patience is needed, I am exhibiting haughtiness of spirit.
Now that’s a reason to hone my skills of procrastination if I ever heard one … (Big Smile) I’m kidding.

What we need is prayer, asking Father to reveal whether is this exercising Patience or indulging her perverted sister – Procrastination? But then some of us have been around this mountain enough times, I suspect we are well acquainted with both sisters and can spot them a mile away! Can’t we? Okay.  I’m done.

Father, You are so good to us, even when we are negligent, careless, and postponing.  Thank You.  Immediately Perry and the family come to mind this morning as the memorial service for Elaine will be today.
It’s bittersweet I think. So wonderful to think of her with You, knowing she is fully well and more alive than ever but missing from here.
I miss knowing that she’s not down the street from me. And oh how it must be for Perry and Brittany, especially, and Wesley and Jennifer too.  So I am asking You Holy Spirit to comfort them and give them strength for this day and the coming days.
Thank You that Grand is progressing and we pray Carrie will improve too.  And a book?  If that is from You, Father, I pray for the skills and helps for Grand that it can be so.
As many mornings, we have a whole list of people on our minds and with the lateness of the hour I am presenting them collectively in our list asking You to individually see each heart and each need and meet them where they are today and I know You will.
And, I dare not close without asking You to keep safe our IDOK Troops and their families.  Thank You, LORD.  Bless our IDOKs and Readers today in JESUS’ Name. Amen and amen.

IDOK Devotion for Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Evaporated Milk Christianity

I played hard yesterday with two GRANDS, ages 10 and 7, and worked hard last night, so hard I went to bed without having written an IDOK Devotion.  And at this moment I smell coffee . . . I’ll be right back!

Hmmm. That’s pretty good, but I miss my cream – fat free evaporated milk in my coffee may be healthier for my heart but I miss the richness of the cream (actually it’s half & half but for this devotional thought I’ll say cream.  You’ll see why in a moment.). Evaporated Milk Christianity looks about the same in the cup as others view our lives; perhaps they see it as acceptable, even worthy of admiration, but if we have known Sweet Cream Fellowship with ABBA, Evaporated Milk will not do!

I think the message for us today is guard well our fellowship with the Father.  Keep that line of communication open.  Don’t let it get junked up with little sins of irritation and aggravation.  Keep His Word before us and living in us.  And when irritations and aggravations sneak in, as soon as we notice them, let us take them to JESUS immediately. Let us rigidly guard against taking those irritations and aggravations to those whom we might deem the source of them before we speak with Jesus about it.  Now, that’s the difference between Evaporated Milk Christianity and Sweet Cream Fellowship.  I want the Sweet Cream Fellowship and by His Grace, I shall have it — today!  Yesterday’s ‘cup’ has already been poured.  Today’s a new day.  Whatcha say about it?

John 15:4-6 (NAS) 4″Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.

Matthew 5: 7″Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.  [SOURCE]

Thank You, ABBA.  You are forever faithful to us. You are so good to us! We continue to pray for all these on our list; we have some serious illness here; some waiting for test results and wanting so much to get a report of ‘all clear’ or ‘this is fixable and you’ll be as good as new’.  That’s what we want and that’s what we ask You for  and yet life and times have taught us that in every case what we want does not come to be.  It is then that we KNOW You are good, Your are kind and Your Will is best even when it does not ‘feel’ that way.   So for every precious saint and every beloved sinner we pray not our will but Your Will be done.

Please continue to watch over and care for our IDOK Troops in spirit, soul and body; as well as their families. And, LORD, I pray in Your Blessed Name for strength and courage today to do right when doing wrong would feel (for a moment) so much better.  I pray for strength and courage to live in Sweet Cream Fellowship with You and to settle not for Evaporated Milk Christianity. Amen and amen.