Monthly Archives: January 2011

Assurance - Promise, Christian Living

Toad Water

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There’s no place like home.

I Kings 18:43 He said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go back” seven times. 44. It came about at the seventh time, that he said, “Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.” 45. In a little while the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. 46 Then the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and outran Ahab to Jezreel.  source

Quickly a few points.

Elijah had a promise. It’s gonna rain.

Elijah prayed, believed and waited. And waited. And waited some more. Finally on the seventh time he sent his servant to look, the servant reported there’s a small cloud about the size of man’s hands.

My Translation of the servant’s message: Elijah, it’s been seven times now you have asked me to look and finally there is a cloud but it ain’t big enough to water a toad much less the rain storm you’ve been talking about.

But he did as he was told. He went and told Ahab.

We don’t have to understand the hows or the whens — we just have to obey when GOD speaks.

And when GOD brings on a small, size of a man’s hand cloud, put your running shoes on because it’s about to rain!  And be ready to cover more ground that you ever dreamed possible.

Don’t you love that about ABBA? He takes the weak, the little, the seemingly insignificant and does GREAT things?

1 Corinthians 1 (The Message)26-31Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That’s why we have the saying, “If you’re going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God.” source

ABBA. I think You have a lot to work with with us — weak, little and often feeling really insignificant. We are looking forwarded to seeing what You are doing with this little band of believers. Thank You, ABBA, in JESUS name.  Amen and Amen.

Until Tuesday. . .

Kathie

Christian Living

Rosemary Christians

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I realize that 27 degrees in some parts of the Country would be a warming trend, but here in Lower Alabama 27 degrees is C O L D. Freezing!

And we’ve been covering up our tender vegetation, and for some that was not enough to save them — they died. But my Rosemary. Well, she’s doing fine.  And she ministered a lesson to me this week.

Rosemary. I want to be like the Rosemary in my herb garden. Cold, harsh weather has not robbed her of life. She’s still green, still showing full life and when I brushed up against her, her aroma made we want to linger near.

Rosemary Christians.

Christians that do not wither away, get dry and brittle when things don’t pan out to their liking. Christians that do not need the limelight to keep on shining for JESUS. Christians who choose to reach deeper when dry spells come. Christians that give off the fragrance of Christ especially when adversity comes close, brushing, bruising and breaking their gentle hearts.

Yes, this world needs an ‘army’ of Rosemary Christians.

And on this Friday morning, even if every other day this week we did not choose to be a practicing Rosemary Christian, in JESUS name we can be today.

2 Corinthians 2:  (New Living Translation)14 But thank God! He has made us His captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now He uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. 15 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 16 To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?

Praying for These

I can only say Thank You. Why You love us so is an amazing mystery, but since You do, Thank You, Thank You, ABBA. I pray for strength and wisdom to practice Rosemary Christianity today and I ask this for each precious soul who comes to this screen to read and pray. Thank You for the privilege of praying for others and there are many on our collective hearts – we entrust each to You now in JESUS Name for Your Divine and Holy Will to be accomplished in each life. Amen and amen.

With holy hugs … till Monday,

Kathie

Christian Living

Seek and Set

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I am still thinking about some notes I made last week, so may I share them with you for our Wednesday post?

2 Samuel 9:3The king said, “Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.”

And now for the way I  applied this to myself and perhaps even the way you will apply it to you.

And I said, “Is there . . . anyone . . . to whom I may show the kindness of God?”

In what place will I find them? And how far will I have to go to find such people to whom I may (should) show the kindness of God?

And the answer?

Acts 1: (New American Standard Bible)8but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

Why! This will ‘kill two birds with one stone’ (you know I am not ‘speaking’ literally, don’t you?). What better way to witness (evangelize, which we have been commissioned to do) than to show the kindness of God?

Could we say that Jerusalem is home?

So for me the first one I should be showing the kindness of God to is my hubby.  And believe it or not, there’s room for improvement in me there. And then how about my children and my Grands, my siblings and their families?

And I could I  say Judea is my street, community, the Gulf Coast?

And who would that be for you?

And how about Samaria? Oh, that would be above the Mason Dixie line, wouldn’t it?  :)

And remotest part of the earth?

Well, that gets every place else, doesn’t it?

Ephesians 4: (New American Standard Bible) 32Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

A last-minute note for pondering.  Saul hated David. He set himself to kill David. Yet David went looking to find someone of Saul’s descendants to whom he could show kindness.

Two. The remaining heir of the House of Saul was lame, cripple in both feet. There wasn’t much he could do to ‘repay’ David for any kindnesses David bestowed upon him.

As I said pondering material.

Love and hugs!!

Praying for These

Thank You, ABBA, for another day of life and living; thank You for another day of fellowship with You.  I ask that You, HOLY SPIRIT, minister Your Word to the hearts of our Readers; to encourage them and inspire them to seek and set themselves to show Your kindness to every soul in their lives… me too, ABBA. Me too in JESUS name. Amen and amen.

Until Thursday!

Kathie