Monthly Archives: September 2013

Copy Paste Chew Again

You Name It ‘s’ (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2010

You Name It ‘s’

It is late as I begin.  I may not tarry. It has been a sweet, sweet day!  My Baby Girl and I had our once a month day together; we don’t often miss a month.  Anyway this time, we did lunch and a movie.  Her first time to see The Blind Side; my second – she loved it, I loved it again! 

(P.S. at this typing it is 8.28.13 and at seeing the trailer for The Blind Side AGAIN my eyes well with tears. Just saying. Have a precious day my Friends!) 

I have a least two passages of Scripture that I want to share but either would take some time to develop and that football game is gonna be over soon and like I said it’s late here in lower Alabama.  So maybe I’ll save those for next week.

For now, carry this one around with you. 

John 16:33 (Amplified Bible) I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] [source]

            Amen and amen again!

This verse is in the midst of Jesus last training session with the Apostles before He went to the Garden and you know from there was taken to ‘trial’.  He told them tribulation, trials, distresses; frustrations were coming but that even in all of it He wanted them to have peace and confidence, to take courage, to be certain.  Be certain I HAVE overcome, He said.  For us that means even before any nasty, difficult, hard, troubling, frustrating ‘you name it’, comes upon us, Jesus has already overcome it for us.  It is for us to be confident. It is for us to value and treasure this PEACE He has given us so much that we will not forfeit it for anything or any body.    

And in this moment, my resolve is to so value You, so value holding onto to the Peace You have given me that I will not forfeit it for anything; not even for the ‘pleasure’ of sin for a season.  That’s what I feel and want right now as I sit here in the quiet.  I pray that more and more I will want it when the ‘you name its’ are screaming at me.  And I pray this for our IDOKs too. ABBA, I know I should be asleep already and I surely hope most of our IDOKs already are.   And as I think of those spoken here, You know who they are, You know the loss they are feeling, You know the sorrow of the empty chair and the vacant pillow; it grieves me, Lord, and I know it does You even more – comfort them, ABBA, be their everything to them and carry them through this.  We appreciate and we applaud You for the good reports.  Thank You.  And as so many days before we pray for our IDOK Troops; how can we say thank You for Your goodness for the protection and safe keeping of them.  Thank You. Thank You.  And so we keep asking that You keep on protecting them and that You bring each one home safe and sound.  You know who needs what and when listed here and we just trust You in Jesus Name to do it. Amen and amen.

Kathie

Copy Paste Chew Again

Tools for Glory (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2010

Tools for Glory

Luke 18 New King James Version [source]

Luke 18:18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”  What’s the first thing that catches your attention here?  For me it’s the ruler’s question.  What shall I DO to inherit eternal life?  That tells me right away that he was not looking for grace.  He was looking for a means to EARN his way into the Kingdom. Or maybe he thought he already had earned his way in and he was just planning on having a little fun with the itinerate preacher.  He began with a little flattery, referring to Jesus as Good Teacher.  And Jesus picked up on that right away and asked him a question.  19 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.   So right there Jesus told the ruler, if you really believe I am good then you will believe I am God.  (Hmmm – what does this say about us when we doubt God’s goodness?)  And the ruler either missed what Jesus said or he ignored Him.  Knowing this, Jesus moved on.  20 You know the commandments:  ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’  ‘Honor your father and your mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” Can you believe it?  Do you think the poor boy really did not know?  Do you think he really thought he had kept the LAW of GOD perfectly?  Do you think he was smugly saying to Jesus, Hey man I got this covered?  And then Jesus applied the ‘rude awakening’.  22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.  And there it was – what the young man valued above all else – money.  If only he had valued Jesus above all else.  And so the question is did he have money or did his money have him? Was his money a tool in his hands or was he a slave in the clutches of his wealth?  We know the answer.  And why did he go away sorrowful?  In his heart of hearts did he know that his money had him?  Did he know that as long as his money had him, he would not have Eternal Life?  I wonder if he ever really enjoyed his money after this encounter with Jesus. And what does this say to you and me?  Is there anything I have; is there anything you have that instead of being a tool to use for His glory we are using it for our own glory?  Does this mean if I really want to enjoy my possessions, I have to ‘sell out’ to Jesus first?   Yeah, I think it does.

And I think there is a lot more to be said from this passage, but for this fine Monday morning, we shall close. 

Holy Spirit, it’s hard starting this morning; not that we have not already been speaking but private conversation is most often easier than public I think.  And I’m thinking I need some more private this morning but in this moment public is necessary, isn’t it?  ABBA, thank You for answered prayers.  And we pray for our IDOK Troops, You know their needs and You know we want them safe and whole and so we pray for their protection and safety in spirit, soul and body; and we pray at the appointed time they all come home safe and sound.  And with the entirety of those spoken here today and yet presenting each individually, for surely every name, and every member of every family and congregation are known to You and just what it is they need and it is for that we pray.  I ask You to tend to us today, ABBA; to each of our IDOKs and Readers, wherever they are and whatever crosses their lives today and this I ask in Jesus Name.  Amen and amen.

Kathie

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Up a Tree (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2010

Up A Tree

Luke 19:1-10 (New King James Version) [source]

1 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.

Sometimes measuring up is just so hard.  Measuring up to other people’s expectations. Sometimes we even take on other’s expectations of us and we feel even shorter, don’t we?  I do. I compare me to others and most often I see me as too short.  4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree I wonder what our sycamore trees look like today.  What do we do to make ourselves feel ‘taller’?  What do we do to feel like we measure up?  to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, Can you imagine?  Wonder what Zacchaeus was thinking. Did he climb the tree to see and not be seen?  And if he did, did he feel like he had been found out?  Was he relieved? Did he still feel too short or did he feel like he had just instantly grown 2 feet when his eyes met Jesus’ eyes?and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.Looks like there’s our answer – he received Him joyfully.  Can you imagine Zacchaeus coming down out of that tree and leading Jesus to his house?  Wonder if he thought about whether or not his bed was made that morning – and what the rest of his house looked like?  Probably not; but I might have. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” Praise ABBA that Jesus comes to sinners! How sad ‘they’ didn’t know they were ‘too short’ too.   8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” Oh yes I would say Zacchaeus received Jesus that day and not just as a guest but as a ‘Permanent Resident’! 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”  Oh, the beauty of knowing we are too short – that is if knowing we are too short sends us up THE TREE, straight to Jesus and there we receive and believe His good news – that Salvation is ours in Him and Him alone!  Not only our salvation from eternal damnation but from condemning ourselves day after day too.

Romans 8: (New King James Version) 1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. [source]

Thank You, ABBA, You knew I needed that and maybe I am not the only one.  Maybe others have Monday mornings when they feel too short and condemned too.  Thank You that in You, none of us are too short or condemned, and we have Your Word on it.  And thank You that more and more we are standing on Your Word; standing and believing.   I pray for all our IDOKs and Readers, You have given me so many wonderful Sisters and Brothers on the other side of this screen.  I don’t see their faces, but You do.  Even in this very moment You see them, You see their joys and their sorrows and You have the answers, You have the solution to every problem, You have the provision for every need and You are right there and right here to answer and give and provide it all.  And so I pray it will be so experimentally for each of them and me too. I pray it will be so for our IDOK Troops too and their families and not only these but all who are spoken here today – every face, every heart – be open before You for every little detail You want to perfect in our needy souls for Jesus’ Name sake.  Amen and amen.

Kathie