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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

Copy Paste Chew Again

In or Out (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2010

In or Out

2 Timothy 4 (New King James Version) 1 I charge you thereforeagain the therefore, there for because of previous verses which tell us because we have the Scripture and because it fully equips us THEREFORE we are chargedbefore God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. [source] In season and out of season. So far today this is as far as I have gotten with this passage.  I consulted the Greek Lexicon and found what I expected.  We are to be ready to tend to the souls of men, to be equipped and ready to speak the Word of God into their situations at every opportunity we have whether it is convenient for us or not.  To me that means even when I am in a hurry to move on to something I want to do, if the Holy Spirit places a needy soul in front of me I am to stop and minister to them, putting aside my agenda – my want to.  Okay. I expected that. You did too, right? But one of those Greek words prompted other thoughts in me. The text reads in season and out of season.  The Greek word for ‘in season’ [source] is eujkaivrwB which is transliterated eukairos and it means seasonable, timely, opportune; but the Greek word for ‘out of season’ [source] surprised me.  It is ajkairevomai and it is transliterated akaireomai and it means to lack opportunity.  And that stunned me at first.  If we lack opportunity, that means we are without opportunity, right? Yes, I think so.  So this is what I think ABBA is saying to us — because we have His Word, because His Word is completely able to equip us to minister even when we are in a dry spell; even when we are ‘shut up’ we might say; even then He expects us to keep on applying ourselves to study.  He still expects us to be ready to give a reason for our hope, to be ready to minister His Word even when the opportunity to see a soul is remote at best.  Even when we have not had an opportunity in what seems like forever! Still He expects us, He has charged us, to keep on delving into His Word, keep on meditating on it, keep on memorizing Scripture, keep on keeping on living in His Word, to keep on practicing living in His Presence until that time comes when we do have opportunity to minister His Word again. In Season and Out of Season.  This’ll preach!  This’ll keep us ‘Asher’.  (Asher meaning feeling blessed, not just knowing positionally we are blessed!) [source]

Thank You, You did it again, DADDY.  I asked You to speak to me and You did.  I am grateful.  You are too good to me; but, please keep on doing it.  And I want to keep on practicing living in Your Presence.  It’s the best life yet! 

Thank You for the opportunity to pray for_________.  We do not dare thank You for needs for surgery as we know that no disease, illness or injury comes from You.  We do thank You for doctors and procedures; and we thank You most that You are with us in these diseases and illnesses and injuries; that they do not take You by surprise and You are not worried how You are going to make this turn out alright – it is already done with You.  That is good.  Thank You.  So we entrust each One spoken here today to You and wait expectantly to see what You do.     We trust You to send in helps of every kind to perfect this work, DADDY. 

We pray now for our IDOK Troops; they are ever before us and we always desire their safety and well being and their eventual returns home safe and sound.  We trust them to You today and always.

Again we come collectively presenting names, faces, lives and needs asking You to take notice individually.  Asking You to not over look any one of them; we know we often miss needs and faces but You never do.  That comforts us and them.  And I pray that the faces I know You will pass them before me and prompt me to pray not just now but any time they need support or encouragement, when a battle is raging and they need victory.  We want to stand in the gap, DADDY.  And You have equipped us.  Thank You in Yeshua’s Holy and Perfect Name we pray.  Amen and amen.

Kathie