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GOD Waits Too (again)

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IDOK Devotion for Monday, March 8, 2010
God Waits Too
            Good Morning, Dear Friends who keep me accountable; meeting with you daily at this screen is a privilege I do not take lightly as without you ABBA only knows where I’d be.  As my beloved says from time to time, “thanks for putting up with me.”
            We’ve had a busy weekend around here, starting on Friday and so on Friday I didn’t sit to write, nor Saturday nor Sunday.  And this morning 45 minutes have already slipped by and this page is still nearly blank. 
            I often, perhaps you too, think of myself as waiting on God.  This morning Psalm 65 has reminded me that God waits too.   And He’s been waiting longer than you or I ever have or ever shall wait on Him. 
Psalm 65:1 Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion;
         And to You the vow shall be performed.
            My Bible study notes tell me this verse describes a time to come for which God has been waiting since the fall of man, when Eve took a bite into sin and mankind and all creation fell beneath the curse.  This event is also described in Romans 8:(NKJV) 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
            Allow yourself as best you can to imagine how long ABBA has been waiting to see His creation restored to what He made and what He intended it to be before we messed it up.  Are you in AWE of His patience? I don’t know how the Holy Spirit might individually apply this to each of us today, but I am trusting He will.
            Let me give you a little more of Psalm 65 – I urge you to go on-line or pick up your own treasured copy of ABBA’s Word to you and read the whole Psalm but until then here’s a few more verses to whet your appetite.
2 O You who hear prayer,
         To You all flesh will come.
 3 Iniquities prevail against me;
         As for our transgressions,
         You will provide atonement for them.        
 4 Blessed is the man You choose,
         And cause to approach You,
         That he may dwell in Your courts.
         We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
         Of Your holy temple.
                Ain’t that the truth!
            Holy Spirit, I ask You to apply this Word to us individually as you will.  You certainly know about waiting and surely You will empower us to wait.  You never ask of us anything that You have not already done.  You really are AWESOME. 
            As we begin this new week, help us begin well and finish well.  I’m starting off with my ‘scheduling’ off, redeem it I pray.  And for anything that is ‘off’ for any of us this morning, I ask You to redeem it.  For Moms whose morning may start off rushed and chaotic I ask You to redeem it.  Somehow sing us a song or recite a portion of Your Word, something that will enable us to step back from jumping into a flesh fit with both feet and instead hold onto Your Peace and refuse to let it go.  
            And now we pray for all  our IDOK and Reader families; as I pray for my own, ABBA, that hedge of protection around my daughters and my sons and my grandchildren, that hedge to keep out anything that would eternally harm them, and those prickly thorns on the inside that is just enough to remind them to back away from sin, that is just enough to remind them to do the right thing today for Your Sake, Jesus.
            We also pray now for each one spoknen here; You know the cry of their hearts and we ask You to be merciful.  We ask You to comfort them; sit and speak peace to them – pour out Your Grace and Sweet Presence to them.  And we don’t want to leave out anyone here.  We pray for strength and help and healing for each one just the way You want to do it, ABBA.  I pray for the peace of Israel and for the redemption of Your Creation just as You have been waiting all this time.  And, thank You, Jesus, for saving us.  Thank You for being the Atonement we had to have to enable us to love You and call You, ABBA. Amen and Amen
Kathie

 

Guests, Just Chatty Today, Prayer Requests

An Apple Story

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While reading some email this morning, this was in my email inbox. I do not know its origin, author or if it is an actually happening but it certainty contains Truth. I hope it blesses you.

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night’s dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly-missed boarding…

ALL BUT ONE!!! He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned. He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.

He was glad he did. The 16-year-old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her; no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.

The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.

When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, “Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?” She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, “I hope we didn’t spoil your day too badly.”

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, “Mister….” He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, “Are you Jesus?”

He stopped in mid-stride … and he wondered. He gently went back and said, “No, I am nothing like Jesus – He is good, kind, caring, loving, and would never have bumped into your display in the first place.

“The girl gently nodded: “I only asked because I prayed for Jesus to help me gather the apples. He sent you to help me, so you are like Him – only He knows who will do His will. Thank you for hearing His call, Mister.”

Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: “Are you Jesus?”

Do people mistake you for Jesus?

That’s our destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace.

If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It’s actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day.

You are the apple of His eye even though you, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked up you and me on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.

Sometimes we just take things for granted, when we really need to be sharing what we know….Thanks.

“Being happy doesn’t mean everything is perfect. It means you’ve decided to see beyond the imperfections.”

It’s a rainy, windy Thursday morning here in Lower Alabama. Pray for folks driving in this and pray for Terri and her family – surgery this afternoon.

Christian Living, Prayer Requests

Good (Message)

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Friday morning, Friends. It’s a sunshiny day in lower Alabama!

So! Happy plans for the weekend anyone?

I’m about blank of anything to write this morning, So, I again went to my JOURNEY magazine. Revolt or Respect? It read.
Good message in our political climate.
Good message in a work environment.
Good message in family dynamics.
Good Message.

It talked of a school principal having made a decision his teachers did not understand, nor did they agree was good and reasonable. Short tempers flared. Words were flung. Conspiracies for dissensions were devised as the teachers began to file from the room.  Except for one.

Listen in with me (again) as our heroine is described:

“Amidst the arguing and accusations, I began to hear the voice of the HOLY SPIRIT beckoning me to show Mr. Tate respect and honor, even if I didn’t agree with his position. By the time the meeting had adjourned and other teachers began to exit in small groups, huddling together and murmuring about their plans of dissension, I had determined to steer clear of the angry talk. If I needed to address Mr. Tate about his decision it would only be later after I’d prayed about things and could speak with gentleness, self-control, and respect.”

I know of NO relationship wherein this is not the proper action!  And in this very moment, the precious HOLY SPIRIT brings to mind a verse of Scripture for us. Excuse me while I go find the reference to copy and paste it for us here. 

Oh my! Verse 19 is where He starts us —

James 1: 19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;
20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.
22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
via James 1 NASB – Testing Your Faith – James, a – Bible Gateway.

Who does not want to be blessed in what she (he) does?
For sure, for sure the HOLY SPIRIT is saying to us today if we want to be blessed, we must be quick to hear and slow to speak.  And that’s only the beginning.

JOURNEY concluded with a poignant question and counsel. 

“Is the LORD asking you to act contrary to the way of the crowd?
Yield to Him and He will strengthen you.”

The Word stings, ABBA, but it’s a good sting to me. Good as a scalpel that cuts away what is harmful. HOLY SPIRIT, do Your perfect work here in us with Your Word.  Indeed You are asking, commanding, us to act differently than the crowd and You have promised to strengthen us. We accept Your command and Your strength to be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to get angry, quick to hear and do as You have written, to look intently at Your perfect law of liberty and receive Your blessings.  Thank You, ABBA. Thank You. 

And, ABBA, thank You. We see Your hand in this and we wait to see Your glory revealed in this. I am mindful in this moment of another trial of another sort, it’s a cancer of another kind, the kind that eats a person’s soul and hurts others; You know the parties in mind and even others I do not know and I pray You will lead them all, guide them to proper counsel, legal and Christian, to process this.  I pray for restoration.  For all the suffering(s) that has been brought here, HOLY SPIRIT, we pray for Your intervention and Your glory. Amen and . . . .   .

We have the God-given Right to do right in this wrong World,
Kathie