Tag Archives: New International Version

My Obsession (again)

IDOK Devotion for Friday, March 12, 2010
My Obsession
          Today I began to question something.  If you know me well you know I’ve got a thing about words.  At times to someone who loves me much I can be down right irritating when I analyze his usage of words; especially when I am not a professional myself.  Be that as it may, here are my wonderings today:  Should we be praying that God will increase our faith or strengthen our faith?  I am wondering if we do ourselves damage when we ask God to increase our faith?  Hear me out now. When we ask Him to increase our faith, are we not telling ourselves that we are lacking in faith?  How negative is that?! Does that not create doubt in us?   But if we ask Him to strengthen our faith can we not hear ourselves saying to Him – ‘Yes, LORD, I have faith.  I admit it is weak but I know You have placed faith in me.  I know I have the seed of faith and when You strengthen the faith I have it will be more than enough to believe You for this that I am asking of You.’  Irritating — isn’t it?  My obsession with semantics.  But somehow it helped me today.  It connected for me today. So I’ve been praying today for ABBA to strengthen my faith … and He is.   So I thought if I passed along to you the ‘fruit’ of my semantics obsession, perhaps it would help you too.   
          Colossians 2: (NIV)
6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him,
7rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

            ABBA, I realize often times I am a bit over the top with this word usage thing but I liked it today.  Thank You for humoring me.  I pray it will help our IDOKs and Readers.  Thank You for strengthening the faith that You placed in me.  And I am confident You are going to keep on strengthening me and I am delighted about that.  Thank You.  Compared to carnal, worldly standards, I’d like to get just down right sickening with how wildly in love with You I am.  I’d like love for You and people to just exude from every pore of me. I figure that will take some time and some work but lets do it!  I am mindful that such conversation could be construed as silly, too familiar or some other negative connotation but I think I’m finally getting ready to run that risk – it’s easy here on the page of this screen – get me to the place that it is easy out there too in the midst of people that intimidate me.  In fact I’m asking You to grow and mature me to the stage that my love and reverence for You far exceeds my desire to please man, woman or child.  I am asking to come to the place that I just abandon myself to You; not that I would disregard the feelings of others but that I would be freed up to love and help them without being concerned about me.  Empty me of me and fill me up with You.  It’s time to move on, isn’t it?  Move on to others.  Others who will be spoken here with some serious needs.  Bless them, keep the safe from all harm, strengthen their faith, increase their knowledge of Your Word; help them more and more to know You and believe You.  In Jesus’ Name. Amen and amen.

Kathie

 

Pop Over

Do you look at your past and believe the lies that you’re too messy to clean up? Too broken to be fixed? Are you struggling to believe that His grace and forgiveness covers whatever is in your past? Paul tells us later on in Ephesians 2:8 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-” [NIV]

via Fresh Start | Day 10 | Acts 9:1-19.

Pop over and read the rest at She Reads Truth.

Blessings — gotta run!!

Life Is Fragile

Today my beloved and I are painfully aware again that life is fragile.  In a moment life is swallowed up and there’s an empty space. This time it’s in the backyard.

Susie.

We miss her. The backyard is bare without her. She was an exceptionally good companion.  Playful. Excitable. Obedient most of the time. Non-malicious all the time.  Unconditional love. That’s what she gave us. A yellow lab named Susie, her little heart so big with love went quiet today and our hearts are more than sad. As we gave her a resting place of honor in the side yard we thanked her and her Creator for the memories.

9 The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made.

via Psalm 145 NIV – Psalm 145 – A psalm of praise. Of – Bible Gateway.

Susie

We miss you, Susie.

Thank You, Father, for creating companions that teach us about You.

Joy to you,