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Thee and Me (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2010

Thee and Me

            May I tell you I would love to be a poet, but, alas, I am not! However, Calvin Miller is.  I meet him in June of 2004 and he autographed a book for me – When the Aardvark Parked on the Ark.  It’s a children’s book that grown ups can read.  This poem from his book and a verse a two from DADDY GOD’s Book, I think, will be our devotion today.  See if you find a correlation, even a revelation. Does this poem speak volumes to thee, or is it just me?

EATING WITH YOUR EYES OPEN

If a cannibal asks you to dinner don’t groan

Just find out if he ends his dinners alone.

Be sure, above all (if dinner’s at five),

He has it all cooked before you arrive.

Cannibals do have quite excellent taste,

But keep on your side of the table, alert

If your host licks his lips and stares past dessert.

Cannibals are big eaters and terribly strong.

And believe me, their friends never last very long.

Galatians 5: (New King James Version) 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! 16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. [source]

This seems to me to be breaking devotional rules,

It’s not something I would normally do.

But I pray this serious subject spoken in what I think, a silly way,

Will ring true in our minds and our souls, this day.

Maybe then we will not pick up a knife and a fork,

To devour someone who should be so close to our heart.

DADDY GOD, I confess I am still sick to my stomach thinking about ___________ and family; I feel drained of words.  I just want to sit here in silence.  Oh how that Mother must feel. Oh DADDY, how do You do it?  How do You bear all this?  I know I wouldn’t have the capacity to understand even if You told me. Help these families; help them breathe, hold their souls together, keep them sane with this insane news.

I can’t just keep sitting here, staring at this screen, the hour is late, bodies are tired.  Comfort us and rest us, I pray.  And tend to every soul written here.  And our IDOK Troops, still we pray for protection and safety and comfort and healing of wounds and safe returns home. Amen and amen.

From “Tales From the Hasidim” Rabbi Moshe of Kobryn said, “When a man suffers, he ought not to say, “That’s bad! That’s Bad!” Nothing that God imposes on man is bad.  But it is all right to say, “That’s bitter!”  For among medicines there are some that are made with bitter herbs.

Kathie

 

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Tight Spots (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2010

Tight Spots

I am still in my 90 Days with Jesus, the One and Only, and up to Day 76 and in today’s session Beth asked me this question:  What do you think He would say to you when you’re in one of life’s tightest spots?  She asked me that because we were reading in Luke.  Luke 22:14-22 to be exact.  That is the portion of Scripture were Jesus told His Disciples in verse 15 that He with fervent desire desired to eat this Passover with them before He suffered.  There’s something special in that for me.  I don’t have words yet to explain but in my spirit something stirred when I read it.  I know this much I am more in love with Him for it and I want to be more like Him in that fervent desire to serve and commune with Him and my sisters and brothers.  But back to the question.  This is hours before the Garden of Gethsemane and being the GodMan, He had emotions going on within.  Love was one for sure and I think sorrow and grief too.  So all that being said what do you think He would say to you in your tightest spot?  Before you answer, read this:

Luke 22: (New King James Version)

14 When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him.
15 Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;
16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves;
18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.
21 But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table.
22 And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”   [source]

This was my answer: I know! I know how you feel. I also know how this is going to turn out – trust Me.  Trust Me that I am with you and trust Me that I know how to help you through this. 

And if you are inclined and want to share … I’d be honored to hear what you think He would say to you. 

Again, You have so delighted me!  You make life here good, ABBA! Thank You. 

And now that much of the day has come and gone, prayer requests and reports have come it. Thank You.

ABBA, show Yourself Mighty on behalf of all that are spoken here; many heavy hearts, much pain and uncertainties, but You are the God of all comfort and the God who sees and heals and provides and knows best and who is always loving and kind, always right, always holy and always on time.  So we trust You.  Again, we pray for protection and safety for our IDOK Troops, and for their safe returns home.  We pray for Israel to be protected and for their enemies to be subdued.  We pray for mercy and grace for the American People.  We pray for those missionaries detained in Haiti, asking that You intervene, expose and reveal truth and bring about Your will for them.  I pray for each of our IDOKs and our Readers for rest and peace, refreshing sleep and a hunger and thirst for You that exceeds anything we have known to this day.   And all this I ask in the Mighty and Precious Name of Jesus. Amen and amen.

Kathie

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Stop It! (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2010

STOP IT!

I am looking at Colossians 3 today. Colossians 3 (NKJV): 8But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.  [source]  Here we are commanded to put off certain things.  In Kathie Whitestone Thompson paraphrase: STOP IT! 

Of these five things to put off, anger is listed first. I suspect anger is listed first because if we do not STOP IT, it will lead to all the others.  Ephesians 4 (NKJV): 26“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. [source] Obviously there are occasions when anger is appropriate; to not be angry in certain situations would indicate a malfunction in our ‘wiring’.

So what is anger? Can we describe it?  We certainly recognize the various expressions of it, don’t we? Free Dictionary On-Line defines it this way: A strong feeling of displeasure or hostility. My On-Line Greek Lexicon defines it this way as a NOUN: the natural disposition, temper, character movement or agitation of the soul, impulse, desire, any violent emotion.  As a VERB it is defined like so: to stretch one’s self out in order to touch or to grasp something, to reach after, to desire, to give one’s self up to.   [source] [source]

I am getting mind pictures here. I have a little book that I have read to my grandbabies many times.  It’s the story of Mary and Martha told in a manner to captivate the attention of young children and its cartoon type illustrations just seal the deal for them.  You know the story.  Martha is in the kitchen working her little fingers to the bone and Mary is in the den lounging with Jesus.   Angry Martha is drawn with red hair (imagine that!) and a dark puff of smoke rising from her head, a beet red face, eyes bulging and perspiration popping off her cheeks, as she stands with her hands on her hips, her torso leaned slightly forward and her feet strategically placed so as to withstand the force of a bull coming at her.  Do you get the picture? Do you see agitation of the soul that is about to reach out and touch somebody — if not with the spoon she is holding in her hand at least with some ‘filthy communication’?

So in Martha we see an example of inappropriate anger.  Let us now look at an example of appropriate anger.

John 2 (NKJV):13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. 15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. 16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” 17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”  [source]

So what is the difference?  SELF.  Martha’s anger was all about what she perceived to be an injustice done to HER.  Not so with Jesus. His anger was not about getting ‘satisfaction’ for Himself but about righting wrongs, about restoring the Temple to the use His Father intended.  It is my considered opinion that had Jesus not been angry about what was happening in the Temple, He would have in that moment committed SIN.

So next time we sense anger building within, and if we know in our gut that we have unction from ABBA to be ‘His Arm’ to right a wrong, then by all means let us pick up some cords and start plaiting!  Otherwise, STOP IT right there!  

One more practical test as to whether or not we have unction from the LORD to plait that whip – if we WANT to do it, I mean we just got happy juices bubbling over to do it – it’s FLESH!  And we better STOP IT immediately!

I appreciate this, LORD.  I see more clearly that ever why You did what You did in the Temple.  Thank You.  And I pray to be more and more like You.  I pray to leave any defense of me to You but when You bring me to know and witness wrongs that You desire to work through me to correct, then I pray I will not sin against You by refusing to put on Your Anger and deal with it as You direct.  You know I don’t like confrontation.  But, LORD, please don’t let me shrink back in fear from it when You ask me to confront wrongs and injustices.  And I pray this for our IDOKs and Readers.  We don’t want to sin against You by refusing to be angry about what You are angry about.  And we don’t want to sin against You by taking on vengeance either.  So, this is our prayer and we are expecting You to train us to walk in it. 

Thank You.  You are so good to me. I love you.  I am so grateful when You remind me and prompt me in prayer.  We renew again our prayers too for our IDOK Troops – for their safety and protection, for their hearts to not be afraid but trusting and relying upon You for peace and courage and wisdom.  For all names spoken here we pray for them to know Your Tending, Your Ministry to them.  We renew again our prayers for peace and protection for Israel; for repentance for America; for the overthrow of and defeat of unholy Bills on Capitol Hill; for the salvation of lost men and women in places of influence and authority in all offices of Federal, State, County and City Governments; and that Christians in all these places will be courageous and refuse to compromise Your Word; we pray for some holy anger, LORD, not for self satisfaction but for the defense of the innocent and the defenseless.  And to not be political for politics sake but for the evangelizing of the souls of man and the edifying of Your Church.  I am grateful for this message and I pray it will fulfill every purpose You desire, ABBA. Amen and amen in the Sweet and Perfect Name of Your Holy Son, Jesus.

Kathie