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Perfect vs Persistent (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2009

Perfect vs Persistent

We are not fully back to normal around here, whatever normal is. We have had days filled with love, laughter, and lots of food, and this morning it’s quiet, for a little while anyway, unless you count the sound of the washing machine and distance traffic.   I like it! My beloved is safely to work and I am slowly getting started – no surprise to you since you don’t have an IDOK yet.

Hebrews 10:12-14  12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

Luke 10:41-42  41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (source)

Psalm 36:7  7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. (source)

Thank You, ABBA, for these days we have enjoyed; thank You for the love and laughter we are now treasuring.  And thank You for the food we relished and thank You now for the courage to ‘pay’ rather than ‘play’ in our consumptions.  Just a few more days and we will mark a new year and we are already thinking about promises we may make to ourselves; don’t let us do that again. Don’t let us make promises we cannot reasonably keep; don’t let us set ourselves up for that guilt; You’ve told us already that is not what You want for us.  Get us passed that mental trap of waiting until January 2 to begin or next week or tomorrow; help us begin today, doing just one thing we know would bless You, others, and ourselves. Again, we pray for protection from all harm for our IDOK Troops, we pray for heart and mind peace for each of them in hostile places; we pray for Peace for Israel and to see them occupy the LAND You have given them; we pray for America, for space and grace to repent; we pray for each name written here with every need of spirit, soul, and body and we ask You to grant relief from pain and healings and rescues as You will for Jesus Name Sake.  Amen and amen.

Kathie

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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

 

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Three Times! (again)

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Continuing some search and clean up operations I found this one:

IDOK Devotion for Thursday, April 8, 2010
Psalm 46 (NKJV)
1 God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling.
Selah
4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.
Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the LORD,
Who has made desolations in the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariot in the fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
11 The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.
Selah
Did you notice that three times in eleven verses God said He is our refuge?  Do you think He wants us to get it? I am reaching way back this morning, all the way to high school English grammar classes, or was the junior high?  Whatever — bear with me here.  Do you remember learning about superlatives?  Good, better, best. Crabby, crabbier, crabbiest. Cuddly cuddlier cuddliest.  deep deeper deepest.  zippy zippier zippiest.  holy holier holiest.  However, I am told the Hebrew and Greek languages do not have such superlatives, so when ABBA wants to say something to the greatest degree of emphasis, He says it three times: holy, holy, holy.  Get it?  HE IS OUR REFUGE!  Selah. 
You will also note the word Selah is used three times in these eleven verses.  Perhaps we should take note of that too.  I have been told for years that Selah means ‘pause and calmly think about that’.  I have also been told that in poetry it denotes an interlude, a pause.  But I like what I found this morning.  Selah, [celah], is from the primary Hebrew root word [calah] which literally means ‘to hang,’ and by implication to measure (weigh). This is readily understood because in Biblical history, money, food and other valuables were ‘weighed’ by hanging or suspending them on a type of balance (the equivalent of our measuring scale) to determine their value.
So seeing that this Hebrew word [calah] means to ‘measure,’ as in weighing something in the balances, we better understand how the word Selah [celah], which is derived from it, is illustrating that we should measure or value what has been said.  Taken from URL address:
http://www.mountainretreatorg.net/faq/selah.html
So this is what I think.  To the highest degree of emphasis ABBA has said: ‘I AM your refuge and I want you to weigh this.  I want you to see how heavy I am with this toward you.’  Do we see here that He is serious?  And that we are to NOT take it lightly – HE IS OUR REFUGE.  ACT LIKE IT!  So what would acting like it, look like in you (and me) today? Selah!  

Again, I like this, ABBA.  And I like that it is not yet 8:30 Wednesday morning and Thursday’s devotion has come.  I am so delighted!  Let me not be so delighted that it has come that I do not see what it is that has come! You are my refuge – complete – none higher, none stronger, none wiser, none better.  This is important.  Holy Spirit, apply it, plant it, grow it in us I pray.  And I pray now for our IDOKs; I want them to be protected today; protected from the evil one, the world and particularly their own flesh.  I want them to make right decisions today.  I want me to KNOW that You can be trusted today.  I want them to KNOW they CAN believe You.  They can be victorious today.  They can make right decisions today.  They can overcome their own fleshly desires today.  They don’t have to give in to themselves.  They can give themselves to You to experience Your Strength, Your Brilliance, Your Glory and Goodness.  Me too, ABBA.  Me too.  Protect too our IDOK Troops; keep them safe from stray and intended hostile or friendly fire; surround them.  Cause it to be that they receive You as their complete refuge today.  And their families too.  And all the Body of Christ, not only in America but around the world today.  Tend the ill, the dying, the living, the wayward, the rebellious, the undecided.  Thank You, ABBA, in Jesus Name and for His Sake. Amen and amen.

Kathie