Daily Bread and Forgiveness

‘Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
May your kingdom come.
May your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.
And never bring us into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
 - Matthew 6:9-13 ISV

This morning I am once again brought to this prayer.  There is so much food for thought here!  Today I'm focusing on verses 11 & 12 - "Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us."

The last couple of days I've been dealing with one of those who has "sinned against me", and it is far from easy!  But every time I'm tempted to hold it against the person, I hear these words and have to think about how I want my Heavenly Father to treat me.  It's hard when it is a "repeat offense".  And yet in my mind I hear the disciples questioning Jesus about such repeat offenses: 

Then Peter came to him and asked, "Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?" "No, not seven times," Jesus replied, "but seventy times seven! (Matthew 18:21-22 - New Living Translation)

This makes me realize how loving and forgiving my Heavenly Father is and how far I have to go to emulate Him. Seven times is a LOT!  If I forgive once and the person does it again, particularly if it is something I find really painful, I find it hard to believe they are sincere in asking forgiveness and find it difficult to forgive again.  And yet what if my Heavenly Father treated me that way?  Jesus says, "No, not 7 times, but 70 times 7!"  What an incredibly challenging standard to live up to!  This is why I need to continue to ask for my daily bread.  It is only through that daily spiritual nourishment and the power of the Holy Spirit within that I have any chance at all of living my life as God would have me live!

Father, you know the challenges I face, and you know my heart.  Once again I come to you asking forgiveness and seeking a clean heart - one filled with love and compassion for those around me.  Only you can create this within me, but I KNOW that YOU can do it, and I thank you.  Lord indeed, once again this morning you hear my voice as I look to you for guidance and strength for this day. And I praise you for what you are doing in my life, knowing that YOU and YOU ALONE keep everything running right.  Thank you, Father!

In the Morning

Once again this morning as I awoke and starting thinking and talking with God about my day, a song came to mind.  It was this: "Lord in the morning Thou shalt hear my voice ascending high.  To Thee will I direct my prayer, to Thee lift up mine eye."  It was followed swiftly by this one, "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord. . . . Sing unto the Lord a new song".  I realized that I had concerns about my day and my temptation was to start making requests of God regarding them.  These snippets of songs reminded me of the importance of gratitude and praise - and filled me with gratitude for God's gentle reminders to me.

With the words of that first song ringing in my ears, I decided to see some of what the Bible has to say about how to use our time in the morning (all of the following quotes are from the International Standard Version).  Of course, the first verse I turned to was the one the song was loosely based in - Psalms 5:3.  "LORD, in the morning you will hear my voice; in the morning I will pray to you, and I will watch for your answer."  This verse reminds me that God DOES answer my prayers.  I've been praying all along about the events of this day, and I know He does indeed hear me.  This morning I want Him also to hear my gratitude for that fact - not just a litany of my concerns!

Another verse jumped out at me.  As I looked through verses about morning.  It was this one from Ecclesiastes 11:6.  It says, "Sow your seed in the morning, and don’t stop working until evening, since you don’t know which of your endeavors will do well, whether this one or that, or even if both will do equally well." What occurs today is something for which I've been preparing for several weeks.  This morning I was thinking about Jesus teaching us not to worry about tomorrow, and yet some things clearly take preparation - sometimes quite a bit of preparation, as this task did.  This verse was reassurance.  Yes, I am to prepare - to sow my seed in the morning and continue working throughout the day - but I am not to WORRY about what seed will take root.  I'm just to do that which is placed before me and trust God for the outcome.

As I thought about that, this verse from Psalms 143:8 jumped out at me, "In the morning let me hear of your gracious love, for in you I trust. Cause me to know the way I should take, because I have set my hope on you."  As I read that, I remembered a quote I came across that says that with God, "every bidding is an enabling".  I believe this to be true, as I've experienced time and time again that when He asks me to do something, no matter how beyond my ability it seems, He gives me the ability to do it.  Thus, I paraphrase this verse this way - "In the morning I remember your gracious love and that I can trust you.  You are guiding me in the way I should take and I am grateful, Father."

The next verse to catch my eye was this one from Psalms 92:1-2 - "It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praise to your name, Most High; to proclaim your gracious love in the morning and your faithfulness at night".  I have certainly seen this to be true!  And it's a good reminder for me.  This morning, Father, I indeed stop and shout your praises for the way you keep everything running right! (Ps 119:164)

Again, Psalms 59:16-17 reminds me, "But I will sing of your power and in the morning I will shout for joy about your gracious love. For you have been a fortress for me; and a refuge when I am distressed. My Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, God of Gracious Love, are my fortress."  Father, I am SO grateful!!!!

For those times where things don't go as I might wish, there is this reminder in Psalms 30:4-12, "You, his godly ones, sing to the LORD, give thanks at the mention of his holiness. For his wrath is only momentary; yet his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may lodge for the night, but shouts of joy will come in the morning. As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I will never be moved.” By your favor, LORD, you established me as a strong mountain; Then you hid your face, and I was dismayed. I cried out to you, LORD, and I make supplication to the Lord: “What profit is there in my death if I go down to the Pit? Can dust worship you? Can it proclaim your faithfulness?” Hear me, LORD, and have mercy on me! LORD, help me! You have turned my mourning into dancing; you took off my sackcloth and clothed me with a garment of joy, so that I may sing praise to you and not remain silent. LORD, my God, I will give you thanks forever!"  As I go forth this day to dance with my Heavenly Father, I give thanks that indeed He turns my mourning into dancing!   

"Great, is Thy faithfulness, Oh God, My Father!"  I am so VERY grateful!  This morning I once again praise you.  I thank you for a good sleep last night - Truly you give sleep to those you love! (Ps 127:2).  Thank you for the blessings of this day, for your promised guidance and protection.  I am SO grateful for your leading!  Thank you for this open door you have set before me, Father!  I am so grateful for all you have done and continue to do for me.  I love you, Father!  

Do You Also Want to Leave?

This morning the words in the title of this post really struck me.  They come from the book of John.  Here is a bit of the story:

But Jesus didn't give an inch. "Only insofar as you eat and drink flesh and blood, the flesh and blood of the Son of Man, do you have life within you. The one who brings a hearty appetite to this eating and drinking has eternal life and will be fit and ready for the Final Day. . . . .  Many among his disciples heard this and said, "This is tough teaching, too tough to swallow." Jesus sensed that his disciples were having a hard time with this and said, "Does this throw you completely? What would happen if you saw the Son of Man ascending to where he came from? The Spirit can make life. Sheer muscle and willpower don't make anything happen. Every word I've spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making. But some of you are resisting, refusing to have any part in this." . . . . After this a lot of his disciples left. They no longer wanted to be associated with him. Then Jesus gave the Twelve their chance: "Do you also want to leave?"  Peter replied, "Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life. We've already committed ourselves, confident that you are the Holy One of God."   Jesus responded, "Haven't I handpicked you, the Twelve? Still, one of you is a devil!" (John 6:53-55, 60-64, 66-70 from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

This is a passage that has puzzled me from time to time.  Jesus insistence on talking about eating his flesh and drinking his blood when he knew others, even the disciples, were finding the words and concept offensive seemed odd.  Clearly he didn't really mean to promote cannibalism.  Why didn't he put it another way?

And yet, this morning, I get a different picture.  Jesus was clearly drawing a distinction between those who followed him simply to get their share of material blessings (the physical "bread"), and those who really wanted to digest His teachings and what he was REALLY here to share - the spiritual bread.  He knew it was time for them to be VERY clear about their motives as they faced the trials to come.

It's so easy to read these stories and condemn the crowds for their choices of physical comfort over spiritual food - but how different am I?  Are there times I make the same choice?  Why am I seeking the Savior?  Do I really want to be freed from slavery to human desires and cravings and look instead for the spiritual sustenance Christ offers?  How much of my focus is on the spiritual, and how much on my own thoughts, feelings, and desires?  Am I TRULY willing to have my will fully aligned with God's, or are there corners of my life that I want to keep to myself?  When things get tough, what is my reaction?  Jesus patiently asks me, "Do you also want to leave?"  And I answer with Peter, "Lord, to whom would I go?"  The path may indeed be difficult, and I don't always make the best choices, but when I truly stop to think of it, what is the alternative?  Only He has the words of eternal life!  As the song says, only Jesus can satisfy my soul!

Another verse in this passage catches my eye: "Sheer muscle and willpower don't make anything happen. Every word I've spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making."  This weekend we attended a dance workshop.  Much attention was focused on the idea of allowing gravity to work with us as we dance, so that we dance with less effort, letting gravity do the work rather than forcing ourselves to power through the moves using only our muscles.  That teaching comes to mind as I read this verse.  I've seen for myself that sheer muscle and willpower don't make things happen very well - whether we're talking about dance, or about life in general.  I NEED to rely on Spirit to move me through life.

Father, despite my many mistakes and poor choices, I do NOT want to leave you!  I want you to be Lord of all in my life and for my will to be surrendered to yours, even when things are hard.  Father, you know the challenges I face, the times I want my own will instead of yours.  Forgive me, and please make me wholly yours.  May Your will and mine become so closely entwined that I see nothing else, Father!  Father, I want your Spirit to be the power in my life and to guide my thoughts, words and actions.  Father, you know the decisions I face this day.  Please keep me from making any that are not in alignment with your will!  Thank you for your continued guidance as I move through this day, Father.  Thank you for the peace that you bring!  Amen.

Stop Complaining

This morning I was reading in I Corinthians where Paul was giving instructions to the church.  As he talked about the Isralites after they left Egypt and how many were allowed to be killed by snakes because of their sinful ways.  He said they were to serve as examples to us and I was brought up short by this verse:

"You must stop complaining, as some of them were doing, and were annihilated by the destroyer." (1 Corinthians 10:10 ISV)

It is so easy sometimes to see complaints as no big deal, but as I've seen all the instruction about rejoicing in all circumstances and being thankful in all things, I've begun to understand that complaining about anything is REALLY our saying that God isn't doing His job properly.  How dare we!  We are told in Romans 8:28 that ALL THINGS work together for good (emphasis mine).  Do we trust Him or not?

I find it sad when I realize how hard it seems to be to eliminate complaining from my life.  Complaining seems to be such a part of interacting in this world - of fitting in!  So much of conversation with others seems centered on complaining.  Yet we are told instead: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is fair, whatever is pure, whatever is acceptable, whatever is commendable, if there is anything of excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—keep thinking about these things."  (Philippians 4:8-9 ISV)  And to "not be conformed to this world" (Romans 12:2). Fitting in is not what we are to be doing, and complaining is really speaking against God!  Some pretty heavy duty ideas here - what a challenge!

Father, please forgive me for my complaining ways and put that right spirit within me that chooses instead to praise you in all things.  May I continually remember that YOU are in charge of my life and you do all things well!  Thank you, Father, for being so patient with me.  Once again I ask that you guide my thoughts and actions this day!  Please remove this tendency toward complaining from me and put your praise on my lips in its place!  Thank you, Father for your blessings, your power, and your love.  Thank you for your guidance.  Amen.

Why Are You in Despair?

This morning as I was searching my concordance for verses about praising God, this one jumped out at me because it is repeated word for word 3 times!  Anytime I come across something like that it makes me pause because I figure that if something is repeated, it's probably pretty important.  Here is the verse I'm speaking of:

"Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for once again I will  praise him, since his presence saves me." (Psalms 42:5, Ps 42:11, Ps 43:5 ISV)

From time to time I have experienced times of depression - particularly this time of the year as we start to see less and less sunshine.  At times the lack of sun really affects me as it does many others who deal with Seasonal Affective Disorder.  This repeated verse reminds me what to do.  No matter how bleak things may seem, I am to continue to hope in God and to once again praise Him. 

I am coming to understand more and more how important it is to praise God.  Before I understood His nature as I do now, I actually thought all the calls to praise God in the Bible were to try to appease some powerful being in the sky.  I now know better.  God does not have a big ego that needs to be fed.  Praising God is for ME:

• As I continue to praise, my spirits are lifted as I remember the many miracles God has performed for me in the past.
• As I continue to praise I remember that "He who began a good work in (me) will carry it on to completion" (Phil 1:6).   
• As I continue to praise, I KNOW He is working on my behalf at this very moment - even if it doesn't feel like it!  
• As I continue to praise, I find more to praise as my mind turns from my troubles to my Solution.

Thank you, Father, for this amazing gift you have given us - the gift of praise!  I think of the words of a song, "God is so wonderful!  I can't explain.  But I can say, 'Glory hallelujah, praise His holy name!'"  And I think of the words of the Psalmist, "LORD, my God, You have done great things: marvelous works and your thoughts toward us. There is no one who compares to you! I will try to recite your actions, even though there are too many to number." (Psalms 40:5 ISV)  

Father, I am grateful for your understanding.  I have no reason to despair or to fear.  You have shown me that over and over.  And yet I still find myself with those feelings at times.  I am so grateful for your patient nature as I continue to learn to trust you more fully and to use the tools you've provided - faith, praise, gratitude, and rejoicing.  

Father, you know my heart, and the pockets of fear that still lurk there.  Though I fear the flames, Lord, I seek Your refining fire to burn away that dross and leave me full of nothing but faith and praise and love for you.  Grant me courage to face whatever comes my way, as that fear comes up to be cleansed away by you. Grant me peace as I continue to walk the path you have set before me.  Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me that I may walk fully upheld by faith in you. 

Father, thank you that you have promised to see the work you have begun in me to completion.  Thank you that you have promised to keep me from falling!  (Jude 24, Ps 17:5, Ps 18:36)  I do not want to stand in your way Lord.  Please bring my will and my thoughts into alignment with yours, that I may move forward in full confidence as I rejoice in YOU - my strength and my redeemer.  

Thank you, Father, that you are such a loving and powerful Father!  I know I can trust you to bring about that which is for my best good. I've seen such miracles, Father, that I know NOTHING can stand in your way - not even me!  Thank you for being such a power working in my life for my best good.  How can I do anything but praise you?  Thank you, Father!  Thank you!

"You Give Them Something"

This week I was listening to the radio when a pastor started talking about the feeding of the 5000.  He quoted this passage from Mark:

By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late. Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."

But he answered, "You give them something to eat."

They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?" 

"How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see." 

When they found out, they said, "Five — and two fish." 

Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.     (Mark 6:35-44 NIV)

I don't know how many times I've heard this story - LOTS & LOTS!  But that day, it spoke to me in a way I'd never seen it before.  I could just hear the disciples saying, "Are we supposed to spend 8 months wages just to feed all these people?"  But Jesus told them they ALREADY HAD what they needed.  How often am I like those disciples, thinking that in order to do something I've been called to do I need to spend lots of resources that I don't feel I have to spare?  These words remind me that He's already given me everything I need!

So where am I needing that reminder today?  For me today the issue is not a physical meal - not even an emotional or spiritual one - though I am grateful for those, too.  The issue is time.  I am working on an on-going project that seems like no matter how much time I spend it is never enough and I'm never prepared as I think I need to be.  Jesus reminds me to give thanks and use what I have, trusting God to meet the needs of those I'm serving.  

I hear these words with a sense of relief - I DON'T have to burn the candle at both ends trying to prepare!  But, on the heels of those thoughts comes the realization.  This requires naked faith!  Look at what Jesus did.  He told 5000 men with their women and children to sit down in groups of 50 & 100 and proceeded to feed them with 5 small loaves and 2 fish!  How embarrassing if it didn't work out as he thought!

As I ponder this, I wonder how often I miss out on God's blessings because I'm afraid of being embarrassed!  Jesus has promised that His "yoke is easy" and His "burden is light" (Matt 11:30), yet I'm afraid too often I end up working (and worrying) really hard when perhaps I could be experiencing a lighter burden.  I think of the words of James "You have not because you ask not." (James 4:2)  and, "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering." (James 1:6)

So, for today, I hear myself being told to let go of concerns about "having enough" and to use what I have, trusting God to see that it is enough.  It's scary to do this in the type of public situation that I face, but I ask myself, "Do I believe God can be trusted or not?"  Though my faith may be small as a mustard seed, the answer is that I DO know that God can be trusted.  

So, today, Father, I once again turn to you, trusting you to meet my needs.  Please guide my thoughts and actions in alignment with your will.  Thank you for the "open door" and the reminder that it is YOU that "builds this house" and "keeps everything running right".  Father, you know how scary it is for me to let go of that "Martha" part of me that is "careful and troubled about many things" (Luke 10:41), but I choose to believe your word and trust you.  Please guide my steps and keep me from falling as you've promised!  Please direct my mind and my activities so that which is needful is done.  Thank you for the assurance that I "have enough"!  YOU are all I need, Father, and I thank you for the reminder.  Amen.

Thankful in ALL Things

The last few days I've had opportunity to really think deeply about the idea that we should be giving thanks to God in ALL things - no matter what happens. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 is an example of this admonition.  It says, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (KJV)  If I've prayed "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven", then I must accept that whatever occurs is the will of God concerning me (or else believe my prayer has gone unheard, which I DON'T believe).  As I've shared many times on this blog, another verse that has had a big impact on me is this one from  Psalms 119:164, "Seven times each day I stop and shout praises for the way you keep everything running right." (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

But sometimes, in our humanness, it can be SO hard to see and believe that God is keeping everything running right! I've had some physical challenges the last few days that have given me an opportunity to think more deeply about these things.  On a purely human and physical level, it sure hasn't seemed like God was keeping everything running right in my body!  And yet, this has been an opportunity to take the idea that no matter how things look God IS keeping everything running right, and start to understand and apply it in a very concrete way.  So, several times over the last few days, I've asked myself the question, "What if all really IS running right?  How might this challenge be working for my very best good?" After all, Romans 8:28 reminds me that "All things work together for good to them that love God".  While my love certainly has not been fully perfected, I certainly DO love God, so this is a promise I can hold on to when things in my life don't go as I thought they should. 

As I've dealt with the challenges I've faced this week, seeking to better understand God's will for me, knowing that God wants the best for me, I've come to understand that perhaps what I've been experiencing is discipline.  The opportunity to experience the consequences of my actions so that I can make better choices. As I was reading this morning, these verses jumped out at me. 

"And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.  Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."(1 Corinthians 9:25-27 NKJV)

And I had to ask myself, have I been "temperate in all things"?  Have I been disciplining my body?  The ISV puts it this way:

"Everyone who enters an athletic contest practices self-control in everything. They do it to win a wreath that withers away, but we run to win a prize that never fades. That is the way I run, with a clear goal in mind. That is the way I fight, not like someone shadow boxing. No, I keep on disciplining my body, making it serve me so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not somehow be disqualified." (ISV)

Have I been practicing self-control?  The answer is simply "not always - sometimes better than others".  What if the physical challenges I've been experiencing have been to help me learn better self-discipline and temperance in the way I treat my body?  If I pour sand into the gas tank of my car, I can't be too surprised if it doesn't work well.  Likewise, my body needs proper care, including the best nourishment, exercise, etc.  There have been times this week as I've stopped to shout praises as instructed in that verse in Psalms, when I've found myself saying, "But He isn't keeping everything running right, look what's going on in my body."  But my body was designed to function a certain way.  I have to realize that it IS indeed running the way it was designed to run!  I haven't been taking care of it as I should, and have experienced results that are to be expected under those conditions.  What I've also seen is that as I take a step forward to better take care of myself, healing sometimes occurs far more rapidly than one could possibly expect.   

Thank you, God!  Clearly you are indeed keeping everything running right, and teaching me how I can best support you in that endeavor with regards to taking care of my body.  Thank you, Father, for being such a gentle disciplinarian.  Thank you for the promise that the work you've begun in my you will see to completion.  Again this morning I seek your will in my life.  May my will be brought into alignment with yours, and may my thoughts, words and actions be as you would have them be is my prayer this morning Father.  Thank you!

Why Are You Afraid?

This morning, I started out looking at verses that talked about faith.  This one jumped out at me:

Jesus answered, "Why are you afraid? You don't have enough faith." (Matthew 8:26 NCV)

This is a question I ask myself on a regular basis.  Why am I afraid?  I wish it weren't so, but too many times I find myself hesitating in life because of fear, and I continue to seek God's power in my life to clear me of my fears.  Another verse from Matthew addresses a similar issue: "Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught Peter. Jesus said, "Your faith is small. Why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14:31 NCV)  Doubt is another face of fear that too often pops up in my life.

John said, "There is no fear where love exists. Rather, perfect love banishes fear, for fear involves punishment, and the person who lives in fear has not been perfected in love." (1 John 4:18 ISV)  

These verses tell me something about the remedy that's needed.  I need to be perfected in love and I need greater faith. This becomes even more important as I read another verse in Matthew that says, “According to your faith, let it be done for you!” (Matthew 9:29 ISV)  Clearly, if I want to experience a life of miracles, I have to have faith.  But what does this really mean and how do I get there?  How do I increase my faith?  Here are some ideas that come to me:

• Focus on God's love. As that verse in 1 John says, no fear can exist in the presence of love. Experience shows me that my faith is increased as I remember God's love for me and understand His love at an ever deeper level.  Father, thank you for your amazing love!
• Thank God for His goodness.  "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" Psalms 107:8 KJV  Once again, I can say from experience that as I focus on gratitude for what God has done, my faith grows stronger.  Thank you, Father for the many blessings you've brought into my life!
• Thank God for what He is doing now - even if I don't understand it! "Seven times each day I stop and shout praises for the way you keep everything running right." (Ps 119:164 - The Message Bible)  As I've started putting this advice to work, I've seen amazing miracles as God demonstrates His willingness and ability to keep everything running right.  Thank you, God!
• Focus on the faith I have, even if it doesn't seem very big. "I tell all of you with certainty, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20 ISV)  A mustard seed is pretty small, and when my faith is that small, it is easy to focus my attention on the storms around me instead of on that seed of faith - but the results of doing so speak for themselves.  
• Focus on Jesus.  Hebrews 12:2 reminds us that Jesus is the "author and finisher of our faith".  As I study His life and teaching, and as I talk with Him during the course of my day, my faith is increased.

Well, there are many more verses that talk about faith, but I think I've read enough this morning to get me started.  Father, I thank you for your work in my life.  I thank you for the gift of faith that you've given me and ask that you help me nurture this seed that it my grow large enough that there is no room for doubt and fear left in me!  I thank you for the many blessings and miracles you perform on my behalf daily, and I thank you for the way you keep everything running right.  Once again, I seek your will in my life, Father.  May your will be so entwined with mine that I see clearly what your will is for me each day.  Father, please guide the decisions of this day.  It has seemed you are moving us forward in a specific direction, but PLEASE clearly block us if this is not your will!  Thank you for your guidance and direction in my life.  This morning I pray with the father who came to Jesus for healing of his child, "I do believe! Help me to believe more!" (Mark 9:24 NCV)  And I thank you that you have promised that when we pray for bread you will not give us a stone.  Thank you for my daily bread this day.  Amen.

Thank you!

In case you wonder if your comments matter - they do!  This morning I'm facing a pretty challenging day with challenging decisions.  One of the comments took me back to re-read something I wrote in early September that was just what I needed to hear today!

It is far too easy for me to slip into worry and focus on challenges, and this morning I particularly needed the reminder to be aware of the focus of my attention.  This goes along with a verse my husband shared yesterday during our devotional time.  It is found in Luke 11: 33-36

"No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you." NIV

As I often do, I started looking up words in Strong's Concordance to get a better picture of what was being said here: 

• Eye = the eye, literally or figuratively, from a word meaning "to gaze" ("with wide-open eyes, as at something remarkable").  By implication it means "vision".
• Good = literally means "folded together" or "single". Figuratively it means "clear"
• Full of light = "well-illuminated"
• Bad = hurtful (in effect or influence rather than essential character), figuratively calamitous or diseased
• Full of darkness = "opaque"
• Full of light (2nd time) = from a word meaning to shine or make manifest, the word refers to luminousness (in the widest application, natural or artificial, abstract or concrete, literal or figurative)
• Darkness (2nd time) = Shadiness or obscurity (literally or figuratively)

As I thought about all this, the picture that emerged for me was the difference between one who has eyes that are able to focus clearly, and eyes that don't track properly giving double or blurry vision, or that have "blind spots" so the whole image is less clear and more opaque.  The application for me this morning is that only if I'm seeing clearly can I make good decisions.  If I'm seeing poorly, my decisions will likely be poor as well.  So, what I want is to have my vision "folded together" with God's vision for me - that my vision is tightly bound to His will for me so I can see clearly with "single" rather than "double" vision.

Father, please make it so.  Only you are able to work in me both to will and to do of your good pleasure, and I ask that you do so now.  May we see as you see and may our decisions be fully in alignment with your will, I pray.  And I thank you for the many promises that you hear and answer our prayers, Father.  And once again, today, I stop and shout praises for the way you keep everything running right!  Thank you, Father!

With My Might

For the last couple of days I've been finding myself working hard and worrying a bit about pushing so hard when "it is useless to get up early and stay up late eating the food of exhausting labor - truly he gives sleep to those he loves" (Ps 127:2 ISV)  I don't want to be pushing so hard that I am outside of God's will for me! As usual, I prayed for guidance this morning, and this time I was taken back to a post I made towards the end of May.  This text jumped out at me:

"Whatever presents itself for you to do, do it with all your might"  (Eccl 9:10 - from GOD'S WORD Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations Bible Society. All rights reserved.)

You would think I would get used to it, but it always amazes me the way God finds a way to speak to me with just the words I need to hear each day!  As I read those words I felt such relief that tears came!  It's not somehow "wrong" for me to feel as driven as I do.  So long as I:

• continue to put God first, seeking His will, and remembering his guidance,
• remember that the people around me are important,
• and so is sleep,
• and so is creating healthy meals and keeping up with housework,

I am expected to do what is set before me with all my might!

Thank you, Father, for your guidance and reassurance each day!  Thank you that you are continuing the work you have begun in me and continue to work in me both to WILL and to DO of your good pleasure.  I am so grateful!

Creation Day 6 Revisited

My question as I started my day this morning - what I specifically asked God about - was guidance for my next activities of the day. I felt a strong desire to get back into my office and work on cueing stuff, but was unsure whether this was my obsessive nature speaking or was really God's guidance.   

One of the reasons the question has been on my mind is that for the last several days I've had a bit of a sore throat, and I know I need to take care of my voice if I'm going to be able to continue to do the work I've been recently called to do, since it involves a lot of talking. According to my on-line research, part of taking care of my voice is simply letting it rest!  For the last several months, I've been spending a LOT of my time talking as a part of moving forward into my new endeavors - and there is much more of that that needs to be done.  My minor sore throat suggests to me that I may need to give that a rest and do other things, yet there is still SO much to do that I hesitate to just let it go. 

I was taken back to my 4th post about Creation Day #6, and its reminder that I was given dominion over the fish, birds, cattle, and creeping things - but not over the wild animals.  And the question struck me - how have I been doing with those things over which I am to exercise dominion?  The answer is simple. Not very well!  I have NOT been doing a good job dealing with the "creeping things" - those more mundane household matters.  They are not as exciting and fun as working on the new things - but the new things fall into the "wild animal" domain, which I was NOT given dominion over!  

Certainly I have a part to play as I allow God to lead me into the realm of the new, but it is not MY responsibility.  What God HAS given me responsibility for is the more mundane stuff - and I've been letting that slide in favor of the new.  It reminds me of the co-dependence that marked my early marriage.  My husband and I, without realizing it, tended to focus on each "helping" the other with their responsibilities and ignoring our own.  This gave us an excuse for not completing our own tasks properly - after all, we were too busy helping the other person.  It also meant that no one was taking ultimate responsibility to see that anything got done.  It appears to me that I've been playing the same game with God.  I've been feeling such responsibility to get in and prepare the new stuff, but I've been ignoring the other matters for which God has given me responsibility.

Thinking about this I turned again to my first post about Creation Day #6, so that I could look again at the significance of the different creatures created on day 6.  There in black and white was the understanding that I needed to be willing to focus more attention on domestic matters!  How quickly I forget!  But for today, the guidance is pretty clear.  I need to focus on those many small chores that are a part of my daily life before they become an almost overwhelming "swarm".  I need to tend to those things before going back to the "wild things" that I find so much more interesting.

Father, thank you for speaking to me in ways that I can understand; for making your will so clear to me, even when a part of me doesn't want to hear it!  Once again I ask that you work in me both to WILL and to DO of your good pleasure.  May your will be done this day, I pray. And I thank you and praise you for the way you keep everything running right.  Please give me the faith to move forward as you direct and to fully trust you to handle things as needed with regard to the "wild things" in my life.  Thank you, Father!