packing

Friday, October 8, 2010 (6:15 a.m.)

Loving Lord,

Thank You! Yesterday I made the conscious decision to choose You and Your Word. Lord, I don’t remember the last time I got so much done throughout the day, so effortlessly. Truly, it was as though I wasn’t even in charge [I really don’t think I was J] of all I was doing. Items I hadn’t planned to look through were sorted, filed or gotten rid of. That in itself is next to a miracle!

Thank You Lord. Thank You that although I didn’t finish all that I had planned to do, when I recognized I was frustrated, disappointed in one area and tired, I chose to go to sleep. Thank You Lord for much needed rest.

Which brings me right to the task of this fairly early morning. Packing, Lord. That’s where I left off last night. There’s another trip. I want to stay warm enough and wear comfortable shoes without taking too much. I’m coming to You Lord, just like I did yesterday, to see what choices You would have me make.

First off I hold Your Word in my hand, scouring internet translations to find one that mentions ‘packing’. Eugene Peterson’s The Message is the only one I can find. And with each verse my smile gets bigger and my heart lighter, more peaceful.

Lord God, how I thank You for the descriptions of people and demons that were “sent packing” by You and Your followers. The more I read, the more hopeful I become. Lord, how I ask You to teach me to share the glory of Your Good News with others!

In his letter to the Christians in Rome, John Mark (Mark 6: 7-13) told of how You sent Your twelve disciples out two by two. You told them what to take (nothing except walking sticks) where to stay (only at one home in each village) and what to do when not accepted or listened to (shake off the dust from their feet as they left).

“Then they were on the road. They preached with joyful urgency that life can be radically different; right and left they sent the demons packing; they brought wellness to the sick, anointing their bodies, healing their spirits” (vs. 12-13). Now that’s the kind of packing I truly long to do Dear Lord! Take Your joy and share it with others? Yes Lord!

More important than any of the right clothes, help me in not only packing Your joy, but in sharing it freely and willingly with others!

I love You so much Dear Lord. As seemingly effortlessly as You worked in and through me around here yesterday, “Please Sir, I want more”. Thank You Lord. I love You. Amen.

(458 words ~ 7:16 a.m.)

choosing

Thursday, October 7, 2010 (7:01 a.m.)

I’m choosing You Lord,

Just for this very moment of this very day I am choosing to turn to You in my shakiness. I always have the choice to fear or have faith. I get to judge or show grace. I can hurt or heal. Most dear and blessed Lord, thank You that my deepest desire just now was to readily turn to Galatians 5:22 in The Bible Handbook asking You to teach me more about the Fruit of Your Spirit.

Thank You that upon arriving there I found the word “Freedom” in bold print. Reading all the way through the brief theological overview of what Christ’s life, death and resurrection did for us I come to the last sentence. “We are freed to concentrate on loving Jesus and so experience the changes God is working within.”

You set us free. Completely free! I am so used to the rules and expectations of others Lord, that I confess to not knowing exactly what freedom in You is like. I get glimpses of it. There are moments when I take the opportunity to run free and experience the pure joy that comes from such freedom.

Lord, I long to live my life ~ each moment of every day completely in and through You. Here I am asking that You would please teach me not only what that looks like, but how to do it as well.

And You do. I ask. You answer. “Christ Gives Freedom”. Paul reminded the Galatians (5:1-15) that You have set us free! Thank You Lord. Verse 13 tells us that he said, “My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don’t use your freedom to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love.” Oh Your goodness Lord. Oh Your sweet and glorious goodness!

Paul reminded that “All the Law says can be summed up in the command to love others as much as you love yourself. But if you keep attacking each other like wild animals, you had better watch out or you will destroy yourselves” (14-15).

Mm, Lord. I thought for sure I was choosing to learn more about the fruit of Your Spirit this morning Lord. Little did I know that You had a bigger lesson for me first. The Learning Bible has this to say about Your Holy Spirit, “For Paul, it is the Spirit who sets free God’s new people and who changes their lives so that they can have peace and be obedient to God (Romans 8:1-17). The Spirit gives them the ability to understand God’s will, to live together in love, to see what the future will bring, and to carry out the different kinds of work that need to be done in the churches (1Corinthians 12-14). The Spirit produces within them the love and the lifestyle God wants for His people (Romans 4:9-13; Galatians 5:22-23).

Lord, how I ask You to keep working in me that I will continue choosing Your freedom over the snares and trappings of this world. I love You Lord. Thank You for the honor, the privilege and the desire of choosing You! Amen.

(534 words ~ 8:03 a.m.)

Moses

Wednesday, October 6, 2010 (7:39 a.m.)

Blessed Lord,

Talk to me this morning Lord. Loudly. Clearly. Plainly. Let me know which of the many thoughts I’ve had so far this morning are from You. What in the Bible do You want me to learn today? Is it about Moses, one of Your great heroes of faith?

How cool it is Lord that his parents had faith to keep him hidden for three months before making a basket out of reeds, covering it with tar, putting him in it and placing it in the tall grass along the edge of the Nile River (Exodus 2:2,3). There is so much to learn here Lord.

While awakening this morning the word ‘stutter’ came to mind. I thought of Moses’ objecting to You right there at the burning bush (3:11) pleading with You about getting tongue-tied [stuttering] and his words getting tangled [stammering] (4:10). This is Moses Lord! Sometimes called “The Father of All Prophets” and “The Seer of God”.

Moses, Lord! Not exactly an eager leader. He balked at Your initial call to him. Moses, whose own mother did all she could for him and then left him in Your hands. Moses, one of the greatest leaders in the entire Old Testament but also one who acted impulsively, without looking to You for advice.

There is so much to learn here Lord. Let me take the lesson! I long to have my own self-doubts and personal fears give You the chance to show Your power. Live in and with and through me Lord that I would truly become a woman known for facing the ups and downs of life with faith in You and a commitment to Your plan. Teach me that it’s more than okay to be an imperfect woman learning to set healthy personal boundaries and still be greatly used by You.

Oh most dear and precious Lord, help me see the words ‘Moses’ and ‘faith’ as practically synonymous. And how cool is it for me right at this moment to fully embrace the fact that the loving lady I was named after had this very last name. Moses. Quite the profound thought to consider this day. Thank You Lord. I love You. Amen!

(374 words ~ 10:06 a.m.)

seek

Tuesday, October 5, 2010 (7:22 a.m.)

Oo-ya Lord!

How’s that for pure praise and adoration? Straight from my heart, just to say “I love You!”

This morning I am seeking You. To be even more exact, I am seeking HOW to seek You. “While Paul was waiting in Athens (Acts 17:16) he was upset to see all the idols in the city.” As he spoke to the various groups of people there, “they invited him to the forum at Mars Hill” (19).

“So Paul, standing before them at the Mars Hill forum, addressed them as follows: ‘Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious, for as I was out walking I saw your many altars, and one of them had this inscription on it – ‘To the Unknown God.’ You have been worshiping him without knowing who he is, and now I wish to tell you about him. He made the world and everything in it, and since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples; and human hands can’t minister to his needs – for he has no needs! He himself gives life and breath to everything, and satisfies every need there is. He created all the people of the world from one man, Adam, and scattered the nations across the face of the earth. He decided beforehand which should rise and fall, and when. He determined the boundaries. His purpose in all of this is that they should seek after God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him – though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and are! As one of your own poets says it, ‘We are the sons of God.’ If this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol made by men from gold or silver or chipped from stone. God tolerated man’s past ignorance about these things, but now he commands everyone to put away idols and worship only him. For he has set a day for justly judging the world by the man he has appointed, and has pointed him out by bringing him back to life again” (22-31).

Again I read Your Word and see myself. Lord, I confess the far too many times I try to carve You into a god of my own understanding. The Life Recovery Bible has this to say, “Even though God may be unknown to us, He is near and willing to reveal Himself. God promised ‘You will find me when you seek me, if you look for me in earnest’ (Jeremiah 29:13). Turning over our will involves becoming willing to accept God as He is, instead of insisting on creating Him in our own image. When we seek God with an open heart and mind, we will find Him.”

Once again, You provide my every need. I confessed to not knowing HOW to seek You and I end up reading “with an open heart and mind”. Thank You Lord for providing our every need. Help me seek You this day that I would find You. I love You so very much. Amen.

(530 words ~ 8:45 a.m.)

Sing to the Lord

Monday, October 4, 2010 (6:24 a.m.)

Blessed Lord,

What a difference from yesterday. That’s when I woke up singing to You. Decisive. Confident. Sure. This morning I’m back to wondering what You would have me do today.

“Trust in the Lord” (Proverbs 3:5) “Shout to the Lord” (Psalm 98:4) “Sing to the Lord for He has done wonderful things. Make known His praise around the world” (Isaiah 12:5). Mm. Yes. Sing. Praise. Tell.

Tell of Your mercies Lord? I confess I don’t know how. I say too much. Or too little. Sometimes I say nothing at all. You are good and mighty to be praised! And I DO hide Your light under a bushel, just as the children’s song warns us not to.

You ARE the light for the world! (John 8:12; 9:5) And I am blessed because of that truth. You shine Your light on my fear and failings. You give me hope to carry on. Give me also Your words, Your courage to share You with others Lord.

Because I don’t want to make a mistake by saying too much, I remain silent. While minding my Ps and Qs, dotting my I’s and crossing all my T’s so I don’t make a mistake, I get lost in the details and say little of eternal value. Forgive me Lord. You HAVE done wonderful things! Your praise IS to be made known around the world! Let me at least begin doing that by singing to You Lord.

♫Oh sing to the Lord, oh sing God a new song… For Christ is the Lord! Amen! Alleluia! Oh, sing to our God, Oh sing to our God♫

Lord, as much as I say that I love You, help me to share You as well. Thank You for Your blessings, Your promises, Your future, Your kindness, Your goodness, Your love, You! ♫Amen! Alleluia!♫ Amen.

(309 words ~ 8:41 a.m.)

I remember!

Sunday, October 3, 2010 (6:52 a.m.)

Most Blessed Lord God,

I remember! How incredible are You that the very first thing I woke up to this morning was the thought that “THIS is the day that the Lord has made! I WILL rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24) The next thing I knew I was singing it, even before my eyes were open.

Lord, how I thank You that I DO have the choice of complaining and being bad or mad or sad in this day You have made. Thank You that for this very moment I am choosing joy and gladness.

Thank You also Lord that even as I found myself wishing I had some type of protective coat around me to ward off taking things personally and getting hurt feelings, I remembered You provided that very thing long ago. Paul wrote of it in his letter to the Ephesians (6:11). “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand safe against all strategies and tricks of satan.”

I remembered all during these past two weeks that holding and nursing a grudge was not what You would have me do. I even remembered the devil had snares set up all around for me to fall into.

What I didn’t remember on my own was that ‘my strength must come from the Lord’s mighty power within me’ (v.10). AND that “we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood , but against persons without bodies – the evil rulers of the unseen world…” (12).

Thank You Lord that even while I insisted in complaining instead of rejoicing and being mad instead of glad, You didn’t give up on me. You knew I needed to remember to “use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks,” ‘and when it is over I will still be standing up’ (13).

Again I remember the importance of dressing myself everyday with ‘the strong belt of truth and the breastplate of Your approval’ (14). I must ‘wear shoes that are able to speed me on as I share the Good News of peace with You (15). In every battle I will need faith as my shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at me by satan (16). And I will need the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit – which is the Word of God (17).’

Thank You Lord that You work so hard to remind me that in every instance I must ‘seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness’ (Matthew 6:33). Thank You that You never give up on me especially when I am behaving most selfishly. Thank You that I get to remember and sing loudly [even if for now it’s all still in my head J] ♫This the day, this is the day That the Lord has made, that the Lord has made We [I! J] will rejoice, we will rejoice, And be glad in it, and be glad in it! This is the day that the Lord has made, We will rejoice and be glad in it! This is the day, this is the day That the Lord has made.♫

Hallelujah Jesus! Thank You for helping me to remember! I love You. Amen.

(546 words ~ 7:56 a.m.)

the struggle within

Saturday, October 2, 2010 (7:21 a.m.)

Most Holy God,

Thank You! Thank You that once again I got to struggle with myself to the break through point. Knowing that I had a choice between life [forgiveness] and death [grudge holding] (Deuteronomy 30:19) I chose the latter. Repeatedly!

Forgive me Lord. I was very well aware that I was playing around with anger. I didn’t have to. I could have let it go. But I kept going back over to it. Poking at it. Nursing it until it fully began taking on a life of its own. And by then I was back to a very old pattern of thinking I could quit any time I wanted.

It took almost two weeks for me to finally work my way over to Paul’s letter to the Romans and remember once again what good company I am in. Here I find that I am NOT the only person to ever know what it is I am to do [FORGIVE, in this particular case] and not do it (Romans 7:19a). As well as knowing that I am to ‘try not to do wrong’ [take things personally and speak ill of others] and ‘do it anyway’ (19b).

Lord, there is freedom and power in Your Word! When I am stubborn and stiff-necked I am ultimately choosing death. Thank You that You came to give us life. “So you see how it is: my new life tells me to do right, but the old nature that is still inside me loves to sin. Oh what a terrible predicament I’m in! Who will free me from my slavery to this deadly lower nature? Thank God! It has been done by Jesus Christ our Lord. He has set me free.” (23-25)

Blessed Lord, last night was the first time that I ever looked at this type of behavior as an addiction. Knowing that I shouldn’t do something and doing it anyway? That’s pretty powerless! Spinning myself into near crazy making because I don’t have the power and strength in and of myself to just let something [an ill chosen comment] go instead of building a fortress of self-righteous indignation? That’s not a healthy attitude!

Focusing on the negative. Magnifying it to make myself look more like a victim of circumstance is just plain taxing! It takes a lot of energy to be that mean and spiteful. Thank You Lord for showing me that this truly IS a form of unhealthy addiction. There are many areas where I stand the chance of sinking right back into old putrid behaviors. Thank You that You came to save me from myself! Thank You that You will continue Your work in me until I actually get to see You face to face. Thank You that I am NOT alone in my struggle within. You are here with me. Constantly calling me to a better way. YOUR Way, Your Truth, Your life (John 14:6).

Because of You dearest Lord I am not alone in my diseased soul. You will only forgive me to the extent that I forgive others (Matthew 6:12). Thank You for working in me through this extremely tough lesson. I feel exhausted, as well as exhilarated! Truly agog with another glimpse of Your grace! Thank You Lord. I love You! Amen.

(553 words ~ 9:18 a.m.)