September 2, 2014 The Source

Scripture  
Revelation 7:17
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd.  He will lead them to springs of living water.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Observation
Jesus is the Lamb!  He is the Good Shepherd. He leads us to springs of living water.  He comforts us in trials of life.  He is the source of living water!  He wipes the tears that we cry.

Application
Come and drink.  Come to Jesus and believe, and drink of the living water.  Receive His love and grace and be filled.  Trust Him, obey Him, walk with Him and my thirst for God will be quenched.  He meets all my needs and He leads me in the way I should go.  He cares for me, and comforts me even to the point of wiping away my tears.

Prayer
God of Glory I give You thanks for leading me to the springs of living water; to Jesus Christ.  In my search for You, I have been so dry and thirsty and found that You alone are the Source.  The God of my Salvation, the Good Shepherd, the Living Water has brought me life in abundance.  Overflow me with Your love.   As I dig into Your word, may I uncover pools of refreshing and cleansing.  May I commit to the long process of discovery of Your treasures found in Your Word.  Help me to learn to dig deeper and reach a depth I could never imagine in my limited thinking.  I want to know You more.  In Jesus Name, A-men.

Gone Fishing

Sripture  John 21:3-6
Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will also come with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.  But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.  So Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.”  And He said to them, “ Cast the net on the right- hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.

Observation The disciples decide to go back to the ‘familiar’.  Peter said, “I am going fishing”; and the others follow.  What else are they going to do?  But they caught nothing.They did not recognize Jesus – the man calling from the beach, asking, “You don’t have fish, do you?”  They had no fish; it was true.Interesting, the disciples had gone back to fishing, their familiar vocation; they were after all, fishermen.  They loved to fish.  But they caught no fish.  But Jesus was there in their midst – though they did not recognize Him.  It wasn’t until they obeyed what He said, when they threw their nets to the right side of the boat and caught 153 large fish – that their eyes were opened!  It was Jesus!God’s miracle power was manifested in what they were doing in their day to day.

Application  Expect and experience God’s power and be open to the miraculous dimensions of life that God wants to demonstrate in and through me.  God is with me, though I may not recognize His Presence, He is here!

Prayer  Father, there are times it seems that I have gone back to ‘fishing” – babysitting, caring for little ones like I did for so many years.  Only now, it’s grandchildren!  There are days, it feels like I’m not very successful at accomplishing anything worthwhile.  Yet my ear is attentive to You Lord, and I’m open to Your miracle working power in whatever I am doing.  God You are able.  I am willing.In Jesus Name, be glorified in my life I pray.
A-men.  (Thank you JLL for your fine illustration of 'Gone Fishing', 1990 UCSF)

It Works!

Ezekiel 3:5-6  Take unto your heart all My words which I will speak to you and listen closely.  
Isaiah 30:8 Now go, write it on a tablets before them and inscribe it on a scroll, that it may serve in the time to come as a witness forever
Jeremiah 30:2  Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, "Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book.  

How many of us can even remember what we had for lunch last Saturday, let alone recall something God may have spoken or revealed to us through His Word that we read 2 weeks ago?

Do you know that the most successful weight loss programs require you to keep a food & exercise diary to show you what you've eaten as well as the calories and values of each food item & the time you exercised to condition your body?  Everything is recorded!  When you keep a record of it, you become mindful of what's going into your body and the exercise you are doing - all for better results!  
It works!

What about our spiritual health and growth? If we want to take to heart the things God speaks to us in His Word, we will read it and then write down what He said to us!  Keeping a journal helps us to pay better attention to what we are reading and to listen more closely to what God may want to say.  

I, for one, want to remember the blessings as well as the life lessons I am learning.  Be proactive in the health of your body, your mind, and your spirit.   May God be glorified in all we do.  

How do I journal?  I use the S.O.A.P. method.  It's easy, to the point, and it can be short or long.  

S = Scripture
O = Observation
A = Application
P = Prayer
Journaling is good - very good.  Try it - you'll like it.  
It works!

Walk Your Talk

Scripture
Matthew 23:1-3  Then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples:  "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.  So you must be careful to do everything they tell you.  But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.

Observation
Jesus speaks to the people telling them to do everything the teachers are telling them to do, but cautions them 'don't do what they are doing'.  They are not living what they say.  Everything they do is done for the people to see, putting on a big show outwardly, but their hearts are far from God.  They are blind guides, full of dead men's bones.  No life, only the appearance of righteousness - but nothing right about it.

Application
There was a time in my early teen life that I sometimes would question something my dad would say for me not to do - then I would see him doing the very thing he told me not to do.  "How come I shouldn't do this, and you are doing it?"  His response was,  "Do as I say, not as I do."  It left me angry and confused when he would say that.
After I had given my heart to God, back in 1970 - I was about 20 years old, married, had a little boy of my own, I felt like I needed to have a conversation with my dad about some unfinished things that had left me bitter and unforgiving towards him.  
I said, "Dad, I just want you to know I love you, and I forgive you for all the hurts and confusion you caused in my life, and I hope you will forgive me for the pain and heartache I may have caused you.  I wasn't the best daughter.  I'm sorry."  
He was quiet, and then he surprised me - he cried.  He told me he was sorry he messed up being a dad.  He made mistakes, a lot of them.  I forgave him.  We hugged and cried together.  It wasn't long afterwards that my dad became a believer in Jesus Christ and found forgiveness, mercy, unconditional love and grace.  
The Pharisees' were not good examples for the people and Jesus said - obey their words, but don't act the way they do.  It's not right.  
God wants me to 'walk my talk'.  Always - to do what He says, and to do what I have seen Him do. Jesus is my example.  

Prayer
Father, thank You that I was raised in a home that though my father and mother were far from perfect and made lots of mistakes - they loved me, corrected me, and tried their best to teach me right from wrong.  Yes, they sent mixed signals, had double standards, and really were not very good role models - but You were able to use my parents in my life to help me find my way to You.  I searched for You and I found You.  And then they found You too.

My boys are men now, and pretty much I've made my own share of mistakes - they probably have already told on me to You.  But if it helps them find You, then it's a good thing I am their mom.  
It's not too late to influence my grandkids - so for that I ask for help and guidance.  If I say no to them - then it's a no for me too.  I need Your strength and Your Holy Spirit to pattern my life, values, attitudes, and behaviors in such a way that will effect the generations to come so they will turn their hearts to You.
Thank You for Your love and grace and for Your forgiveness when I've acted like a pharisee.  Guard my heart I pray.  In Jesus Name, A-men.

John 13:12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

His Dwelling Place

Scripture Psalm 132:3-5 “Surely I will not enter my house, nor lie on my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the Lord,  a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.

Observation
King David, a man after God's own heart; he will do everything I want him to do. (Acts 13:22)  David would not even go home, rest, or sleep, until he found a place for the Lord - a dwelling place for God.  He makes a vow, a promise to find a place for the Lord.  A physical dwelling place.

Application
Totally yield to God, give to Him my whole heart, my mind, my spirit, my body, my strength.  Surely I will not rest or sleep until I invite the Lord to come and dwell with me.

Prayer
Father, I first opened my heart to You in February 1970.   A long time ago.  Yet, I sense a stirring in me that You desire to go deeper still.  Come Lord Jesus - this temporary 'tent' is Yours - every bit of it.  Search my heart, make me clean, it's Your approval I long for.  Rule my life, be my King, do what You will I belong to You,  in Jesus Name, A-men.  

1 Corinthians 3:16  Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

What is REAL? You become.

"Grammy! What are those things on your hands?" asked my almost 3 year old grandson.  My reply, "Veins Aaron - you have them too." In wonderment he replied, "Not like yours Grammy - I can't see mine."  

I'm getting older but also better! My grandkids are fascinated by my curly hair, loose skin, lines (wrinkles), and now my veins.  They like to touch me ... I remind them, "Remember, Grammy's fragile - be gentle".   

Am I real yet Lord?  I feel much like the old Skin Horse in the 'Velveteen Rabbit'...Here's my favorite part of that story:

The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces. He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away, and he knew that they were only toys, and would never turn into anything else. For nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it.
"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"
"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

"I suppose you are real?" said the Rabbit. And then he wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive. But the Skin Horse only smiled. 
(by Margery Williams)

I am becoming REAL.  My heart is opened wide and I am learning to love and to be loved.  Thank You Lord for Your unconditional love for me so I can love others.  A-men.

Matthew 22: 36-39  Loving God, Loving People

Open Wide Your Heart!

Scripture
2 Corinthians 6:11-13
We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you.  We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us.  As a fair exchange, I speak as to my children, open wide your hearts also.

Observation
Honesty, transparency, and having an open heart filled with the Spirit of God are vital in learning to love people.  Paul the Apostle said, "open wide your heart."  An unloving person is narrow in heart, so the follower of Christ should love all people.  What comes out of our mouth is a good indicator of the condition of our heart.  Is love and understanding being communicated?  We need an open heart to be able to love those with faults and shortcomings, those who would naturally repel us.  It makes me wonder, am I withholding God's love and affection toward someone - just because they have different views, or sinning, or unkind to me?  

Application
I need to open wide my heart - to make room for the unlovely, the lost, the one who is held captive in their sin; even to those who may have offended or hurt me, or said unkind things.  Because now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation!  Do not put a stumbling block in anyone's path - and don't be one either! 

Prayer
Forgive me Father, I repent for closing my heart to those who have hurt me or for those who would cause me to shudder and shrink back.  I invite You to stretch the tent of my heart wide and help me not to hold back Your love to anyone!  Lengthen my heart cords and strengthen the stakes to hold them firmly in place.  I need a new wineskin for the new wine You are asking me to contain - lest You pour new wine into this old skin and I burst!  Change me Lord and help me to see what You see in others.  I open wide my heart to You to receive all that You desire to pour out through me in these days!  I will keep praying and doing good, in Jesus Name, A-men.