Friday, January 7, 2011 - Cucumbers in the Bottom of the Bowl

     Tom and I were married 14 years when I discovered he doesn't like cucumbers.  How had I missed this important detail of my husband's culinary preferences? Did 14 years of cucumbers left in the bottom of his salad bowl not hint loudly enough of his distaste and rejection? What else did he dislike? Had he been suffering in silence over the green beans or the way I made tuna salad? Haunted by this new uncertainty, I suddenly felt I was living with a stranger. I drilled him about everything over the next few weeks until he wished he had left the nasty green things in the bottom of his bowl again instead of saying anything.
     It can be either frightening or exhilarating to think you know someone inside out and then discover you've only scratched the surface. Many of us have heard the basics about Jesus for decades, but how well do we really know Him? Today's My Utmost for His Highest asks, "We receive His blessings and know His Word, but do we know Him?" Our intimate, mutual relationship with Jesus separates us from other religions. He calls us friends and revealed who God is through Himself. Yet, we sometimes live as if we don't know Him. The disciples had performed miracles in Jesus' Name and Power yet still struggled with accepting Who He was and is. "Jesus answered: 'Don't you know Me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show me the Father?''"John 14:9
     How do I take my relationship with Jesus to the next level? How do I cultivate a deeper intimacy with Him? His Word says He inhabits the praise of His people. Today I will know Jesus better by praising Him and by thanking Him in every circumstance. He's been with me a long time and it's about time to know Him more intimately. It's time see Him for Who He is instead of seeing what my human nature wants to see. It's time to stop ignoring the cucumbers in the bottom of the bowl. 
    Lord, Your Word tells us what we need to know to get to know You better. Remind us to praise You all day long today so You are in our hearts and minds. Open our eyes to see the "real" You and not just the Sunday version we've invented to make us feel better. We'll never know You fully until we're face to Face in heaven but don't let us forfeit the intimacy and friendship we can share with You on earth. You've promised to stay with us always so our opportunities to commune with You are constant. Bless Yourself through our praise, adoration, Love and thanksgiving today.
   You are: Amazing Grace; Beautiful Savior; Constant Companion; Divine; Everlasting Father; Faithful Forever; God of Heaven and Earth; Holy, Holy, Holy; Immanuel and the Great I AM; Jesus, Sweetest Name I Know; King of kings; LORD of lords and Living Water; Mighty God; Name Above All Names; Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent; Prince of Peace and Potter; Quilter of My Body and Soul; Royal, Righteous, Redeemer; Soul Satisfying Savior; Teacher; Unique Son of God and Utterly Trustworthy; Valiant and Victorious; Wise Counselor and Wonder-full Worthy God; EXuberant in EXpressing EXtraordinary Love; YAH-WEH, and Zion's Hope -our Zealous Lover.
     
"Yet You are enthroned as the Holy One; You are the praise of Israel." Psalm 22:3


"Praise the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song, His praise in the assembly of the saints."Psalm 149:1-2


"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Thursday, January 6, 2011 - Camping Out

     When I first read the devotionals from Jesus Calling and My Utmost for His Highest  this morning, I didn't see a clear connection or common thread, but I should know better. Everything is connected in God and He never leaves loose ends. 
     Abraham lived his life from altar to altar. So much so, you might think he bought stock in stone quarries. Most religions of his day required building and sacrificing on altars, but Abraham's faith-journey led to building altars each time he communicated with God. The single verse for My Utmost for His Highest seems to merely state a fact:
     "From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD." Genesis 12:8  
     Then I did a little research and found more than facts. 
     *Abraham had just built an altar in the verse before this (Genesis 12:7) to thank God for the promised land inheritance for the son (Isaac) He had already promised.
     *The altar he built in 12:8 was equi-distant from two cities: Bethel and Ai. Bethel means "House of God" and was the then-future location of Jacob's ladder dream and wrestling match with God. On the other hand, Ai was the small pagan city where God's people suffered humiliating defeat because they went into battle without seeking God first. Coincidence? I think not.
    *Remember that Abraham didn't know where God was leading him so he had to stay in touch regularly with God to know which direction to take.
    Each of us camps out between God and the world; between worship and worry, between seeking God and living independently of Him. Each day we decide whether to build our altar of communication facing God in worship with willingness to follow Him or to build it facing a world of selfish turmoil and constant demands. The altar built to worship God for Who He is and what He can do brings Him glory and trains our minds to expect the best instead of bracing for the worst. Inviting the Holy Spirit to control our minds brings only a positive mindset and direction while letting the world take control leads to distress and anxiety.
"The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace." Romans 8:6
     When we're exhausted or uncertain it's time to set up camp and build an altar facing God. As we turn our backs on the world and worry to spend time worshiping Him, He renews our strength and sets us soaring in the right direction. We can never build too many altars to God or worship Him too much on our faith-journey and He can never have too much control of our minds. Of these things, we can be certain.


"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-22


"Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:30-31


Father, it's too easy to let worry eat us up. Change our hearts and minds. Guide us to take all the time You need to remodel our minds. May we camp out until we know where You're leading us, then follow in peace. We kneel at the altar and worship You:
"Ah, Lord God, Thou hast made the heavens and the earth by Thy great power!
Ah, Lord God, Thou hast made the heavens and the earth by Thine outstretched Hand!
Nothing is too difficult for Thee! Nothing is too difficult for Thee!
Great and Mighty God - Mighty in Counsel,  Awesome in Deeds,
Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing, nothing is too difficult for Thee!" God

Wednesday, January 5, 2011 - It's not just a game when you're the one who drops the ball.

     After suffering through the first half of the Sugar Bowl I went to bed. The Hogs had everything they needed to win including five seasoned players who had started every game in 2010. An entire state of Arkansas was counting on them. The Buckeyes even lost a key receiver to a wrist injury and we still fell behind 28 to 7 before halftime. It was too painful to watch and this morning I saw on Facebook where disgusted Razorback fans were facetiously giving away their Hogs paraphernalia. Our team had a bad day and blew the big one in front of a sold out Superdome filled with die-hard supporters.  
     No matter how long we've been washed white as snow by the red blood of Jesus, we're going to have bad days and blow big opportunities. Sometimes it's because we're like Simon Peter whose heart was in the right place but who occasionally jumped offsides when it came to speaking and taking action. Peter had followed Jesus for three intense years as one of His closest disciples when he made the curse-filled, heart-wrenching denial that he even knew "the man." No one was more surprised or devastated than Peter himself. A lesser man would have slunk back to the boats for good but Jesus' love for Peter and Peter's genuine repentance gave him the courage to face the Resurrected Christ. Peter's failure emptied him of any shred of self-reliance, leaving plenty of room for the Holy Spirit's filling in just a few short weeks. Our failures are key players in our spiritual growth because they remind us we'll only succeed when we live by faith and allow the Holy Spirit to fill us. Unlike football and contrary to popular practice, our spiritual lives aren't just a game.
     Father, please forgive us for our cocky approach to life. We throw ourselves on Your mercy and ask You to live through us. Empty us of every shred of self-reliance and work powerfully through us. When we fail, remind us of Your unconditional Love and give us the courage to come back to You to ask for forgiveness and to let You use our failures for our good. Mighty God, thank You for being the God of Second Chances!
In the Name of Jesus who lived forgiving, died forgiving and came back to life still forgiving!


"Simon Peter asked Him, 'Lord, where are you going?' Jesus replied, 'Where I am going you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.'" John 13:36


"We live by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7


Inspired by My Utmost for His Highest, and Jesus Calling

Tuesday, January 4, 2011 - Narrowing the Field

      Tom's a big picture person but I'm easily overwhelmed with too many options. Deciding what to have for dinner when the freezer's full is a big deal for me so you can imagine what car lots with colorful balloons and warehouse stores do to me. When it's time to buy a car, a computer, a printer, or anything else which involves hundreds of options, my sweet husband does the preliminary shopping and narrows the playing field before taking me along for the final decision.
     Serving and ministering in a world filled with needy people overwhelms me, too. When we first moved to Daphne, we lived on a circle with approximately 35 homes. Only a couple of people on the street had introduced themselves to us and from what we could gather and observe, many families were unchurched and lost. I had found my mission field and immediately started trying to figure out how to reach my neighbors for Christ. My tendency to feel overwhelmed led me to pray a new prayer: "God, I don't know where to begin so You bring the neighbors to our doorstep that You want me to minister to and serve. Make our home a lighthouse for You and each time the doorbells rings or someone knocks help me remember You brought them to the door for Your purposes. I'm trusting You." That week our home became a neighborhood hot spot for teenagers on the street and I can't remember exactly how it all started. One girl knocked on the door for a school fundraiser and another brought our dog home when he got out of the fence, and from there all heaven broke loose. A group of them started going to church with our family and most were saved as a result. God narrowed the field then harvested it and turned our neighbors into new family.    


I trust You, Jesus, with the assignment You've given me for today and I trust You on days there seems to be no assignment. I trust You. Help me represent You well. You are the Great I AM - Creator and Sustainer of the universe. You love me with a Love I can't begin to understand or absorb. You want to use me for Your Glory so I trust You to do that today. I'm stepping aside for You to shine. Encourage some loving prayer warriors and faith heroes today. Shine Your Light into the dark hopelessness of someone who's lost. You don't call us to accomplish anything alone: in fact, Your Word assures us we can do NOTHING without You  - except dig pits we'll fall into at some point.  Because You are with me, speaking through me and pouring Your Holy Spirit through me, someone besides me will be blessed and encouraged. Thank You for that assurance. I trust You, Jesus.

"See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and His arm rules for Him. 

See, His reward is with Him, and His recompense accompanies Him. 

He tends His flock like a shepherd: 

He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; 

He gently leads those that have young."

 Isaiah 40:10-11

"Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." John  4:35

inspired by My Utmost for His Highest and Jesus Calling

Monday, January 3, 2011 - Efficiency Expert

     A New Year's report on popular resolutions revealed that, yet again, the top two resolutions for 2011 are "to lose weight" and "to get out of debt." An expert then offered three suggestions to foster simultaneous success in these areas: 1) Replace all sugared drinks (costly and bad for you) with water (free and good for you);  2) Plan an active vacation (camping, hiking, biking, or sightseeing) rather than a leisure vacation (where you sit while they feed you rich and fattening foods);  and, 3) Cook at home (cheaper and better for you) instead of eating out (at least twice as expensive and rarely better for your health). I love ideas like these that are efficient on multiple levels. 

     God is the Master of Efficiency. Jesus taught us to live efficiently when He said, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33). He commended Mary for choosing this "one thing" by sitting and learning at His feet while He chided a disgruntled Martha for going about business as usual (trying to be efficient) when He was there (Luke 10:39-42). God's efficiency means praising Him with "a new song" which in turn keeps our faith fresh and leads to our own inner healing and peace. As we mature in these qualities His Light shines more brightly through us, encouraging others to see and trust the Lord as well. (Psalm 40:3). God's efficiency means that when we love and obey Him alone, He comes through for our good on multiple levels. 


Father, we can feel overwhelmed with opportunities and open doors, with good intentions and resolutions, with our need and desire to change, yet we don't operate efficiently. Give us wisdom and devotion to sit at Your feet and listen instead of wasting energy chasing smaller goals and making multiple resolutions. You alone can simultaneously resolve multiple issues on deep and lasting levels. Thank You for rewarding us with the great goodness You've stored up for us when we seek You first and take refuge in You. Thank You that that whole time we're listening and learning from You and letting You transform our minds and hearts, You're also polishing our witness for others to see and follow. Make us beacons of efficient Christian living for this confused and scattered world.
In the name of Jesus, the One Way to God the Father and all the blessings of paradise!

"She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, 'Lord, don't You care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!'   'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.'" Luke 10:39-42

"He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. 

Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD."

 Psalm 40:3

"How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You, which You bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in You. In the shelter of Your Presence You hide them from the intrigues of men; in Your dwelling You keep them safe from accusing tongues." Psalm 31:19-20

"I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. 

In this world you will have trouble. but take heart! 

I have overcome the world." 

John 16:33

inspired by Jesus Calling, January 2 and 3

Sunday, January 2, 2011 - Confidently Clueless

In addition to what God says to me through Jesus Calling, I'm experimenting this year with Scriptures and ideas from a variety of materials, giving credit for inspiration where credit is due at the end of each day's entry.

    Sonny, our cat, started waking up around 3:00 this morning.  I ignored him. When playing possum didn't work I tried stroking and soothing him back to sleep, but he was wide awake and I was getting there. I wondered if God was using the cat to get me up so I asked Him to clarify: "Lord, if You're using Sonny to wake me up because I need more time with You today, make him turn on the radio." The Nolands are blessed with smart pets who train us well. During Zorra's lifetime she taught Sonny to turn on the radio when he wants me to let him out or feed him. My prayer had barely been formed when Sonny marched to the clock radio and starting hunting for the button. He found it and I sat up laughing. It does a body good to hear directly from God.
     We've set our feet in 2011 with high hopes that this will be our year, whatever that means. We're modern Abrahams and Joshuas, called to explore unknown territory where God will lead us to accomplish whatever He wants to do through us (Hebrews 11:8; Joshua 1:9). Abe and Josh were clueless about how God would accomplish His purposes through them, but they followed Him confidently because He promised to be with them every step. Abraham waited well into old age to see the child God promised him and poor Joshua spent forty years wandering the desert with faithless people until God used him to lead the faithful to victory. Each man stepped out without knowing exactly where their feet would land but remained courageously confident God was with him. This is one of my prayers for personal growth for the new year: to live confidently in the Lord my God when I'm clueless about what He's doing or how He'll do it.
   Lord God, thank You that we're clueless about what the year, the week and even the day holds.  You know we can't handle too much information or we start making lists, planning, and generally getting in Your way. We look to You to fulfill Your promises in us and to use us as only You can. Thrill our hearts as we get to know You intimately. Astonish us today. Lift our minds and hearts above this world to seek Your Face. Turn our bodies into sweet chapels where we worship You in uninterrupted communion.
In the Name of Jesus Who led His disciples into unknown territory for three years and changed the world.
  

"Look to the LORD and His strength; seek His face always." Psalm 105:4

"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." Hebrews 11:8


"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9


inspired by My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers and Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

Saturday, January 1, 2011 - Stupid Is As Stupid Does

      Neither of the main political parties feels President Obama has brought the positive "change" he promised. They weren't happy with Bush either or they wouldn't have voted for change. No "100% human" can put the world in order in two years, or four years, or eight years, yet people still fall for that promise. We're not the quickest students when it comes to the difference between the power a person holds and the Power of God. Like Forrest says, "Stupid is as stupid does."

    Lord,  I'm tired of being stupid when it comes to believing You and believing You are the Key to all change. Help us let go of believing all change must happen in others or in our circumstances. Strengthen us to let You transform us from stupid to stellar, beginning with the first few steps we take today in 2011. 

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is --His good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."Jeremiah 29:11