Wednesday's Word

2 Cor 1:20-22 (NLT)

²⁰ For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory. ²¹ It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, ²² and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.

YES!

Establish the "Yes" in your life! It's amazing to me that in our humanity we so often go to God asking for what He's already promised to us! Now, why in the world do we do that? If He's already promised it to us - it's ours, right? What if your child/grandchild came to you and asked you over and over for something you had already told them they could have! You didn't put a time limit on it - no special requirements - you told them you bought it for them and they could have it - YES! Would it make you feel like they didn't believe you? Would it make you feel like they weren't sure of you? Well...

You know, James tells us in chapter 1 that if we waver in our faith we shouldn't expect to receive anything. If I believe without wavering that God's promises are YES and Amen - why would I keep asking for the same thing over and over??? Duh!

Instead, let us go before Him thanking Him that He said YES!! Thank Him for the promises that are ours!

Another thing...this same principle applies to the calling and giftings in our lives. I would hate to admit how many times I've let the enemy sit on my shoulder and tell me "that wasn't God who called you to this place - it was just you wanting you to do it so badly you thought it was from God." But I say this, I am His sheep and I know His voice and when God chose me He said "YES, I choose you." Therefore I have established once and for all that God said "Yes!" That's all it takes for me. I know that I know that I know God called me for such a time as this. He chose me. He created me, and He is working His purpose in and through me.

God said "Yes!" Do you believe it??

Wednesday's Word

The CNN story of the capture of an 800-pound alligator in Gulfport, Mississippi reminded me of when George caught our 7 foot alligator in the pond behind our house a few years ago. The trappers in Gulfport used a forklift to take the creature out of the water, but first they duct-taped its jaws shut. I remembered George doing the same thing with the one in our pond. Of course he wanted me to hold the broomstick on it's snout while he duct-taped it. Why? While gators can exert enormous pressure clamping down, it takes very little pressure to keep those giant jaws shut. If only that were true for the rest of us.

Today's Newsweek website tells us that Gordon Brown might still be Britain's Prime Minister if it weren't for the fact that he is "thin-skinned, tantrum-prone, and woefully short on the charisma that endeared the public to Tony Blair." His description of a voter as a "bigoted woman," caught on a live microphone during the last days of campaigning, was probably one of his final undoings.

When was the last time you said something you wish you hadn't? Or didn't say something you wish you had? James didn't mince words: "the tongue... is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell... No man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:6-7).

Here's the good news: the Holy Spirit stands ready to shape our thoughts, words, and actions according to our Father's will for his children. What is that will? "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son" (Romans 8:29). The Spirit has the power to make me more like the Son to the glory of the Father.

But I must cooperate. Oswald Chambers reminded me Monday that "we are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do" (My Utmost For His Highest, May 10 reading). The Holy Spirit will make my thoughts and words and actions as godly as I want them to be and no more. He wants me to "be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48), but I must agree and submit.

The God of the universe can tape my jaws shut, but only with my permission. So I choose to begin this day by submitting my mind, words, and actions to my King. Will you join me?

Tuesday's Tab

"Ten Principles for Having a Blessed Day!"

1. TODAY I WILL NOT STRIKE BACK . . .
If someone is rude, if someone is impatient, if someone is unkind, I will not respond in a like manner.

2. TODAY I WILL ASK GOD TO BLESS MY 'ENEMY'
If I come across someone who treats me harshly or unfairly, I will quietly ask God to bless that individual. I understand "enemy" could be a family member, neighbor, co-worker or stranger.

3. TODAY I WILL BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT I SAY . . .
I will carefully choose and guard my words being certain that I do not spread gossip.

4. TODAY I WILL GO THE EXTRA MILE . . .
I will find ways to help share the burden of another person.

5. TODAY I WILL FORGIVE . . .
I will forgive any hurts or injuries that come my way.

6. TODAY I WILL DO SOMETHING KIND FOR SOMEONE, (BUT I WILL DO IT IN SECRET . . . )
I will reach out anonymously and bless the life of another.

7. TODAY I WILL TREAT OTHERS THE WAY I WISH TO BE TREATED . . .
I will practice the golden rule. "Do Unto others as I would have them do unto me"- with EVERYONE I encounter.

8. TODAY I WILL RAISE THE SPIRITS OF SOMEONE WHO IS DISCOURAGED . . .
My smile, my words, my expression of support, can make the difference to someone who is wrestling with life.

9. TODAY I WILL NURTURE MY BODY . . .
I will eat less . . . I will eat only healthy foods. I will thank God for my body.

10. TODAY I WILL GROW SPIRITUALLY . . .
I will spend a little more time in prayer today. I will begin reading something spiritual or inspirational; I will find a quiet place (at some point during this day) and listen to God's voice.

Luke 10:27: He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

Here we learn three principles about loving our neighbor: (1) lack of love is often easy to justify, even though it is never right; (2) our neighbor is anyone of any race, creed, or social background who is in need; and (3) love means acting to meet the person's needs. Wherever you live, there are needy people close by. There is no good reason for refusing to help.

Remember, today is a gift from God so treat it preciously.

Monday's Mix

There are two things that you should not do if you see me in a supermarket.

The first thing is get behind me in a checkout line. You can be most certain that the lady just before me is going to try to pay by check - filling it out with a pen that will only work if shaken after every couple of letters. It will probably dry up for good right there and send the lady fumbling back into her overly cluttered purse for another chronically dried up pen.

The second thing you should never do is take the shopping cart I have just returned to the store's cart corral. If you do you can expect to end up with either a cart whose wheels are so misaligned that off duty police officers will stop and ask how many drinks you have had as you struggle to shop in a straight line or you will end up with a cart whose wheels are perfectly aligned and equally ceased, thus giving you an aerobic workout that would leave even the best athlete breathless. In other words - don't follow me at a supermarket.

The world is full of people you shouldn't follow. Whether it is the gossip in the pew next to you, the office supply thief at work, or that special someone who wants to take your relationship to an inappropriate level, we all need to be on guard against getting behind people who are only going to lead us away from the commitment we made when first believed in Jesus. In a world where we must teach children not to take candy from strangers, many of us need to become more discerning in whom we take off after in the pursuit of personal happiness or even everyday life direction.

Choosing to follow the wrong person can result in our quickly being far off the path God has for our respective lives. It is important that we choose carefully and wisely from amongst the multitude of voices that siren us to follow them. We must closely compare their invitation to the invitation we received and accepted from God through Christ. Some may be tempted to take the seemingly safe and easy way out by becoming loners and following no one. But that is no option because God has leaders he wants to bring into our lives for our blessing.

No, the way to move forward in harmony with God's will and plan is the best way to shop in the same supermarket as me - be careful who you follow.

Friday's Feature

Women Have Strengths That Amaze...

They carry children, they carry hardships, they carry burdens,
yet they hold faith, happiness, love and joy.
They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.

They volunteer for good causes.
They are pink ladies in hospitals, they bring food to shut ins.
They are senators, educators, childcare workers, executives,
attorneys, truck drivers, pilots, stay at home moms and your neighbors.

They fight for what they believe in. They stand up against injustice.
They write to the "powers that be" for things that make for a better life.
They don't take "no" for an answer when they believe there is a better
solution.

They can wipe a tear, cover a cut and pat you on the back at the same
time.
They go without new shoes so their children can have them.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.

They tell people that need to be told to straighten up their act.
They lend a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen and a voice to make
suggestions.

Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They have sorrow at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong
when they think there is no strength left.
They can round up energy, even when they are tired.
They can stay up a little longer to talk to someone that needs a friend.

Women do more than give birth. They bring peace and hope.
They give compassion and ideals.
They give moral support to their family and friends.
They weep with joy when their children excel, and cheer when loved
ones get awards.

Women want people to grow into the best person they can be.
They want to touch you in a way that will make you share your goodness
with others.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears,
the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair... true
beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.

The beauty of a woman must be seen from her eyes because that is the
doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.
The heart of a woman is what makes the world spin!

Have a blessing-filled weekend - and don't forget to tell your Mother how amazing she is!

Monday's Meditation

Phil 4:11-12 - 11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

Paul lived in a constant state of godly tension and divine discontent. He expressed his unwavering hunger for God in the midst of a life littered with constant adversity and impossible obstacles. He repeatedly followed the Lord to the very gates of death and worshiped Him every step of the way.

The same man who said he had learned to be content in whatever condition he found himself actually lived perpetually in a condition of divine discontent. The apostle Paul wasn't lying or stretching the truth-he had learned to find holy contentment in the midst of divine discontent.

This is the pattern of a chronic God Chaser. Paul was well practiced in the art of "running his fingers endlessly over the folds of the veil" for the latest place of access to divinity. This man lived with divine discontent. "Wait a minute. Didn't Paul say he had learned to be content in any state or condition?" you may ask. Yes, he did. He also went on to define what he meant by being "content": "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need"

Divine discontent differs from human discontent in one all-important way: You experience divine discontent because you hunger for more of God; you long to do more and accomplish more in His name according to His purposes.

Human discontent usually centers upon the unfulfilled wants and desires of the fleshly trio-me, myself, and I. At best, it focuses on the unfulfilled wants and needs of other people, but not necessarily at the instigation of God. As we noted in The God Catchers concerning Paul's life:

This Pharisee-turned-apostle was a chronic God Chaser who constantly reached out for more of God, for more souls, and for more victory over the arrayed forces of darkness. His life was a great search for one more encounter with God and one more opportunity to please and worship the One who died for him. His writings express a rich rhetoric of divine frustration: "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it…I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."

Perhaps it isn't wrong to invest your life in satisfying certain kinds of human discontent; but would you rather invest your life in God's best or man's best? Do you prefer the rewards received from pleasing men or the rewards received only through the pursuit of God and His purposes? (The choice truly is yours and yours alone.)

It should be understood that God Chasers fulfill their divine mission in countless ways-including ways not normally seen inside the four walls of a church or meeting hall. Many fulfill their divine call by feeding the poor, caring for the sick, and by supplying the needs of the destitute across the globe. Your earthly occupation has little if anything to do with your ability to chase God unless you do something clearly unethical or immoral to make a living. Simply pursue Him as your first love until you know what He wants you to do, then do it with all of your might. (Most people who criticize and call "unspiritual" those who meet human needs in Jesus' name rarely venture out of their padded pews to meet any needs but their own.) God used a Carpenter to redeem the world, a fishermen to preach the first evangelistic message, a table waiter to heal the sick, and a classically trained Jewish rabbi and seminarian to reach the non-Jewish world and write most of the instruction manual for the Christian church. Their common qualification was their chronic pursuit of God.

Somehow, I can't picture Paul settling down into a comfortable church pew. He would keep seeing that prize and start "shadowboxing" in the middle of a service and ruin everything.