July 7 ~ Proverbs 3:5-12
Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he's the one who will keep you on track.
Don't assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own;
give him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst,
your wine vats will brim over.
But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline;
don't sulk under his loving correction.
It's the child he loves that God corrects;
a father's delight is behind all this.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Several electrical outlets in our house are equipped with Ground Fault Interrupters – GFI’s for short. This means if a significant amount of moisture is detected, a breaker is thrown, and the power to that outlet and others on the same circuit is interrupted. These outlets are now required in new construction for such places as kitchens, bathrooms, and anywhere else there is a water source, like a laundry room. More than once, for a reason I cannot determine, this breaker has “thrown,” and I’ve lost power to a particular circuit. This means I have to press a button to reset the power, which is no big deal, really. But in my bathroom, I have a digital clock, and every time I have to reset the GFI, I have to reset that clock. Small irritation? Yes, but I realize that this represents an action that is ultimately protecting my safety. This system is designed to prevent accidental electrocution – and that’s a good thing!
Sometimes things don’t go like we want them to – or think they should – and we are mildly irritated with God. “Why did this happen? Why didn’t You prevent that from tripping me up? Where were You?” we ask. The truth is that God is always with us… always guiding our paths and watching out for us. His ways are so much better than ours, and when things don’t go like we planned – or desired – there is probably a pretty good reason! And when we feel like God is trying to teach us a lesson, we had better get busy listening – and thanking Him – because His correction is a shining example of His love for us.
This is such a wonderful scripture passage… “Trust God from the bottom of your heart – don’t try to figure out everything on your own.” I know this is hard. We all want desperately to “drive the car.” Run from evil! Run to God! He’s the one who will keep you on track! It’s time we grew up and realized that God is always the better driver… and our own personal GFI.
©2009 Debbie Robus
------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 6 ~ Psalms 133:1-3
How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along!
It's like costly anointing oil
flowing down head and beard,
Flowing down Aaron's beard,
flowing down the collar of his priestly robes.
It's like the dew on Mount Hermon
flowing down the slopes of Zion.
Yes, that's where God commands the blessing,
ordains eternal life.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I know parents who say the only time their children are getting along is when they are all asleep! When my husband and his two older brothers were small, one of the boys rode on the front seat on trips as their dad drove, and their mother sat in the back seat between the other two boys. This apparently prevented World War III! And while my parents didn’t use this seating arrangement, they had other positioning tactics to prevent battles during our own car trips.
Sibling rivalry is nothing new – it was mentioned in the Psalms! - and it seems to go with the territory. But that doesn’t mean it pleases God. And certainly “sibling rivalry” between brothers and sisters in Christ displeases Him. Yet, just as with our own brothers and sisters, there seems to often be dissention among Christians. We gossip, pick at one another, and sometimes argue loudly! We undermine the efforts of others and jockey for “position” in the church. And the devil dances! This is one of his best – and most favorite – tools! Because if he can get brothers and sisters in Christ to argue, fuss and fight, non-believers will notice. And they will deem us hypocrites and phonies… and they won’t want anything to do with us!
Let’s face it… we are never going to like everybody. We are never going to see eye to eye with every person we encounter. But we can “take the high road,” – or walk away – and avoid conflict. How wonderful… how beautiful to get along with our Christian brothers and sisters. The mental image I have is God sitting in the back seat between the two disagreeable siblings. His presence prevents any conflict and ensures a smooth ride. How awesome to let God handle the conflicts – in His timing and His way – and foil the devil’s joy in the process!
©2009 Debbie Robus
--------------------------------------------------------------
July 5 ~ Matthew 18:18-20
"Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there."
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I’m reading a book called The Noticer, by Andy Andrews. In this book two men are talking on the beach, eating a dinner consisting of Vienna sausages and sardines while sitting in the sand. I’m paraphrasing here, but one man asks the other what he is eating, and he replies, “Vienna sausages and sardines,” and the other man says, “You’re looking at this all wrong… YOU are having Vienna sausages and sardines in the sand - I’m having surf and turf with an ocean view!”
How often do we limit God because we fail to notice Him or recognize His power? How often do we say, “I’m never going to get a job,” or “I’ll never be well again,” or “I’ll always be overweight and out of shape.”? On the other hand, have you ever asked God to help you do something that you felt was beyond your abilities, and He enabled you to accomplish it? Maybe everybody told you that you could not finish a college degree, but you prayed and persevered and proved the humans wrong!
See, God is in the business of equipping us to do far more than we could ever imagine possible on our own. When we call on God and trust Him to work in and through us, incredible things happen! When we join with other Christians to agree in God’s name for answers to our prayers, amazing blessings flow. That’s why it is so important that we pray for each other… that we ask for intercessory prayers from others for our own needs - and share our blessings and praises with friends and fellow Christians. There may be “safety in numbers,” but when it comes to the actions of our Heavenly Father, there is power, also!
I’m not saying we must air every problem we have to the masses. I’m not saying God doesn’t answer the prayers we utter in private. But clearly, God wants us to share His message and His ministry with others… and He wants us to believe and receive His power and blessings. Do you see the power of God at work in your life? Is your conversation with others sprinkled with talk of God’s power, dialog about your needs and blessings, and confidence that God will answer your prayers? What is on your plate these days… are you eating “surf and turf with an ocean view?”
©2009 Debbie Robus
-----------------------------------------------------------
July 3 ~ Ephesians 6:10-12
And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Have you seen the new commercial on television where a man sits down with two little girls and asks the first one, “Would you like a pony?” The little girl says “Yes,” and the man gives her a little plastic pony. Then he asks the other little girl the same question, and when she says “Yes,” he brings out a real pony! The first little girl says, “You didn’t say we could have a real pony!” The man replies… “You didn’t ask!”
So often, we try to fight Satan and the strongholds in our life with the “plastic pony,” because we didn’t ask – or believe - God for the real one. So often, we don’t take every “tool” or weapon God has given us, and as a result, we try to muddle through with mediocre, inadequate materials. And we all know this drill… it does NOT work!
This IS for keeps – we are working toward eternity with Jesus. Nothing but the best will do… and God has provided it. All we have to do is ask for it – all we have to do is choose wisely. All we have to do is utilize what God has provided – the best weapons and materials possible!
©2009 Debbie Robus
-----------------------------------------------------------
July 2 ~ 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Summer is the season when many of us pack up our tents and go camping. And anyone who has ever pitched a tent knows that the first order of business is to clean and smooth a spot of ground. Nothing is more unpleasant than a tent floor with a tree root or pebble underneath it! So we use a rake, shovel, or a makeshift tool to get a patch of ground nice and smooth before we start raising the tent poles.
In our Christian life, a “tree root” or “pebble” in the form of a stronghold or sin can cause us a lot of trouble. Not only is this unpleasant and/or uncomfortable, but it can leave a mark, so to speak! If we are not careful, we get used to that rough spot (or sin), and we don’t even realize that it has become a part of our makeup.
God has given us the tools to clear our path… to make a smooth “bed” for the tent of our life. The way may not be easy, and the “tools” may require us to become obedient and work hard, but in the end, the result – a life shaped by Christ – is so worth it. Today, let’s take a look at the foundation for our “tent” and see where we need to clear away the rocks and roots that cause us trouble. Let’s use our powerful God-tools to create a life that pleases Him in every way.
©2009 Debbie Robus
-------------------------------------------------------------
July 1 ~ Romans 12:1-2
So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Recently my mother and I were talking about foul language. She is working this summer at an Opera camp, where adults have come from around the world to hone their skills as musicians. She said foul language is common around the camp, and she honestly doesn’t understand what the people think it adds to their conversation. We began a discussion of how common four-letter words are now in regular television (not to mention movies and music). I am just old enough to remember when Rhett Butler’s utterance at the end of Gone With the Wind was a huge deal. Now we hear “that word” on television every day.
Frankly, there have been “friends” of mine on Facebook that I have had to hide… not so much because they use four-letter language – but because THEIR friends do. I don’t want that language on my wall. I can’t have my friends thinking I condone this talk. “Yeah, but everybody does it now,” you may think. No, everybody doesn’t do it. And even if they do, does that mean we have to as well? Our language is just one small way we drop our guard and let our culture dictate how we act and think. It is one more tool of the devil to throw us off our game… and as this scripture says, this is a sign of immaturity.
For the next month or so, we are going to talk about strongholds and how to use scripture and prayer to tear them down. We all have them, whether we recognize that they are in our life or not. For you, it might be four-letter words. For another person, it might be something else altogether. Regardless, God expects our best, and the Bible tells us how to achieve this. Let’s pray and study together this month to tear down strongholds in our lives and to become more mature as Christians. Let’s fix our attention on God and be changed from the inside out!
©2009 Debbie Robus
No comments:
Post a Comment