Be Glad

Today, may we (the righteous) be glad and rejoice before God and may we be happy and joyful. 

Have a joy-filled, Word Filled Wednesday!

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Blessings,

Wait

I came across this poem today and could so identify with it.  I wanted to share it here and encourage you in your time of waiting.

"Wait"

by Russell Kelfer

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;

Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.

I pled and wept for a clue to my fate,

And the Master so gently said, "Child, you must wait."

"Wait? You say, wait!" my indignant reply.

"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!

Is your hand shortened? Or have You not heard?

By faith, I have asked, and am claiming your Word.

My future and all to which I can relate

Hangs in the balance, and YOU tell me to WAIT?

I'm needing a 'yes' a go-ahead sign,

Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

And Lord, You promised that if we believe

We need but to ask, and we shall receive.

And Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry:

"I'm weary of asking! I need a reply!"

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate

As my Master replied once again, "You must wait."

So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut

And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting... for what?"

He seemed, then to kneel, and His eyes wept with mine,

And He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.

I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun.

I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run.

All you seek, I could give you, and pleased you would be.

You would have what you want- But, you wouldn't know Me.

You'd not know the depth of my love for each saint;

You'd not know the power that I give to the faint;

You'd not learn to see through the clouds of despair;

You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there;

You'd not know the joy of resting in Me

When darkness and silence were all you could see.

You'd never experience that fullness of love

As the peace of my Spirit descends like a dove;

You'd Know that I give and save... (for a start),

But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

The glow of My comfort late into the night,

The faith that I give when you walk without sight,

The depth that's beyond getting just what you asked

Of an infinite God, who makes what you have LAST.

You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,

What it means that 'My grace is sufficient for Thee.'

Yes, your dreams for your loved one overnight would come true,

But, Oh, the Loss! If I lost what I'm doing in you!

So, be silent, My Child and in time you will see that the greatest of gifts is to get to know ME

And through oft' may My answers seem terribly late,

My most precious answer of all is still, 'Wait'".

Blessings,

Priscilla

Today's devotion was written by Mary Davis, a woman in my church.  Like Priscilla, Christ is first priority in Mary's life. 

I Corinthians 15:58

“Be strong and steadfast, always enthusiastic in the Lord’s work, for you know that anything you do for the Lord is never useless.”

Ephesians 4:3
“Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”


Paul referred to them as his “helpers in the Lord.” Their names are always linked together in scripture … Aquilla and Priscilla. What a beautiful picture of a husband-wife team. Because of their names always linked together, it’s hard to separate the two.

Priscilla was foremost in service. From the time Paul met her in Corinth she had been hard at work with her husband in the service of God. And not only that, she worked alongside her husband in their business of tent making. Theirs was a prime example of a husband-wife relationship.

From what little information given on Priscilla, we can conclude that she was an effective participant when it came to teamwork.

She was hospitable, offering her home as a place of worship, and a zealous advocate for the Christian cause. She was a spiritual mentor. Priscilla and Aquilla had mentored Paul, and he graciously accepted their wisdom and leadership, which shows that she was also a Christian leader.

But first and foremost, Christ was first priority in her life, as is seen in her service to Him. Priscilla was a queen of all trades, master of none.

Heavenly Father, one of the many attributes of Priscilla was teamwork. Lord, I pray that You remind us often of Priscilla when working for the Kingdom. May we, like Priscilla, determine to keep harmony among ourselves as we labor together. Thank You Father, Amen.


Blessings,

He is Able

We have a God who is able to keep us!  Take comfort today that God is keeping you. 

"To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!  Amen."

Check out more Word Filled Wednesdays at Internet Café.

 

Blessings,

Why Didn't You Ask Me?

Yesterday my daughter was packing her clothes to spend a few days with my mom. When I got home from work, she showed me a pair of Bermudas that had a few spots of paint on them. She asked it if would be okay to still wear them, which I replied that it would. She then said she had been worried about them all day. I replied to her that she should have just asked me - one of the many times I talked to her through the day.


As soon as I made that statement to her, I felt quickened by the Spirit. I felt God say the same thing to me – “Why didn’t you just ask Me?”

The scripture came to my mind “Call on Me and I will answer…"

Jeremiah 33:3 (New King James Version)
3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

I like how The Message says it:
Jeremiah 33:3 (The Message)
2-3"This is God's Message, the God who made earth, made it livable and lasting, known everywhere as God: 'Call to me and I will answer you. I'll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.'

I thought of times when I run here and there looking for answers, for direction or I worry and become anxious. All along I have Someone I can call on who has everything I will ever need.

What about you? Is God asking you “Why didn’t you ask Me?”

Let’s turn to Him for answers that we need.

Let’s pray. Father, I think you for speaking to my heart yesterday and reminding me that I have You to turn to. You know the things that go through my mind, the questions that I have, the direction that I seek. So I come to You with all this and I ask You for answers, for direction. I thank You in advance for providing for me. Bless those reading this and help them with the questions they have and the direction they need. I thank You and give You all praise, for there is none like You! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Blessings,

My Provider

Genesis 22:13-14 (New Living Translation)

13 Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the LORD will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”


This morning at work I was talking to a guy who was sharing about his cell phone problems. He said something (I thought) profound “ when I called my provider they said this…”

My ears perked up and that statement got me to thinking about my Provider, God. You see, this guy was calling his cell phone provider to get answers for his phone problem, which he got the answers he needed. We have a Provider that we can go to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 12 months a year, year after year. There is no contract. We have unlimited access to our Provider. You see, the cell phone company, has very limited resources and help. But God has unlimited resources!

If you are having financial problems, go to your Provider.
If you are having questions and need answers, go to your Provider.
If you are having car issues, go to your Provider.
Whatever you need, go to your Provider.

This guy called his cell phone provider expecting to get answers. Questions. Do we go to our Provider? If we do, do we go expecting to get answers? If not, then why do we expect more from everyone, everything else but God?

My air conditioner has been out in my car. Yes, I feel like I melt. My husband has been out of town and will be home tomorrow. Next week he is going to look at it. I am going to go to my Provider asking that He help my husband figure out what is wrong and that it will not be costly to fix.

What about you? What do you need from your Provider today? Let’s go to Him with the expectation of getting answers!

Let’s pray. Father, thank You that You are my Jehovah-Jireh, my Provider. I come to You today with the expectation of receiving answers. I ask that You help Terry figure out what is wrong with my car air conditioner and that it will not be costly at all to fix. I thank You in advance for Your provision! Now I ask that You help those reading this, that You will show Yourself to be their Provider in whatever they have need of. Thank You Father for being our Provider! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Blessings,

He Is Your Praise!

God has done great and awesome wonders for each of us!  Let us give Him praise!  For there is none like our God!

Blessings,