Slow

Hey, Y'all,

Meant to get this out while at NAF El Centro a couple of days ago (yes, it was time once again to visit "The Pearl of the Desert") but it turned out to be a crazy busy couple of days. Nevertheless, here we go...

So, maybe you're thinking the Bible is just an outdated collection of random weird stories...maybe you're thinking it has nothing to say to somewhat jaded 21st-century people who've seen it all and heard it all before...

Check this out (it's based on a couple of conversations I've had recently well as a thought from PurposeDrivenLife.com).

The Bible says we should be quick to listen (and slow to speak). In fact, here's what it says in James 1:19 -- "...Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry …." Hmmm...kinda thinkin' that it'd be nice if I kept that little tidbit handy a little more often, eh?

Here are three things that hinder our ability to hear what others are saying:

1) Presumption is when you think you already know what the other person is going to say. Yet, the Bible says, "He who answers before listening–-that is his folly and his shame." Proverbs 18:13

2) Impatience is when you interrupt and jump to conclusions: "There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking." Proverbs 29:20

3) Pride is when you become defensive and unteachable: "The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice." Proverbs 12:15

And here's the parting shot for today--yep, yet another irrelevant word: "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1

Hmmm...so how true were those?!?

You've been prayed for today...

He's Awake, And He's Working

Hey, Y'all,

You know, I was just thinking that I seem to be in an "Amplified Bible" kind of mood today, and then I realized that evidently I've also got Philippians on the brain (though admittedly in an oddly inverted fashion, as you'll see)...funny how these things come together. And BTW, ya gotta love the Amplified Bible version--it might seem a little clumsy to read occasionally, but I love how it fleshes out the meaning of key words and sometimes puts them in a brand new light for me. Anyway, here are today's thoughts...

I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient but only in Christ's sufficiency].
Philippians 4:13

I love that thought: that thanks to His empowerment I am up to meeting anything that comes my way--'cause things happen (or maybe it's just me again? :-)

It is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and delight.
Philippians 2:13

I love this thought: God is constantly, effectually, at work in me, creating in me both the actual want and the ability to please Him. He meets me WAY more than half-way: He not only gives me the strength, He gives me the very desire to seek His way, to seek Him. Now, how cool is that?

And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.
Phil 1:6

I really love this as the parting thought: our God isn't a half-way God, He isn't a "gonna-leave-me-hangin' now-you're-on-your-own" kind of God. He who began this good work in us neither slumbers nor sleeps (a tip o' the hat to one of my favorite Psalms--121--check it out :-) He who began that good work in you, whatever it may be, will faithfully bring it to full completion...

It occurs to me (yet again) that God is good, and that's the truth.

You've been prayed for today...

"Between His Shoulders"

Hey, Y'all,

Today's RST is one of those whose very simplicity makes it unexpectedly powerful, sublime. It's found in Deuteronomy 33 (verse 12) where Moses' final blessings and prophecies regarding the Twelve Tribes of Israel are recorded. Funny...actually, I think of this verse fairly often, and must say that, without fail, I experience the same sense of wonder, of peace and reassurance, as the first time I heard it; like a cool breeze in the middle of an oppressively hot day, like that first gulp of cool water then you're utterly parched...funny too how Psalm 42's "As a deer pants (or longs) for streams of water, so my soul longs for You, O Lord," comes immediately to mind.

Anyway, it goes like this:

"Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him,
for He shields him all day long,
and the one the LORD loves
rests between His shoulders."

There's something about that phrase, "The one the LORD loves rests between His shoulders," that soothes me...probably 'cause they're mighty big shoulders, and consequently I can see myself resting secure there. How 'bout you?

You've been prayed for today...