Archive for May, 2009
John 8:32 “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
A few years ago we found a very small parakeet in our garage after a horrific wind storm. It was a baby who’d obviously just learned to fly. It was cold, hungry and shaking. We brought it in, put it in a small cage and gave it food and water. I honestly didn’t know if it would last the night. It did, and has been in the cage ever since, refusing to leave. As the young bird grew, I noticed it was a girl. We call her Sky, since she came from there. Our little Sky will NOT come out of her cage. She will get on our finger when we put our hand in there, but that’s as far as she’ll go. We clean the cage with her in it, because she panics so badly if we try to get her out. A year ago, I decided to leave her cage door open to see if she’d venture out to explore this place she’s lived safely in for years. She hasn’t even come close to the open door. I’ve never shut the door. She could be free, flying around the house, if she wanted to. But she chooses to stay in the cage, that is safe for her.
As I watch her blissfully talking to her reflection in her mirror, I ponder why won’t she go thru that open door?
Then it occurred to me: Isn’t that what we do in life??? God opens a door of freedom to us but we stay in the cage we make for ourselves.
We are afraid to venture into the vast open spaces.
We are afraid of what others will think.
We are afraid of what life will bring if we go outside our cage.
But God is waiting for us to come out of our cage to a deeper relationship in Him.
Prayer: Abba Father, Dear Lord, Some times I’m a Bird Brain, letting fear itself hold me back from going through open doors You provide for me. Help me have the courage to go through the doors that open, in order for me to have a deeper relationship with YOU. In Your Son’s Name I pray, Amen – Hallelu-Yah!
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I was asked why I spell hallelujah all jacked up. The reason is this: Hallelu is Hebrew for “Praise” and also in Hebrew, “Yah” is God’s name. There are no “J’s” in the Hebrew alphabet, and I’m praising God, so I spell His Name properly as I would yours. Just thot you’d like to know too!
This devotional is from former “Cee’s Thots” archives. I pray it blesses you.
James 4:8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. (WEB)
Here I was crying again, blubbering to the Lord about all my troubles – money, relationships, failure, frustration…. Why did my life feel SO hard? I whined. It was like pulling a sled with 100 pound weights on it over a bed of rocks. I knew God had shown me beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was to proceed with that path He had shown me so clearly, but WHY have I hit so many road blocks? Why do I feel SO miserable? Why have I missed all of the goals I set forth? Why can’t I find enough time in my day to do the things I need to do, or even want to do?? Self pity engulfed me.
The current crying jag subsided. I wiped my face to return to work. As I dug through the mountain of paperwork on my disheveled desk, looking for a certain piece of paper I needed, I put my dusty Bible aside. Then it hit me….. I’ve put my God aside. Had I shut Him out? Nah…. I argued with myself that I did my quiet time EVERY morning! Indignation welled up in my heart… Hmph, silly thought… Read the rest of this entry »
This past weekend Rick entered our 1972 Nova in a neighborhood car show, like he has every year for the past 3 or 4 years. It doesn’t win anything, it’s just bone stock – we’ve kept it that way as a tribute to the original essence of the cars of the 70’s. But we go to mingle with others who are as ‘car crazy’ as we are, and visit with friends. Read the rest of this entry »
John 3:16-17 “16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
ANYONE is worthy of salvation, no matter what they have done. We don’t have to do anything else but BELIEVE. It’s as simple as that. When we believe and ask Jesus to save us, it’s done! There are no clauses in the Bible that say we have to do something first, get our life straightened out first, or have a certain ceremony before our salvation is stamped with God’s seal of approval. All we need to do is simply believe and ask! Those “unworthy” thoughts floating around our heads from time to time, are lies from the evil one. Believe it, own it, and grow in faith based on the FACT that you’re saved! It’s as easy as that!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Abba God, Thank You for Simple Salvation!
Why do I put “Abba God” in my prayers now? I’ve learned that in Hebrew, the language Jesus spoke, it means “Daddy,” or a term of endearment for one’s father. Since I’ve come to realize God is my only perfect Father, I choose to call Him this.
Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see”.
2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we live by believing and not by seeing”.
Faith is knowing in our soul what God says in His Word is true. It can’t be seen, touched, smelled or heard. It just IS.
It reminds me of the gravitational pull of the earth. It can’t be explained, but there are definite laws that surround it and it just IS. We know that the law of gravity works all the time. It is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. There is no questioning it. We learn to obey that gravity because there are consequences if we don’t.
The same analogy can be applied with faith in God. If we don’t believe in His Son, (walking by faith) we won’t be with Him in Heaven. He, like gravity, is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. We learn to obey God’s Word, because there are consequences if we don’t.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Abba God, I praise You for earthly examples of what faith is. Help us to walk with You in faith, Lord. Give us courage to always hope for Spiritual Realities we do not see yet. Continue to bless us with evidence, in our own lives, of Your Promises, soon to come. In Jesus’ Precious Name I pray, Amen.
Romans 5:8 “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
In this world where ‘everyone is for themselves’ it is hard to grasp God’s loving kindness toward us. When we still didn’t know or care that He loved us, He showed the ultimate act of love with no guarantee that we would acknowledge or come to Him. I know my human nature is not like that. I’m not inclined to do something extravagant toward others with no guarantee of feedback, as the Lord did for us in sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.
Even before we were aware of Him, God knew us and loved us so much that His Son took away our sins by dying on the cross in our place. All we need to do is believe and take that gift of forgiveness. Then walk with Him, getting to know Him better and better.
WOW! That a wonderful Heavenly Father we have! He deserves all our worship and praise!
Prayer: I praise You Lord for loving me before I knew You were there for me or cared about me. Thank You for showing me the example of true love for others. Help me to love others in this same way, knowing that they may never love me back, but loving them just the same, as You do! Yes, Lord, help me be an example of Your Love to others, too. Amen.
I’m just coming out of a ‘fiery furnace episode’ in my life. With prayer and the help of some awesome friends, I’m well on my way to being over it completely. The story in the book of Daniel, chapter 3, where Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace because they refused to worship the statue of King Nebuchadnezzar was the saving catalyst that pulled me out of what could have been a deep depression about the whole situation. I have been meditating on the verse where Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego didn’t even have the smell of smoke on them after they were retrieved from the furnace:
Daniel 3:26-27 “ 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. 27 Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!” New Living Translation
Have you ever been close to someone who’s been near a camp fire? There is a lingering odor of smoke, isn’t there? How do we, after surviving a ‘fiery furnace’ episode, come out of it and not smell like smoke, spiritually speaking? I believe we must forgive the person or event that put us in the furnace episode to begin with. Even if it was (ahem….) ourselves. Read the rest of this entry »
I have a confession to make. Since my last post I’ve cried almost every day. I’ve felt worthless and very depressed. I’ve also enlisted my ‘Ladies of the Round Table’ to pray with and for me. It’s been very uncomfortable making lemonade out of the lemons I’ve been given.
Yet God is perfect in His timing. My pastor’s sermon was right on, this weekend, and what I needed to hear. It reminded me that I’d written about this same thing a year or so ago. I called it Dancing in the Flames. Read the rest of this entry »
One of my least favorite things to do is check our postal mail box. It has junk mail more than things actually addressed to us. At times, I let it pile up for a week at a time and then stand there at the bank of several 5 inch wide by 5 inch high boxes that are about 18 inches deep, picking out all the papers and sh…tuff that is packed in there by my poor mailman. But the rebellion in fetching the mail only hurts me, not anyone else.
Today was no different … Read the rest of this entry »
Wow, time keeps on going, like the song goes, doesn’t it?
I get so many things in the schedule that I barely have time to turn around. Then I realize it’s been days or longer, that I haven’t stopped and talked to my Savior to let Him know I love Him and to thank Him for the marvelous life He has given me.
Do you find that life keeps happening as you’re living?
I’m blessed to have this life and I’m determined to live with better stewardship of my time in mind.
Till next time!
