CONSECRATE YOURSELF, FOR GOD WILL DO WONDERS AMONG YOU

It has been a full three years since I’ve written on my blog. Many things have happened, and they are still happening. On December 17, 2022, we will have been in Virginia for five years! It’s unbelievable how fast the time has gone. 

 

Above, see how our grandsons have grown up—not as much in age as in height. We also added a baby girl to the Ruckel Tribe of boys in January 2020. Below they are (l to r): Sam, 12; Lily Rose, 20 mos.; Matty, 12; Gabe, 13; Ben, 15. These grandkids are a blessing every day!

On my health front, two months ago, my annual CT scan revealed I had a new mass in my left lung. I felt some disappointment at this discovery. I wanted to be through with this frailty, fatigue and feeling less than well all the time. A month later, the PET scan “lit up” as they say, indicating the mass was cancerous. However, the biopsy, which they wanted to use to find what type of cancer the mass was. Unable to proceed with a needle biopsy, they took brushings and scrapings of the lung’s interior. Those five different tests showed NO MALIGNANT CELLS.

The results totally confused my oncologist, who insisted she was sure the mass was cancer. But I, being totally surprised by the results, received it as a miracle of God’s healing of the mass and neutering its effect on me.

This blog presents my thoughts about the reaction I experienced to a miracle. Fifty-five years ago, I entered Oral Roberts University and spent three years hearing and saying, “Expect a Miracle”. I’m sad to say that the reasoning that I remember for that motto was only that God might perform a wonder when you asked for it. In hindsight, my thinking was one dimensional. Since then I’ve added other dimensions to the idea, however, knowing with my mind and experiencing with my heart, again, are different. Following are some of them I’ve grasped since first hearing OR’s watchword.

I now know that not only is God able to perform miracles, but He wants to give them to us. His love is deeper and wider and higher than we can conceive, and He’s ready to show it and give it to us in innumerable ways that we cannot think of or imagine.

God is not limited by time or space. That’s an enigma to our finite minds. Our miracle may be in process, and we may not experience it at the time we think we need it. However, if we remember that God’s timing is never wrong, we can be more patient or, possibly impatient, in our waiting for it.

Our testimony to others of our miracle can multiply it. Not only is God glorified in the retelling of our story, but others can receive healing or encouragement for their daily walk by what has happened to us. Wonders are to be talked about, praising God for His grace, love, and power. It puts a “praise God!” or a “maybe He can for me” on people’s lips. Whatever they feel, they are looking at God and He can work with that.

Let’s go back to the mantra “Expect a Miracle”. After receiving my sign of God’s love, a verse in my devotional reading arrested my attention. Joshua 3:5 says: “Joshua told the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves, because the Lord will do wonders among you tomorrow.’” And, just like that, a puzzle piece fell into place for me. If I am ‘expecting’, a miracle, or any wonder from God, why am I not consecrating myself more?

The word consecrate means several things, but we’ll look at it as to make holy or to dedicate to a higher purpose. For the Israelites, consecration looked like following the kosher rules of purification and animal sacrifices, or anointing with oil/blood, and staying away from items or people not consecrated.

Today, each Christian is to be consecrated to God; for some, it is simpler than others. People who are in ministry consecrate themselves more easily than those who are in secular jobs. With that in mind, I’m going to say that our consecration is internal—in our minds and hearts, our attitudes, words, and deeds. We must desire to be set apart for holy thoughts of our mind, consciously pushing aside the impure thoughts for the pure. We seek to put our hands to the tasks set out in the Bible to care for the poor and bring salvation to unbelievers as the responsible works of our hands.

Reading the Bible and praying, spending time with Holy Spirit, watching for, and hearing what we can do in our neighborhoods are ways that set us apart as well. It’s a way of life: an attitude of ‘on Earth as it is in Heaven’, saturating the world with Kingdom life, without seeking benefit for ourselves. We give what we have, so we can receive more, again, to give away. If we receive benefit for ourselves, it is the crumbs of God’s gifts we spread to the world in need of Him.

I’m thinking more about consecration, of ways and outlets to serve God better, looking closer at Jesus’ example of serving. It’s not a daily exercise though I hope it will become one. Join me in consecrating yourself today because God wants to/will do wonders among you.

Ladying for today: My mind doesn’t always stop long enough to hear what Holy Spirit has to say to me, but I know the value I receive and the suffering I avoid are more than worth the time I spend to listen.

FIND YOUR NICHE AND SHINE!

Matthew 8:2-3 (The Passion Translation)

“Suddenly, a leper walked up to Jesus and threw himself down before him in worship and said, ‘Lord, you have the power to heal me…if you really want to.’

Jesus reached out his hand and touched the leper and said, ‘Of course I want to heal you – be healed!’ And instantly, all signs of leprosy disappeared!”

The Passion Translation’s commentary says this about verse 3: “The word leprosy was used for various skin disorders. For Jesus to touch a leper was to render him ceremonially unclean, but Jesus wasn’t defiled by touching the leper – the leper was healed!”

*   *   *

We’re living in strange circumstances for our society with ‘tech savvy’ meetings and abnormal dictates of ‘social distancing’. Regrettably, we’re just showing our true selfish natures which keep us from caring for others like Jesus teaches us.

Have you felt drawn to go walking down your street or to a local park? You might encounter fearful individuals in need of cheering up or reassurance of God’s love and power in this unsettled time. You could even assemble as two or three and ‘touch’ others with the love of Jesus right there - without a building or stage just as Jesus did. He demonstrated that with the leper in the above verses. The outcome for Him was being ceremonially unclean and sequestered in a type of quarantine until it was determined He was not contagious. Yet, Jesus loved the leper more than any concern for His own safety or observance of the regulated ‘social distancing’.

I’ve had the sense that this is a time of opportunity – that people are experiencing crushed lives and are overwhelmed with uncertainty. Many are receptive to God now more than ever. Shouldn’t we be there to answer questions for them? Maybe we could just be an example of faith and solidity to influence their beliefs. Do you have enough faith to share it with others?

Think about your response before giving it. Consider how you can reach out effectively without causing someone needing that faith to be offended.

Photo by Branimir Balogović on Unsplash.com

An example of this is a story I heard about an interaction during this time of ‘social distancing’. Joe introduced himself to Pete as they waited in a grocery store line. Joe extended his hand to shake Pete’s, but Pete refused to engage. After a short discussion, Joe recognized that Pete was very fearful and needed reassurance that all was still good and would be again. So Joe simply asked if he could give Pete a hug. Without any reluctance, Pete eagerly responded, “Yes!” We need to be there for the rest of the ‘Petes’ that need a hug in this time of desperation and fear.

Maybe you can’t go out for other health reasons but, you can call or text or email people you know to encourage them with loving words or Bible verses that have ministered to you. That’s what I’m doing…I want to encourage you to find your niche and shine in it. Be the light and salt that is needed in our world right now; we have enough negativity and ‘doomsday’. Listen to those around you and respond with a word of inspiration or hope in the power of God.

I’m looking forward to hearing your story…

GET HER TO HELP ME!

A couple of us ladies got to talking about Martha and Mary the other day and how things might have been different if just a little had changed. So, I saw an interesting prompt on a writing blog I receive and decided to write a story about some thoughts I had. The prompt was, "Write a story that focuses on the relationship between siblings". Now, if that wasn't an invitation to talk about Martha and Mary, I don't know to recognize one. It is just story--no theology involved. Just enjoy yourself and let me know what you think about it.

“It’s almost time! He’ll be here today!” Martha rushed around in a dither knowing all that had to be done before their visitor arrived. Yet, her excitement was such a rush that she couldn’t focus well and she was getting overwhelmed. She had to get the food started because that took the most time and other things could be accomplished while it cooked. But did she have enough time to get it all done? It would be close. And, Mary was being no help at all!

Now Mary, her sister, had a totally different outlook at the coming of their visitor. Her mind was the focus of her preparation. The Rabbi would have lots of ideas to instill in them. She wanted her thoughts to be calm and at peace so her mind would be fertile soil for receiving the seeds of new spiritual awakenings she was sure would be given. Martha was rushing around and squawking so much it was difficult to hear oneself think!

But, the Rabbi was coming indeed, and his visit complicated an otherwise calm village. Just his position made the visit a momentous occasion, but, the fact that he was a close family friend increased the need for diplomacy. The food had to be exceptional because of his office and a desire to honor him; those accompanying him should see he was esteemed in this home. Yet, because of his modest upbringing, his personal tastes were not those of a connoisseur, unlike some others who held the same station. Their arrogant and condescending attitudes were often addressed as vacuous and simply a cover-up for their lack of true knowledge. But maybe, if the sisters were fortunate, that crowd wouldn’t be around today. The last thing they needed was a group of rabble-rousers to disturb their anticipated visit.

Martha was a woman of creativity and organization. She had gifts and talents that demonstrated to people around her that she was capable of managing and supervising a home to be a compliment to any guest. Each detail that could be examined would be scrupulously clean and visually attractive. Martha’s requirements were more than sufficient to pass the scrutiny of the most meticulous person. However, her greatest desire was to please the Rabbi. He alone had the power to judge her skillful offerings as acceptable or not. A distraction of spiritual contentions would detract from his ability to see her work and to commend her for it. Martha needed affirmative words to give her encouragement to continue using her talents and skills.

Mary was a woman of inner contemplation and understanding of deep spiritual insights who could encourage other women. She was highly sought out by her peers for assistance with needs of relational counsel. Mary could recognize and comprehend the differences and difficulties her friends had within their households. With loving and inspiring insights she would show them how to cope and lead a relationship to deeper respect. Not a very demonstrative person, Mary would allow herself a nurturing hug for a friend or maybe to shed a few tears, but, mostly she would just smile or show she was the listening ear someone needed. Her anticipation of the Master’s visit was to soak up all she could from his presence and learn more of who he was as a person. She knew her best way to help others came from emulating such a wonderful example of servanthood. She learned more each time she saw this Teacher of God’s Word. There was so much yet unearthed that she wanted to plumb. Just sitting and listening to him talk was all she wanted to do.

The Rabbi was an itinerate teacher who travelled with a jumble of 12 interns and several wealthy women who were along to attend to the financial and physical care of the group. Fortunately, along the way there were people who were able and willing to open their homes to him like Martha. He would teach seekers from the local village, clean up from the journey on the road, and enjoy food and fellowship with other believers. It was usually a pleasant respite.

One of the more difficult situations of his work was dealing with those who opposed his beliefs, who it turned out, were also a murderous band. A chaotic collection of hangers-on always followed him: some good people looking for spiritual direction for their lives, and others disputing everything he said to elevate themselves. Although the Teacher was adept at handling the odd-ball questions and attempts to throw him off the track, he walked a long, dusty road in the desert under a hot sun every day. It was tiring and stressful for all involved. When a friend invited him into her home for fellowship, it was more than welcome. He looked forward to being with those of like-mindedness, to catch up with friends and relax from the daily attacks.

Martha and Mary: so different, so discordant and evidently so unprepared for this awaited visit. Martha worked hard all day with the many preparations she thought were important to make the visit successful. Mary meditated on Scripture and spent time in worship to prepare her heart for receiving from God. Still dealing with their separate agendas, they left out the most important part of what would make the day one of importance for them both: unity.

While Mary had great insights for her friends and their families about relationships, she was unable to unravel the intricacies of her relationship with Martha. On the other hand, Martha was so stressed, her strident shrieks drove away any thoughts of Mary engaging with her. Neither had a place for the other to help the desired goal of hosting and enjoying the Rabbi. Although the goal was the same, they could only perceive one method to accomplish it, their own. And receiving or—Horror of Horrors—offering help to the other was inconceivable. Stubborn, short-sighted and eventually experiencing less than the best results is often how siblings work together. Selfishness and smugness are often traits of siblings that begin in childhood that are carried into adulthood. Martha and Mary were no different than the average siblings.

The visit of the Rabbi is recorded for all to read in the New Testament of the Bible in Luke 10:38-42. Martha shows up as a whiner asking Jesus for some help to have Mary assist her to finish getting the meal ready. I believe that Jesus understood the whole sibling battle they had been having all morning. He understood that, had Mary moved, just slightly, from her place of total contemplation and given Martha a couple of hours of help, the meal would have been finished on time. He also understood that whining was all Martha could do now, because she hadn’t cooperated with Mary earlier. Instead Martha had pushed Mary away with loud complaining about not getting help.

With a heart of understanding that Martha wanted to be affirmed, Jesus instead elevates Mary’s decision, to sit at His feet, as best—at that moment—and He could not take that from her. However, Jesus also understood that Mary had been selfish, without a servant’s heart, otherwise, she would have given assistance to Martha before it was time to sit down with him.

What did Martha choose to do right then? Did she come and sit at Jesus’ feet too? Or, did she stubbornly continue with her tasks that ‘had to be done’? What did Mary do? Did she offer to get up and help Martha? Or, after the teaching from Jesus, did she help finish and serve the meal? Did either of them have a shifting of ideas to include her sister? Or did they continue to live their lives different, discordant and unprepared to receive God’s best for them?

Many women today are affronted and interpret these verses to identify as a Mary or Martha. I think we should see neither was best—just different personalities that needed more understanding of each other. We, too, are like siblings of different thoughts, warring in competition to express ourselves. All we need to understand is that the best—whether a Martha or a Mary—is to follow Jesus as He teaches us to be unselfish servants.

ARE YOU ALREADY IN THE GRAVE?

While we were on our 50^th anniversary trip the end of March and early April of this year, we took some time to call family that we don’t get a chance to talk with on a regular basis. It’s always good to hear from family. We feel it is important to “tend” to these relationships; time nor distance should keep us from doing that.

One person we talked with was Dave’s cousin, Tom Dodd. They grew up in a close relationship and that connection was still strong. Tom had been having medical difficulties and we wanted to see how he was getting along. During the course of the conversation, Tom asked, “When are you going to come see me?” Well, we were in the closing days of a week-long trip and were ready to get home, so the thought of a trip to southern Missouri wasn’t something we were ready to give thought to. However, the seed was planted.

When Tom’s wife, Sally, called the first of May to say she was going to put Tom in hospice, we decided it was time to go see him. We asked ourselves, “Why wait until he’s gone to attend the funeral?” So we headed out for a two-day trip to southern Missouri and spent a couple of days visiting with Tom and his family. We could focus on talking with him and he and Dave reminisced about the antics they participated in as children.  The important questions of life and death were addressed and Tom assured Dave that things were good between him and God.

After three more days of travel visiting Dave’s siblings and our youngest daughter in Oklahoma and Missouri, we headed toward home and stopped again at Tom and Sally’s before the long trip back to Virginia. What we found was that Tom had deteriorated to the place of not being able to remember our names—in just three days! We knew it wouldn’t be long before we got notice of his “home-going.” Indeed, it was only three months later the notification came from Sally that Tom had passed away—a week after Dave called to wish him happy 71^st birthday. Now Dave will attend the funeral of his cousin and friend to bring some consolation to bereft family and friends that Tom will see them again in the “bye and bye.”

As I write this blog, Dave is enroute to Missouri. It’s not like his travel is a strange experience for me, it’s just different this time. Dave’s career was (mostly) in sales and he did lots of traveling of long distances and always enjoyed it. There are those who don’t like to drive but it’s the opposite with Dave. He enjoys the scenery and listening to worship CD’s. During all this time, I stayed home and prayed for his well-being while he was on the road yet very seldom giving traction to worry.

Today was different… I’m not sure if it’s just that we have grown closer during our retirement and feel more the “oneness” of our 50 years together or the beginning of worry that I will lose him somewhere out there on the road. Sally has just lost her husband of 48 years and it wouldn’t be unusual for that to happen to us. In my usual mode of working out a problem, I asked the Lord what I should do if I was left alone and He ministered to me through the music I listen to.

The first song on was “Ain’t No Grave” by Molly Skaggs sung at Bethel Church in Redding, California. Actually, song and God speaking to me through it is what motivated me to write this blog. The words of this song “ain’t no grave gonna hold me down” enlightened me to more than the resurrection of Jesus and our eventual resurrection to Heaven. I began to understand that there are many graves that are holding people down with lies like they are “honoring” the dead or “keeping them alive” or “remembering them with love.” There are graves that have our spiritual lives so buried that we can only see a little of what is going on in life or keeps drawing us back to a life of sorrow.

In Matthew 8 there was an interaction with a man who offered to follow Jesus, “Then another man spoke up and said, ‘Lord, I’ll follow you, but first I must take care of my aged father and bury him when he dies.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Now is the time to follow me, and let those who are dead bury their own dead.’” (from The Passion Translation) Was Jesus being insensitive to the cultural duty of caring for a deceased parent? No, Jesus was telling him that the duties imposed by culture or religion—which in this case could have been up to a year after the actual death—can be handled by those who are spiritually dead. This grave was keeping the man tethered to it with the expectations of others. If we are to be spiritually alive, we must be willing to follow God when called.

What graves are keeping you attached to them and not allowing you to be free to follow the Lord? I have the graves of my parents and an infant son, in addition to many friends, in my past that have been closed over the dead and I await the opportunity to experience their love again when we are reunited in Eternity. I’m not indifferent to the loss that their passing caused me. No, I have surrendered them to their Creator which includes these relationships and all the “could-have-beens,” the regrets, the “why-wasn’t-it-differents,” even the happy times that we experience on Earth.  It’s explained well in Ephesians 1:9-11 “And through the revelation of the Anointed One, he unveiled his secret desires to us—the hidden mystery of his long-range plan, which he was delighted to implement from the very beginning of time. And because of God’s unfailing purpose, this detailed plan will reign supreme through every period of time until the fulfillment of all the ages finally reaches its climax—when God makes all things new in all of heaven and earth through Jesus Christ. Through our union with Christ we too have been claimed by God as his own inheritance. Before we were even born, he gave us our destiny; that we would fulfill the plan of God who always accomplishes every purpose and plan in his heart. (from The Passion Translation)

So, let’s look at those graves the Holy Spirit brought to mind when I first asked the question about them. What about the death of a spouse, a child/children, parent(s), grandparent(s) or even a pet? What about a relationship: of a friend, a fiancé, a child or a marriage that died? How is this grave keeping you down? How far “down” are you buried? You can get up and out of that confining spiritual place to walk in freedom—if you want to. Jesus performed a miracle and raised Lazarus from the grave when He said, "Lazarus, come forth!" Don't you want to experience that kind of a miracle in your life? You have to be willing to give up the situation, and all involved in it, that brought you to the place of burial so the effect of it on your life can be broken off. That’s called surrender--which often includes forgiveness of a person or even God. It's a type of laying down your arms and yielding it to Jesus. Don’t worry—you’ll never forget. That’s not what you’re surrendering. You are giving up the power that this experience holds over you which is keeping you from being joyful and living a life of fullness. God’s plan for you was to trust in Him, to be comforted by His presence, and get you through your pain. The loss wasn’t meant to inflict pain on you but to give you the opportunity to submit that sorrow caused by Life to God the Holy Spirit and be comforted by Him.

Ladying for August 13: As I continue to be ministered to by the worship music, the song “Stand in Your Love” comes on—“My fear doesn’t stand a chance when I stand in Your love!” Again, I must surrender my worry and fear, which is what worry is, to God. Only by giving up my pain and fear do I receive His comfort and complete life to exist as I was made to – in dependence on Him not independent from Him.

"Just Be Held"

We had a rather boisterous and loud worship time on Palm Sunday. It was a joyful interlude of sincere praise and invitation for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to be present with us. Off and on during the service I noticed a young man holding his infant son to keep the noise and uproar from disturbing the baby's sensitive ears. I am distant enough to forget the effect those decibels have on innocent eardrums but I'm also an example of how it affects them over all the years... (I won't take that rabbit trail now.)

What was most noticeable about the two was the total relaxation of the boy. His dad had one of the baby's ears against his body and the other covered with his hand. As the father sang, bouncing and worshiping, the child was completely at-ease with his body conformed to the shape of the father's body. If you didn't have a frontal view, you wouldn't even know the boy was there.

In that example, I heard the Heavenly Father saying, "That is how I desire to hold you--close to me, hearing my voice and knowing my every move. If I can hold you in my arms and close to my heart in worship, I can hold you the same way when you are fearful. You will know what is going on with me when I'm leading you. When you're that close to me, neither fear nor doubt can come between us. There is no room for sin to separate us."

I know that word was for me; is it for you too? It's evident that I often can't hear His voice or know when He is moving. When I say, "I'm not sure that you are speaking to me," that means there's too much space between us. Not sure God is moving in you or on your behalf? There's too much room between you.

"Lord, my desire is to be so close that you can't speak or move that I'm not aware of it and that it is you. Keep drawing me until I'm conformed to you, to your shape until I can hear your heartbeat and know your voice better than my own."

Ladying for April, 2019: "Hearing the sound of God's heartbeat is stimulating! But, if you are that close, you will also know when His heart breaks..."

PSALMS CHAPTER 23, Verse 6

“Goodness and grace will pursue me every day of my life; and I will live in the house of Adonai for years and years to come.‘ (Complete Jewish Bible)

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (KJV)

This verse brings a smile to my face because I saw an illustration of it once. I was young and thought it was irreverent but very funny. The picture was of a man’s back and following behind him were three dogs with names written on them: Surely, Goodness and Mercy. Looking at the Thesaurus today, I found that many synonyms for “pursue” are: follow, chase, hunt, trail, track, tail, shadow, dog and hound. Sounds like the illustration was right on the mark!

Think about it—maybe there aren’t dogs but there could be lots of people following us or maybe there are those hunting for us like the enemies from verse 5. I’m mulling over the idea that having a buffer of God’s goodness and grace between me and those enemies would be extremely helpful. The concept that any of the weapons they launch at me being required to pass through God’s goodness and grace is definitely comforting to me.

Our enemies aren’t the only people following us; there are masses of lost and searching people out there and some are attracted to the lovers of God (that’s me). Hopefully, they see God’s goodness and grace following me, so they want what I have! Sometimes my actions less like who I am striving emulate (that's Jesus) than I would like. In spite of the stressful and insufficient attempts, others can still see Jesus in us because there’s a trail that His goodness and grace leaves behind us; it’s kind of like a “scent of His essence.” That’s because our life is not about us; it’s all about Him!

The reason God’s goodness and grace follows us is not only that we are lovers of God but because God lives within us. 1 Corinthians 3:17 (b), “…For God’s temple is holy, and you yourselves are that temple.” (CJB) Therefore, the second part of verse 6 is a declarative statement of my intention to let myself be the “House of ADONAI (Lord/Master).” And that’s not for just the remainder of my life, but for all eternity. Within me my God reigns forever! I will serve Him with the goal of letting Him perfect His Kingdom in me and increase His Kingdom on Earth.

So, my interpretation of verse 6 is this: “Because you live within me, the aroma of your exceedingly great goodness and overwhelming grace is detected by those in search of you. May your Presence in me, your abiding place, lead the ‘seekers’ to become ‘lovers’ of God.”

Ladying for today: “God-within-us leaves a trail, a fragrance of His goodness and grace, that leads any who are looking for Him to me—a point of contact to find Him. The challenge is to lead others to become lovers of God also.”

PSALMS Chapter 23, Verse 5

Psalm 23:5  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

When reading through this Psalm, this verse often gets passed over quickly in the recitation, but it contains an incredibly profound concept. The idea of sitting down to eat a meal with Jesus while my enemies look on is mind-boggling! Wouldn’t time have to be suspended for that to happen? Especially for David because you will notice that he mentions his enemies in every chapter he wrote except the last two. He knew what it was to have enemies and at no time did he sit down to a meal without being aware of them and where they were in relation to him.

But David also knew what it was like to have God protect him from the arrows, the words and any other manner of weapons that were meant to harm him. He gave all praise to his protector, God, in Psalm 7:15, “I couldn’t begin to count the times you’ve been there for me.” (The Passion translation) Through all the disappointments, betrayals, running and dodging, David did not succumb to the evil that was tenaciously determined to destroy him. He knew the who he could turn to for help.

We also are in a very real spiritual battle—against evil and its initiator, satan (sic). The attacks launched against us subtly invade our minds, violently batter our emotions and never stop blitzing our spirits. Surrounding us with hostile lies and menacing deception, with full-blown emotional damage and violent suffering, and with debilitating physical disease and oppression, satan sets out to “deceive, kill and destroy us” with a passion. His business is to take out as many people as he can before they come to fully understand and accept God’s extraordinarily loving grace. His next goal is to defeat as many Christians as possible with clever confusion and guided misunderstanding of that grace. When faced with satan’s ploys, we must know what God’s grace provides for us!

I am overwhelmed by the immensity of God’s provision! So, this is my interpretation of verse 5: God calls us out of our world, where our enemies are banging on our door and throwing rocks at our house, to commune with Him and receive sustenance that nourishes us physically, emotionally and spiritually. After the meal, He arranges for the Holy Spirit to accompany us providing wisdom and guidance from God for moment-to-moment instances in our daily lives. Then, He empties His dump-truck-load of favor and blessings into our coffee-mug-sized hearts until we can’t endure any more.

God is calling us out—to come to Him. Really!? Yes! Kinda amazing, huh? When we get that one-on-one time of connection with God, we could get some strategic advice for the war; we could get clarity of mind for a critical problem or healing for our gaping emotional wounds. Wouldn’t that help us a lot in our daily battles? God desires to and will provide those benefits for us when we are “at table” with Him--in spite of what is going around us. Some people call that connection a “Quiet Time” or a “time of prayer and devotions.” Will He find you looking for Him? Don’t try to walk through the battles of Life alone when you have Almighty God offering to be your tank!

Ladying for today: My God is calling me out of the world because He has so much to give me—time, the Holy Spirit and blessings galore—so I will passionately seek Him.  “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13