On the way home God showed me:
1-9-22
It’s Sunday morning and I don’t know what the temperature
is; I’m in my car getting out and getting some sunshine. A homeless man must be needy to be out here
right now because the wind is wicked. He’s traveling light--it’s the ones that
look like they have all their possessions with them that I take most
seriously. This guy has mittens, thank
goodness because I bought some at Dollar Tree to give out but can’t reach them
in the traffic.
Self-quarantined and waiting for my second test tomorrow, I’m
attending church via facebook. It’s
shortly after 10 and the only service I can find is of 8 am. That’s fine, I can
pause the service if I need to. I have
croissants from Burger King and coffee from McDonald’s so I’m set for a
relaxing listen in the sunshine. Thanks,
Father.
Pastor Renee, Senior Pastor at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Shoreview Minnesota, is awesome with discipleship and she’s spot on
today. She makes herself available for God
to show her the things her flock needs.
Everyone talks, discussions are encouraged. I was “raised” non-denominational and It’s so interesting to watch these parishioners live out their Lutheran faith with
conviction and love. I’m older and they’re
very patient with me and my particular needs.
Very comforting and secure.
1-8-22
A few days before I started leaning on the Holy Spirit this way, I had an encounter with a young mother at the library. It was at the end of a long day, and I wanted to stop and pick up a couple books on hold before I headed home. A young mom was at the door coaxing her young daughter to come to her. The toddler wasn’t and I was very uncomfortable. Instead of just praying about it, I spoke to the mom. The woman got very upset and asked the Director to remove me from the library for the rest of the evening. Looking back, the look on the young woman’s face at the start said she was waiting for me to acknowledge and admire her daughter. How easy would that have been and how different that would have left us all feeling. I was very aware of how this would have played out if I had invited the Holy Spirit to join us. An idea from Robert Wolgemuth. How subtly stated.
As the Lord brings thoughts and ideas to me, I send myself text
messages as a reminder. Luckily it was
after 8 that evening because I stopped a number of times at the side of
the road to make notes.
This was an opportunity to learn about anger and forgiveness
at the same time. I wasn’t seeing myself
as a Christian. Begin each “encounter”
with a silent “Because I have the Holy Spirit indwelling me.” I’m
not sure if this ever becomes our default, or if, for the rest of our lives, we
will be reminding ourselves.
Graciously apologizing for our part is a chance to forgive,
which is the First and absolute beginning of forgiveness. Sometimes it’s so hard to forgive. But what
if, like motivation, we start by obeying and then the understanding follows.
Also, serious and genuine forgiveness is between us and
God. The other person is a facilitator
being used by God to teach us an important Christian principle. Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Mark 11: 25
And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that
your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
From Dallas Willard who teaches Christians how to think about
and learn about God and his Word. There are hours and hours of posts about his
teachings on youtube. Not only was he a
professor of Philosophy, he trained Seminary students and pastors.
Quote by Dallas Willard: “Grace is not
opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is
an action. Grace, you know, does not just have to do with forgiveness of sins
alone.”
Dallas Willard again: “Submit your flesh to the Spirit of God.”
A settling, comforting verse: Matthew 6:6 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
1.6.22 God Showed Me:
Having been saved a number of years ago, I do believe that I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, I have been wondering why I still get outbursts of temper--in traffic, most often. I’ve been making it a point to control and observe when I get these spurts, rather than trying to pretend I have them under control or they just aren’t happening. I believe that admitting and observing are the only way to actually learn. Today, I came upon one of these situations, and before anything happened, I realized that I didn’t have to “do” anything to call on the Holy Spirit’s help, it was already mine to claim, just focus my attention on the Lord and let the Holy Spirit “go to work.” It didn’t require any work on my part; once again, “just believe.” I believe this is one way of doing things in the Lord’s strength. So reassuring and rewarding.
I heard recently that motivation follows action. What good sense this makes and it works. Get moving and the little bit of accomplishment followed by its reward is the incentive to get the job done. Works.
All the grumbling we do instead of just forgiving people for the supposedly horrible things they do to us, sometimes repeatedly, are just a speck in time. Just get over ourselves and our ego, that's what it comes down to. Don't let that little nibble of resentment (hate) get a toehold and quickly build itself into a mountain. Get on with life and don't look back. Be mindful of how we treat others but turn a deaf ear the moment there's a need for it. Dallas Willard once again shows us the bottom line of life's decisions:
"The most important thing in your life is not what you do; it’s who you become. That’s what you will take into eternity.” Dallas Willard
___________________________________
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MRTPwhwyXU "With" by Skye Jethani has written a wonderful little book with a deceptively simple title that aims to change how you imagine your relationship with God. Not a butler or counselor, but a being we can love and desire a relationship with.
___________________________________
Experiencing God by the Blackaby family was the first time I really listened when I heard that God wanted, made me for, a relationship with Him. I just shake my head at the idea, but it's true and Blackabys warn people that this book has been known to change peoples' lives. It changes mine, continually, through the book and the day-by-day devotional. On line, go to https://blackaby.org/ and scroll down to Daily Devotional. The initial book Experiencing God is available many different ways, even at Half-Price Books.
The second life-changing unveiling from Blackabys: All the little "things" we do for God are just busy work. He's no more interested in them than the good works we use to try to get into Heaven. He's interested in spending meaningful time with us as we go about our lives, strengthened and guided by Him.
How do sheep go astray? One nibble at a time. 🐑
Comments
Post a Comment