I'm a bit late getting this posted - had a migraine last night.
Consumption: 1 XS, 1 HEB Water, 2 Dr. Peppers (migraine, remember), 1 Chocolate Cherry TAMRB, Smoked Club on Sourdough (ready-made sammie from HEB), 1 cupcake (at Ms. Jenny's surprise party), 1 pepperoni pizza Lean Pocket, 1 #2 from Jack-in-the-Box
Exercise: 3 laps at the mall with Kara & Stephanie
Clutter Control: 1 load dishes
Spiritual Development: Well, I got up when Irene called. Actually having a chat with her each morning is really helping! I got in my chair and started reading through Luke 10 & 11. An hour later I woke up with a crick in my neck. It had been a rough night with Paris getting up and trying to get in our bed more than once so I guess my body wasn't done sleeping. I did finish my quiet time int he afternoon while the kids were resting. Here' what struck me:
Luke 11:9-13 is a passage many of us are familiar with. It is the ask and it will be given, seek and you will find scripture. This is vs 9 & 10. What got me today is verse 13. " If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him." First, let me acknowledge that I am "evil." I sin. Sometimes I sin BIG. Yet, when it comes to my children something kicks in that makes me want only good things for them. In truth I would sacrifice anything for the good of my children. God made the ultimate sacrifice by offering His son for the good of all His children. I can't even imagine that. His love is simply not comprehensible to me.
The end of this verse is something I never picked up on before. I always knew the "ask and it shall be given part," but the end of 13 is very specific about what is being given. This isn't an "ask for a new car an it will be in your driveway" kind of deal. What Jesus is telling us is that the best gift God can give us is the Holy Spirit. Having grown up in a church that just didn't talk about the Spirit much, I see why I never really picked up on this. This really change show I should approach God though. I'm not really in the habit of asking God for material things, but some people are. In truth there is an entire group of Christians that would say we are supposed to ask God for any and everything we want. They take "ask and it shall..." and run with it. I think Verse 13 is the most important here. We should be asking daily that God fill us with the Holy Spirit so that it can guide us each day. Blessing will flow from that, both for us and for the people we interact with. I do believe some of those blessing will be material because God communicates with us where we are, and the truth is sometimes we need a physical answer to remind us He is there. In reality, however, it is the gift of the Holy Spirit that leads to any physical blessing. My prayer for myself and each of you today is that we remember what to ask for and have confidence knowing that God's Spirit will never lead us astray. In fact, it will lead us down the path of righteousness straight to heaven.
4 comments:
Sorry you had a headache. I can't imagine how hard it is do deal with those types of headaches and children who don't understand what's going on. But good for you for getting up and not letting Satan win. I love what you learned this morning. It is so true that many people only ask for the material things and forget that the Holy Spirit is what will truly make them happy and gives them wholeness.
Love you! Keep up the good work. It's inspiring.
Preach on, daughter of mine! One thought: once I began referring to the Holy Spirit with the personal pronoun "he" rather than "it" I became much more aware of his voice and movement in my life. He is the gift, the counselor that Christ promised to leave with us. Why we don't do more about accepting and using that gift is beyond me! Perhaps we are just slow; maybe we haven't spent enough time in the Word to understand the reality of this gift; maybe we are just afraid of what will happen if start talking about him. Whatever the reason, I'm glad I've learned to walk more intimately with the Spirit, and I'm glad you are learning to do that, too!
Did you know that in original texts the word "spirit" and the word "breath" have the same meaning? Imagine - we have the Holy Breath of God living in us. Talk about sustenance - awesome!!!
Hello My Friend!
Not much to say today except that I'm checking in on you. Maybe one morning I'll wake up before the roosters up here and give you a call. Okay, so don't hold your breath but it could happen!
Bless you this week as you continue to try. Anything is better than nothing ... My anythings are going well!
Love you!
my random thoughts here at lunch time---
I'm here checking in on you, too. I appreciate your honesty in the food dept.! I evaluate my day whenever I read yours.
I also grew up without knowing anything about the Spirit. It sounded too mystical and New Age-y for my growing-up church. But I am starting to give credit where it's due; that wasn't *my* great idea or a happy coincidence----God is working in me and through me and moves me with his Spirit in my ear. So yes, it's scary a bit to have all that power to draw from---we might have to move from the comfort zone if we listened!!
Post a Comment