Apron Strings Devotional for 5/26/99

5/26/99

Good Morning....
Jesus loves You!!

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God would give up His only Son before He'd give up on you.
-Max Lucado-

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Hi Dear Friends!!

Hope this finds you doing safe in the arms of our Father! I hope you don't mind, but I reached into the "archives" for today's devotional. I have been out of town, or as we say in Alabama, "Jest a lil piece down yonder way!"

When I returned home, I found out that my Aunt Doris passed away. ( She was a Christian, Praise God! ) So, I haven't had time to work on one, but my heart is led to still send one. There are many new subscribers since this particular one came out, and I pray that it still ministers in a timely manner.

I think if we could sum up today's devo in one word, it would be..."Father." Or, to those who really KNOW Him well.."Dad." Hopefully, when this nugget is worked in our hearts, there will be a well worn path from the "scary situations," to the Father's Arms. God Bless you and see ya at the end! ( smile )

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jer 33:3

A little boy was spending his Saturday morning playing in his sandbox. He had with him his box of cars and trucks, his plastic pail, and a shiny, red plastic shovel. In the process of creating roads and tunnels in the soft sand, he discovered a large rock in the middle of the sandbox. The lad dug around the rock, managing to dislodge it from the dirt.

With no little bit of struggle, he pushed and nudged the rock across the sandbox by using his feet. ( He was a very small boy and the rock was very huge.) When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, however, he found that he couldn't roll it up and over the little wall. Determined, the little boy shoved, pushed, and pried, but every time he thought he had made some progress, the rock tipped and then fell back into the sandbox. The little boy grunted, struggled, pushed, shoved--but his only reward was to have the rock roll back, smashing his chubby fingers. Finally he burst into tears of frustration.

All this time the boy's father watched from his living room window as the drama unfolded. At the moment the tears fell, a large shadow fell across the boy and the sandbox. It was the boy's father. Gently but firmly he said, "Son, why didn't you use all the strength that you had available?"

Defeated, the boy sobbed back, "But I did, Daddy, I did! I used all the strength that I had!" "No, son," corrected the father kindly. "You didn't use all the strength you had. You didn't ask me." With that the father reached down, picked up the rock, and removed it from the sandbox.

Do you have "rocks" in your life that need to be removed? Are you discovering that you don't have what it takes to lift them? There is One who is always available to us and willing to give us the strength we need.

THAT *YOU* MIGHT ASK IN A SIMPLE WAY ...

THAT YOU MAY SEE IN *HIS* GLORIOUS PRAISE ...

"THE BIG ROCK"
-Author Unknown-
-Submitted by: Julia, JMT214@aol.com-
Thanks Julia!!

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Are you obsessed by something? You will probably say, "No, by nothing," but all of us are obsessed by something -- usually by ourselves, or, if we are Christians, by our own experience of the Christian life. But the psalmist says that we are to be obsessed by God. The abiding awareness of the Christian life is to be of God Himself, not just thoughts about Him. The total being of our life inside and out is to be absolutely obsessed by the presence of God.

A child's awareness is so absorbed in his mother that although he is not consciously thinking of her, when a problem arises, the abiding relationship is that with the mother. In that same way, we are to "live and move and have our being" in God (Acts 17:28), looking at everything in relation to Him, because our abiding awareness of Him continually pushes itself to the forefront of our lives.

-Oswald Chambers-

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A CHILD'S PETITION

I am approaching the terrible two's,
although my body is fully grown.
I am struggling with growing pains
from seeds I've previously sown.

I was ignorant of my shortcomings
but correction has been steadfast.
Everyday I'm learning more on how
to rid myself of all that's past.
I drank daily from a ceramic cup
that was filled with worldly acceptance.
I was not even aware of the dangers
of participating in a life of decadence.

But now that my eyes are slowly opening,
I pray my vision becomes crystal clear.
I pray I'll thirst for something new,
as I wash my old cup out clean.
And the teacher He has provided
has shown great strength and patience,
and a Godly love so necessary
for the maturing young Christian.

I desire to be in right standing,
I desire to be holy in His sight.
I pray the world will lose it's grip
so the Lord can reign in my life

-By: Lori Campisano - Poet4JC@aol.com-
Thanks Lori!!

Ps 25:4-5
Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

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Me again!!

Something came to my mind a few weeks back while I was waiting in the car with Baby Noah sleeping in the back-seat, and "Daddy and the three big guys" went touring the U.S.S. Alabama Battleship, in Mobile Bay.

My mind went back about 30 years, when I was about 5. ( Guess you know my age now. ) My dad, was a barber at the time, and he and I went visiting. He took me to see a coworker, and they began talking in this fellow barber's carport. As they were conversing and sharing "hair-raising" tales, ( wasn't that bad? ) I decided to go exploring.

I didn't get very far, when I came eyeball-to-eyeball with a ferocious dog. He had this look that said.."Hello, Breakfast!" Well, you can imagine my demeanor. My little heart was pumpin into overload..and fear flew all over me. Slowly and wide-eyed, I backed up, and I didn't take my eyes off this camouflaged horse.

I backed all the way into the carport, and by this time, Dad, and his coworker were sitting in the "squatting" position. I continued to eyeball the dog, and kept backing up. I let out a sigh of relief as a set of strong arms enveloped my waist. I noticed they stopped talking about the same time I nestled closer to this warm form. My eyes were still gazing at the dog that was slowly headed my way. Finally, I looked across at the other "squatter," only to realize that it was my dad! I backed up into the coworkers arms!

I was shocked, and embarrassed, and immediately corrected this wrong. I quickly dashed into the familiar arms that I knew without a doubt, would protect me. They got a good laugh out of it, but it was something I would never forget. Now I know why.

You may know where I am going today, but I will give you the spill anyway. How many times in our lives, do we encounter circumstances that are so overwhelming, and our eyes stay fixed on those circumstances, while we are consumed with fear and uncertainty, and BECAUSE we are so focused on these circumstances, we back into the awaiting arms of the WRONG DADDY?

The arms of this "wrong daddy" were wide open, and they received me, but there was just one problem. It wasn't MY Daddy. It wasn't the arms of the one that I knew, without a doubt, would protect me from that toothy mongrel. Sometimes, when things take place in our lives that really shake us up, we see these "Giants" ( likened to the dog ) as overwhelming, impossible obstacles. We continue to weigh them, with our own reasoning...dissect them, turn them over..and try to figure out a way to get away from them, without once taking our eyes off of them. It could be a financial burden, or an illness. It could be anything that seems overwhelming, or difficult to deal with.

Then, realizing the problem isn't going away, we go looking for relief with our eyes still fixed. We slowly back into the seemingly comfortable arms of alcohol, drugs, gambling, pornography, adultery, fornication, overeating, or even excessive amounts of time on the computer, or television. Anything that would constitute an "escape," or looking for relief, while the obstacle continues to loom.

These could be "arms" that once held us in the past, ones that we knew were open, just for us. Elapsed time away from our Heavenly Father could cause us to consider these other "arms." They seem more appealing and represent a quick fix, in spite of the fact that we have forgotten the tight, uncomfortable "grip" that these "wrong daddy arms" once represented.

As we nestle deeper into these arms, with the restlessness still intact, we look across the gulf...and realize that the awaiting arms of God were there all the time. If only we looked His way first! If only we took our eyes off the circumstances and searched to see where He was...and then to run, into His Outstretched Arms! Into the Arms that we know without a doubt, would bring peace and refuge ...PERMANENTLY.

You see, Satan's counterfeit "arms" bring only temporary satisfaction and this satisfaction is limited to the flesh. Our spirits are still restless, because only God can bring true peace to our spirits.

Now let me add a possible twist to that scenario. Suppose the dog attacked me, and I tried to resist it with my own strength. If that happened...I would have, without a doubt, been chewed up and spit out. BUT, if I called out for Daddy, even in the heat of the battle, my daddy would have been at my side quicker than a New York minute. ( Thought I'd throw in that plug fer you NYers! )

Deut 33:27
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee....

Ps 55:16
As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.

The point is...God is there, and He is real..and He WANTS to be there! His Arms are extended, even at this very moment. And He so desires for us to run into them, and say "Dad, help me! This is too big for me, too scary, but Dad, You can handle it. Hold me, Dad...and please give me Your refuge, and Your direction."

Ps 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

As we lean into the arms of the wrong daddy, it is just not the same. This coworker might have offered some temporal refuge, but this man did not ABIDE with me, and he wasn't the one I could ALWAYS turn to, in times of trouble. He was temporal, as are the vices of the enemy.

I'll tell you something else. He didn't "smell" like my dad, either. You know, how people have a certain smell? Even babies, are familiar with mama's smell, and they have peace when the satisfying aroma of mom is close by. That's the way I was with my dad. Dad didn't spare the cologne, ( still doesn't )...but hey, I know the way my dad smells and I like it! As we continue to abide with Christ, and become familiar with His Presence, ALL of our "spiritual senses" will become acutely aware of the fact that in every circumstance, He is near.

Heb 13:5
....for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

I close with this "food for thought." I ask that we search our hearts, and ask God to help us to be in remembrance of whose arms will give us ULTIMATE comfort, and LASTING protection when the "GIANT obstacles" of this world show their teeth. Even though other "arms" may be extended, only the Everlasting Arms of Jesus can truly keep us safe. Amen?

God Bless You All!!
And remember..
Jesus loves you and I do too!

In Christ!!
Carol
Justaservn@aol.com

I'm looking past all my circumstances,
To Heaven's throne above;
My prayers have reached the heart of God I'm resting in His love.

-Received from: Curler7@aol.com-
Thanks Glendia!!

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