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 3/9/98 Good morning.... +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ To Lean on God's perfect strength in a time of weakness, is like reaching for a caterpillar and grasping a butterfly. +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ Hi Brethren!! Hope this Monday finds you well. Got some interesting stuff for you today, and I hope it blesses you. Think of it as grabbing a "polished apple" on the way out the door...as you begin your week. (Purposely using that particular analogy for a reason..you will understand at the end.) Just remember to eat the apple sometime during the day. It would be a shame to waste it, or let it spoil. Please...read on, and enjoy! Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. Prov 3:5 There was a man who was asleep one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man He had a work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain. Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture placing thoughts into the man's mind such as; "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time and it hasn't budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it? etc." Thus, giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man even more. "Why kill myself over this?" he thought. "I'll just put in my time, giving just the minimum of effort and that will be good enough." And that he planned to do until one day he decided to make it a matter of Prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. "Lord" he said, "I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock a half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?" To this the Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when long ago I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to me, your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled; your hands are callused from constant pressure; your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you have done. I, my friend, will now move the rock." "Pushing against the rock" JE§U§><<>@<><JE§U§><<>@<><JE§U§><<>@<><JE§U§ We know we are growing in our spiritual relationship with Christ when: 1. We become increasingly aware of our
sinfulness and inadequacies. JE§U§><<>@<><JE§U§><<>@<><JE§U§><<>@<><JE§U§ HELLO GOD XOX Hello God, I called tonight to talk a
little while.. JE§U§><<>@<><JE§U§><<>@<><JE§U§><<>@<><JE§U§ Gal 5:22-25 Me again! I was praying one day...and pondering the above scripture. I said, "Lord, why can't I walk in this? It's in your Word, and I know it must be for me. But honestly, sometimes, I find myself walking in the opposites...or worse...some of this stuff here: Gal 5:19-21 I knew there must be a way to walk in the fruits. I thought I was mindful to keep my eyes on Christ, but the restlessness indicated that there was a "key" that I wasn't grasping. Then one morning, the Lord impressed this thought into my heart: "When you sow in the flesh, you reap the flesh, but when you sow in the Spirit, you reap the things of the Spirit." It was like a lightbulb went off in my head! I realized...that all the wasted days, when I chose NOT to follow Christ, when I chose NOT to spend time with Him...and when I chose NOT to read His Word....that I was sowing in the flesh! Thus the product of my harvest....FLESH! And then, it was confirmed in scripture: Gal 6:8 The revelation is getting clearer to me that, yes....it IS possible to walk in the Fruits of the Spirit!! It really is! I don't mind telling you, that I got excited! It became real to me. It became LIFE to me! Good fruit cannot grow in bad soil. We have to be open to allow the Holy Spirit to come in there, and plow up the ground...and remove the weeds. As He prepares the ground...He will fertilize it, and add the necessary nutrients. I find myself feeling like one of those "Stretch Armstrong" dolls, as this is taking place. But, I stay mindful, that this is for MY benefit. I may not see that now, and some things that I think are a part of me...are really not. Then there are some things, that I may want to get rid of...and God is saying..."No, I want to keep that...I will use it for My Glory." I see all of this, as I am being still....and knowing that He is God. We cannot grow in the Spirit, nor walk in the Spirit, not partake of Spiritual things...including fruit....IF we continue to sow in the flesh. Now, let me tie something else in, that I was seeing, and it goes hand in hand. It goes back to Psalm 46:10: Or another translation, (CEV) says: Cease from striving and learn of me. We must slow down...and be still. And it may take reordering our private lives to get there. Have you ever seen a farmer plowing a field at 90 miles an hour? We get so involved in the temporal, that we totally lose sight of the eternal. God so yearns to speak to our hearts. He so yearns for deep, meaningful, intimate fellowship. If we are truly honest with ourselves, we may realize, that more often than not, He is getting our leftovers. He's getting a tired, worn out person, who has gotten into the habit of "ritualism." But Praise God, for His abundant Mercy and Grace! It's because of His Mercy...it's because of His Grace...that as of this moment, I have another chance....to be still before Him...and really get to KNOW Him!! It is time to allow Him to work on that "beam." As He whittles away at that beam....He is forming and shaping..our own hearts. And then, as we continue to yield, we can see clearly, with keen discernment how to remove the mote, or speck from our brother's eye. Luke 6:41-42 The neat thing about that is, when we do allow Him work on our own beam...FIRST, we won't remove someone else's speck the same way we WOULD have, because after we allow the Holy Spirit to have access to the troubled areas, we would find ourselves using a different approach on the "Speck Removal Project." It would more than likely be through prayer, or encouragement, or example. But, it won't be through the harsh judgementalism, or criticism that it would have been, because we have been sitting with the King, and as a result of that intimacy, we will find ourselves seeing others......and ourselves, through the Blood of Christ. And oooh, what a view that is! Ps 51:10 God Bless You Brethren, and have a wonderful day in Jesus!! I love you all very much!! In Christ!!
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