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 5/27/98 Good morning.... +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ I have discovered the secret of
the Spirit-controlled temperament. The key is spending
quality personal time with the Lord and receiving help
from Him on a regular basis. +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ +†+ Hi Brethren!! Top o' the mornin to ya! I pray your week is going well! If not, let us consider going to the outlet to make sure we are "plugged in." Don't you just love these little "pre-theme hints?" In all sincerity, I pray that your walk with the Lord is ever increasing...and He is continually revealed in your life, more and more each day. Please, read on...and let His Light shine on your heart! ....Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. Eph 5:14 Jim Davis, a grocery store clerk who loves his job, prides himself on his good work. One of his pet peeves is out-of-control toddlers and parents who yell at their kids but do nothing to correct their children's obnoxious behavior. One evening, Jim was checking out a customer who had a shopping cart full of groceries. While ringing up the sale, a child behind him began screaming very loudly, and an angry man responded by shouting, "Get down!" What a jerk, thought Jim, without even looking up. He kept on calling out prices and moving the groceries past the scanner. The kid behind him was still crying, and again he heard the man yell, "Get down!" Sheesh. Talk about poor parenting, thought Jim. This guy is a total jerk. He kept on checking groceries without looking up. Finally finishing the customer's cart, Jim looked up and said, "That'll be $89.95, ma'am." Seeing no one, he looked around and noticed that everyone, including his customer, was lying face down on the floor. He turned around just in time to see a gunman leave the store. The checker behind him, still lying on the floor, calmly said, "Jim, you know the second time you heard 'Get down,' his gun was pointed right at your head." We can get so accustomed to the noise of our culture and the distractions of the world that when we hear someone telling us something important, we blow it off as if it were of no significance. How many times have we been warned about the dangers of abusing drugs and alcohol or of doing other behaviors that can kill you? We hear so much of that, we sometimes ignore the messengers, assuming the warning is meant for someone else. We go on with business as usual. You put yourself at great risk when you blow off an important message, one that can save your life. The time will come when there'll be no more opportunities to act on the message. There is One waiting for you to come to Him. "Now is the day of salvation." "The Grocery Store Clerk" JE§U§><<>@<><JE§U§><<>@<><JE§U§><<>@<><JE§U§ The human side in us fears the unknown, Lord. Give us the faith we need to step out of our dim caves and into Your guiding Light. -Corrie Ten Boom- JE§U§><<>@<><JE§U§><<>@<><JE§U§><<>@<><JE§U§ THE LIGHT Step into the light, JE§U§><<>@<><JE§U§><<>@<><JE§U§><<>@<><JE§U§ Isa 2:5 ....come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD. Me again Brethren! In my prayer time, I consider it a very important part, to include you all. Now, granted, I don't know every single one of you, but God does. I pray for blessings in your lives, I pray that the "eyes of your understanding" will be continually enlightened, and I pray for your protection from the Evil one. If there are any on this list that doesn't know Jesus..I pray that you will. And I pray for God to show me what to put on these devotionals. I picked today's story for a reason. Like the clerk in the story, there are times in my own life when I feel so consumed with what's going on inside of "me,"...I lose sight of the very happenings that take place outside of my "shell." Have you ever had days when you went to the grocery store, the mall, or perhaps even to work...and making eye contact, or anything that meant reaching out or connecting with others, was the last thing you wanted to do that day? You just wanted to take care of your business, get it done, and go on. I know I have. And, as I reflect, I realize that these are the days when my light bulb isn't "screwed all the way in." Allow me to elaborate. I saw this analogy while praying in my living room. In this room is a ceiling fan, and on this ceiling fan are three light fixtures. Each of these fixtures can take up to 60 watt bulbs, and when all three are screwed in and turned on, the light in my wittle living room can be downright blinding! lol Sometimes, when company comes over and I don't want to blind them instantly, and scare off all the cockroaches at the same time, I go to the ceiling fan, and unscrew one or two of the light bulbs to dim the room. When we unscrew a lightbulb, just to cut off that particular light, we don't take it all the way out, do we? We unscrew it just enough to "cut the source of power." It's still hanging there with all the other light bulbs, but what is now missing from this one? The Light! We still co-exist, but have no real Power Source. Now, paralleling this with the Christian walk...That's the way it is sometimes. We are still going through the motions, interacting with others...but, they are abstract, and we feel distant. We are still there..but, not really. We are just hanging there, but the Light is no longer shining. You see, the times that I am oblivious in public, the times that I don't care about anyone else's circumstances, <because for one thing...my OWN circumstances are overwhelming>, the times that I would rather crawl into bed and pull up the covers, are the times when my light bulb isn't screwed in all the way! Matt 5:14-16 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. How can we give off Light if we are cut off from the Source? We can't! Anything we attempt to give off without actual power from the Source, will be counterfeit, and works of the flesh. That is the difference between operating in the flesh..and allowing the Holy Spirit to generate Authentic Power. Ok, now that I have just confessed to you that there are times when my "light bulb ain't screwed in all the way,"....<like you didn't already know, hehe> let us "troubleshoot" this area...and check out the "fuse box." I see a fuse that looks suspicious. It is labeled "Prayer Life." When I am spending time in prayer, I must consider it a two-way communication. Prayer is not just time for me to "dump on God," and then walk away. Prayer is the time, where I allow the "Searchlight" to come on my heart, and I stand completely naked, <spiritually speakin> and surrender MY agenda to Him. Ps 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. It is a time, where I allow the Father to pour His Heart, into my heart. It is a time where He puts someone on my heart to pray for. It is a time to enjoy Him, in all that He is. It is a time of intimate fellowship. It is a time, when I must give Him my time. As I continue to "seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness," ALL of the things I need, will be added unto me. So I don't have to sit and worry about me. As all of this is taking place, I will begin to notice the other people in my surroundings. I will notice with compassion, the lady in the wheelchair, or the man with the look of desperation on his face. I will notice the child in the grocery cart ahead of me, that seems starved of affection, and could sure use a smile. Why? Because my light bulb is now screwed all the way in..and I am connected with the Source! I can fake it all I want, but if I do, I am "short-circuiting" myself, and the others that can benefit from my "staying connected." There are mornings, when I knew in my heart of hearts, that I needed to get up and pray, or spend time in the Word. The Holy Spirit was wooing me, but because I have a free will, there are times that I have listened to my tired, pampered flesh, and crawled back into the bed. I might wake up physically rested...<or with a headache>...but I know that those days, I am spiritually short-circuited. Those are days, when I unscrewed my light bulb just a little bit more. I might still be connected, but it is starting to flicker. If we meet God, before the day begins, and commune in our hearts with Him throughout the day...our Lights WILL shine...! Have you ever come across someone that had their light bulb screwed in real tight? Those are the ones, that make that sacrifice. Those are the ones that say: "Yeah, my body does want to crawl back into the bed, but I have a Divine Appointment...and I am going to keep it. I choose to keep it. " I know this much from experience. The days that I HAVE chosen the Lord, over my flesh...are the days, that I go BOING! After my quality time with the Father, I am ready to begin a new day with a zeal, and a desire to spend even MORE time with Him. Those are the days when I treat my family better, because my Light is on...and I can SEE their needs...instead of being so focused on poor lil Carol. When I yield my heart to Jesus, without reservation, some wonderful things are taking place. *I* am no longer the self-pitying, self-focused individual I can be, BECAUSE the priorites are in order. And..here they are: Mark 12:29-31 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. God first, then others, then me. As that commandment is being fine tuned in my heart, through continued focus, and a desire to allow Jesus to be my Lord...then I am able to see what's going on around me. I see the needs of others with a "fresh eye" and act on it, according to the direction of the Holy Spirit. And one more thing...as all of this is taking place, I am being "charged"...from the inside out. I have peace, and I have assurance...because this light bulb chooses to be "connected to the Power Source,"....and as a result...His Light will shine through. So..whaddya say? Wanna get surged? <smile> God Bless You Guys! I love you bunches!! In Christ!!
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